The importance of everything connected with Israel’s history and Israel’s hopes receives proof in a passage that often goes unnoticed—“When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when He separated the sons of Adam, He set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. For the Lord’s portion is His people; Jacob is the lot of His inheritance” (Deut. 32:8-9). The distribution of mankind into nations took place more than one hundred years before the birth of Abraham, and Israel had no national existence for nearly five hundred years after this. Yet we are told in the passage before us that Israel occupied in God’s purposes so important a place, that when He separated the sons of Adam, He arranged their several empires according to the number of the children of Israel. Israel’s failure on trial has resulted in quite a different state of things—an arrangement of the nations which seems to have no regard whatever to Israel and their land. But it is only for a time. God has not relinquished His intention to make Israel the center of the nations, and their beloved city the metropolis of the whole earth.
The Idolatry of the Nations
It was the abandonment by mankind of the worship of the true God, and the success of Satan in leading them into idolatry, that formed the occasion on which God called Abraham the father of this people; thus separating to himself both Abraham and his posterity forever. We learn from Romans 1:21-32 how men in that day gave God up for idols; and God gave them up, in consequence, to dishonor themselves and one another. But, while thus for a time abandoning the nations to the fruit of their own ways, he would not leave himself without a testimony on earth to his supreme Godhead, and to the happiness of those, who, blest with His immediate presence and government, were obedient to His laws. “And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor; and they served other gods. And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him through all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac” (Joshua 24:2-3). By the call of God, Abraham was thus separated from the guilty, idolatrous mass, to be the depositary of God’s promises, and the witness to His title and His claims.
The Promise to Abraham
The promises made to Abraham were unconditional and absolute. They included a great deal besides the possession of the land of Canaan, but they certainly embraced this in the most explicit terms. “And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land” (Gen. 12:7). “And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward; for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever... Arise, walk through the land, in the length of it, and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee (Gen. 13:14 -17). Abraham was apprised, indeed, that it was not immediate possession of the land which was to be given him. However, the land was then given to Abraham by covenant, and its boundaries most accurately defined. The promise of the land was repeated to Isaac (Gen. 26:3), and to Jacob (Gen. 28:13-14).
Conditional Promises
It was in pure goodness, and on the ground of this unconditional covenant with their fathers, that God delivered Israel out of Egypt. At Mt. Sinai Moses was directed of God to propose to them that they should be placed under law, and enjoy their promised blessings conditionally on their obedience. They undertook to keep the law, promising, “All that the Lord hath spoken we will do” (Ex. 19:8).
The result is well known. Before the words had well passed their lips, they were defiling themselves with idols at the foot of that mount of terror before which they had but lately feared and quaked. God’s relations with them were restored through the mediation of Moses; and they were again, with certain modifications, placed under a covenant of works. Deuteronomy 28 gives us the terms of it very plainly; continuance in the land, with all kinds of temporal blessings are promised in the case of their obedience. Visitations of wrath, one after another, till they should be rooted out of the land, are threatened in case of their disobedience. How accurately and minutely have all these predictions been fulfilled! It is after all this has been spread out before them, that we read, “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 nations whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee” (Deut. 30:1-3). We have a similar promise in Leviticus 26:40-45.
Israel’s History
All are familiar with Israel’s history in the land. The book of Judges shows how soon they began to depart from the Lord, and in the days of Samuel their sin, and especially that of the priesthood, brought on a dreadful crisis in which God suffered his own ark to be taken captive by the enemy. After its restoration they desired a king, and God granted them their request. He first gave them a king after their own hearts, who ended his days in disgrace on the mountains of Gilboa. Then God placed over them the man after His own heart—David, of whose seed, according to the flesh, Christ is, who is God over all, blessed forever. As to his offspring who immediately succeeded him on the throne, their retention of the throne, and the blessing of the nation under their sway, depended on their obedience; and, if they disobeyed, they were to be chastised. But the covenant was so far unconditional, that God’s mercy was never to be finally removed from David’s house.
The times of David and Solomon form the brightest period in the past history of Israel, but it was only for a brief space. Solomon was corrupted by his wives, and fell into idolatry. Ten tribes revolted from his son, and the history of this kingdom was one of increasing wickedness down to the end. They were carried away captive by the Assyrians, and have never been restored.
The Patience of God
The patience of God waited still with the kingdom of Judah, until the iniquity of David’s house made it impossible for him any longer to bear with them. Jerusalem was taken; the temple was destroyed; and the Jews were carried away captive to Babylon. The throne of God no longer existed at Jerusalem. Power was given into the hands of the Gentiles, and has remained with them till now. With Nebuchadnezzar the times of the Gentiles commenced. A remnant, indeed, returned in the days of Cyrus. And indeed, it would appear to have been the chief object for which this remnant was restored, that Christ might be born amongst them, that, according to the Scriptures, He might be presented to them as their King. This was done, and we know the result. They demanded that Barabbas, a murderer, should be released to them by Pilate, in preference to their King. Even when grace was subsequently preached to them from a risen Christ, there was no relenting in their unbelieving hearts. Peter they imprisoned, James they slew, Stephen they stoned. Their rejection of Christ in every way being completed, God gave them up. Their city was again destroyed; their temple was burned to the ground; myriads of them perished by the sword; and the miserable remnant that escaped were scattered over all the earth. But though it is for their sin in crucifying Jesus that they thus suffer, it was in that very transaction that the basis was laid for their future restoration and blessing.
Israel’s Restoration
As to their future restoration, many scriptures could be quoted. But Ezekiel 37 is a well-known portion. In the former part of it we have the vision of the valley of dry bones. If the dry bones represent living Israelites—dead nationally, but alive as individuals—their graves must surely represent the countries in which, as to any national existence, they have been buried. And then we are told, in plain terms, that it is into their own land that they are brought when they are thus, as a nation, raised from their graves. The parable, or symbol, of the two sticks is what follows: the prophet is commanded to take two sticks, one for Judah and the children of Israel, his companions; the other for Joseph, and for all the house of Israel, his companions. He was to join them together, and they were to become one stick in his hand. The explanation is in verse 20-23—“And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before thine eyes. And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all; and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwelling-places wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them; so shall they be My people, and I will be their God.” In this passage we have foretold the restoration of both kingdoms, Judah and Israel, and their fusion into one. Their conversion is predicted, as well as their restoration. It is in connection with the reign of Christ: one king shall be king over them all, and when thus converted and restored, they are not any more to defile themselves, or fall into sin. All this will take place after the church is called home at the coming of Christ, and God again begins to deal with His earthly people Israel.
Once again Israel will take its place as head of the nations, with God laying claim to the earth, and employing a redeemed nation of Israel as His instrument to do this. God’s promises to Abraham will be fulfilled, Israel will possess all the land which God originally promised them, and other nations will be ranged around them according to the expressed mind of God in Deuteronomy 32.
Adapted from W. Trotter