A Life in Exile

In our last post on man’s tendency to forget, we focused on verses in the Psalms. Today, four prophets are used by God to confront Israel with their sin of forgetfulness. As mentioned before, it’s easy to point fingers at the Jews and self-righteously declare, “I would never forget God,” but oh, how quick we are to point to the splinter in another’s eye while ignoring the plank sticking out of our own.

As you hear the heart-breaking words of the prophets today, ask the Lord what he is saying to you. Will you forget the Lord?

God speaks through Isaiah.

The prophet who called out the sinful rebellion of Judah would also bring the most hopeful words about the coming Messiah. Would Judah recognize the King who would come through their line? On the day of the Lord’s judgment, no help would be found in the altars and shrines to worthless gods.

On that day their strong cities will be like the abandoned woods and mountaintops that were abandoned because of the Israelites; there will be desolation. For you have forgotten the God of your salvation, and you have failed to remember the rock of your strength; therefore you will plant beautiful plants and set out cuttings from exotic vines. (Isaiah 17:9-10 CSB, emphasis added)

As his words through the prophet come to a close, the Lord reveals how Gentiles will be welcomed by the Lord while his own people have turned against him and forgotten him.

“I was sought by those who did not ask; I was found by those who did not seek me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am,’ to a nation that did not call on my name. I spread out my hands all day long to a rebellious people who walk in the path that is not good, following their own thoughts.

But you who abandon the Lord, who forget my holy mountain, who prepare a table for Fortune and fill bowls of mixed wine for Destiny, I will destine you for the sword, and all of you will kneel down to be slaughtered, because I called and you did not answer, I spoke and you did not hear; you did what was evil in my sight and chose what I did not delight in.” (Isaiah 65:1-2, 11-12, emphasis added)

The Lord will bless those who seek him and remember him, Jew and Gentile alike. Judgment is reserved for those who forget him and turn to other gods, Jew and Gentile alike.

God speaks through Jeremiah.

My favorite prophet, Jeremiah is God’s messenger to a people who are about to be taken into exile. Still, they reject his words and turn their backs on the God of Israel, opening the way for their own destruction.

A sound is heard on the barren heights: the children of Israel weeping and begging for mercy, for they have perverted their way; they have forgotten the Lord their God. Return, you faithless children. I will heal your unfaithfulness. “Here we are, coming to you, for you are the Lord our God.” (Jeremiah 3:21-22, Emphasis added)

The Lord God of all the universe had long proven that he comes near to those who seek him, but the people still turned to man-made idols for their help and listened to lying prophets.

“Am I a God who is only near”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and not a God who is far away? Can a person hide in secret places where I cannot see him?” —the Lord’s declaration. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” —the Lord’s declaration.

“I have heard what the prophets who prophesy a lie in my name have said: ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’ How long will this continue in the minds of the prophets prophesying lies, prophets of the deceit of their own minds? Through their dreams that they tell one another, they plan to cause my people to forget my name as their ancestors forgot my name through Baal worship. The prophet who has only a dream should recount the dream, but the one who has my word should speak my word truthfully, for what is straw compared to grain?”—this is the Lord’s declaration. (Jeremiah 23:23-28, emphasis added)

Because they forgot the Lord, they wander like lost sheep. In him alone is their true rest.

My people were lost sheep; their shepherds led them astray, guiding them the wrong way in the mountains. They wandered from mountain to hill; they forgot their resting place. (Jeremiah 50:6, emphasis added)

Do you listen to other voices, who turn your thoughts from God? Are you wandering, feeling lost in your confusion? Look to the Good Shepherd who longs to give you rest.

God speaks through Ezekiel.

Out of his mercy and grace, God speaks in the midst of the storm. In their exile, he chose to speak through Ezekiel, reminding the people of why they were in such a state of despair. In the middle of his prophecy, the Lord gives Ezekiel an illustration of two sisters to represent Samaria and Jerusalem or Israel and Judah. Both had forgotten their God and turned to evil ways.

Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: “Because you have forgotten me and cast me behind your back, you must bear the consequences of your indecency and promiscuity.” (Ezekiel 23:35, emphasis added)

They would pay the consequences for their sin, and Ezekiel is a reminder that it is not only the enemies of God’s people who would be punished but his own children as well. They must return and remember.

God speaks through Hosea.

As the only prophet from the Northern Kingdom, Hosea is unique, and the Lord used him in a unique way to convey his message to a rebellious nation. In marrying Gomer, an adulterous wife, God would show the depth of his love to a forgetful people.

Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces; Judah has also multiplied fortified cities. I will send fire on their cities, and it will consume their citadels. (Hosea 8:14, emphasis added)

The heartbreaking reality of this prophecy is the truth that it conveys in the fact that when God had given them everything, brought them out of Egypt to a land of abundance, and conquered all their enemies, they still forgot the Lord their God.

I have been the Lord your God ever since the land of Egypt; you know no God but me, and no Savior exists besides me. I knew you in the wilderness, in the land of drought. When they had pasture, they became satisfied; they were satisfied, and their hearts became proud. Therefore they forgot me. So I will be like a lion to them; I will lurk like a leopard on the path. I will attack them like a bear robbed of her cubs and tear open the rib cage over their hearts. I will devour them there like a lioness, like a wild beast that would rip them open. I will destroy you, Israel; you have no help but me. (Hosea 13:4-9, emphasis added)

These passages are clear. We can forget the Lord in good times and in bad. Neither provides an excuse for our rebellion, and those who choose to turn their backs on the Lord will pay a great price.

Where are you in your relationship to the Lord? Do you enjoy the fellowship of his presence and the blessing of his sweet mercies, or have you forgotten him and wander after voices that bring no hope or salvation? Seek the Lord while he may be found.

Grace and Peace

If you missed the last Friday Focus post, click HERE, or start from the Beginning.