THE LESSON OF ISRAEL
AND LESSONS FROM ISRAEL
©  Hubert Krause  April 7, 1999
The Church of God in Williamstown
WEB SITE: http://www.alphalink.com.au/~sanhub/index.htm

INTRODUCTION
I wonder how many of us recall the following words, or words of a similar nature, which I am about to quote to you?

"Did anyone ever think to ask why God raised up the ancient people of Israel, denying them the Holy Spirit and eternal salvation-except their prophets only?
Why were the Old Testament Israelites called God's "chosen people"-and still denied the Holy Spirit to beget them into eternal life?
[God] was going to demonstrate to [the world] that the mind of man, with its one spirit and without the addition of God's Holy Spirit, could not have spiritual discernment, could not solve human problems, could not cure the evils that were besetting humanity. The nation Israel would be His "guinea pig" to demonstrate that fact.
God let several generations of ancient Israel and Judah prove by hundreds of years of human experience that the best of humanity, without God's Holy Spirit, cannot solve human problems and evils!
That lesson proved, God has given those in His Church the Holy Spirit!"
(Taken from an article by Herbert W. Armstrong in the May 1994 "Good News" magazine; pg. 1,24,25)
I think that most of us would agree that-and we shall briefly re-examine how-the Church today has extended to it the promises made to Israel of old (Acts 26:6-7; Ro 1:1-3), and also that the Scriptures point out to us that we have lessons to learn from the history of ancient Israel. For us at this time of Unleavened Bread, the Exodus and Israel's wilderness experience are particularly pertinent: they left Egypt, as we leave this world of sin, and dwelt forty years in the wilderness, picturing the completion of our own exodus from sin and of our period of trial as Christians in this age.

However, do we concur with what was quoted above? Are the points made valid? If they are not, or are only partly so, and our understanding of the purpose of God in raising up ancient Israel has been distorted, then obviously also will have been the true nature of the lessons we are supposed to learn from their example. So I would like in this message to attempt to begin to set the record straight, to consider the purpose and the lesson of Israel as well as the vital lessons we need to learn in our age from their wilderness experience.

ANCIENT ISRAEL AND THE ISRAEL OF GOD
Let us begin by briefly pointing out once more how the Scriptures clearly indicate that Israel of old provides the Church of God today with types to fulfill:

The Church is the custodian of these same laws: Note the parallels in the New Testament descriptions of the Church: Israel is described as "the least" of all people, and as "redeemed" from Egypt, a type of the world: Similarly, the saints, the firstfruits of God, are redeemed from the world: And the Church is-at least in the first instance-made up of the foolish, the lowly, the weak things of this world (1Co 1:26-28), and is but a "little flock" (Lk 12:32). This exaltation will be consummated through the Church: Finally, Paul's description of the Church as "the Israel of God" validates this typology: REMEMBERING-AND FORGETTING-GOD
Of all of His redemptive acts, God constantly called upon Israel to especially remember His deliverance of them from the slavery of Egypt through the Exodus. It was to serve both as a perpetual reminder of God's power and mercy, as well as a frame of reference for the people in their dealings amongst themselves and with others around them. Yet Israel, as we know, so often forgot. Let us note some examples of God's calls for Israel to remember, as well as examples from Israel's history of forgetting. The spiritual parallels are also valid today for the saints of God, especially during this Unleavened Bread season. The consecration of the first-born was to be an unfailing reminder of the deliverance of the nation from the bondage of Egypt: They were warned not to forget that God was the Source of this deliverance from bondage: But did Israel remember the delivering power of God? The entirety of Psalm 78 is a commentary on Israel's history of disobedience and a warning to remember God's miraculous interventions for them. Yet Israel forgot.
What about us today? How were we delivered from the bondage of sin in the world? By the power of God, we who believe have been transported, as it were, like ancient Israel-on "eagles' wings" (Ex 19:4)-from the captivity of the Devil's world onto the path toward the promised Kingdom of God. We are the consecrated first-born sons of God: The apostle Peter warns us of what can happen if we forget how we have escaped the corruption of the world (2Pe 1:4) and fail to allow God to build upon our faith: The old leaven of the world comes back into our life, as it did for Israel. Yet, once again, how quickly they forgot. It only took the approach of Pharaoh and his army: What had happened to their memories of the horrendous nature of their oppression which had so embittered them (Ex 1:14) and which had caused them to cry out for deliverance in the first place (Ex 2:23)? What price freedom? Once delivered by God from the shackles of sin, we too can walk upright, heads held high: Otherwise we may forget the lesson of the sufferings brought about by slavery to sin and relapse into bondage to the world, as did these very Galatians whom Paul was admonishing: And Paul asks them, in Gal 3:4 "Have you suffered so much for nothing?" Yet we know how the false report of the spies about the inhabitants of the Promised Land was sufficient to melt the faithless hearts of the people and cause a rebellion (Nu 13 &14).
When even more powerful forces of evil are arraigned against us, do we recall the power that delivered us from the bondage of the world, the power that does indeed provide the means for us to stand? Even the command to keep the Sabbath day holy was referenced to the memory of God's delivery from their bondage in Egypt. We may like to ponder some of the reasons for this: Likewise, the memory of our experience in coming out of bondage to the world should motivate us to be ever diligent to obey God, so that we never again relapse into slavery to sin. Notice Christ's warning to the Church: We are similarly tested through correction during our wilderness journey out of the Egypt of this world: JUDGEMENT IN THE WILDERNESS
The apostle Jude refers to God's act of judgement on the unbelieving Israelites who had come out of Egypt as one of the three examples of divine judgement listed in his epistle: Let look at the incident to which Jude appears to be referring and also note God's summation of Israel's sin when He passes sentence upon them. We will revisit some more specific problems later on: The people had complained about dying in the wilderness, and this now was indeed to be their fate. Their children who, because of their age were no doubt considered less accountable, would enter the land. Yet the sins of their fathers also took its toll upon them: God describes the sin of the people as "infidelity", or unfaithfulness-in other words, as a breach of their covenant marriage to Him. They were guilty of spiritual adultery (cf. Jer 3:6-14).

