Daily Christian Universalist Verses

JulieB67 said:

19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.

These are very key verses and from the same chapter.

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Somebody must have placed a cloak of invisibility on vss. like this UR-ites can't seem to see them.

HSong said:

Psalm 145:16 God will "open His hand and satisfy the desire of EVERY living thing."

God opens his hands and saves everyone. The Hand of God is open to everyone, and He is the God of Life. Thus, all people will become alive by believing in Christ with faith alone. Just as, in the beginning, the breath of life was breathed into the first human to make them a living being, so too will permanent life be given to all people through faith in Jesus, His sacrifice on the cross.

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Guess your Bible doesn't go past psalm 145:16 See e.g. this vs.

Psalm 145:20 The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.​

So now we're annihilationists because of Psalm 145?

PuerAzaelis said:

So now we're annihilationists because of Psalm 145?

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The Bible says what it says. If someone doesn't like what the Bible says they should have a little talk with Jesus, tell Him all about your troubles. He will hear you when you cry and He will answer by an by.

Psalm 145 in context:

A psalm of praise. Of David.

1 I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
2 Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.
4 One generation commends your works to another;
they tell of your mighty acts.
5 They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
6 They tell of the power of your awesome works—
and I will proclaim your great deeds.
7 They celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.
9 The Lord is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.
10 All your works praise you, Lord;
your faithful people extol you.
11 They tell of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might,
12 so that all people may know of your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises
and faithful in all he does.[c]
14 The Lord upholds all who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food at the proper time.
16 You open your hand
and satisfy the desires of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and faithful in all he does.
18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord.
Let every creature praise his holy name
for ever and ever.

Footnotes

Psalm 145:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, the verses of which (including verse 13b) begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

Psalm 145:5 Dead Sea Scrolls and Syriac (see also Septuagint); Masoretic Text On the glorious splendor of your majesty / and on your wonderful works I will meditate

Psalm 145:13 One manuscript of the Masoretic Text, Dead Sea Scrolls and Syriac (see also Septuagint); most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text do not have the last two lines of verse 13.

HSong said:

Psalm 145:17 God is "gracious in ALL His works."
God’s grace saves all. The grace of God is towards all His works, and we are His creation, we are His work. Thus, everyone will receive God’s grace, faith alone in Jesus Christ, and be saved permanently.

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God's grace can indeed save all but the quoted vs. does NOT say that God's grace saves all. I would say that when someone continues to post verses deliberately taken out-of-context and ignores vss. within the same book which contradict what the out-of-context is made to appear to say that is a great turn off for the unsaved. See e.g. post # 810 above.

HSong said:

Luke 2:10 But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people."
The Gospel means good news. If even one person is not saved, then it is not good news for everyone. The Gospel for the world means that all flesh will receive salvation from Jesus Christ!

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Interjecting biased, faulty human reasoning into the gospel.

Luke 10:13-15
(13) Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
(14) But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you.
(15) And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell.
Luke 12:4-5
(4) And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
(5) But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.
Luke 12:10
(10) And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.
Luke 13:3
(3) I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Luke 13:24
(24) Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
Luke 13:26-28
(26) Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.
(27) But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.
(28) There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.
Luke 16:22-23
(22) And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
(23) And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
Luke 16:26
(26) And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.[Hades]​

Psalm 24 in context:

Of David. A psalm.

1 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
2 for he founded it on the seas
and established it on the waters.
3 Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?
4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not trust in an idol
or swear by a false god.[a]
5 They will receive blessing from the Lord
and vindication from God their Savior.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, God of Jacob.[c]
7 Lift up your heads, you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
the Lord mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is he, this King of glory?
The Lord Almighty—
he is the King of glory.
Footnotes

Psalm 24:4 Or swear falsely
Psalm 24:6 Two Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac (see also Septuagint); most Hebrew manuscripts face, Jacob
Psalm 24:6 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 10.

What does Psalm chapter 24 mean?

In this psalm King David extols God as the eternal King, the Lord of hosts. This psalm has traditionally been associated with David's relocation of the ark of the covenant, from the house of Obed-edom to Mount Zion (2 Samuel 6). A procession would have accompanied the ark with singing and music (1 Chronicles 15:2–28). Likely, the psalm was composed for a choir. The people at worship or a chorus would sing the first two verses, and a leader asked the questions starting in verse 3.

