"I have sinned."

These two chapters catalogue Israel's sins: deceit, theft, banditry, adultery, lies, drunkenness, intrigue, mocking, and sexual passion. They drag down the king and the priests. There is no moral leadership; no one sets an example.

There is a succession in their degradation. It begins with moral blindness. They are unaware that God sees all that they are doing. None of them calls on the Lord.

Their leaders are terrified by the political situation. Caught between Assyria and Egypt, they look to alliances with one or the other of these superpowers to save them, failing to depend on God. Instead, they fall into their old pattern of idolatry, following the religious practices of the nations around them.

As they abandon all the ethical principles—and particulars—given in their law, they blithely assume that sacrifice will substitute for all that.

Before we pass judgment on them, can we not see some of this in ourselves, individually and collectively? We want something and tell ourselves that God is not looking. We rationalize that everybody else is doing it. And when our conscience does convict us, we look elsewhere for help. We tell ourselves that God will forgive us. With Heinrich Heine, we say, "God will pardon me, that's his job."

And Jesus sees.

Respond in Prayer

Lord Jesus, we pause and see you on the cross. Bring us to our senses. Impress on us the seriousness of sin. Remind us of what it cost you to forgive us. We have sinned. Have mercy on us. Amen.

Annabel Robinson