Troublesome Topic: GOD DID HIS BEST TO GET THEIR ATTENTION BEFORE SENDING PUNISHMENT

When I said earlier that God gives every opportunity for repentance before sending punishment, it was actually an understatement; God is not waiting passively for someone to repent, rather He is actively trying to get the sinner’s attention. Here are some of the things God commanded the prophets to do in order to get the attention of a people who had become numb to His message:

Isaiah  20:2-4  The hairy robe, or sackcloth, was both the sign of morning and the “uniform” of a prophet, and was worn instead of a proper cloak. It was worn over the undergarment, but it still would have produced some itching and irritation at some points. It was this hairy robe or sackcloth that Isaiah was told to remove. When he did so he was experiencing the condition of a captive, some of whom would be taken away as slave in their “underclothes” and some of the warriors would be taken away with their buttocks showing and with feet bare, while the prominent captive men would have had their beards cut off. The word “naked” meant “uncovered” i.e. “partially naked or only wearing the undergarments.” The point is that it was a great shame to be uncovered in this way. God told His prophet Isaiah to go around shamefully “uncovered” for a period of 3 years to show the people what was headed their direction if they relied on Egypt to protect them from disaster instead of relying on God.

Ez 4:4-8  Ezekiel was told to lay on his side to demonstrate the immobility that would come with captivity. He was told to lay 390 days on his left side, and 40 days on his right side, tied with ropes.

Hosea ch 1 and 2 – Hosea was told to marry a prostitute and then, after she left him, he was told to buy her back from the slave traders. All of this was a picture of the way God had already shown mercy to the people of Israel who only deserved punishment. Despite their rejection of God, He was willing to pay the price to buy them (and us) back.