LESSONS FROM ISRAEL
So instead of being humbled by their wilderness experience and becoming more receptive to God, Israel instead became disobedient. In spite of their miraculous redemption from Egypt, along with the hand of God consistently delivering them and providing for them in the wilderness, the majority of the people failed to learn the lesson (1Co 10:5). The apostle Paul tells us to apply the lessons of history and learn from their experiences

In other words, we must be alert to the personal nature of the Old Testament messages. They are expressly meant for us, as indeed is the example of Israel.
An example can of course be good or bad. Paul urged the Philippians to follow his example and that of other like-minded individuals (Php 3:17). He also commended the Thessalonians for their fine example (1Th 1:7). Yet, when we consider the history of Israel in the wilderness, we seem to find mostly bad examples. When Paul, in 1Co 10:5 wrote that God was not pleased with "most" of the Israelites, he was in fact massively understating the facts: of all the adults who came out of Egypt, only Joshua and Caleb were to enter the Promised Land (Nu 14:22-24, 28-35)!

The Greek word translated "examples" can also mean "a model for warning". The example and experience of Israel during the Exodus is therefore a warning for the Church today, as it was for the Corinthians then. Let us examine how.

Lacking in self-control, Israel fell into sin, of which Paul enumerates four instances.

IDOLATRY

The quotation is from Ex 32:6, in connection with the worship of the golden calf and, in view of the problems in the Church at Corinth in regard to idolatry and the issue of food offered to idols, the warning was of primary importance. However, what about us today who-presumably-are not encompassed with examples of such rampant idolatry?
Let us have a closer look at the account of the golden calf: The Israelites fashioned a god in the mould of the familiar Egyptian bull-cults which flourished in the Nile Delta region, yet only one image was made, in contrast to the polytheistic society of Egypt from whence they came. Not only that, but then they kept "a feast to the LORD", accompanied with burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, just as they had previously seen sacrificed to God (Ex 29), and "sat down to eat" after the pattern of the normal fellowship offering (Lev 7:11-18). Yet eating could in some cases be a stepping-stone to idolatry, a theme also addressed by Paul in ICo 10. Then followed the revelry similar to that normally associated with pagan religious practices. This also may have involved sexual immorality, but it is not precisely stated. We are simply told that the people "cast off restraint" (v 25). The sense is that they began to play like children.

