Once upon a time, in the ancient land of Israel, a group of elders came to a man, upon whom the word of Jehovah, the Almighty, had descended. He said to him, “Son of man, these men you see before you have allowed their hearts to be corrupted by idols. They put their iniquity before them like a stumbling block, shielding them from the truth. Should I, the Lord God, even listen to them?”

Jehovah then commanded the man to speak to these idol worshippers. “Tell them,” He said, “that when a man of Israel allows idols into his heart and iniquity to cloud his judgment, if he comes to the prophet, I, Jehovah, will answer him. But my answer will be in accordance to his many idols. I know the hearts of my people, and I see that they have strayed from me through their idols.”

He implored the Israelites through His prophet to turn away from their idols and their abominations. But He warned them that those who try to distance themselves from Him and put their trust in idols, they would be cut off from His people and cast away. He would set His face against them.

God issued a warning to the prophets as well. He warned them not to be deceived into speaking falsehoods in His name. If they did, they would share the same fate as the idolizers.

Heavy were the words of Jehovah on His chosen people. For He yearned for them to go astray no more, to defile not themselves with their transgressions. He expressed His desire for them to remain His people, and He their God.

But man was weak, and the land of Israel sinned against God by trespassing his commands. So, Jehovah stretched out His hand upon the land, depriving them of their sustenance and sending famine to ravish them, both man and beast, even though good men like Noah, Daniel and Job lived amongst them.

God issued three threats of punishment for the unrepentant: the sword, which would destroy both man and beast; the famine, which would starve them; and the evil beasts and pestilence, which would ravage and annihilate.

Again, God repeated, even if these three righteous men were there, they could only save their own souls by their righteousness. The land would still suffer.

“I will unleash my four dreadful judgements upon Jerusalem: the sword, famine, evil beasts, and pestilence,” He declared, “But even in such wrath, there shall still be a remnant that will survive. Sons and daughters will emerge from the devastation and they will tell their story to you. You will see the consequence of their actions and it will provide you comfort concerning the fierce judgement that I brought upon Jerusalem.”

When the remnant of survivors came forth from the devastation, the people of Jerusalem saw their way, and they understood the actions they had taken were not causeless. They repented for their idolatry and returned to worship the one true God, Jehovah. They realized that it was not He who had abandoned them, but they who had strayed from His path, and in His justice, Jehovah had set them right.