49:16
In Ex 28:9-12 we read of the names of the tribes being engraved upon stones. God speaks of their names being engraved on the palms of His hands. Obviously God is using figurative language here, and He is stressing two things. One is that He can never forget them, the second is that all His plans, all His work, are geared towards bringing the Israelites to salvation. “Your walls are ever before me”. Walls surrounded a city, and this might be a reference to God’s future plans for them. At present their walls lay in ruins, but that would not always be the case.
49:17
In fact it looks as if God is addressing Jerusalem. For the “children” would be the Israelites, and He is speaking of them returning from exile. It is perhaps worth noting that a relatively small number of the Israelites actually chose to return. So it is only those who have faith who are part of the new Jerusalem. In contrast, those who laid waste to the city will depart from it, they will be defeated.
No comments:
Post a Comment