Summary
The chapter opens with elders seeking God’s counsel, to which God replies that He will not be consulted. He reminds Israel of His deliverance from Egypt, the statutes, judgments, and sabbaths He imposed, and condemns their rebellion in Egypt and the wilderness. The people persist in idol worship, especially at high places such as Bamah, and violate the covenantal law. God declares that He will pour out fury upon them but also will not destroy them outright in the wilderness, instead warning them that future generations will walk in their fathers’ disobedience. Despite this, He vows to bring Israel out of the peoples, gather them back to the land, and cleanse them for His name’s sake. The passage ends with a prophetic threat against the “forest of the south” and a reflection on the nature of God’s prophecy.