Israel’s History: Page 31

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Israel’s History
 

Following the reigns of three kings—Saul, David, and his son Solomon—history reveals that most of the following kings were bad. The nation was divided into two kingdoms. 

 

Two tribes—Judah and Benjamin—comprised the Southern Kingdom, called Judah, with their King Rehoboam, the son of Solomon (II Chronicles 10:8, 14, 16, 19). 

 

Ten tribes comprised the Northern Kingdom, called Israel (sometimes Ephraim), who rejected the united Davidic dynasty, with King Jeroboam crowned their king (I King 12:16-19). 

 

King Jeroboam instructed his people in a form of calf worship of two calves—one in Bethel and one in Dan (I Kings 12:28-30)—and declared the pilgrimage to Jerusalem unnecessary.

 

17 And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them (II Kings 17:15).
 

God gave prophets to the Northern Kingdom and to the Southern Kingdom to prophesy the Abrahamic Covenant, Mosaic Covenant, and David Covenant, the Day of the Lord, the seven-year great tribulation, and the New Covenant. 

 

Many years later, in Acts 7:52, Stephen said to the council in Jerusalem, 

 

52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers.
 

We see the nation of Israel has rejected God, His Theocracy, His Covenants, His Statutes, His Prophets, and His design for a unified Kingdom. 

 

Because of unbelief, they could not enter into His rest (Hebrews 3:18-19).

 

According to the IF/THEN principles of the Mosaic Covenant, IF His people, His chosen people, the recipients of His oracles (Romans 3:2, Romans 9:4), chose to worship the gods and idols of their neighbor lands (II Chronicles 24:18-21, Psalm 78:54-62, Acts 7:43) or did not place their faith in their offered sacrifices (Leviticus 7:18, Hosea 8:13-14, Amos 5:21-27), 

 

THEN He would allow Israel to be ravaged by war and her inhabitants to be carried off to distant lands (Nehemiah 1:8)—the ten northern tribes to Assyria (II Kings 17:13-24; 18:11-13) 

 

and Judah to Babylon (Jeremiah 52:27-31)—in the 14th generation from David (Matthew 1:17). 

 

Those who escaped to Egypt against the will of God suffered greatly (Jeremiah 44:1-2, 12-14, 26-28).
 

After the prophesied seventy years (during Daniel’s lifetime) of captivity of those in Babylon (Jeremiah 29:10; Daniel 9:2), God stirred up the heart of King Cyrus, a Gentile, to send the Jews back to their homeland to rebuild the wall (Nehemiah 4:15-23) and the temple in Jerusalem (Ezra 1:1-3) that had been established during the days of their third King, King Solomon, the son of David (Acts 7:46-47; I Chronicles 22:1-19; 28:2-10; II Samuel 7:12-13; Isaiah 56:7). 

 

11 And it shall come to pass, when thy days be expired that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed (David) after thee, which shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom. 

 

12 He shall build me an house, and I will stablish his throne forever. 

 

13 I will be his father, and he shall be my son: and I will not take my mercy away from him, as I took it from him that was before thee: 

 

14 But I will settle him in mine house and in my kingdom forever: and his throne shall be established for evermore (I Chronicles 17:11-14).
 

32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (Luke 12:32).
 

God has always had a remnant of believers, a little flock, and God will always keep His promises to Israel (Nehemiah 1:5; Romans 11:26-29). 

 

The Abrahamic Covenant and the Davidic Covenant were sure and unconditional. 

 

The Mosaic Covenant was conditional and performance-based. Faith in the Abrahamic Covenant, their Gospel, brought them to salvation, but the Mosaic Covenant was for their sanctification process and to make them distinguishable, separated from the world (Leviticus 20:26) and the recipients of God’s physical and spiritual blessings and curses. 

 

This covenant has continued to have a profound effect on many Christian churches today who inappropriately apply this covenant in the BUT NOW Dispensation. 

 

Today God is not blessing or cursing man according to good works or the lack thereof. 

 

He has postponed the prophetic program. 

 

His chosen people are scattered (Leviticus 26:33; Nehemiah 1:8; Matthew 23:37-39; Acts 8:1) across the globe and He is withholding His wrath from them until a time when He will thoroughly purge His floor with an unquenchable fire (Matthew 3:12). 

 

During the BUT NOW Dispensation, God is at peace with man through the cross work and extends grace and mercy and salvation to all and upon all who believe. 

 

He is not a respecter of persons (Colossians 3:25). 

 

12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him (Romans 10:12). 

 

In this dispensation, God is not imputing sin to man. BUT NOW, He is imputing our sin to Christ and imputing His righteousness to man (Romans 4:5-6, 22-25; 5:13). 

 

19 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (II Corinthians 5:19). 

 

We receive forgiveness from the Father because of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, a ransom for all (I Timothy 2:6). 

 

Both David and Paul wrote, 

 

8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin (Romans 4:8; Psalm 32:1-2).