6:11
The Israelites are to be in no doubt that God will execute His judgement, unless they repent. The people then were reluctant to believe that God would do this to them. Things are no different today, just consider how people react to the concept of God’s judgement and hell. “God would never do such a thing!”. Or “if God would do that then He is not a good God” are typical of the reactions we have. But we do not take seriously the issue of sin, nor do we appreciate the true awfulness of sin and its effects. Instead of arguing we would do far better to take God’s warnings seriously, consider our ways, and repent.
6:12-14
Justice is meant to be life giving to a society, righteousness is meant to be sweet, but Israel had turned justice into poison, and righteousness into bitterness. Things were not as they should be. Just as one would not consider running a horse over rocky crags, or ploughing the see with oxen, just as these things are absolutely crazy, so it should be equally crazy that justice brings poison, and righteousness had become bitterness. Yet that is what had happened in Israel.
“Lo Debar” is a place that had various spellings, the one used here means “nothing”. And Karnaim means strength. Israel boasted that she had conquered these place by her own strength. Israel was proud of herself, but God would send a nation against her that would utterly defeat her. She had been warned!
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