Rightly dividing the Word of Truth. 16
Rightly dividing the Word of truth
This is part 16 in a series of 53 articles about RIGHTLY DIVIDING GOD’S WORD OF TRUTH. All scripture quoted will be from the King James Bible.
In part 16,
God gives Israel a bill of divorce: Jeremiah 3:6-11: 6 The LORD said also unto me in the
days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath
done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and
there hath played the harlot. 7 And I said after she had done all
these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous
sister Judah saw it. 8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby
backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a
bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went
and played the harlot also. 9 And it came to pass through the
lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery
with stones and with stocks. 10 And yet for all this her treacherous
sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith
the LORD. 11 And the LORD said unto me, the backsliding Israel hath
justified herself more than treacherous Judah.Even though Israel turned away from what is right or good and
becamecorrupt, we assert
that God was completely faithful
to the children of Israel, doing to them exactly what He promised He would
do if they
persistently sinned against Him. At the right time and for the right people,
God will honor His unconditional promises to the patriarchs. Israel’s sad
history is the consequence of their faithlessness, not of their God’s
weakness.God has temporally set the nation of Israel aside, but in
the future God is still going to save them after the fulness of the Gentiles be
come in. Below in Romans 11, the apostle Paul tell us more about
Israel:
Romans 11:1-11: 1 I say then, Hath God cast away
his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of
the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God hath not cast away his people which he
foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh
intercession to God against Israel, saying, 3 Lord, they have killed
thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek
my life. 4 But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have
reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image
of Baal. 5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant
according to the election of grace. 6 And if by grace, then is it no
more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is
it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. 7 What then? Israel
hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it,
and the rest were blinded 8 (According as it is written, God hath
given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that
they should not hear;) unto this day. 9 And David saith, let their
table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto
them: 10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow
down their back alway. 11 I say then, have they stumbled that they
should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto
the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Romans
11:25-26: 25 For I would not, brethren, that
ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own
conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until
the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26And
so all Israel shall be saved. ———–
To Be Continued