Chapter #3 – God’s Desire To Be With Man (Part 2)

2Co 11:3 3 “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ” (asv).

      We ended Chapter #2 with this statement: “Israel would soon become a new nation, soon to be exalted above all nations of the then known world.” Toward the end of his leadership, Moses speaks of Israel’s future and God’s providence, with both blessings and curses; blessings if they will obey God’s commandments, and curses if they will not. They were being given the Law, an evidence of His goodness and love for his people – but also of His expectations of response to show their love for Him.

      As it was with them, it is the same for us today under the New Covenant. We need always to remember that the Lord God Almighty is just that; the ultimate authority. The creature does not negotiate with the Creator for blessings and the removal of curses. It is impressive that there were then, as now, a number of “if you will, then I will” statements by the Lord. As examples:

EXO 15:26 And (God) said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.

LEV 18:5 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD. . . DEU 8:19 And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.

DEU 11:13 And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, 14 That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.15 And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full. . . .

DEU 11:22 For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him; 23 Then will the LORD drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves. 24 Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be. 25 There shall no man be able to stand before you: for the LORD your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as he hath said unto you. . . . 26 ¶ Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; 27 A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day: 28 And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.

DEU 28:1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: . . . 13 And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them: . . . 15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee . . .

      There are few names mentioned in Holy Scripture about which nothing of a character flaw is mentioned. Joshua who replaced Moses to lead the Israelites was one. Perhaps the most famous statement that he ever made is found in Joshua, Chapter 24. Beginning his leadership he gathered all the tribes together, and the Record states God as reminding them all that He had done for them, bringing them out of bondage into the Promised Land. In verse 13 Joshua quotes the Lord: “And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat”(Jos. 24:13). Joshua tells the Israelites:

14 Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. 15 ¶ And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

Israel’s Response

      Did Israel respond to these demands for obedience, coupled with the beautiful promises of a loving God? Or, did they give in to the world with its idolatry and immorality and lose their special relationship. The Jews today, with its nation of Israel, steadfastly maintain that their status as God’s chosen and special people is still in effect. To deny such is to invite the accusation of “persecution,” a scenario that makes cowards out of many Bible teachers. Such terms as “anti semitic” (semitic indicates a family of languages that includes Hebrew, Arabic, and Aramaic and certain ancient languages), or “Jew hater,” etc. are commonly hurled against those who believe in Christ as the fulfillment of God’s promise to bless Israel. There probably has never been a people in all history who were more persecuted than the Jews, because of this continuing claim to special relationship and claimed special privilege than the Jews. But is their claim justified by the Scriptures?

      A significant record concerning King David is found in 2^nd Samuel Chapter Seven. David had conquered his enemies and was “at rest” (v.1) The prophet Nathan reminded David that the Lord was with him and he could “do all that was in his heart” (v.3). God sent Nathan to tell David that, among other things,

“I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime,” . . . Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house. And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.”

This Record is important, for it is one of the statements that present-day Jews use to confirm that Israel is still God’s People, and often quote the Lord when he said hundreds of years before the time of David, “I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Gen. 12:3). (We will study this with all references in chapter 10).

      After Nathan’s visit David went before the Lord, and asked the meaning of the “house” that was promised him. It is significant that David took to heart this promise of the perpetuity of Israel:

23 And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and to do for you great things and terrible, for thy land, before thy people, which thou redeemedst to thee from Egypt, from the nations and their gods? 24 For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee for ever: and thou, LORD, art become their God. 25 And now, O LORD God, the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant, and concerning his house, establish it for ever, and do as thou hast said. 26 And let thy name be magnified for ever, saying, The LORD of hosts is the God over Israel: and let the house of thy servant David be established before thee. . . . 28 And now, O Lord GOD, thou art that God, and thy words be true, and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant: 29 Therefore now let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee: for thou, O Lord GOD, hast spoken it: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever.

      Perhaps never in the history of man was there a better qualified man selected to rule over a nation, than Solomon. We learn that he asked God for wisdom and God gave it in abundance! But note also the “if thou wilt” “then I” statements given Solomon by the Almighty.

1KI 3:14 And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days. . . . 1KI 6:12 Concerning this house which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father: . . . 1KI 9:4 And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments: . . . 1KI 9:6 But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them: (See also 1KI 11:38;

Now note this promise that significantly affects our world even to this very day:

2KI 21:8 Neither will I make the feet of Israel move any more out of the land which I gave their fathers; only if they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that my servant Moses commanded them. . . . 1CH 28:7 Moreover I will establish his kingdom for ever, if he be constant to do my commandments and my judgments, as at this day.

