The Angel's Message at Bochim

Yahweh’s angel came up from Gilgal to Bochim. He reminded the people what Yahweh had done for them. Yahweh had brought them out of Egypt and into the land he had sworn to give to their fathers. He had also said that he would never break his covenant with them.

Then came the rebuke. The people had been told not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land. They were supposed to break down their altars. But they had not listened to Yahweh’s voice. The angel asked why they had done this.

Because they had not obeyed, the message turned to consequence. Yahweh said he would not drive those people out from before Israel. They would remain and trouble them, and their gods would become a snare to Israel.

When Yahweh’s angel spoke these words to all the children of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept. It was a sorrowful moment for the nation as they heard this warning.

They called that place Bochim, and there they sacrificed to Yahweh. The passage shows both their failure and their grief. It invites us to take God’s correction seriously.