The prophetic voice issues a warning and reprimand, indicating that due to their iniquities, Zion would be made barren like a field, Jerusalem would be laid waste into a heap of stones, and the hill where the temple stands would become overrun with trees. The fulfillment of this prophecy is evident; our observation affirms the truth of these words. This is echoed in the book of Jeremiah, wherein the desolation of Jerusalem is noted (Jeremiah 26:18). The judges and leaders of both the northern and southern kingdoms not only failed to uphold justice, but they also scorned it, corrupting every aspect of righteousness to ensure that even a shred of justice would not remain in the city. They built Zion on blood and Jerusalem on wickedness by exploiting the needy, harming innocent children, and persecuting the righteous. If any judges appeared to pass fair judgments, it was merely because they were swayed by bribes. The priests, too, taught the populace only for a fee; despite the admonition to the saints: "Freely ye have received, freely give" (Matt. 10:8), they sold the word of God and the grace of the Lord for earthly gain. In their sin, they fail to recognize their wrongdoing, claiming, as if to justify themselves, that they are judges, priests, and prophets; from their unrepentant hearts, they assert: "The Lord is among us, and calamities will not befall us." Because they have not repented and the people have mirrored the faults of their leaders, Zion remains destined to become like a plowed field, and Jerusalem is to be reduced to a mere mound of stones, with the temple—once resplendent with gold and silver—fallen into ruin. This speaks to the Jewish nation, whose current captivity and destruction are decreed due to these cited transgressions, particularly the shedding of the Lord's blood. Thus, Zion has been plowed like a field, Jerusalem turned into hills covered in forest, and the once-glorious temple reduced to ashes.
Should one apply the references pertaining to Jerusalem and Zion to the Church—considering that it embodies the house of Jacob and the house of Israel as stated in Isaiah: "Jacob is My child, I will receive him" (Isaiah 41:8) and also in the words of the apostle to Timothy: "That thou mayest know how thou oughtest to walk in the house of God, which is the church" (1 Tim. 3:15)—one will observe that the heads of the house of Jacob and the remnant of the house of Israel, or as the Hebrew text more accurately states, "the judges of the house of Israel," are none other than bishops, presbyters, and deacons. They disregard justice and skew everything upright unless they guard their hearts diligently. Indeed, do they not despise justice and distort all that is right when they pass judgment lightly, favoring the powerful over the innocent? Alternatively, this passage may convey that the heads of the house of Jacob and the judges of Israel reject God’s judgments and corrupt every principle of Scripture through misinterpretation; thus, they establish Zion on blood and Jerusalem on unrighteousness. When Scripture commands: "Thou shalt not bring the wicked under the roof of the righteous" (Proverbs 24:15) and states, "The Lord will abhor the man of blood and the flatterer" (Psalms 5:7), these church leaders ordain individuals from their ranks, irresponsibly risking the faith of those vulnerable to temptation because the lives of those ordained are subject to public scrutiny (Matthew 18:6-9). This is why it is asserted that it would be better for a person to have a millstone tied around their neck and be cast into the sea than to cause a little one to stumble.
Although the prophet Malachi refers to the priests as angels (Malachi 2:7) and their mouths as the utterance of the Lord, they fail to pass judgments without expecting gifts, for it is said: "Gifts blind the eyes even of the wise, and as it were a bridle on the lips prevent strict judgment" (Deut. 16:19; Eccl. 20:31). It is instructed to the apostles: "Have not gold and silver and brass in your belts" (Matt. 10:9), yet they trade in God's word while profiting from the sales of doves in the temple. Moreover, the prophets of Jerusalem offer divinations for money, often failing to distinguish between true prophecy and divination, the latter being condemned in Scripture: "There shall be no magic in Jacob, nor divination in Israel" (Num. 23:23). Though they appeared to prophesy, their declarations were merely divinations as they accepted payments. The apostle Peter affirms: "Silver and gold have I none" (Acts 3:6); he might have sold to Simon the magician what was requested, or at least pretended to sell, recognizing that the Holy Spirit cannot be bought or sold. He condemned the soul selling his money with him (Acts 8:18-23). Thus, you may observe that the prophets of Jerusalem had no genuine prophetic voice, even as they leaned on the Lord, claiming: "Calamities shall not come upon us." Yet, for their sake, God's treasured place is trampled by enemies, a formerly peaceful locale now lies in ruins, the temple of the Lord has become overgrown, and a habitat for wild beasts.
Consider the case of Saul, who, desiring guidance from Samuel, remarked to his young servant that he had no gift to offer for the prophecy. The young man replied, "Behold, the fourth part of a shekel of money is found in my hand, and I will give it to the man of God, and he will tell us our way" (1 Sam. 9:7 ff.); the text does not suggest that Samuel accepted money, nor even that they intended to give it—the implication is that they were welcomed by the prophet for a meal. Even if Samuel had technically received the money, it was more likely considered a hospitable gesture rather than payment for prophecy. A shekel consists of twenty obols, and a fourth of a shekel amounts to only five obols. Similarly, if our priests desire to trade in prophecy and offer doves from their pulpits, akin to those cast out by the Lord (John 2:15), they should demand no more than five obols, rather than exorbitant fees that reflect the wealth of villages.
The same message emerges from 1 Kings when Jeroboam’s wife sought Ahijah, a man of God, bringing him bread, dried fruit, and honey (3 Kings 14:1-3). The account specifies what she brought but remains silent on any payment he might have accepted, for he rebuked her and foretold her impending doom. It is conceivable that those accustomed to consulting fortune-tellers thought similarly of the prophets, attempting to provide offerings to them as they would to seers. Therefore, the Scripture notes their willingness but does not record any actual offerings or acceptance. The apostle Paul states, "They that serve the altar shall take a portion from the altar and live" (1 Cor. 9:13). O minister, you are permitted to draw sustenance from the altar, but this should not lead to extravagance. The apostle does not exploit this liberty but remains content with basic provisions, working tirelessly so as not to burden anyone. He testifies in his letters that he lived according to the gospel of Christ, holy and free from greed, a principle he also instilled in his disciples, emphasizing that he sent no one to demand or expect anything.
In some epistles, when he expresses gratitude to the brethren and designates their gifts as God's goodwill, he does so not primarily for himself but for the impoverished saints in Jerusalem. These saints were among the first believers in Christ from the Jewish community, who suffered rejection from their families and lost all their possessions through the predations of temple priests and the populace. If similar destitution exists today, let the priests accept their offerings. However, if certain affluent houses arise under the guise of supporting the needy, and if our sustenance comes in vessels of gold, glass, or pottery, let either wealth inform our Christian practices or let the customs of poverty refrain from pursuing the luxuries of the powerful. What benefit is there in eschewing a handkerchief while sweating? What delight derives from wearing only one garment and adopting a modest appearance, when the multitude of those in need yearns for our wealth? Thus, for our own sakes—and as ones who establish Zion on blood and Jerusalem on wickedness, judging for a price and offering predictions for money while clinging to a counterfeit sanctity—we will hear God’s impending judgment. Consequently, Zion, Jerusalem, and the sacred hill of the temple, the focal point of the world’s attention, will face destruction. In the end times, when love wanes and faith diminishes, they too will be plowed like a field and transformed into hills, reverting to wilderness, once filled with grand houses and rich harvests, now reduced to humble shelters with barely enough provisions to nourish the spirit.
THEOSIS