6.8,9
This probably refers to the city of Ramoth-gilead. The “stained with footprints of blood” may be a reference to 2 Kings 15:25 when Pekahiah was assassinated by fifty men from Gilead. Shechem was an important religious centre and priests were meant to be people who showed mercy and led people to the Lord. Instead they had become evil doers and had blood on their hands. Revelations about the Catholic church have shown how true this can become. All churches are prone to this as all churches are made up of human beings.
6:10,11
These two verses sum up the situation. “Ephraim is given to prostitution”. There was both spiritual prostitution and actual prostitution. Worshipping an idol rather than the true God has practical consequences, it is not just a matter of choosing one religion over another.
Judah is not in a much better position. A harvest for her was also appointed. This is looking forward to the Babylonian conquest. We should note that this was all written significantly before the conquest of Judah took place. The harvest here is not a good harvest, but a harvest of judgement.
No comments:
Post a Comment