Lesson 161 - Senior
Memory Verse
"The children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim: afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days" (Hosea 3:4, 5).
Notes
"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:
"And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God" (Deuteronomy 28:1, 2).
Backslidings
We understand that the blessings God desired to give Israel in their own land were contingent upon their unquestioned obedience. They must obey. If they did, prosperity was sure. If they did not, adversity was sure ([DEU:28:63-68]). The people of the neighbouring countries were idolaters, but God had said Israel must not commit idolatry. In their prosperity, they must not forget God. Six days out of seven were given to them. The seventh belonged to God. They must observe it strictly.
"And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach that thou must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of the congregation, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation.
"And the LORD appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud: and the pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the tabernacle.
"And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.
"Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us?
"And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.
"Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel.
"For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant.
"And It shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are befallen them, that this song shall testify against them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed: for I know their imagination which they go about, even now, before I have brought them Into the land which I sware.
"Moses therefore wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children. of Israel.
"And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of a good) courage: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee.
"And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished,
"That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying,
"Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.
"For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the LORD; and how much more after my death?
"Gather unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to record against them.
"For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.
"And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song, until they were ended" (Deuteronomy 31:14-30).
The Lord informed Moses of his approaching death, and commanded him to take Joshua with him and present themselves before the Lord in the Tabernacle of the congregation, where a charge was to be given Joshua as the man whom the Lord had chosen to succeed Moses (Deuteronomy 31:14). The Lord appeared in the Tabernacle in a pillar of cloud, and warned Moses of the apostasy of Israel that would take place after his death. The Lord further told Moses, "I know their imagination which they go about, even now, before I have brought them into the land which I sware" (Deuteronomy 31:21).
Man is decidedly limited in his ability to judge another's future. He can judge the future only by the past. But not so with the Lord; He knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:9, 10). However, these people were not predestined to conduct themselves in this sinful manner. God has made man a free moral agent, giving him the power of choice ([JOS:24:15]; [REV:22:17]). On occasions prior to this time these people had deliberately chosen to go against the revealed will of God. They had already charted their own course. If they had done this -- rebelling against Moses, and thus against God, murmuring, complaining, and turning to idolatry under the strong and very able leadership of Moses, the outstanding leader and statesman of all time -- the question might have been asked: What will they do when he has passed on to his reward? By the foreknowledge of God, Israel's future backslidings were revealed to Moses and he in turn warned the people, as we read in the text printed above.
The Lord also commanded Moses to write this prophetic warning in a book in the form of a song, which is found in Deuteronomy 32. This song has for its foundation the words of the Lord we have just read. Not only was Moses to write the words of this divinely inspired song, but he was to teach them to the children of Israel, and they were to commit them to memory. This song, passing down from father to son, generation after generation, would be a witness against them and would reprove and rebuke them for their apostasy. National songs perpetuate the memorable events in the hearts of people, and are a powerful influence in stirring the deepest feelings of a nation.
Dispersion
"And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it.
"And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.
"Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her Sabbaths.
"As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it.
"And upon them that are left alive of you I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as fleeing from a sword; and they shall fall when none pursueth.
"And they shall fall one upon another, as it were before a sword, when none pursueth: and ye shall have no power to stand before your enemies.
"And ye shall perish among the heathen, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up. "And they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity in your enemies' lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with them" (Leviticus 26:32-39). "And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it. "And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone. "And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, arid failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind: "And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life: "In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. "And the LORD shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spoke unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondman and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you" (Deuteronomy 28:63-68). Prophecy is history written in advance. Here is prewritten the sad and sorrowful history of the Jews. So strictly true are these two accounts that we may accurately describe the history of these people, from the days of Moses until the present time, as but the translation of these chapters from the language of prophecy into that of history. Here, thousands of years ago, God, through His Prophet Moses, outlined the history of this scattered people, including all their sufferings and tribulations. Here is a fact, which puts to silence the infidel. It has often been said that the Jew and his history of blood and tears and his miraculous preservation is the most powerful argument that the Bible is God's inspired Book. [PS:106:1-48] outlines Israel's rebellion and God's mercy. It tells of the crimes, bitterness, and tears visited upon this people as a penalty constituting a part of the terrible program of scattering and oppression. In [DEU:28:49-57] we see clearly predicted the Roman power, which was to be used to break the Jews some 1600 years later, if they persevered in their disobedience. This prediction was made at a time when no such power existed. "The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand" (Deuteronomy 28:49). The eagle was the standard of the Roman armies. The Jews at that time understood many oriental languages, but we are told they were ignorant of Latin. History records show this portion of Scripture was fulfilled in detail in the dreadful siege and capture of Jerusalem by Titus, the Roman general, in 70 A. D., which resulted in the