Famine, blight and pestilence – all of them were meant to lead God’s people to repent of their evil ways (4.6–11). But it didn’t work. So now even worse things will happen. Many of the other prophets would have agreed. Some today are eagerly jumping on this bandwagon in order to vilify their pet hates: it’s all the fault of those ‘other’ people of whose lifestyles we disapprove.
