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God is indeed good to Israel, to those who have pure hearts.
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But I had nearly lost confidence; my faith was almost gone
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because I was jealous of the proud when I saw that things go well for the wicked.
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They do not suffer pain; they are strong and healthy.
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They do not suffer as other people do; they do not have the troubles that others have.
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And so they wear pride like a necklace and violence like a robe;
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their hearts pour out evil, and their minds are busy with wicked schemes.
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They laugh at other people and speak of evil things; they are proud and make plans to oppress others.
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They speak evil of God in heaven and give arrogant orders to everyone on earth,
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so that even God's people turn to them and eagerly believe whatever they say.
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They say, "God will not know; the Most High will not find out."
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That is what the wicked are like. They have plenty and are always getting more.
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Is it for nothing, then, that I have kept myself pure and have not committed sin?
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O God, you have made me suffer all day long; every morning you have punished me.
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If I had said such things, I would not be acting as one of your people.
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I tried to think this problem through, but it was too difficult for me
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until I went into your Temple. Then I understood what will happen to the wicked.
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You will put them in slippery places and make them fall to destruction!
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They are instantly destroyed; they go down to a horrible end.
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They are like a dream that goes away in the morning; when you rouse yourself, O Lord, they disappear.
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When my thoughts were bitter and my feelings were hurt,
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I was as stupid as an animal; I did not understand you.
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Yet I always stay close to you, and you hold me by the hand.
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You guide me with your instruction and at the end you will receive me with honor.
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What else do I have in heaven but you? Since I have you, what else could I want on earth?
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My mind and my body may grow weak, but God is my strength; he is all I ever need.
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Those who abandon you will certainly perish; you will destroy those who are unfaithful to you.
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But as for me, how wonderful to be near God, to find protection with the Sovereign LORD and to proclaim all that he has done!
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The people of Israel were like a grapevine that was full of grapes. The more prosperous they were, the more altars they built. The more productive their land was, the more beautiful they made the sacred stone pillars they worship.
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The people whose hearts are deceitful must now suffer for their sins. God will break down their altars and destroy their sacred pillars.
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These people will soon be saying, "We have no king because we did not fear the LORD. But what could a king do for us anyway?"
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They utter empty words and make false promises and useless treaties. Justice has become injustice, growing like poisonous weeds in a plowed field.
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The people who live in the city of Samaria will be afraid and will mourn the loss of the gold bull at Bethaven. They and the priests who serve the idol will weep over it. They will wail when it is stripped of its golden splendor.
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The idol will be carried off to Assyria as tribute to the great emperor. The people of Israel will be disgraced and put to shame because of the advice they followed.
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Their king will be carried off, like a chip of wood on water.
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The hilltop shrines of Aven, where the people of Israel worship idols, will be destroyed. Thorns and weeds will grow up over their altars. The people will call out to the mountains, "Hide us!" and to the hills, "Cover us!"
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The LORD says, "The people of Israel have not stopped sinning against me since the time of their sin at Gibeah. So at Gibeah war will catch up with them.
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I will attack this sinful people and punish them. Nations will join together against them, and they will be punished for their many sins.
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"Israel was once like a well-trained young cow, ready and willing to thresh grain. But I decided to put a yoke on her beautiful neck and to harness her for harder work. I made Judah pull the plow and Israel pull the harrow.
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I said, 'Plow new ground for yourselves, plant righteousness, and reap the blessings that your devotion to me will produce. It is time for you to turn to me, your LORD, and I will come and pour out blessings upon you.'
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But instead you planted evil and reaped its harvest. You have eaten the fruit produced by your lies. "Because you trusted in your chariots and in the large number of your soldiers,
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war will come to your people, and all your fortresses will be destroyed. It will be like the day when King Shalman destroyed the city of Betharbel in battle, and mothers and their children were crushed to death.
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That is what will happen to you, people of Bethel, because of the terrible evil that you have done. As soon as the battle begins, the king of Israel will die."
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The LORD says, "When Israel was a child, I loved him and called him out of Egypt as my son.
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But the more I called to him, the more he turned away from me. My people sacrificed to Baal; they burned incense to idols.
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Yet I was the one who taught Israel to walk. I took my people up in my arms, but they did not acknowledge that I took care of them.
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I drew them to me with affection and love. I picked them up and held them to my cheek; I bent down to them and fed them.
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"They refuse to return to me, and so they must return to Egypt, and Assyria will rule them.
