Taking a moment for Moses . . . .

Moses was a Prophet.  Somehow we seem to not get that.  Yes, he was God’s instrument for leading Israel from Egypt and overseeing them in the wilderness but he was no less a prophet.

So why backtrack to Moses?  I want you to see that the issues that the later prophets dealt with where (perhaps are) nothing new.

I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the LORD.'" Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.  (Exo 6:8-9)

Leviticus 26 (all)

And I will set your border from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates, for I will give the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you.   (Exo 23:31)

"Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you and destroy all their figured stones and destroy all their metal images and demolish all their high places. And you shall take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it. You shall inherit the land by lot according to your clans. To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance. Wherever the lot falls for anyone, that shall be his. According to the tribes of your fathers you shall inherit. But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell. And I will do to you as I thought to do to them."   (Num 33:51-56) 

Be very careful, therefore, to love the LORD your God. For if you turn back and cling to the remnant of these nations remaining among you and make marriages with them, so that you associate with them and they with you, know for certain that the LORD your God will no longer drive out these nations before you, but they shall be a snare and a trap for you, a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good ground that the LORD your God has given you.   (Jos 23:11-13)

Yet the people of Israel did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maacathites, but Geshur and Maacath dwell in the midst of Israel to this day.    (Jos 13:13)

Now when the people of Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but did not utterly drive them out.   (Jos 17:13)

They (Israel) did not drive them out!  So they paid and are still dealing with the prophesied consequences.

Oops!!

Be careful to obey all these words that I command you, that it may go well with you and with your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the sight of the LORD your God. "When the LORD your God cuts off before you the nations whom you go in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, take care that you be not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods?--that I also may do the same.' You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the LORD hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods. "Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it.   (Deu 12:28-32)

Moses’ prophetic message comes before the compromise - the disobedience of Israel and with this disobedience comes the fulfillment of God’s prophetic word through Moses.

A point I hope you see is that this fantasy we have created around the Israel we see in the Old Testament diminishes the impact of what is actually happening.

Imagine you’re visiting a friend in the hospital who is dying from Ebola.  As you approach the room you see all the signs warning of a bio-hazard.  You see racks of sterile suits and masks.  You see posters telling you how to dress and what to watch for.  There is even a tech there to assist you.  The message is plain.  Do these things or you will become infected by the hazard?  Don’t do these things and, well, you die.  What are you going to do?

Those who occupied the “promised land” were worse than a bio-hazard.  They were a spirit-hazard.  Their idolatry was highly – actually unavoidably – contagious.  There was no way to not be infected by their corruption.

I hate cooking chicken.  It’s too much work.  All the cleaning you have to do.  Actually, all the sanitizing you have to do to avoid a danger that may or may not be present.  And regardless of how much or how carefully you clean you still might get contaminants.  But ignore the sanitizing at your own peril!

This is Moses’ prophetic message to Israel.  They were fortunate in that he prophesized before they went into the land.  He warned them of the danger.  In the later prophets we will see God, calling through the prophets for His people to repent, to do a 180 and escape the hot zone they are standing in.

Jesus will do both.  He will cry out to God’s people to repent (leave the hot zone) and warn all men of the judgment to come.

There is God, God’s message, God’s messenger, God’s audience and then there are God’s consequences.

It is not, as far as I can see, the prophets job to convince or persuade the people to heed the message.  He cannot make then follow God’s directives or leave off from their evil ways.  The prophet speaks the authoritative word from God.  It is the word, God’s word that has all the authority, not the prophet.

We will see that despite the frustration and in some cases futility of the mission the prophets were on they are, each and every one marked by faithfulness.  No matter how weird what God called then to do was and no matter how virulent the opposition they were faithful.  Sure, we’ll see them frustrated and wanting to quit.  We’ll see them questioning the utility of their ministry but their sweet and loving Lord is always there to reassure, comfort and restore them.