It seems probable that Aaron was a reluctant idolater, and sought to contain the error by associating the golden calf with the worship of the LORD. Under pressure, he compromised. How often have we too seen this, and still do! However, God dismissed this attempt by Aaron to syncretize paganism and the worship of the true God as idolatry pure and simple (v8). If our image of God is distorted, then our worship of Him is in vain-idolatrous! Recall the Feasts of the Jews that God said He despised (Isa 1:14). What about our Feasts?

When Christ informed Moses of what the people had done, He described them as having "turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them" (v8). Their story has an immediate New Testament counterpart in the example of the Galatians (earlier described as lapsing into bondage), whom Paul likewise rebuked for "turning away so soon" from the One who had called them (Gal 1:6). Could we ever be guilty of this?

Notice another aspect of Israel's idolatry:

God's testimony also confirmed that His people Israel had really never forsaken the idolatry learned by their sojourn in Egypt: The Israelites left Egypt physically, but they still carried with them the mind-set of Egypt. They yearned after the fleshpots of Egypt as they did after the gods of Egypt. What their lusts for the delicacies of Egypt did to the Israelites, the lures of the world (1Jn 2:16) can do to us today: quickly blind our eyes to the reality of the bondage that follows immediately in the wake of these lusts.

How are our hearts? Are they pure (Mt 5:8; 1Pe 1:22), totally and undividedly dedicated to God, or still partly in allegiance with the world? Are our hearts indeed where our treasure is (Mt 6:21), or are they far from God (Mt 15:8)? The physically-circumcised Israelites were uncircumcised of heart; the true Israel will be composed of hearts that are circumcised:

SEXUAL IMMORALITY The reference here is to Nu 25:1-9 where Israel, under similar conditions, succumbed to idolatrous fornication with the women of Moab and joined themselves to Baal.
The connection between idolatry and fornication was very close (see Nu 25:1-9), and this was again particularly relevant to the Corinthians, for in Corinth prostitution was a part of the worship of the goddess Aphrodite, and this was the culture of temple worship (ICo 5 & 6) from which the Corinthians hailed. Indeed, Paul had previously in his epistle instructed the Corinthians to flee sexual immorality: But what about the relevance for us today? This very example of immorality is referenced to the words of Jesus Christ warning the Church against false teaching, against doctrines which seduce the believer into compromise with the world: Similarly: The admonition to flee spiritual fornication-any teaching that limits the Holy One of Israel (Ps 78:41) and perverts the Gospel of Christ (Gal 1:7)-is just as pertinent to spiritual Israel today. Are we heeding it?

TESTING GOD

Let us look at the incident to which Paul was referring: They also made unjust accusations against God Himself: God was put to the test, tried beyond measure, by the persistent ingratitude of His rebellious people. They accused God unjustly. Job did the same, didn't he?
Israel in the wilderness put God to the test more than once (Ex 17:2; Ps 106:14). Notice this account from the psalmist: The Israelites had witnessed the works of God: His miraculous plagues upon Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, the provision of food in the desert. Yet they still doubted God and put Him to the test. Could we possibly tempt, test or speak against God today-if not in word, perhaps by our actions? The manner by which Israel tested God was closely linked to the last category of their major sins as listed by the apostle Paul (1Co 10:10)

GRUMBLING AND COMPLAINING

The reference is most certainly to the rebellion of Korah (Nu 16:41-50), where violent retribution ensued, although Paul may well have had in mind the factionalism of the Church in Corinth (1Co 1:11-12; 4:6,18).

Let us look at the nature of some of their other complaints. Hearkening back to the episode that culminated in God's judgement against an entire generation, we read:

How quickly, once hardship had set in (hadn't they long been accustomed to hardship? What made their hardship in Egypt more appealing, we wonder?), they quickly lost their sense of perspective; their vision became clouded and distorted. Discontent and backsliding set in. Their complaints and murmurings once again became accusations. They refused to believe in what had been promised them. The word of God was impugned. The apostle James tells us that grumbling makes us more susceptible to swift judgement from God (Jas 5:9): ISRAEL AND UNBELIEF: THE WARNING FOR US
The writer of the Book of Hebrews, quoting from Psalm 95:7-11, also uses the example of the Israelites under Moses to warn the Church of the danger of unbelief and disobedience. Let us examine the lessons here for us. One of the preventatives for such a condition is to encourage one another: Sin is a seducer. The desert experience of the Israelites precluded this atmosphere of encouragement, and ultimately a whole generation was infected with the hardness and deceitfulness of sin. This can likewise be the case for us: if this constant mutual exhortation is lacking, both the individual and the Church as a whole are not strengthened as they ought to be. The germs of unbelief can then begin to sprout, and evil God-defying thoughts can start to spread. If unchecked, the entire attitude can become dominated by these thoughts, and godly character destroyed.

