Thou shalt say to them: Because your fathers forsook me, saith the Lord: and went after strange gods, and served them, and adored them: and they forsook me, and kept not my law.
וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵיהֶ֗ם עַל֩ אֲשֶׁר־עָזְב֨וּ אֲבוֹתֵיכֶ֤ם אוֹתִי֙ נְאֻם־יְהוָ֔ה וַיֵּלְכ֗וּ אַֽחֲרֵי֙ אֱלֹהִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֔ים וַיַּעַבְד֖וּם וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲו֣וּ לָהֶ֑ם וְאֹתִ֣י עָזָ֔בוּ וְאֶת־תּוֹרָתִ֖י לֹ֥א שָׁמָֽרוּ׃
2 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Your ancestors have abandoned Me, declares the Lord, and you are even more wicked than they. Once more, the prophet admonishes the Israelites and warns them of exile to Babylon for following in the footsteps of their forefathers, who worshipped idols in the wilderness. Despite the prophets' warnings, they have refused to turn back to Me in repentance.
Thus declares the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel: Look, I will bring an end to the sounds of joy and gladness in this place before you and during your time, along with the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride. When you declare all these words to the people, they will respond, "Why has the Lord pronounced such great calamities against us? What is our iniquity, and what sin have we committed before the Lord our God?" You will then answer them, "Your ancestors abandoned Me, declares the Lord, and pursued foreign gods, serving and worshipping them, while they turned away from Me and did not follow My commandments.
Yet you have acted even worse than your forebears." When the Church strays from righteousness, it loses all joy and gladness, as the Apostle instructs: "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice" (Philippians 4:4). The joyful voices of the bridegroom and bride echo this truth, for it is written: "He who has the bride is the bridegroom" (John 3:29). But if, he states, the people inquire why they endure these hardships and seek the reason for their suffering, respond to them, "Your ancestors forsook Me, declares the Lord, as those in church leadership followed the gods of foreign nations, whose deities are indulgence, greed, luxury, and vanity. They served them, for whoever is conquered by someone also becomes their servant. They worshipped them, for one cannot help but venerate what they cherish. They turned away from Me and did not uphold My law." It is not only the obligation of the priests to instruct in the law but also to live it out, thereby teaching the community and the flock entrusted to them through their own actions, not merely with words. And lest they argue that the judgement is unjust, saying that the fathers ate sour grapes and the children's teeth are set on edge (Ezekiel 18:2), He adds: "But you have acted even more wickedly than your ancestors, and upon those who sin more grievously, a righteous judgement is rendered."
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS