That is why the Lord's anger burned against his people, and he abhorred his own special possession. He handed them over to pagan nations, and they were ruled by those who hated them. Their enemies crushed them and brought them under their cruel power. Again and again he rescued them, but they chose to rebel against him, and they were finally destroyed by their sin. Even so, he pitied them in their distress and listened to their cries. He remembered his covenant with them and relented because of his unfailing love. He even caused their captors to treat them with kindness.
Save us, O Lord our God! Gather us back from among the nations, so we can thank your holy name and rejoice and praise you.
Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who lives from everlasting to everlasting! Let all the people say, "Amen!"
Praise the Lord!
This is the Lord's message to the prophet Jeremiah concerning the Philistines of Gaza, before it was captured by the Egyptian army. This is what the Lord says:
"A flood is coming from the north to overflow the land. It will destroy the land and everything in it - cities and people alike. People will scream in terror, and everyone in the land will wail. Hear the clatter of stallions' hooves and the rumble of wheels as the chariots rush by. Terrified fathers run madly, without a backward glance at their helpless children.
"The time has come for the Philistines to be destroyed, along with their allies from Tyre and Sidon. Yes, the Lord is destroying the remnant of the Philistines, those colonists from the island of Crete. Gaza will be humiliated, its head shaved bald; Ashkelon will lie silent. You remnant from the Mediterranean coast, how long will you cut yourselves in mourning?
"Now, O sword of the Lord, when will you be at rest again? Go back into your sheath; rest and be still.
"But how can it be still when the Lord has sent it on a mission? For the city of Ashkelon and the people living along the sea must be destroyed."
This message was given concerning Moab. This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies, the God of Israel, says:
"What sorrow awaits the city of Nebo; it will soon lie in ruins. The city of Kiriathaim will be humiliated and captured; the fortress will be humiliated and broken down. No one will ever brag about Moab again, for in Heshbon there is a plot to destroy her. 'Come,' they say, 'we will cut her off from being a nation.' The town of Madmen, too, will be silenced; the sword will follow you there. Listen to the cries from Horonaim, cries of devastation and great destruction. All Moab is destroyed. Her little ones will cry out. Her refugees weep bitterly, climbing the slope to Luhith. They cry out in terror, descending the slope to Horonaim. Flee for your lives! Hide in the wilderness! Because you have trusted in your wealth and skill, you will be taken captive. Your god Chemosh, with his priests and officials, will be hauled off to distant lands!
"All the towns will be destroyed, and no one will escape - either on the plateaus or in the valleys, for the Lord has spoken. Oh, that Moab had wings so she could fly away, for her towns will be left empty, with no one living in them. Cursed are those who refuse to do the Lord's work, who hold back their swords from shedding blood!
"From his earliest history, Moab has lived in peace, never going into exile. He is like wine that has been allowed to settle. He has not been poured from flask to flask, and he is now fragrant and smooth. But the time is coming soon," says the Lord, "when I will send men to pour him from his jar. They will pour him out, then shatter the jar! At last Moab will be ashamed of his idol Chemosh, as the people of Israel were ashamed of their gold calf at Bethel.
"You used to boast, 'We are heroes, mighty men of war.' But now Moab and his towns will be destroyed. His most promising youth are doomed to slaughter," says the King, whose name is the Lord of Heaven's Armies. "Destruction is coming fast for Moab; calamity threatens ominously. You friends of Moab, weep for him and cry! See how the strong scepter is broken, how the beautiful staff is shattered!
"Come down from your glory and sit in the dust, you people of Dibon, for those who destroy Moab will shatter Dibon, too. They will tear down all your towers. You people of Aroer, stand beside the road and watch. Shout to those who flee from Moab, 'What has happened there?'
"And the reply comes back, 'Moab lies in ruins, disgraced; weep and wail! Tell it by the banks of the Arnon River: Moab has been destroyed!' Judgment has been poured out on the towns of the plateau - on Holon and Jahaz and Mephaath, on Dibon and Nebo and Beth-diblathaim, on Kiriathaim and Beth-gamul and Beth-meon, on Kerioth and Bozrah - all the towns of Moab, far and near.
"The strength of Moab has ended. His arm has been broken," says the Lord.
You gave them authority over all things."
Now when it says"all things," it means nothing is left out. But we have not yet seen all things put under their authority. What we do see is Jesus, who for a little while was given a position"a little lower than the angels"; and because he suffered death for us, he is now"crowned with glory and honor." Yes, by God's grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone. God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation.
So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. For he said to God,
"I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters. I will praise you among your assembled people."
He also said,
"I will put my trust in him," that is, "I and the children God has given me."
Because God's children are human beings - made of flesh and blood - the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.
We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; he came to help the descendants of Abraham. Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.