LCOG Articles - The sins of Israel

THE SINS OF ISRAEL

Why have God’s chosen people turned away from Him and lived a life of sin?

Why has Israel never retained the knowledge of the song of Moses?

Ever since the nation of Israel was formed the people have sinned against God, and have continued to walk in ways which seemed right to them and not God.

The people of Israel have forgotten their God. Some in the nation are seemingly religious, but it is a religion that suits them and not the truth or the ways which God has instructed them to keep.

Neh 1:6 please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned.

Eze 18:31 Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel?

To sin is to break the laws of God, sin is the transgression of the law, or the breaking of the law.

1Jn 3:4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.

The law is the Ten Commandments.

Exo 24:12 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.”

God gave the law to Israel so they could benefit from keeping it. To live by God’s ways is happiness, love and joy, this is what God wanted for Israel.

Deu 5:29 Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!

God rescued Israel from Egypt then He brought them through the Red Sea, the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire were visible to Israel at all times. He fed them and gave them water throughout their journey.

What more could God do for Israel?

At Sinai they were given the Ten Commandments. And many promises were made by God to them if they would obey.

Exo 15:26 and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.”

God wanted Israel to be a treasure. Israel were to be a model nation, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

Exo 19:5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.

Exo 19:6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

However so very quickly after the above words were spoken to Israel, God and His promises were completely forgotten and the golden calf was created by them.

Shortly after this, God offered Israel the Promised Land. A beautiful land flowing with milk and honey.

But all they could see were the difficulties, the giants, the land itself and all its wealth was totally overlooked by the 10 spies who rejected it on behalf of Israel.

Num 14:2 And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness!

Only Joshua and Caleb wanted this beautiful land.

Num 14:6 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes;

Num 14:7 and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land.

Num 14:8 If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’

Num 14:9 Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them.”

Notice what Israel wanted to do to Joshua and Caleb, and what their hearts were like. God was sick of them by this point.

Num 14:10 And all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Now the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of meeting before all the children of Israel.

Num 14:11 Then the LORD said to Moses: “How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them?

So Israel rejected the Promised Land and then had to wonder for 40 years in the wilderness. During this time they tested God.

Psa 106:14 But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, And tested God in the desert.

At this point God the Father no longer went with Israel and He appointed Christ to go with them, because the Father wanted to totally destroy Israel.

Exo 32:34 Now therefore, go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you. Behold, My Angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit for punishment, I will visit punishment upon them for their sin.”

Exo 33:3 Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.”

Let’s look at why Israel would not obey God, what were the things that caused this.

Firstly just after crossing the Red Sea, God the Father offered Israel the Holy Spirit, but they rejected it and did not want it, they wanted the physical things and not the spiritual.

Exo 15:25 So he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them,

Jer 2:13 “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.

Israel rejected the Holy Spirit so now God had to see if they were capable of obeying Him without it, unfortunately it was not in their heart to follow God.

Deu 9:6 Therefore understand that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people.

Deu 9:7 “Remember! Do not forget how you provoked the LORD your God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day that you departed from the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the LORD.

Deu 9:23 Likewise, when the LORD sent you from Kadesh Barnea, saying, ‘Go up and possess the land which I have given you,’ then you rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God, and you did not believe Him nor obey His voice.

Deu 11:16 Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them,

Deu 32:21 They have provoked Me to jealousy by what is not God; They have moved Me to anger by their foolish idols. But I will provoke them to jealousy by those who are not a nation; I will move them to anger by a foolish nation.

The curses of Israel will come on them because of the following.

Deu 28:47 “Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of everything,

The Israelites wandered for 40 years to see if they would obey God, however without God’s intervention in their hearts and minds this did not happened.

Notice that after they had shown God that they simply would not obey Him, it is at this point that God then told them He was going to intervene in their hearts and minds so they could understand and obey. This happened just prior to the Israelites going into the Promised Land.

Deu 29:4 Yet the LORD has not given you a heart to perceive and eyes to see and ears to hear, to this very day.

Notice how God at this point enabled Israel to obey, they could hear and they could obey.

Deu 30:11 “For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off.

Deu 30:14 But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.

Even though the Israelites could obey and understand, they did not keep up obedience for very long. Before Joshua took over leadership, God told Moses and Joshua that Israel would continue on in disobedience and rebellion.

God knew what they would do before they crossed the Jordan.

Deu 31:21 Then it shall be, when many evils and troubles have come upon them, that this song will testify against them as a witness; for it will not be forgotten in the mouths of their descendants, for I know the inclination of their behavior today, even before I have brought them to the land of which I swore to give them.”

Now let’s look at the song of Moses.

As the scripture above states this song is not to be forgotten out of the mouths of the seed of Israel. Unfortunately, this song has been forgotten, but nevertheless the contents of the song will come to pass.

