Also the children of Noph and Tahapanes have broken the crown of thy head.
God's dealings with His people are set forth as a marriage covenant in which the Jewish church was espoused to the Lord as His bride. When that professed bride turns from her Divine Spouse to seek other lovers among worldly powers and nations, she becomes unfaithful and is made a harlot. Any union of the church with the world, or of the church with the State in any way, is fornication and adultery against God and departure from Him, joining earthly rulers and bringing confusion and destruction.
Leaning upon Egypt brings failure and brokenness, pictured as the breaking of the crown of the head, while turning to Assyria brings spoiling and being made naked. Seeking salvation and refuge among the nations shows how far backsliding had gone, for looking to the hills and to the mountains for help was looking to the worship of false gods and hoping for help from them. This followed a course in which altars first raised to Jehovah on the high places gave way to altars to Milcom and Chemosh and Baal and Ashtoreth and a multitude of gods, until altars to false gods stood in the very house of Jehovah. The rebuke exposes the wickedness of His people as worse than that of the heathen. The Jewish church became a harlot in the same manner that the professed Christian church becomes Babylon, by seeking the friendship of the world in unlawful union with the kings of the earth.
The same course of Israel of old is repeated in the present in clamoring for religious legislation from the Egypts and Assyrias of today. In this application such union brings idolatry and error and can lead to persecution of God's people. The chapter belongs to God's revelation of His feelings toward backsliders and stands as one of His strong pleas to those who have turned away from Him, pleading with backsliding Israel to return. Though unfaithfulness calls for separation, backsliders are not beyond hope or forgiveness, for a repentant unfaithful partner may be received again, with the promise that He will not cause His anger to fall upon them and will heal their backslidings if they only acknowledge their iniquity.
God's dealings with His people are set forth as a marriage covenant in which the Jewish church was espoused to the Lord as His bride. When that professed bride turns from her Divine Spouse to seek other lovers among worldly powers and nations, she becomes unfaithful and is made a harlot. Any union of the church with the world, or of the church with the State in any way, is fornication and adultery against God and departure from Him, joining earthly rulers and bringing confusion and destruction.
Leaning upon Egypt brings failure and brokenness, pictured as the breaking of the crown of the head, while turning to Assyria brings spoiling and being made naked. Seeking salvation and refuge among the nations shows how far backsliding had gone, for looking to the hills and to the mountains for help was looking to the worship of false gods and hoping for help from them. This followed a course in which altars first raised to Jehovah on the high places gave way to altars to Milcom and Chemosh and Baal and Ashtoreth and a multitude of gods, until altars to false gods stood in the very house of Jehovah. The rebuke exposes the wickedness of His people as worse than that of the heathen. The Jewish church became a harlot in the same manner that the professed Christian church becomes Babylon, by seeking the friendship of the world in unlawful union with the kings of the earth.
The same course of Israel of old is repeated in the present in clamoring for religious legislation from the Egypts and Assyrias of today. In this application such union brings idolatry and error and can lead to persecution of God's people. The chapter belongs to God's revelation of His feelings toward backsliders and stands as one of His strong pleas to those who have turned away from Him, pleading with backsliding Israel to return. Though unfaithfulness calls for separation, backsliders are not beyond hope or forgiveness, for a repentant unfaithful partner may be received again, with the promise that He will not cause His anger to fall upon them and will heal their backslidings if they only acknowledge their iniquity.