The story of two houses
God speaking to all the descendants of Israel before this nation of brothers was divided into two kingdoms, the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
“You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you, for the Lord your God who is in the midst of you is a jealous God; so, follow Him, or else the anger of the Lord your God will be kindled against you, and He will wipe you off the face of the earth.” (Deuteronomy (6:14-15 NASB)
“For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His personal possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.” (Deuteronomy 7:6 NASB)
God prophesied what was coming.
“But I will assuredly hide My face on that day because of all the evil that they will have done, for they will have turned away to other gods.” (Deuteronomy 31:18 NASB)
Right from the start, the house of Israel pulled away from worshiping God. Their king forbade the people to worship God at His temple in Jerusalem. The king sets up a place of his own choosing and the house of Israel went downhill from there.
“Israel has been swallowed up.
They are now among the nations
Like a vessel in which no one delights.” (Hosea 8:8 NASB)
God is calling them to repentance.
“Therefore, say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord God says: ‘Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations.'” (Ezekiel 14:6 NASB)
Repents, Returns and Receives God’s Spirit
Ephraim Is Joseph’s youngest who Israel blessed with the birthright and is the representative tribe of the ten tribes of the House of Israel.
“They will come with weeping, and by pleading I will bring them; I will lead them by streams of waters, on a straight path on which they will not stumble; For I am a father to Israel, And Ephraim is My firstborn.” (Jeremiah 31:9 NASB) “I have certainly heard Ephraim grieving, ‘You have disciplined me, and I was corrected, like an untrained calf; Bring me back that I may be restored, For You are the Lord my God.'” (Jeremiah 31:18 NASB)
“And say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “Behold, I am going to take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king will be king for all of them; and they will no longer be two nations, and no longer be divided into two kingdoms.” (Ezekiel 37:21-22 NASB)
“Then they will know that I am the Lord their God because I made them go into exile among the nations, and then I gathered them again to their own land; and I will leave none of them there any longer. I will not hide My face from them any longer, for I will have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel,” declares the Lord God.” (Ezekiel 39:28-29 NASB)
His Family Table 