The main contents of the song is that God rescued Israel, He fed them, gave them all what they needed, gave them His laws, but they rejected Him and His laws, they followed false Gods, sacrificed to idols and turned away from God and provoked God to anger. As a result, Israel will be punished for their backsliding and they will be invaded by a foreign nation.

Deu 31:19 “Now therefore, write down this song for yourselves, and teach it to the children of Israel; put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for Me against the children of Israel.

Deu 31:20 When I have brought them to the land flowing with milk and honey, of which I swore to their fathers, and they have eaten and filled themselves and grown fat, then they will turn to other gods and serve them; and they will provoke Me and break My covenant.

Deu 31:22 Therefore Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the children of Israel.

THE SONG OF MOSES

The Song of Moses, was to be a prophetic song, telling what would befall Israel when they went against the laws of God. When they are in major trouble at the end of the age, this song will be a witness against them.

Deu 32:1 “Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; And hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.

The heavens and the earth were to listen to the words of this song, no doubt this refers to the inhabitants of heaven and earth. All peoples both human and divine were to listen to this song.

Deu 32:2 Let my teaching drop as the rain, My speech distill as the dew, As raindrops on the tender herb, And as showers on the grass.

God’s instruction and words will cover the land, just as rain and dew wets everything in its path, so these words will touch all Israel. All of Israel will hear this song.

Deu 32:3 For I proclaim the name of the LORD: Ascribe greatness to our God.

God’s name will be restored to greatness, Israel have blasphemed the name of God and give His name little worth. God and His name are to be revered.

Deu 32:4 He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.

God is perfect He should be our Rock, all His ways are right, He is faithful, He is fair, and upright, there is no evil in Him. We need to feel this way about Him.

Deu 32:5 “They have corrupted themselves; They are not His children, Because of their blemish: A perverse and crooked generation.

Israel have ruined themselves, because of their sins they do not act like His children, it is their fault, they are crooked and perverse.

Deu 32:6 Do you thus deal with the LORD, O foolish and unwise people? Is He not your Father, who bought you? Has He not made you and established you?

Is this how you repay God, you foolish backsliders? Don’t you know He bought you?

Don’t you know he made and established you? You would not exist without Him.

Deu 32:7 “Remember the days of old, Consider the years of many generations. Ask your father, and he will show you; Your elders, and they will tell you:

Remember what happened to Israel many years ago, ask about it, unfortunately this knowledge has not been passed down from father to son, as God instructed should happen so read it in the Bible……it will certainly tell you.

Deu 32:8 When the Most High divided their inheritance to the nations, When He separated the sons of Adam, He set the boundaries of the peoples According to the number of the children of Israel.

God divided the 12 tribes of Israel and gave them land in the nation of Israel as their inheritance.

Deu 32:9 For the LORD’s portion is His people; Jacob is the place of His inheritance.

God’s inheritance is His people, Jacob is that people, the nation of Israel.

Deu 32:10 “He found him in a desert land And in the wasteland, a howling wilderness; He encircled him, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye.

Israel was in slavery in Egypt, God rescued them, He fed and watered them, and absolutely loved the nation of Israel. God wanted them to be a holy priesthood.

Deu 32:11 As an eagle stirs up its nest, Hovers over its young, Spreading out its wings, taking them up, Carrying them on its wings,

Just as the eagle cares for her young, God cared for Israel and brought them out of Egypt on eagle’s wings.

Deu 32:12 So the LORD alone led him, And there was no foreign god with him.

God the Father led Israel out of Egypt, there was no idols or false gods helping Him, it was the Father Himself who did this for Israel.

Deu 32:13 “He made him ride in the heights of the earth, That he might eat the produce of the fields; He made him draw honey from the rock, And oil from the flinty rock;

When God brought Israel out of Egypt they needed nothing, there was food produced from rocks as it were……they did not have to worry about their wellbeing. God did all that for them.

Deu 32:14 Curds from the cattle, and milk of the flock, With fat of lambs; And rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, With the choicest wheat; And you drank wine, the blood of the grapes.

All the bounty of the land was provided for them, butter, milk, meat from lambs rams and goats, wheat and wine, all these great food products were given to Israel.

Deu 32:15 “But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; You grew fat, you grew thick, You are obese! Then he forsook God who made him, And scornfully esteemed the Rock of his salvation.

Israel became fat thick and satisfied, then Israel forgot about God who made them, they forgot who had given them all they had. They lightly esteemed the Rock of their salvation.

Deu 32:16 They provoked Him to jealousy with foreign gods; With abominations they provoked Him to anger.

Israel made strange gods, and committed abominations, all this provoked God to jealousy and anger.

Deu 32:17 They sacrificed to demons, not to God, To gods they did not know, To new gods, new arrivals That your fathers did not fear.

They sacrificed to strange gods who were new, their fathers did not fear these gods.

Deu 32:18 Of the Rock who begot you, you are unmindful, And have forgotten the God who fathered you.

Israel forgot the Rock who rescued them from Egypt and did not care for God who made them.