More About Solomon

      Before David dies, he appoints as king his son Solomon. According to some scholarly Rabbis, he was 12 years old. Most Protestant scholars figure he was around 20. David speaks to Solomon with these words:

1Ki 2:2 I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man. 3 And keep the charge of the LORD your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn; 4 that the LORD may fulfill His word which He spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons take heed to their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul,’ He said, ‘you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’

      Shortly after Solomon is anointed king, God appears to him in a dream in which He invites Solomon to make a request for himself.

1Ki 3:7 "Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 "And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. 9 "Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?"

10 The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 Then God said to him: "Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, 12 "behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. 13 "And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days. 14 "So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days."

      Born in 848 BC, Solomon dies at age 52 in 796 BC, ruling as king for 40 years -- the best years in all of Israel's history. He is known as the "wisest of all the men." The Bible relates that kings from all over the world came to hear his wisdom, which included not only Hebrew wisdom, but also wisdom in secular knowledge and science.

      When the magnificent temple was finished after seven years, Solomon dedicates the Temple with many praises of Jehovah – and many requests. And then the reminder that God had made to David:

1KI 8:25 Therefore now, LORD God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel; so that thy children take heed to their way, that they walk before me as thou hast walked before me. 26 And now, O God of Israel, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified, which thou spakest unto thy servant David my father.

And then God gives his answer to Solomon:

1Ki 9:3 And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually. 4 And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments: 5 Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel. 6 But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them: 7 Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people: 8 And at this house, which is high, every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and to this house? 9 And they shall answer, Because they forsook the LORD their God, who brought forth their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have taken hold upon other gods, and have worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath the LORD brought upon them all this evil.

      This is the pinnacle of Jewish history. Everyone is united. Their neighbors don't bother the Jews -- in fact, they come to learn from the Jews. There is peace and prosperity. This is as good as it gets for Israel. This is the zenith. So why doesn't this golden age last? Solomon makes one big mistake. First, he takes too many wives. In fact, he has 700 wives and 300 concubines.

      If we go back to the Book of Deuteronomy where the idea that Jews would one day want a king is first discussed, Moses warns that the king should not have too many horses or too many wives (Deu17:17). This happens because at this time in history there were only two reasons for marriage among nobility -- to create offspring and to make political alliances.

      But, the foreign women not only bring their bodies but also bring their idols with them to Israel. The Middle East in Solomon's time is made up of many city-states and all the kings of these city --states want to send their daughters to marry King Solomon and in this way form an alliance with him. That sounds good, but why is it wrong? The Bible gives us the answer:

1KI 11:1 ¶ But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; 2 Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. 3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. 4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. 5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father. 7 Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. 8 And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods. 9 ¶ And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, 10 And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded. 11 Wherefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant. 12 Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy father’s sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son. 13 Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen. 14 ¶ And the LORD stirred up an adversary unto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite: he was of the king’s seed in Edom.

(This reference will be important as we pursue the curses brought upon Israel from that time until this present time.)

      Does the Scriptures indicate that Solomon – the wise King Solomon – himself became a worshiper of idols? How could it be otherwise? Jewish historians in trying to perpetuate the promises of an everlasting kingdom deny Solomon’s idolatry, but credit these harsh words of rejection simply because he did not prevent his wives from carrying on their idolatrous practices. As a king, he is held responsible for the actions of those under his influence.

      Many Bible students do not know or realize the number of "curses" that Jehovah placed on Old Testament Israel for her unbelief, disobedience and failure to keep the Mosaical covenant that He made with Israel. As we view just some of these "curses" that were placed on Israel, they will show why Jews of modern Israel in the Middle-East have suffered so much in the past , why they suffer today and why they will continue to suffer in the future. (Study carefully God’s “Blessings” and “Curses” on Israel recorded in Deuteronomy 28.)

      After the Jews finally conquered the seven Gentile nations that occupied the "promised land" in Canaan that God gave to the twelve tribes of Israel, the next 1500 year history of the Jews dwelling in Israel was filled with many periods of "unbelief," "covenant breaking" and "disobedience" to God. Jehovah, having grown weary with their sin for over eight hundred years, finally decided to condemn and eliminate the ten northern tribes of Israel by sending them into Assyrian bondage from which they never returned (2 Kings, chapters 18 and 19).

      The two remaining tribes in southern Israel, Judah and Benjamin, evidently did not learn God's lesson of what happened to the disobedient ten northern tribes in, for in 586 BC God permitted the Babylonians to invade, conquer and take the last two disobedient tribes, Judah and Benjamin, into captivity (2 Kings, chapters 24 and 25).

2 Kings 24:1 In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years: then he turned and rebelled against him. 2 And the LORD sent against him bands of the Chaldees, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servants the prophets....10 At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.11 And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, and his servants did besiege it....14 And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land.15 And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king's mother, and the king's wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.

