but you shall worship the LORD your God; then he will deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies — the conditional promise: exclusive worship of the LORD ensures deliverance from enemies. This promise, stated at the end of the exile explanation, serves as the counterpoint to the exile itself: had Israel maintained exclusive Yahwistic devotion, it would have been delivered from Assyrian conquest. The promise remains available theoretically, yet the historical narrative has already demonstrated Israel's permanent exile.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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