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War will sweep through their cities and break down the city gates. It will destroy my people because they do what they themselves think best.
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They insist on turning away from me. They will cry out because of the yoke that is on them, but no one will lift it from them.
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"How can I give you up, Israel? How can I abandon you? Could I ever destroy you as I did Admah, or treat you as I did Zeboiim? My heart will not let me do it! My love for you is too strong.
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I will not punish you in my anger; I will not destroy Israel again. For I am God and not a mere human being. I, the Holy One, am with you. I will not come to you in anger.
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"My people will follow me when I roar like a lion at their enemies. They will hurry to me from the west.
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They will come from Egypt, as swiftly as birds, and from Assyria, like doves. I will bring them to their homes again. I, the LORD, have spoken."
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The LORD says, "The people of Israel have surrounded me with lies and deceit, and the people of Judah are still rebelling against me, the faithful and holy God.
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Everything that the people of Israel do from morning to night is useless and destructive. Treachery and acts of violence increase among them. They make treaties with Assyria and do business with Egypt."
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The LORD has an accusation to bring against the people of Judah; he is also going to punish Israel for the way her people act. He will pay them back for what they have done.
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Their ancestor Jacob struggled with his twin brother Esau while the two of them were still in their mother's womb; when Jacob grew up, he fought against God---
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he fought against an angel and won. He wept and asked for a blessing. And at Bethel God came to our ancestor Jacob and spoke with him.
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This was the LORD God Almighty---the LORD is the name by which he is to be worshiped.
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So now, descendants of Jacob, trust in your God and return to him. Be loyal and just, and wait patiently for your God to act.
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The LORD says, "The people of Israel are as dishonest as the Canaanites; they love to cheat their customers with false scales.
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'We are rich,' they say. 'We've made a fortune. And no one can accuse us of getting rich dishonestly.'
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But I, the LORD your God who led you out of Egypt, I will make you live in tents again, as you did when I came to you in the desert.
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"I spoke to the prophets and gave them many visions, and through the prophets I gave my people warnings.
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Yet idols are worshiped in Gilead, and those who worship them will die. Bulls are sacrificed in Gilgal, and the altars there will become piles of stone in the open fields."
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Our ancestor Jacob had to flee to Mesopotamia, where, in order to get a wife, he worked for another man and took care of his sheep.
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The LORD sent a prophet to rescue the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt and to take care of them.
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The people of Israel have made the LORD bitterly angry; they deserve death for their crimes. Their Lord will punish them for the disgrace they have brought on him.
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Now, God has offered us the promise that we may receive that rest he spoke about. Let us take care, then, that none of you will be found to have failed to receive that promised rest.
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For we have heard the Good News, just as they did. They heard the message, but it did them no good, because when they heard it, they did not accept it with faith.
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We who believe, then, do receive that rest which God promised. It is just as he said, "I was angry and made a solemn promise: 'They will never enter the land where I would have given them rest!' " He said this even though his work had been finished from the time he created the world.
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For somewhere in the Scriptures this is said about the seventh day: "God rested on the seventh day from all his work."
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This same matter is spoken of again: "They will never enter that land where I would have given them rest."
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Those who first heard the Good News did not receive that rest, because they did not believe. There are, then, others who are allowed to receive it.
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This is shown by the fact that God sets another day, which is called "Today." Many years later he spoke of it through David in the scripture already quoted: "If you hear God's voice today, do not be stubborn."
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If Joshua had given the people the rest that God had promised, God would not have spoken later about another day.
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As it is, however, there still remains for God's people a rest like God's resting on the seventh day.
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For those who receive that rest which God promised will rest from their own work, just as God rested from his.
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Let us, then, do our best to receive that rest, so that no one of us will fail as they did because of their lack of faith.
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The word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It cuts all the way through, to where soul and spirit meet, to where joints and marrow come together. It judges the desires and thoughts of the heart.
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There is nothing that can be hid from God; everything in all creation is exposed and lies open before his eyes. And it is to him that we must all give an account of ourselves.
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Let us, then, hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we have a great High Priest who has gone into the very presence of God---Jesus, the Son of God.
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Our High Priest is not one who cannot feel sympathy for our weaknesses. On the contrary, we have a High Priest who was tempted in every way that we are, but did not sin.
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Let us have confidence, then, and approach God's throne, where there is grace. There we will receive mercy and find grace to help us just when we need it.