David writes that the Lord owns the earth and everything in the earth and on it, including human beings. The "fullness" of earth is a reference to all of humanity. As the one who created the world and established its form, God is rightfully considered the Master of everyone and everything (Psalm 24:1–2).

Only the righteous can properly worship the Lord in His house. This involves having pure motives, a truthful approach, and hands which are not stained with evil. David writes that those who lead a righteous life will receive blessing from God (Psalm 24:3–6).

Calling out to the entire city of Jerusalem, David cries out for the city gates to swing open so the King of glory can enter Jerusalem. In Hebrew the exact same phrasing used in verse 7 is repeated in verse 9, emphasizing the poetry and importance of that moment. This psalm describes God as strong and mighty, mighty in battle and the Lord of hosts (Psalm 24:7–10).

* [Psalm 24] The Psalm apparently accompanied a ceremony of the entry of God (invisibly enthroned upon the ark), followed by the people, into the Temple. The Temple commemorated the creation of the world (Ps 24:1–2). The people had to affirm their fidelity before being admitted into the sanctuary (Ps 24:3–6; cf. Ps 15). A choir identifies the approaching God and invites the very Temple gates to bow down in obeisance (Ps 24:7–10).

* [24:4–5] Lit., “the one whose hands are clean.” The singular is used for the entire class of worshipers.

* [24:7, 9] Lift up your heads, O gates…you ancient portals: the literal meaning would involve disassembly of the gates, since the portcullis (a gate that moves up and down) was unknown in the ancient world. Extra-biblical parallels might also suggest a full personification of the circle of gate towers: they are like a council of elders, bowed down and anxious, awaiting the return of the army and the great warrior gone to battle.

a. [24:1] Ps 50:12; 89:12; Dt 10:14; 1 Cor 10:26.

b. [24:2] Ps 136:6; Is 42:5.

c. [24:3] Ps 15:1.

d. [24:7] Ps 118:19–20.

Psalm 138 in context:

Psalm 138

Of David.

1 I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
before the “gods” I will sing your praise.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple
and will praise your name
for your unfailing love and your faithfulness,
for you have so exalted your solemn decree
that it surpasses your fame.
3 When I called, you answered me;
you greatly emboldened me.
4 May all the kings of the earth praise you, Lord,
when they hear what you have decreed.
5 May they sing of the ways of the Lord,
for the glory of the Lord is great.
6 Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly;
though lofty, he sees them from afar.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life.
You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes;
with your right hand you save me.
8 The Lord will vindicate me;
your love, Lord, endures forever—
do not abandon the works of your hands.

Exposition on Psalm 138

1. The title of this Psalm is brief and simple, and need not detain us; since we know whose resemblance David wore, and since in him we recognise ourselves also, for we too are members of that Body. The whole title is, To David himself. Let us see then, what is to David himself. The title of the Psalm is wont to tell us what is treated of within it: but in this, since the title informs us not of this, but tells us only to Whom it is chanted, the first verse tells us what is treated of in the whole Psalm, I will confess to You. This confession then let us hear. But first I remind you, that the term confession in Scripture, when we speak of confession to God, is used in two senses, of sin, and of praise. But confession of sin all know, confession of praise few attend to. So well known is confession of sin, that, wherever in Scripture we hear the words, I will confess to You, O Lord, or, we will confess to You, immediately, through habitually understanding in this way, our hands hurry to beating our breast: so entirely are men wont not to understand confession to be of anything, save of sin. But was then our Lord Jesus Christ Himself too a sinner, who says in the Gospel, I confess to You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth? He goes on to say what He confesses, that we might understand His confession to be of praise, not of sin, I confess to You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. He praised the Father, he praised God, because He despises not the humble, but the proud. And such confession are we now going to hear, of praise of God, of thanksgiving. With my whole heart. My whole heart I lay upon the altar of Your praise, an whole burnt-offering of praise I offer to You....I will confess to You, O Lord, with my whole heart: for You have heard the words of my mouth Psalm 137:1. What mouth, save my heart? For there have we the voice which God hears, which ear of man knows not at all. We have then a mouth within, there do we ask, thence do we ask, and if we have prepared a lodging or a house for God, there do we speak, there are we heard. For He is not far from every one of us, for in Him we live, and move, and have our being. Acts 17:27-28 Nought makes you far off from God, save sin only. Cast down the middle wall of sin, and you are with Him whom you ask.

