The Lord GOD of hosts,
he who touches the earth and it melts,
and all who dwell in it mourn,
and all of it rises like the Nile,
and sinks again, like the Nile of Egypt;
who builds his upper chambers in the heavens
and founds his vault upon the earth;
who calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out upon the surface of the earth—
the LORD is his name. Comment 1. He is in command on both earthly events, like the Nile floods and the rain upon the earth.
“Are you not like the Cushites to me,
O people of Israel?” declares the LORD.
“Did I not bring up Israel from the land of Egypt,
and the Philistines from Caphtor and the Syrians from Kir?
Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom,
and I will destroy it from the surface of the ground,
except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,”
declares the LORD. Comment 2. As He did with other nations to find Israel a place, displacing other nations, He can displace Israel. Its security depends on Him. But He did promise not to completely destroy Jacob’s heritage.
“For behold, I will command,
and shake the house of Israel among all the nations
as one shakes with a sieve,
but no pebble shall fall to the earth.
All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword,
who say, Disaster shall not overtake or meet us.’ Comment 3. I will disperse the nation worldwide, punishing sin, particularly the unrepentant.
Prayer: You are the same Yesterday, Today and Forever, Lord. Thank You that You mix Your anger with extreme Love and Grace and Mercy in a perfect mix.
As I read it! 