eventual world-wide dispersion of the Jews. This dispersion has continued well over a period of some 190 years, down to the present time. The Jews, just a few years prior to this time, had rejected and crucified their Messiah, thus filling their cup of iniquity to overflowing. Jesus also prophesied of this very time when He said: "They shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden dawn of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled" (Luke 21:24). At Jerusalem alone, it is said, 1,100,000 perished by sword, famine, and pestilence, during this six-months' siege, which is considered to be the most destructive of human life in all recorded history. At other places in the Holy Land tens of thousands of people perished, and vast numbers were sent into Egypt to labour as slaves. We must remember, too, who scattered these people. The statement that the Lord Himself scattered them is found repeatedly throughout the Word of God. (Other Scriptures that foretell the present world-wide dispersion of the Jews are: [DEU:32:26]; [ISA:18:7]; [JER:24:9]; [EZE:22:15]; [AMO:9:9]; [ZEC:7:14]; [MAT:24:9]; [JHN:7:35]; [ACT:2:5]; [ROM:11:1], [ROM:11:20-25]). Restoration "And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, "And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; "That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee. "If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee: "And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. "And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. "And the LORD thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee. "And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the LORD, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day. "And the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers" (Deuteronomy 30:1-9). We are witnessing today a partial restoration of God's anciently chosen people. However, they are returning to their own land in unbelief. They will look upon Jesus as their Messiah, when He appears in the Revelation, as the One whom they pierced (Revelation 1:7). They will turn from their unbelief and be saved: "I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn" (Zechariah 12:10). The Apostle Paul also tells us of the conversion of the Jewish remnant, for he wrote: "All Israel shall be saved" (Romans 11:26). Other passages of Scripture also teach the same truth. "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. "And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth" (Isaiah 11:11, 12). "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. "And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other" (Matthew 24:30, 31). (Read also Isaiah 27:13 and Jeremiah 16:4-16.) Jesus was specifically referring to this Jewish remnant that is to come out of the Great Tribulation when He said: "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake [the Jews] those days shall be shortened" (Matthew 24:21, 22). The Jews are to be restored to their own land to possess it, never again to be driven from it as long as this earth shall last. There is to be a literal return of Jesus to this earth to reign, and a return of all the Israelites to their own land. In the first restoration, only those who were minded to do so returned from Babylon (EZR:7:13-14]). We are told that many remained. both there, in Egypt, and elsewhere. However, in the second or future restoration, not one is to be left among the nations of the world ([DEU:30:4]; [ISA:43:5-7]; [EZE:34:11-13]; [EZE:39:28-29]). At the time of the first restoration, 45,000 members of the two tribes returned. In the second or future restoration all of Judah - the two tribes and all of Israel - the ten tribes - are to return ([JER:3:18]; [EZE:36:10]; [EZE:37:15-22]). At the first restoration they returned, later to be overthrown and scattered again. But in the second restoration, they will return to their own land and remain there. They will never again be led away as captives into all parts of the world. They will be exalted and dwell safely and the Gentile nations will flow unto them. "I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God" (Amos 9:15). (See also [ISA:49:18-22], [ISA:49:23]; [ISA:60:15-16]; [EZE:34:28]; [EZE:36:8-12]; [MIC:4:1-2]; [EZE:8:20-23]; [EZE:14:6].) It was after the time of the first restoration that they rejected and crucified Jesus, their Messiah. This was because of their spiritual blindness and their hard, stony hearts. But in the future restoration they will repent of all this, and will cry out for their Messiah. They will be cleansed from all their sins, and be given a new heart and a new spirit. (Read [JER:31:9-10], [JER:31:33]; [EZE:36:16-38]; [EZE:37:23-27]; [ZEC:12:10-14]; [REV:1:7].) As stated previously, we are today seeing a partial restoration of the Jews to a small portion of their original native land. They are returning in unbelief. They cannot come into their full inheritance while in this state. The "time of Jacob's trouble" awaits them and many will be killed, but a remnant consisting of one third of their number will survive this time of purging and will be converted ([ZEC:13:8]; [ROM:11:26-27]). Ezekiel describes their conversion thus: "For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them" (Ezekiel 36:24-27). In Deuteronomy we read; "The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law" (Deuteronomy 29:29). The Lord has chosen to reveal to us, through His Word, much prophecy relative to the Jews. Much of this prophecy has already been fulfilled. Much of it is being fulfilled today before our very eyes, and much remains to be fulfilled in the immediate future. Search the Scriptures. Observe the movements of the Jews today and you will be compelled to agree that we are living in the very end of this, the Gentile, age. Jesus is coming soon! "Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; "I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth; "Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him. "Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears. "Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth. "Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. "I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour. "I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God. "Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it? "Thus saith the LORD, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and have brought down all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships. "I am the LORD, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King. "Thus saith the LORD, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters; "Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow. "Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. "Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. "The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen. "This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise. "But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob; but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel. "Thou hast not brought me the small cattle of thy burnt offerings; neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices. I have not caused thee to serve with an offering, nor wearied thee with incense. "Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices: but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast .wearied me with thine iniquities. "I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. "Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified. "Thy first father hath sinned, and thy teachers have transgressed against me. "Therefore I have profaned the princes of the sanctuary, and have given Jacob to the curse, and Israel to reproaches" (Isaiah 43:5-28).