2. And before the Angels will I sing unto You. Not before men will I sing, but before the Angels. My song is my joy; but my joy in things below is before men, my joy in things above before the Angels. For the wicked knows not the joy of the just: There is no joy, says my God, to the wicked. The wicked rejoices in his tavern, the martyr in his chain. In what did that holy Crispina rejoice, whose festival is kept today? She rejoiced when she was being seized, when she was being carried before the judge, when she was being put into prison, when she was being brought forth bound, when she was being lifted up on the scaffold, when she was being heard, when she was being condemned: in all these things she rejoiced; and the wretches thought her wretched, when she was rejoicing before the Angels.

3. I will worship toward Your holy Temple Psalm 137:2. What holy Temple? That where we shall dwell, where we shall worship. For we hasten that we may adore. Our heart is pregnant and comes to the birth, and seeks where it may bring forth. What is the place where God is to be worshipped?...The Temple of God is holy, says the Apostle, which Temple you are. 1 Corinthians 3:17 But assuredly, as is manifest, God dwells in the Angels. Therefore when our joy, being in spiritual things, not in earthly, takes up a song to God, to sing before the Angels, that very assembly of Angels is the Temple of God, we worship toward God's Temple. There is a Church below, there is a Church above also; the Church below, in all the faithful; the Church above, in all the Angels. But the God of Angels came down to the Church below, and Angels ministered to Him on earth, Matthew 4:11 while He ministered to us; for, I came not, says He, to be ministered unto, but to minister. Matthew 20:28 ...The Lord of Angels died for man. Therefore, I will worship toward Your holy Temple; I mean, not the temple made with hands, but that which You have made for Yourself.

4. And I will confess to Your Name in Your mercy and Your truth....These also which You have given to me, do I according to my power give to You in return: mercy, in aiding others; truth, in judging. By these God aids us, by these we win God's favour. Rightly, therefore, All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth. No other ways are there whereby He can come to us, no other whereby we can come to Him. For You have magnified Your holy Name over everything. What sort of thanksgiving is this, brethren? He has magnified His holy Name over Abraham. Of Abraham was born Isaac; over that house God was magnified; then Jacob; God was magnified, who said, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then came his twelve sons. The name of the Lord was magnified over Israel. Then came the Virgin Mary. Then Christ our Lord, dying for our sins, rising again for our justification, Romans 4:25 filling the faithful with His Holy Spirit, sending forth men to proclaim throughout the Gentiles, Repent ye, etc. Matthew 3:2 Behold, He has magnified His holy Name above all things.

5. In whatever day I call upon You, do Thou quickly hear me Psalm 137:3. Wherefore, quickly? Because You have said, While yet you are speaking I will say, Lo, here I am. Isaiah 58:9 Wherefore, quickly? Because now I seek not earthly happiness, I have learned holy longings from the New Testament. I seek not earth, nor earthly abundance, nor temporal health, nor the overthrow of my enemies, nor riches, nor rank: nought of these do I seek: therefore quickly hear me. Since You have taught me what to seek, grant what I seek....

Continued below.

Isaiah 65 in context:

Judgment and Salvation

65 “I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me;
I was found by those who did not seek me.
To a nation that did not call on my name,
I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’
2 All day long I have held out my hands
to an obstinate people,
who walk in ways not good,
pursuing their own imaginations—
3 a people who continually provoke me
to my very face,
offering sacrifices in gardens
and burning incense on altars of brick;
4 who sit among the graves
and spend their nights keeping secret vigil;
who eat the flesh of pigs,
and whose pots hold broth of impure meat;
5 who say, ‘Keep away; don’t come near me,
for I am too sacred for you!’
Such people are smoke in my nostrils,
a fire that keeps burning all day.
6 “See, it stands written before me:
I will not keep silent but will pay back in full;
I will pay it back into their laps—
7 both your sins and the sins of your ancestors,”
says the Lord.
“Because they burned sacrifices on the mountains
and defied me on the hills,
I will measure into their laps
the full payment for their former deeds.”
8 This is what the Lord says:

