Just Say 'No' to Sacred Poles
- Next on God's hit-list, we come to Damascus.
- Guess what's in store for Damascus? That's right—more destruction. It'll get turned into a heap of ruins. Its towns will be destroyed, no one will live in them, and sheep will troop in and live there instead.
- Ephraim and Damascus will lose their fortresses and kingdoms. But the surviving remnant of Aram (the region of Damascus) will be like the glory of the children of Israel, which is a good thing.
- At the same time that all this harshness is going down in Damascus, the glory of Jacob (Israel) is going to be knocked down a peg or two, as well. The fat will grow lean, and it will be like a field getting reaped. Only little bits will be left, like some olives or fruit after a tree gets cut down.
- When this happens, people will pay attention to God, the Holy One of Israel, and disregard the falsely religious things they've made, like altars and sacred poles.
- Their cities will all be deserted, though, because of the massive destruction.
Botched Botany
- The people have forgotten God. They plant nice plants and worship an alien god. But all the nice plants they've planted are just going to die before they can be harvested, in a day of pain and desolation.
- The nations and the people make the noise of roaring and thundering, like waters rushing, but God's going to slap them down and make them run away.
- At evening there will be terror, but by the morning time—none. So the persecutors of Israel will come to an end.