This, it could be said, was God's judgment against the two disobedient tribes of Judah and Benjamin in the "promised land."

      Many years prior to this, when the great temple was being dedicated, God had made promises to Solomon. In that context, God promised Solomon, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2CH 7:14). Many Bible teachers today quote this statement as if it is still applicable to Israel, and to all those in Christ who suffer from persecution and estrangement. Is it applicable? Hardly.

      In this same context God tells Solomon:

2CH 7:19 But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them; 20 Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations. 21 And this house, which is high, shall be an astonishment to every one that passeth by it; so that he shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and unto this house? 22 And it shall be answered, Because they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath he brought all this evil upon them.

      Has this negative promise by the Almighty God not come to pass? Surely it has. Consider the Roman destruction of Jerusalem, and the temple (no stone left in place), and the scattering of the Jews all over the world. Jerusalem was occupied by Arabs and others. The “holocaust” under Hitler was one of the most horrific evils ever done to humanity.

       After the second World War, in 1946 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt denied the European Jews entrance into the United States, in desperation to escape from world-wide enmity and scorn, Jews from all over the world scurried back to retake the "promised land" in a military campaign from the nomadic and divided Palestinians who lived in the former land of Israel. The Jews were successful in their invasion of Palestine, and today four million-plus Jews -- the ethnic descendants of Jacob, are surrounded by 400 million Arabs or Muslims who are the descendants of Ishmael.

      In today's world, after much hostility and bloodshed, when we see the inability of the Jews and Arabs to live peaceably as neighbors, we ask why do they despise and hate each other so? The answer is simple: It is a question of heritage and religion. In the closing years of Abraham's life, his childless wife Sarah encouraged Abraham to go into Hagar, Sarah's handmaid, and conceive a child. To this illegitimate relationship Ishmael was born and then thirteen years later Sarah gave birth to the "promised" child Isaac. (See all the details in Genesis, chapters 18 through 22.) God instructed Abraham that Isaac, the "promised" son, would be heir to the covenant of Abraham. At that time God prophesied that the descendants of Isaac (Jews) and Ishmael (Arabs) would be two separate nations and perpetual enemies (See Genesis, chapters 23). The hatred between these two blood-brother nations of people continues today, in spite of the recent 2000 peace initiatives brokered by the United States between the Jews and Palestinians. For centuries the Ishmaelites (Arabs) burned in their anger about being the illegitimate son of Abraham, and left out of the spiritual promises of God to Isaac. In 570 AD, Mohammed of Africa, a self-proclaimed "prophet" of God, began to preach his new religion of Islam for the descendants of Ishmael. Literally, his battle cry was – "There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet." Clearly this new religion was designed to unite the Arabs against the Jews.

      Mohammed gathered a military force of 10,000 to go against Mecca. When Mecca submitted to the "sword" of Mohammed, within two years all of Arabia was united under his new religion of Islam. Within decades after his death, his disciples went out by military might and conquered the whole Middle East, North Africa and Spain. This vast area was militarily unified as an Islamic empire. During this time, millions of people came under the "sword" of Mohammed and were forcibly converted to Islam. At this time, Israel had been driven out of the "promised land," and the Muslims or Islamic people moved into Israel's former land. While the Jews tried to survive in Europe, the hated followers of Islam, the Palestinian people, occupied "the promised land."

      In 1946, after the Second World War, the Jews made their move to retake the "promised land" originally given to them by God. This precipitated and launched a religious war between the Jews of Israel and the Arab Muslim world that continues today.

      It is interesting and disturbing that several religious leaders in the USA still believe that the Jews, even the Nation of Israel, are still God’s chosen people, are entitled to the land given by God, and, most importantly, those that bless Israel will be blessed and those who curse Israel will be cursed. (Gen. 12:3.) This is in direct contrast to the teaching of Jesus who said:

Mt 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; . . . (See Luk. 6:28).

      Paul repeats this to the Roman Christians, “ Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. . . . (Rom. 12:14). James has this statement to show the inconsistency of man’s speaking: “Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God” (Jas. 3:9).

      The study of “the throne of David,” and the disobedience of the Israelites is worth much to the Christian who needs to confirm God’s law in his own mind and heart, and equip himself to discuss and convince those who have not learned to “handle right (or rightly divide) the Word of God” (2Ti. 2:15). Time is running out as far as “Christian America” is concerned, and unless the Bible is taught correctly, the future for our country is bleak. For excellent studies on the subject of the end of the Law given to Moses, and the giving of the New Covenant by the Lord to the apostles, continue to study with us, and, ask for additional material by competent scholars.

– HT