Israel Kicked Out of the Land
The True Israel and The Return of the King
Today’s Verse and Thought
“…then I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them, and the house that I have consecrated for my name I will cast out of my sight, and Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples.”(1 Kings 9:7)
(Source)
Ancient Israel exiled from their homeland
This is the promise that God made to Abraham: “all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.”
When God gave the land to Israel through His promise to Abraham, there doesn’t seem to be any conditional statements written in the original promise.
It seems, based on the original agreement, that God gave the land of Israel (Canaan) to the Jews “forever” - unconditionally. This would be a legally binding contract between God and the Hebrew people (AKA Israel, the Jews). It is a land contract.
As we read in scripture, the Jewish people were often oppressed by other nations (due Israel’s disobedience to God) and they were also exiled out of the land on several occasions.
There were four separate major exiles of the Hebrew people spoken of in scripture. The last being the Diaspora of 70 AD.
Did Israel’s disobedience cause them to lose the land forever?
The Exiles
Egyptian Exile (1876 BC) lasting 430 years-”Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”(Genesis 15:13-16)
Assyrian Exile of the Northern Kingdom of Israel (722 BC) Lasting approx. 210 years- “ In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria, and he carried the Israelites away to Assyria and placed them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. And this occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods”( 2 Kings 17:6-7)
Babylonian Exile of the Southern Kingdom of Judah (approx. 586 BC) lasting 70 years- “And the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was taken into exile out of its land.”(2 Kings 25:21)
The Roman exile of the Jews (70 AD) lasting until 1948 AD - "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains... And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations…"(Luke 21:20-24)
For almost as long as the Jewish nation has existed, it has been persecuted and forced to wander from land to land: starting with slavery in Egypt, to the destruction of both temples in Jerusalem, to the Crusades, the pogroms, the Holocaust, and finally, modern day anti-Semitism.
These times of national displacement are known in Hebrew as “galut” exile. The four primary periods of exile are known as “arba galuyot” (the our exiles) (source).
Why were the Jews exiled by God?
Egypt (1523 BC – 1313 BC) the first exile from the Promise Land
Genesis 46 - God sent Abraham’s descendants - Jacob (Israel), his 12 sons, and their families- to Egypt due to a famine. Remember this is during the time when Joseph had been sold into slavery, but it turned out by God’s providence that it was in preparation for the eventual Egyptian Exodus and return to the Promise Land.
This exile wasn’t punitive, rather it was purposefully determined and had been prophesied to Abraham (Abram) even before the exile.
Genesis 46:2-4: "And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, 'Jacob, Jacob!' And he said, 'Here I am.' Then He said, 'I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes.'"
This prophetic exile was preparatory for the Hebrew people. The Israelites' time in Egypt served to fulfill God's promise to Abraham about his descendants becoming a great nation.
It was essential for the growth and development of the Israelite population because when God was ready to call them out of Egypt, they would need to understand how to live as God’s people - not as pagans.
They would have to understand the difference between the ways of the surrounding cultures versus how God wanted His people to live. He would have to give them the Commandments so they could understand what sin was, and how to live under God’s blessings.
And they would also need to gain strength and confidence in God’s might as they faced the inhabitants of the land - the giant clans of the Nephilim. When they came back into their homeland in Canaan - the Promised Land - they would need to know how to become God’s people and witness to the world.
To be continued…
Today’s Question
Verses to Explore
“The Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did to Sarah as he had promised.”(Genesis 21:1)
“…and I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.”’(Exodus 3:17)
God Promises Deliverance - “But the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.”(Exodus 6:1)
“Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.”(Exodus 23:20)
Today’s Prayer
Father one of the most disturbing things I see taking place is the increased lying and deception that is taking place especially from those that we trusted to have our best interest at heart, while all along they plan evil in their hearts.
We know that in the last days the man of Lawlessness will arise. We also know that sin will increase. And you have warned us that as Satan’s time grows short that he will try to deceive even the elect.
As I read about the promises you made to your people, I am assured that your Word is always true. You never lie. But we know that Satan was a liar from the beginning. Honesty is becoming rare these days. As your child, I pray that my mouth stays honest. I pray that I choose my words with care and speak the truth in love or stay silent.
I pray for all of us that any deception that is in our hearts is convicted by your truth. I pray that we speak honestly with one another because when we lie and deceive we lose our credibility with others. We lose the most precious and priceless gift we give to one another. TRUST. I am so grateful that I can rely on your Word 100%. I’m glad that I never have to worry if you are trying to trick us or deceive us. And as your children, I pray we work towards being the same with our words. Help us to be trustworthy and honest people, always speaking the truth in love. May all glory and honor be yours. Amen❤️
Jerusalem and the Temple Mount highlighting the Temple of Deception (source)
