These are
some of the texts that shows that God would have used the children of
Israel to herald the gospel in advance. As it was the majority of them
would not accept it. Gods plan or maybe it should be said what God
desired. Was for the physical descendants of Israel to possess some of
the wonderful benefits of the gospel, and some of the privileges,
such as the propagation of it. Their refusal (of which he knew in
advance,) due to their hardened state left him with one option. To
force them to proclaim it via symbolic rites and rituals that taught
about the realities that faith in the redeemer could and would bring.
Most of them had no idea they were doing this. This is what the
Apostle meant when he referred to the law as a schoolmaster to bring us
to Christ (Galatians 3:24.)
Hebrews 4:
2. For the gospel was preached to us, as well
as to them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed
with faith in them that heard it.
Hebrews 3:16. For some, when they had heard,
did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. 17. But
with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had
sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? 18. And to whom swore he
that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?
19. So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
1st Corinthians 104. And did all drink the same
spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed
them: and that Rock was Christ. 5. But with many of them God was not
well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
God was going to have their service
one way or another, either through the love that works by faith or
through force that works through fear, like this:
Hebrews 12:18. For you are not come to the
mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor to
blackness, and darkness, and tempest, 19. And the sound of a trumpet,
and the voice of words; which voice they that heard entreated that the
word should not be spoken to them any more: 20. (For they could not
endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the
mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: 21. And so
terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)
Numbers 15:32. And while the children of Israel
were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the
Sabbath day. 33. And they that found him gathering sticks brought him to
Moses and Aaron, and to all the congregation. 34. And they put him in
ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him. 35. And
The Lord said to Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the
congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp. 36. And all
the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with
stones, and he died; as the Lord commanded Moses.
Numbers 1625. And Moses rose up and went unto
Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him. 26. And he
spoke to the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of
these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed in
all their sins. 27. So they got up from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and
Abiram, on every side: and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood in the
door of their tents, with their wives, and their sons, and their little
children. 28. And Moses said, Hereby you shall know that the Lord has
sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own
mind. 29. If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be
visited after the visitation of all men; then the Lord has not sent me.
30. But if the Lord make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and
swallow them up, with all that appertains to them, and they go down
quick into the pit; then you willl understand that these men have
provoked the Lord. 31. And it came to pass, as he had made an end of
speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under
them: 32. And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and
their houses, and all the men that appertained to Korah, and all their
goods. 33. They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into
the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among
the congregation. 34. And all Israel that were round about them fled at
the cry of them: for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also. 35.
And there came out a fire from the Lord, and consumed the two hundred
and fifty men that offered incense.
Now some might think that the Lord is cruel in
his treatment of these people. It must be remembered though that these
people were the recipients of the greatest signs and wonders mankind had
ever seen or ever will see. Moreover God called them in the same way he
reaches out to every human; with love and compassion. Unfortunately they
had hardened their hearts against everything God was doing in their
midst's to the point that there was nothing more that God could do to
win them over. God had every right, yes even an obligation to use
them to reach out and save the rest of mankind. Not only by recording in
his word these events but by forcing them to keep laws that taught the
rest of mankind the gospel. As it is written in Romans: 9
22. What if God, willing to show his wrath, and
to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of
wrath fitted to destruction: 23. And that he might make known the riches
of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had beforehand prepared
unto glory, 24. Even us, whom he has called, not of the Jews only, but
also of the Gentiles?
The vessels of wrath referred to are the
majority of the physical descendants of Israel. The vessels of mercy
those who put their trust in and therefore obey God. Here is one more
example of the extremes to which God went to reach out to them:
Exodus 24:9. Then went up Moses, and Aaron,
Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel: 10. And they saw
the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work
of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.
11. And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand:
also they saw God, and did eat and drink.
Exodus 11:23. And the Lord said unto Moses, Is
the Lord's hand waxed short? you will see now whether my word shall come
to pass to you or not. 24. And Moses went out, and told the people the
words of the Lord, and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the
people, and set them round about the tabernacle. 25. And the Lord came
down in a cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the spirit that was upon
him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that,
when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease.
26. But there remained two of the men in the camp, the name of the one
was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad: and the spirit rested upon
them; and they were of them that were written, but went not out unto the
tabernacle: and they prophesied in the camp.
You see, not only did they see him literally
and he sat down to dinner with him just as he had done with Abraham, but
he also gave them his spirit and empowered them just as he does today.
These elders never made it into the promised land, because they did not
mix all they saw, all they heard, and what they experienced with the
faith that saves.
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