Hear the word of the LORD, You children of Israel, for the LORD brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land, “There is no truth or mercy
Or knowledge of God in the land.
By swearing and lying,
killing and stealing and committing adultery,
they break all restraint,
with bloodshed upon bloodshed.
Therefore the land will mourn;
and everyone who dwells there will waste away
with the beasts of the field
and the birds of the air;
even the fish of the sea will be taken away.” (vv.1-3)
Here God levels His charges against Israel as if in a court of law. God is the plaintiff, and the Israelites the defendants. The charges being, “There is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land.” Each of these three points is connected. When people forsake the knowledge of God, soon truth and mercy are both gone. Truth must be rooted in something more than personal opinion, and mercy means going beyond self-interest. True wisdom and understanding always begins with the knowledge of God. Proverbs 9:10 says, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."
In our text, God goes on to say, “They break all restraint.” It all connects back to leaving the knowledge of God. For by doing so, truth and mercy become things of the past, and people no longer practice restraint. When man will not (or can not) restrain himself, bloodshed and destruction soon follow, as we've seen on national television in many states around this country. Then, “Everyone who dwells there will waste away.” This is the tragic fruit of forsaking the knowledge of God; truth, mercy, and restraint all disappear. Then, enter a new thought, that casting these things away is a doorway to freedom – when in reality it is only a pathway to destruction.
God’s judgment promised in verse 9 goes to leadership as well, “And it shall be: like people, like priest, so I will punish them for their ways, and reward them for their deeds.” This means the priests, the religious leaders, who may have thought they would be immune from the judgment coming upon Israel, will find themselves held responsible for allowing the decay of their city, and the degrading of it’s people. For God promises that when it comes to judgment, like people, like priest (Leadership). No one shall escape it.
The Truth: “For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.” (2 Corinthians 5:10)
Here God levels His charges against Israel as if in a court of law. God is the plaintiff, and the Israelites the defendants. The charges being, “There is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land.” Each of these three points is connected. When people forsake the knowledge of God, soon truth and mercy are both gone. Truth must be rooted in something more than personal opinion, and mercy means going beyond self-interest. True wisdom and understanding always begins with the knowledge of God. Proverbs 9:10 says, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."
In our text, God goes on to say, “They break all restraint.” It all connects back to leaving the knowledge of God. For by doing so, truth and mercy become things of the past, and people no longer practice restraint. When man will not (or can not) restrain himself, bloodshed and destruction soon follow, as we've seen on national television in many states around this country. Then, “Everyone who dwells there will waste away.” This is the tragic fruit of forsaking the knowledge of God; truth, mercy, and restraint all disappear. Then, enter a new thought, that casting these things away is a doorway to freedom – when in reality it is only a pathway to destruction.
God’s judgment promised in verse 9 goes to leadership as well, “And it shall be: like people, like priest, so I will punish them for their ways, and reward them for their deeds.” This means the priests, the religious leaders, who may have thought they would be immune from the judgment coming upon Israel, will find themselves held responsible for allowing the decay of their city, and the degrading of it’s people. For God promises that when it comes to judgment, like people, like priest (Leadership). No one shall escape it.
The Truth: “For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.” (2 Corinthians 5:10)
