- All day long Israel chases wind from the desert; deceit and violence are found everywhere. Treaties are made with Assyria; olive oil is taken to Egypt.
- The LORD also brings charges against the people of Judah, the descendants of Jacob. He will punish them for what they have done.
- Even before Jacob was born, he cheated his brother, and when he grew up, he fought against God.
- At Bethel, Jacob wrestled with an angel and won; then with tears in his eyes, he asked for a blessing, and God spoke to us there.
- God's name is the LORD, the LORD God All-Powerful.
- So return to your God. Patiently trust him, and show love and justice.
- Israel, you enjoy cheating and taking advantage of others.
- You say to yourself, "I'm rich! I earned it all on my own, without committing a sin."
- Israel, I, the LORD, am still your God, just as I have been since the time you were in Egypt. Now I will force you to live in tents once again, as you did in the desert.
- I spoke to the prophets-- often I spoke in visions. And so, I will send my prophets with messages of doom.
- Gilead is terribly sinful and will end up ruined. Bulls are sacrificed in Gilgal on altars made of stones, but those stones will be scattered in every field.
- Jacob escaped to Syria where he tended sheep to earn himself a wife.
- I sent the prophet Moses to lead Israel from Egypt and to keep them safe.
- Israel, I will make you pay for your terrible sins and for insulting me.
The nation as a whole had forgotten her roots. Was it her prosperity that caused her to go her own way? Or maybe she coveted the ways of the neighboring nations too much? Possibly it was both. The irony is that it was the Lord who provided her prosperity, and as for coveting the ways of neighboring nations, the Lord had told Israel to totally destroy them when she took over the land. But Israel had not obeyed. So here she was, turning her back on the One who got her where she was, and following the inevitable path to which her disobedience led.
Verses 3-5 recall Israel's ancestor, Jacob, who was contentious and deceptive. But he wrestled with the Angel and the Angel prevailed and Jacob changed his ways. It was time for Jacob's descendants to wrestle with God and come away a changed people.
The Lord had caused Israel to prosper but it wasn't enough. She had to have more and did so through dishonest means. Then she patted herself on the back congratulating herself for becoming rich all on her own. God had nothing to do with it. Of course He didn't have anything to do with the dishonest gain.
God had tried to turn Israel from her ways, speaking through prophets and giving visions and parables. But the nation turned away from all of it, persisting in her idolatrous and dishonest ways. God had used a prophet, Moses, to bring Israel out of Egypt, and had used prophets to care for the nation over the years. But Israel had grown too sophisticated for prophets, or so she seemed to think. But there would be nothing sophisticated about the nation after God repaid her for her guilt.
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