The second half of v. 2 compares (they are “like”) the people of Jacob to a “nation, country” (not a “people”)183 that acts in righteous ways and has not forsaken the judicial decisions of God. But why are they described as only being “like” some ideal nation that does these things? Does this not suggest that they look like the people of God but are not actually a righteous nation? The likeness is seen in the fact that the people “were repeatedly asking”184 God for righteous decisions and “were repeatedly