“As when juice is still found in a cluster of grapes
and people say, ‘Don’t destroy it,
there is still a blessing in it,’
so will I do in behalf of my servants;
I will not destroy them all.
9 I will bring forth descendants from Jacob,
and from Judah those who will possess my mountains;
my chosen people will inherit them,
and there will my servants live.
10 Sharon will become a pasture for flocks,
and the Valley of Achor a resting place for herds,
for my people who seek me.
11 “But as for you who forsake the Lord
and forget my holy mountain,
who spread a table for Fortune
and fill bowls of mixed wine for Destiny,
12 I will destine you for the sword,
and all of you will fall in the slaughter;
for I called but you did not answer,
I spoke but you did not listen.
You did evil in my sight
and chose what displeases me.”
13 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“My servants will eat,
but you will go hungry;
my servants will drink,
but you will go thirsty;
my servants will rejoice,
but you will be put to shame.
14 My servants will sing
out of the joy of their hearts,
but you will cry out
from anguish of heart
and wail in brokenness of spirit.
15 You will leave your name
for my chosen ones to use in their curses;
the Sovereign Lord will put you to death,
but to his servants he will give another name.
16 Whoever invokes a blessing in the land
will do so by the one true God;
whoever takes an oath in the land
will swear by the one true God.
For the past troubles will be forgotten
and hidden from my eyes.
New Heavens and a New Earth

17 “See, I will create
new heavens and a new earth.
The former things will not be remembered,
nor will they come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice forever
in what I will create,
for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight
and its people a joy.
19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem
and take delight in my people;
the sound of weeping and of crying
will be heard in it no more.
20 “Never again will there be in it
an infant who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not live out his years;
the one who dies at a hundred
will be thought a mere child;
the one who fails to reach[a] a hundred
will be considered accursed.
21 They will build houses and dwell in them;
they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 No longer will they build houses and others live in them,
or plant and others eat.
For as the days of a tree,
so will be the days of my people;
my chosen ones will long enjoy
the work of their hands.
23 They will not labor in vain,
nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune;
for they will be a people blessed by the Lord,
they and their descendants with them.
24 Before they call I will answer;
while they are still speaking I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox,
and dust will be the serpent’s food.
They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,”
says the Lord.

Footnotes

Isaiah 65:20 Or the sinner who reaches

Suffice it to say that chapter 65 anticipates judgment and hardship for those who forsook the LORD and who failed to listen to God's voice but blessings for the faithful servants of God (Isaiah 65:12-16).

Verse 1

Me. God answers the preceding prayer, and announces the rejection of the synagogue, alluding to the armies which prevailed in the days of the Machabees. --- Not. St. Paul explains this of the conversion of the Gentiles, Romans x. 20. (Calmet) --- It cannot regard the Jews, who are spoken of in the next verse. (Worthington)

Verse 3

Gardens, to the impure Venus and Adonis. --- Bricks, to the Manes. (Calmet) --- Tegula porrectis satis est velata coronis

Et sparsæ fruges parvaque mica salis. (Ovid, Fast. x.)

Verse 4

Idols: to have dreams, (Strabo xvi.) and commit impurities. --- Broth of swine’s flesh, which was prohibited, Leviticus xi. 7.

Verse 5

Unclean. Thus acted the hypocritical Pharisees. --- Smoke. A just punishment of those who had sought the smoke of human applause.

Verse 6

Bosom: good measure, Luke vi. 38. Rewards and punishments will be eternal.

Verse 7

Hills. Some offered sacrifices to God, others to idols; both unlawfully. (Calmet)

Verse 8

Whole. The good grain is preserved amid the general corruption. (Haydock) --- A few of the Jews were chosen to believe in Christ.

Verse 9

Mountains of Judea, (Deuteronomy iii. 25.) which the captives shall recover, as a figure of those who shall embrace the Christian faith.

Verse 10

CHAPTER LXV.