We are then admonished to endure, which the Israelites, who hardened their hearts and rebelled, did not:

The psalmist once again powerfully portrays this sin of unbelief: THE SOBERING LESSON OF ISRAEL
The history of Israel, both in the wilderness and in the Land of Promise, is an inglorious one. And it is quite easy to see, in overview, the important lesson of how a nation gathered by God, both succored and corrected, still rejects the grace offered it and ends up in exile. This alone is a dismal picture.
Yet when we fully consider the nature of the wilderness experience of Israel, especially as it pertains to us during this period of our journey through the wilderness of the world from which we have come physically but which still clings to us, we discern a still more sobering lesson.

Picking up from where we left off, the author of Hebrews, having admonished us to endure, to have faith, to not be hardened by sin, then goes on to make some astounding statements:

To us, the promise of salvation-the eternal, spiritual rest typified by the physical rest of the Canaan, the Land of Promise-is still held being held out. We must fear-in godly fashion-lest we fail to attain this eternal rest. Mere hearing is not enough. Notice verse 2: Israel of old had the Gospel preached to them, we are here told! The same Gospel preached to the Church, the only true Gospel (Gal 1:6-7). The Scriptures further validate this fact: However, to them this Gospel was not combined with faith, we are further told (Heb 4:6). Why not? Was this the problem: they were unable to exercise the faith necessary for belief because God had denied them the Holy Spirit?

The Scriptures prove that this was clearly not the case. God is perfectly fair and impartial; He treats all with whom He is working by the same standards. The Holy Spirit was indeed available to the Israelites of old, but they rejected it, as they had constantly rejected God. This was the testimony of Stephen before the Sanhedrin:

The circumcision of the Jews whom Stephen condemned was just as meaningless as the circumcision of the Israelites in the wilderness. It did not affect their hearts (Jer 4:4) nor their ears (Dt 10:16). How could God even have His Spirit work in the lives of such rebellious people who constantly resisted Him, people whose remorse upon correction was merely the sorrow of the world and not the sorrow which works true repentance (2Co 7:10) and makes possible the indwelling of the Spirit of God?
Notice yet again the words of the psalmist: The Israelites as a whole did not ponder the significance of the miracles of God; indeed were not even inclined to do so. Rebellion was in their heart from the beginning and all along.
Notice the further testimony in the psalms: As was previously noted in Heb 3:16, "having heard, [they still] rebelled". They had ears to hear, but not to listen, to believe or to obey. Do we? Does our hearing the Gospel meet with the faith and belief essential for salvation? If so, we may indeed enter that rest: In the next verse, the true, eternal rest is spoken of: The punishment for this failure to enter God's rest is therefore obviously more severe than mere physical death, since we today are forewarned that we can fail in the same manner as the Israelites in the desert. Thus the tragedy of unbelieving Israel is seen to be far greater than appears on the surface. The greatness of their failure lay not merely in that they could not enter Canaan, but in that they were also irrevocably excluded from the eternal rest of God. Israel was not some "guinea pig" manipulated by God to prove some point to us today, even though that point may indeed be valid. The tragic lesson of Israel in the wilderness is that they rejected the witness of the Gospel held out before them!

CONCLUSION
Throughout the Scriptures, the wilderness has always been the place where God meets man to discipline and to deliver. The desert will again prove how deeply the people of God are committed to Him (Hos 2:14). Israel of old failed to learn the lesson. We must ensure that we do not follow their example. It is vitally important.
Just as we, like Israel in the wilderness, have the same promise, the same privilege, so we face the same penalty for failure. Israel perished because of unbelief. We face the same peril today. It is easy to copy a bad example, but far harder to learn from it. Let's make absolutely sure that we do.

Go back to our Home Page