by:
09/19/2024
0
“Your older sister was Samaria, who lived to the north of you with her daughters; and your younger sister ... was Sodom” 16:46-47). God compared His faithless people to fruitless vines (ch 15), an adulterous wife (ch 16), “Samaria”, and “Sodom” (famous for sinning). Israel had defined themselves against these cultures, thinking they were superior, but God said their behavior was “even more depraved” (16:47). Though they would experience judgment, these groups still had a future (16:53).
The exile, loss, and shame experienced by Israel (the result of sin) was voluntarily born by Jesus on the cross. Instead of judgment, through faith in Christ we receive mercy and become part of God’s “everlasting covenant” of grace (16:60).