7 “I have forsaken My house,
I have abandoned My inheritance;
I have given the beloved of My soul
Into the hand of her enemies.
8 “My inheritance has become to Me
Like a lion in the forest;
She has [e]roared against Me;
Therefore I have come to hate her.
9 “Is My inheritance like a speckled bird of prey to Me?
Are the birds of prey against her on every side?
Go, gather all the beasts of the field,
Bring them to devour!
10 “Many shepherds have ruined My vineyard,
They have trampled down My field;
They have made My pleasant field
A desolate wilderness.
11 “[f]It has been made a desolation,
Desolate, it mourns [g]before Me;
The whole land has been made desolate,
Because no man lays it to heart.
12 “On all the [h]bare heights in the wilderness
Destroyers have come,
For a sword of the Lord is devouring
From one end of the land even to the [i]other;
There is no peace for [j]anyone.
13 “They have sown wheat and have reaped thorns,
They have strained themselves [k]to no profit.
But be ashamed of your [l]harvest
Because of the fierce anger of the Lord.”14 Thus says the Lord concerning all My wicked neighbors who strike at the inheritance with which I have endowed My people Israel, “Behold I am about to uproot them from their land and will uproot the house of Judah from among them. 15 And it will come about that after I have uprooted them, I will again have compassion on them; and I will bring them back, each one to his inheritance and each one to his land. 16 Then if they will really learn the ways of My people, to swear by My name, ‘As the Lord lives,’ even as they taught My people to swear by Baal, they will be built up in the midst of My people. 17 But if they will not listen, then I will uproot that nation, uproot and destroy it,” declares the Lord.
This passage expands from the usual condemnation of Israel to the surrounding nations. For it was their idol worship that lured Israel and Judah into forsaking God. He describes them as “birds of prey against her on every side” and shepherds trampling a vineyard. It’s sad to think these were the descendants of Noah, the one righteous man who God chose to restart the human race.
Further, the Edomites who bordered Israel were their own kin, descendants of Abraham via his grandson Esau. Yet they all turned away from God, and at times even outright defied Him as did Nimrod and the people of Babel (Gen. 11).
Still, God promises them all a second chance, though they will be uprooted the same as Israel (v. 14). He will “again have compassion on them; and bring them back…” in v. 15. Though God will often do the same for us today, we should learn from their mistakes and be more diligent. This is especially important in the raising of our children.
Good values and righteous living do not come by accident. Just as God spoke of Sodom and the people of Noah’s day, that every inclination of their heart was to evil, so do our own hearts bend when we are not careful. And so lean the hearts of our children, if we do not teach them “the way in which they ought to walk…” (Prov. 22:6)
As Paul so aptly noted, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:12) The antidote for such darkness is to clothe ourselves in the “full armor of God” and so we must live this example for our children.
Put on the armor of God today, start with His word of truth, and be on the alert, praying and talking to God, and listening for the Spirit. Let His voice guide you in truth, and “extinguish all the arrows of the evil one” with faith in God, who is our shield and protector. Do not be uprooted like the nations in v. 17, but above all, “stand firm” in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior.