What astonishing deception and fearful blindness had, like a dark cloud, covered Israel! This blindness and apostasy had not closed about them suddenly; it had come upon them gradually as they had not heeded the word of reproof and warning which the Lord had sent to them because of their pride and their sins. And now, in this fearful crisis, in the presence of the idolatrous priests and the apostate king, they remained neutral. If God abhors one sin above another, of which His people are guilty, it is doing nothing in case of an emergency. Indifference and neutrality in a religious crisis is regarded of God as a grievous crime and equal to the very worst type of hostility against God. {3T 280.3}

Hvilket forbløffende bedrag og frygtelig blindhed havde, ligesom (281) en mørk sky, omgivet Israel! Denne blindhed og dette frafald havde ikke pludseligt lukket sig omkring dem; det var kommet gradvist over dem da de ikke havde givet agt på irettesættelsesordet og advarsler som Herren havde sendt dem på grund af deres stolthed og deres synder. Og nu, i denne frygtelige krise, under overværelse af afgudspræster og den frafaldne konge, blev de neutrale. Hvis Gud afskyer en synd frem for en anden, vil dette ikke have nogen betydning i yderste nød. Uvidenhed og neutralitet i religiøse kriser betragter Gud som en alvorlig forbrydelse og svarer til den alle værste form for fjendtlighed mod Gud.