Sometimes when reading the Old Testament it is tempting to see God differently than "He is now." That thinking, however, is not Biblical because God never changes. If He did change, then we would be in a world of trouble because we would never know what His standard was! Thank goodness that God is unchanging! That means, however, that the same sins that disgusted God before (as recorded in this text) still disgust Him now… His standard hasn't changed; therefore we need to read closely through this. For instance, rejecting the Law of the Lord (2:4) is still a sin; so is forgetting the poor and afflicted (2:7). Sexual immorality (2:7) still has no place for God's people. Solomon said in Ecclesiastes that there is "nothing new under the sun." While that has become a cliche phrase in American vocabulary, there appears to be a level of truth to it. The sins that tempted Israel and Judah aren't altogether unlike the things we are tempted by on a regular basis. Ultimately it doesn't come down to the temptations themselves as much as it does to the way we respond to them. God is still the same; the temptations are still the same; hopefully our response will be different!
About Seth
Seth is a pastor, author, and speaker who lives in Batesville, Indiana. He is married to Kari, and they have two daughters, Madelyn and Noelle.
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