God’s Indictment of His People
Hear now what the LORD is saying,“Arise, plead your case before the mountains,And let the hills as witnesses hear your voice.2 “Hear, O mountains, the indictment of the LORD,And you enduring afoundations of the earth,For the bLORD has a case against His people,And He will dispute Israel.2 Sam 22:16; Ps 104:5Is 1:18; Hos 4:1; 12:23 “O aMy people, bwhat have I done to you since you have turned away from Me?And chow have I wearied you? Answer Me.Ps 50:7Jer 2:5Is 43:22, 234 “For I abrought you up from the land of EgyptAnd bransomed you from the house of slavery,And I sent before you cMoses to lead you, Aaron the high priest, and dMiriam the prophetess.Ex 12:51; 20:2Deut 7:8Ex 4:10-16; Ps 77:20Ex 15:205 “My people, remember nowWhat aBalak king of Moab devised with his evil plan against IsraelAnd what Balaam the son of Beor answered him turning the curse into blessing for Israel,Remember what the LORD did for you from 1bShittim to cGilgal,So that you may know the drighteous and saving acts displaying the power of the LORD.” Num 23:7-24; 24:3-24; Josh 3:1; 4:19God reminds His people of His gracious acts in their behalf—how Balak tried to oppose Israel through pagan rites, sending for Balaam to put a curse on the Israelites; how God saved Israel by causing Balaam to bless instead of curse them; and how God later led them across the Jordan River into the promised land, from Shittim (Josh 3:1) to Gilgal (Josh 4:19).Num 22:5, 6Num 25:1; Josh 2:1; 3:1Josh 4:19; 5:9, 101 Sam 12:7; Is 1:27
What God Requires of Man
6 aWith what shall I come before the LORD to honor HimAnd bow myself before God on high?Shall I come before Him with bburnt offerings,With yearling calves?Ps 40:6-8Ps 51:16, 177 Will the LORD be delighted with athousands of rams,Or with ten thousand rivers of oil?Shall I present my bfirstborn for my acts of rebellion,The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?Ps 50:9; Is 1:1; 40:16Lev 18:21; 20:1-5; 2 Kin 16:3; Jer 7:318 He has atold you, O man, what is good;And bwhat does the LORD require of youExcept to cbe just, and to dlove and to diligently practice kindness ,And to ewalk humbly with your God setting aside any overblown sense of importance or self-righteousness? Deut 10:12, 13Deut 30:15Deut 10:12Is 56:1; Jer 22:3Hos 6:6Is 57:15; 66:2
9 The voice of the LORD shall call to the city of Jerusalem—And it is sound wisdom to heed solemnly and fear Your name with awe-filled reverence;“Hear, O tribe the rod of punishment. Who has appointed its time?10 “Are there not still treasures gained by awickednessIn the house of the wicked,And a bshort measure for grain that is cursed? Deut 25:14-16Jer 5:26, 27; Amos 3:10Ezek 45:9, 10; Amos 8:511 “Can I be guiltless and justify deceptive ascalesAnd a bag of dishonest weights? 1+@Thess 4:6Lev 19:36; Hos 12:712 “For the rich men of the city are full of aviolence of every kind;Her inhabitants speak bliesAnd their ctongue is deceitful in their mouth.Is 1:23; 5:7; Amos 6:3, 4; Mic 2:1, 2Jer 9:2-6, 8; Hos 7:13; Amos 2:4Is 3:813 “So also I will make you asick, striking you down,bDesolating and devastating you, because of your sins.Mic 1:9Is 1:7; 6:1114 “You shall eat, but you will anot be satisfied,And your 1emptiness shall be among you;You will try to remove your goods and those you love for safekeepingBut you will bfail to save anything,And what you do save I shall give to the sword.Or possibly garbage or vileness.Is 9:20Is 30:615 “You shall sow but you shall anot reap;You shall tread olives, but shall not anoint yourself with oil,And you will extract juice from the grapes, but you shall bnot drink the wine.Deut 28:38-40; Jer 12:13Amos 5:11; Zeph 1:1316 “For you have kept the statutes of aOmri the idolatrous king,And all the works of the wicked house of bAhab;And you cwalk in their counsels and policies.Therefore, I shall hand you over for ddestruction and horrorAnd your city’s inhabitants for eridicule,And you shall bear the frebuke and scorn of My people.”1 Kin 16:25, 261 Kin 16:29-33Jer 7:24Jer 18:16; Mic 6:13Jer 19:8; 25:9, 18; 29:18Ps 44:13; Jer 51:51; Hos 12:14