We love to place Israel in the Old Testament in a fairy tale like setting.  We may look at the few glaring sins of individuals but we squint hard enough to miss the insidious sin that all of Israel rests upon.  They reject the prophecy (fore and forth – telling) and go and do as they please, paying lip service to God and His righteous requirements.  This was and is Israel.

Of course, to be fair, my ancestors were in that condition way before Israel so “takes one to know one,” applies here.  I could never consider exposing the sin of Israel were I not ready and willing to do the same not only for my blue painted-naked-tree hugging ancestors but for myself as well.  If I say all of Israel sins I say nothing different or more harsh when I say all of Israel is human.  We all quack – we’re all some kind of duck.

I also really hope you get this point.  What Israel had that no other ‘people” had was opportunity.  God chose, called and commissioned them.  They are His living, breathing lesson to us.  Actually they are us – except God pitched His tent right in the middle of their camp.  

Paul makes it plain – there is no excuse.  But, neither is there a ringer on Israel’s team.  My wild Celtic ancestors would not have done any better – actually they’d have probably eaten the prophets to get their mojo (sorry – a little earthy dark humor there).

Israel didn’t “blow it.”  If God is sovereign – if He is really really in charge – then everything has been ok always.  Oh, it doesn’t look ok, it doesn’t act ok it doesn’t smell ok but since He is in control – it really is ok.

As we look at the prophets we will have to do so within the context of Israel.  I really hope you will begin to develop an appreciation for these people we will study.  Where-ever they lay (individually and collectively) on the continuum of badness they are the threads with which God weaves His tapestry of redemption.  Each and every, as well as all the Israelites we will look at are intended to serve as lessons to ALL of us (humans).  We will see goodness and we will see evil and we have to realize that we see it because God chose this one people to demonstrate it.

Are the Jews/Israel more special in God sight than we (the redeemed) are?  Good question – looooong and difficult answer. But they are more special in my book.  How would I know the grace and mercy and kindness and wrath and anger – how would I know anything clearly about my God had He not called a people with whom He weaves His wonders? 

Of course, it’s kind of like with Job.  I thank God for Job and his faithfulness and his realness.  Then I thank God it was Job and not me.

God called a people to be His own.  They said, “Yes.”  God, knowing full well they’d never keep their yes took them anyway and through them teaches us about us, Himself and brings us our Redeemer.  

So as we look at the prophets and to oopses of Israel, look for yourself – even if you’re not Jewish – you’ll be there – individually and collectively.

As we begin with Prophets (starting in 1 Samuel) keep the below in mind:

But the people of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem, so the Jebusites have lived with the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day. The house of Joseph also went up against Bethel, and the LORD was with them. And the house of Joseph scouted out Bethel. (Now the name of the city was formerly Luz.) And the spies saw a man coming out of the city, and they said to him, "Please show us the way into the city, and we will deal kindly with you." And he showed them the way into the city. And they struck the city with the edge of the sword, but they let the man and all his family go. And the man went to the land of the Hittites and built a city and called its name Luz. That is its name to this day. Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean and its villages, or Taanach and its villages, or the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages, for the Canaanites persisted in dwelling in that land. When Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but did not drive them out completely. And Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them. Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, or the inhabitants of Nahalol, so the Canaanites lived among them, but became subject to forced labor. Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of Acco, or the inhabitants of Sidon or of Ahlab or of Achzib or of Helbah or of Aphik or of Rehob, so the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land, for they did not drive them out. Naphtali did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, or the inhabitants of Beth-anath, so they lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land. Nevertheless, the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and of Beth-anath became subject to forced labor for them. The Amorites pressed the people of Dan back into the hill country, for they did not allow them to come down to the plain. The Amorites persisted in dwelling in Mount Heres, in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim, but the hand of the house of Joseph rested heavily on them, and they became subject to forced labor.   (Jdg 1:21-35)

Now the angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, "I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, 'I will never break my covenant with you, and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.' But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done? So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you."   (Jdg 2:1-3)

Here we go . . . . .