“Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself: according to the multitude of his fruit he hath increased the altars; according to the goodness of his land they have made goodly images.”
The statement that Israel is a luxuriant vine that yields its fruit indicates that God has blessed Israel with abundance and prosperity, yet the following clause indicates that the more fruit Israel yielded, the more altars they built to false gods, suggesting that prosperity has led to spiritual complacency and idolatry. The multiplication of altars parallels the multiplication of fruit, indicating that blessing has been perverted into occasion for transgression. This verse suggests that the problem of prosperity is that it enables and encourages idolatry.
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