Plains. Hebrew Sharon, in the land of Basan. --- Achor, near Jericho, called after Achan, (Calmet) who perhaps was more correctly styled Achor, Josue vii. 26., and Osee ii. 15. (Haydock)

Verse 11

Fortune. Hebrew, "Gad," the sun, Genesis xxx. 11. --- Upon it. Symmachus, "without me." Septuagint, "to fortune." Hebrew, "to Meni," the moon, or Queen of heaven, Jeremias vii. 18., and xliv. 17. (Calmet)

Verse 12

Chosen. Free-will is clearly expressed, as rewards are, ver. 13. (Worthington)

Verse 13

Servants; Christians, (Calmet) particularly the elect. (Haydock) --- When the Romans approached Jerusalem, the Christians retired to Pella, and had plenty. (Houbigant)

Verse 15

Execration. They can wish to be preserved from nothing worse. --- Name. The faithful shall be no longer called Jews. (Calmet) --- They shall be hated, while the name of Christian shall point out God’s servants. (Worthington)

Verse 16

Amen, or "of truth." False gods shall be neglected. They shall not swear by them, as formerly, Sophonias i. 5. --- Christ usually adopted the asseveration, Amen, Amen, to enforce his truths. (Haydock)

Verse 17

New earth, in eternity, (Clarius) or here indeed, (2 Peter iii. 3., &c.; Houbigant) having purified the former by the general conflagration, which many assert will take place at the end of 6,000 years. (St. Jerome; St. Augustine, &c.) At the return of the captives, the country flourished again under the Machabees; (ver. 18.; Grotius) or rather the gospel changes the face of the earth, chap. lxvi. 22. (Calmet) (Forerius) --- After the resurrection the qualities, and not the substance, of the world, will be changed. (Worthington)

Verse 20

Fill up. To die soon was deemed a misfortune, Psalm liv. 24., and Exodus xx. 12. Virtue is the measure of the Christian’s life, and God will reward those who labour even late, Matthew xx. 13. --- Accursed. This age will not be spared. Both just and wicked shall be immortal in eternity. (Theodoret)

Verse 22

A tree. Septuagint, "of the tree of life," Jeremias xviii. 8. (Calmet) --- Continuance. Hebrew, "My elect shall long enjoy the works," &c. (Haydock) --- They shall not build for others to enjoy.

Verse 23

In. Hebrew, "for trouble." Chaldean, "death." Septuagint, "malediction." The children shall not be cut off; and baptism shall secure their salvation.

Verse 25

Straw. People of the most perverse tempers shall become mild by the influence of the gospel, and shall dwell together in perfect concord. (Calmet) --- Food, according to the sentence, Genesis iii. 14. (Menochius) --- The devil’s power is abridged, chap. xi. 6. (Calmet) --- The proudest Gentiles are converted, and adopt the mild manners of Christians, in fasting and mortification. (Worthington)

HSong said:

Psalm 24:1 "The EARTH is the Lord's and ALL its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein."
The whole filled earth will be saved. The Earth is the Lord’s, and He will fulfill His desire to save everyone. All people in the world will become believers in Christ the Lord and be saved. All sins of the whole world will be washed away, and the Holy Spirit will dwell inside everybody!

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Where does Psalm 24:1 say,
See e.g. Revelation 22:11 Last chapter in the Bible no more death, no more salvation.

Introduction
Paul's Use of Isaiah 65:2 in Romans 10:21
Paul's Understanding of the Kyrios of Isaiah 65:1-7
Paul's Understanding of "All day long I stretched out my hands"
Early Patristic Interpretation of Isaiah 65:2
Epistle of Barnabas
St. Justin Martyr
St. Irenaeus of Lyons
Tertullian of Carthage
Didascalia Apostolorum
St. Hippolytus of Rome
Novatian of Rome
St. Cyprian of Carthage
Conclusion

Introduction

The opening verses of Isaiah 65 introduce a speech by Yahweh about the rebelliousness of his people Israel:
1 I was ready to be sought out by those who did not ask,
to be found by those who did not seek me.
I said, “Here I am, here I am,”
to a nation that did not call on my name.
2 I held out my hands all day long
to a rebellious people,
who walk in a way that is not good,
following their own devices...
6 See, it is written before me:
I will not keep silent, but I will repay;
I will indeed repay into their laps
7 their iniquities and their ancestors’ iniquities together,
says the Lord [Heb. YHWH];
because they offered incense on the mountains
and reviled me on the hills,
I will measure into their laps
full payment for their actions. (Isaiah 65:1-2, 6-7 NRSV)
Our main interest in this article lies with early Christian interpretation of the first line of v. 2. The Hebrew verb pāraś normally refers to spreading out one's hands in prayer, so the picture of YHWH with his hands spread out in supplication to Israel represents a paradoxical reversal, reflecting the extent of God's efforts to win over his people.