God says that He knew from their birth that they were rebels. God knew His people would rebel against them, and He created them and chose them and set His love on them.

God restrains Himself time and again with Israel, in His loving patience, to not just cut off Israel. That’s what they deserve. But it’s not what they get.

We have a powerful line that God has tried them in the furnace of affliction and that He does it for His own sake.

What does that mean? He’s not out to get Israel. If He just wanted to get back at them for how they rebelled, He’d cut them off, consume them all, and be done with them.

But He doesn’t. He loves them. They are His chosen people, the ones He has set His love on. He puts them through affliction so that they will come back to Him. That’s not a selfish thing. He knows salvation is only through Him. He knows that blessing and all goodness only come from Him. He loves His people and wants them to experience His love and all the wonderful, glorious, goodness that comes with that.

God’s heart is to bless His people.

He says that He was there to teach His children to profit, to lead them. If they had just listened to His commandments, they would have been a people of peace and righteousness.

He warns them to get out of Babylon. Babylon with its pleasures and knowledge is a trap. Flee!

God has bought His people out of Babylon. He gives them living water to follow them forever.

But the warning is that there is no peace for the wicked.

It’s ours to choose, not peace, but obedience.