The princes of Judah are like those who remove a landmark; I will pour out My wrath on them like water. Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment…Therefore I will be to Ephraim like a moth, and to the house of Judah like rottenness….I, even I, will tear them and go away; I will take them away, and no one shall rescue. I will return again to My place till they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek My face; in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.
The Lord has determined to “pour out [His] wrath” on His people. To what end? “Then they will earnestly seek Me.” This is God’s ultimate purpose in judgment. In a way, it is a mercy. The prophet Habakkuk prays, “In wrath, remember mercy”. And the Apostle Paul will write, “The wrath of God is poured out on the ungodliness of men”. It is poured out, not because God’s honor has been offended, but because His good creation has been terribly marred by sin.
