B¹. The Sermon Promising to Restore Judah’s Fortunes (8:9-17)

This sermon uses a recurrence of contrast between the unhappy past and the hopeful present. The past for Judah was filled with poverty, violence, and divine condemnation (vv.10, 14). But now Yahweh is committed to dealing differently with his people (v.11). Abundant agricultural produce will mark this generation (v.12), and Yahweh will work on their behalf (v.15). The emphasis of this sermon may be summarized by the statement “As you have been an object of cursing . . . you will be a blessing” (v.13).

As in the first sermon (7:4-14), there is here a strong ethical emphasis. The moral precepts of vv.16-17 are very similar to those of 7:9-10. Yahweh punctuates his feelings about injustice and cruelty with “I hate all this.” God’s people keep his commandments because they wish to please him and because they reflect his character (Jn 14:15). This is the “theological basis of ethics” (Baldwin, 154).