Deu 32:19 “And when the LORD saw it, He spurned them, Because of the provocation of His sons and His daughters.

God saw and despised Israel because of the actions of the people and their constant provoking Him.

Deu 32:20 And He said: ‘I will hide My face from them, I will see what their end will be, For they are a perverse generation, Children in whom is no faith.

God said He would turn away from Israel and see what happens without Him, because they are very perverse people and without faithfulness.

Israel made God jealous with their false gods, they made God angry with their vanities. So, God says He will make them jealous and angry with a foolish nation, a nation that is insignificant.

Deu 32:22 For a fire is kindled in My anger, And shall burn to the lowest hell; It shall consume the earth with her increase, And set on fire the foundations of the mountains.

God starts a fire due to His anger, it will burn to the lowest hell, it will consume the earth and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.

Deu 32:23 ‘I will heap disasters on them; I will spend My arrows on them.

God will send evil and war on Israel.

Deu 32:24 They shall be wasted with hunger, Devoured by pestilence and bitter destruction; I will also send against them the teeth of beasts, With the poison of serpents of the dust.

Famine, consumption and beasts, and poison of crawling things of the dust. All this awaits faithless Israel.

Deu 32:25 The sword shall destroy outside; There shall be terror within For the young man and virgin, The nursing child with the man of gray hairs.

Invasion, and foreigners within her borders, these will destroy all age groups of Israel.

Deu 32:26 I would have said, “I will dash them in pieces, I will make the memory of them to cease from among men,”

God has been so angered by Israel that He wants to totally annihilate them, He wants them to be totally forgotten.

Deu 32:27 Had I not feared the wrath of the enemy, Lest their adversaries should misunderstand, Lest they should say, “Our hand is high; And it is not the LORD who has done all this.” ’

The only reason Israel has not been wiped out is because the enemy would take the credit and not God.

Deu 32:28 “For they are a nation void of counsel, Nor is there any understanding in them.

Israel has no understanding or wisdom.

Deu 32:29 Oh, that they were wise, that they understood this, That they would consider their latter end!

If Israel had any wisdom they would understand and think about what is coming for them.

Deu 32:30 How could one chase a thousand, And two put ten thousand to flight, Unless their Rock had sold them, And the LORD had surrendered them?

One cannot chase a thousand unless God is causing this to happen.

Deu 32:31 For their rock is not like our Rock, Even our enemies themselves being judges.

Israel has turned away from the true Rock, even our enemies are our judges.

Deu 32:32 For their vine is of the vine of Sodom And of the fields of Gomorrah; Their grapes are grapes of gall, Their clusters are bitter.

Their wine is of Sodom, this means Israel indulge in homosexuality the product of these filthy acts is poison and bitterness.

Deu 32:33 Their wine is the poison of serpents, And the cruel venom of cobras.

These homosexual acts bear the poison of serpents, and venom of asps, these acts bring on a penalty to the bodies of the participants and these results are far from pleasant.

Deu 32:34 ‘Is this not laid up in store with Me, Sealed up among My treasures?

The actions of Israel do not go unnoticed by God, the penalties will come for these sins.

Deu 32:35 Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; Their foot shall slip in due time; For the day of their calamity is at hand, And the things to come hasten upon them.’

Israel will pay the penalty for their sins. The days of Jacob’s trouble are quickly coming to pass.

Deu 32:36 “For the LORD will judge His people And have compassion on His servants, When He sees that their power is gone, And there is no one remaining, bond or free.

God’s people, His few righteous church members will receive compassion, they have little power His people are imprisoned and abandoned.

Deu 32:37 He will say: ‘Where are their gods, The rock in which they sought refuge?

God asks Israel where are your false gods in time of trouble, will they help you in Jacobs trouble?

Deu 32:38 Who ate the fat of their sacrifices, And drank the wine of their drink offering? Let them rise and help you, And be your refuge.

Did these false gods drink and eat your sacrifices Israel? Let these false gods help you.

Deu 32:39 ‘Now see that I, even I, am He, And there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand.

Israel needs to know who God is. There is one true God. God kills and gives life. He wounds and heals. No one is more powerful than God.

Deu 32:40 For I raise My hand to heaven, And say, “As I live forever,

God the Father is immortal the Self existing one.

Deu 32:41 If I whet My glittering sword, And My hand takes hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to My enemies, And repay those who hate Me.

God will give vengeance to His enemies and those that hate Him.

Deu 32:42 I will make My arrows drunk with blood, And My sword shall devour flesh, With the blood of the slain and the captives, From the heads of the leaders of the enemy.” ’

When God repays people for their sins, there will be much slaughter, God makes His arrows drunk with blood, it will be a massive carnage.

Deu 32:43 “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people; For He will avenge the blood of His servants, And render vengeance to His adversaries; He will provide atonement for His land and His people.”

God will avenge the blood of His church He will repay His enemies, God loves the land of Israel and His church.