13:20-23
At various points the so-called wise of Jerusalem had sought to make diplomatic overtures to Babylon, and other nations. Very soon they would see these same nations invading their land. We need to be careful whom we make alliances with. It can seem all so reasonable at one point in time, but can then result in our either being corrupted by the alliance, or being devoured by our “allies”. Why would this happen? Because of the sins of the people. It may surprise you to know that the phrase about a leopard not changing its spots comes from the Bible! Anyway, God uses the idiom to describe Israel’s inability to do good.
13:24-27
“I will scatter you like chaff ..” The people would be driven from Jerusalem and Judah. This is what God had decreed for Israel. This was not an arbitrary decision, but one based on their forgetting the Lord and turning to foreign gods. The nation would be put to shame. Worship of idols often involved sexual acts and God condemns the nation for them. They followed religious rituals in an effort to make themselves clean, but it was their sins that made them unclean. They needed to repent and turn to the Lord.
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