24They will come against you with weapons, chariots and wagons and with a throng of people; they will take up positions against you on every side with large and small shields and with helmets. I will turn you over to them for punishment, and they will punish you according to their standards. - P144
35"Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Since you have forgotten me and turned your back on me, you must bear the consequences of your lewdness and prostitution." - P147
27So I will put a stop to the lewdness and prostitution you began in Egypt. You will not look on these things with longing or remember Egypt anymore. - P145
The Lord declares that Oholibah‘s lovers will turn against her. Jerusalem will beexposed and judged by those she once pursued. The Lord hands her over tothem for punishment. She will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, holdingthe cup of her sister Samaria. Because she has forgotten the Lord, she mustbear the consequences of her lewdness. - P145
Judah was once impressed by the handsome young soldiers and powerful government officers of the Babylonians, Chaldeans, and Assyrians, but these same men will now become a source of punishment. God’s people similarly had a fondness for Egypt, but this, too, disappears as everything is taken away. This judgment highlights the foolishness of placing too much value on superficial things. Judah considered clothing, fine jewelry, physical beauty, and power more important than God, but when they were taken away, the people did not long for these things anymore. - P148
When God exposes the idols in our lives, we should respond with repentance and gratitude, recognizing that this difficult but gracious moment is leading us back to Him. - P148
The cup described in this passage is an intimidating and stark image ofpunishment. This cup is large and deep and its contents are ruin and des-olation. The imagery of drinking from this cup portrays the outpouringof God‘s wrath for the unfaithfulness of Judah, and we see the calamitousconsequences of sin: shame, self-loathing, emptiness, and debilitating sorrow. - P148
Although Jesus was without sin, He willingly consumed such a cup onour behalf by suffering the Father‘s wrath on the cross. Jesus not only paidthe price for our sin; He also bore our sorrows and the consequences wedeserved. Because of Jesus, we no longer fear what we deserve but rejoice inthe forgiveness and freedom that He has secured for us. - P148
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