The Kingdom Of God Until The Captivity

by PRASHER, G. | Category: The Kingdom Of God | Mar 1957

The particular phase of the kingdom of God under consideration in this article concerns Israel between the time of their being made a holy nation and a kingdom of priests under the Sinaitic covenant, and their being carried away into captivity by the king of Babylon.

In Exodus 19.5, 6, and 8 the people of Israel had declared: "All that the LORD hath spoken we will do," to the words of God, "If ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all peoples; for all the earth is Mine; and ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation." By thus accepting the terms of the covenant they became the people of God, and the LORD became their God. They were then under the obligation to "hearken unto the statutes and unto the judgements" which the LORD their God commanded them. His warning was, "Take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes saw, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life; but make them known unto thy children and thy children's children " (Deuteronomy 4.9).

The years of sojourn in the wilderness were marked by the happy yet solemn fact that the LORD took up His abode in their midst. His dwelling was the Tabernacle which Moses erected; and the pillar of cloud above with the Shekinah glory within bespoke the wondrous truth that this was a holy nation, and that the kingdom of God was there with them.

We say this was a solemn fact because the kingdom of God implies the rule of God, and it is no light matter to be under the rule of God. We read, "A man that hath set at nought Moses' law dieth without compassion on the word of two or three witnesses" (Hebrews 10.28); and again, "Every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward" (Hebrews 2.2). But great were the blessings on such as loved and kept God's law. Psalm 1 reminds us of this:

"He shall be like a tree planted by the streams of water,

That bringeth forth it's fruit in its season,

Whose leaf also doth not wither;

And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper" (verse 8).

However, the most important side of their having the kingdom of God was the fact that they were able to serve Him after the manner of His appointing. How to serve Him was not known in Egypt, but when the LORD began to speak out of His house (Leviticus 1.1) He instructed His people how to approach Him with sacrifices and offerings.

Later in David's day a service of song was added, and the singers and players on musical instruments were appointed, "sounding aloud and lifting up the voice with joy" (see 1 Chronicles 15). David says,

"I will praise the name of God with a song,

And will magnify Him with thanksgiving,

And it shall please the LORD better than an or,

Or a bullock that hath horns and hoofs" (Psalm 69.30, 81).

The Book of Judges covers a large portion of the period from the death of Joshua, who led the children of Israel into the promised land, to the birth of Samuel. During this period it is recorded how Israel, as the people of God, were chastised by the LORD, as well as being wonderfully delivered time and again. The book faithfully records the sins of Israel, and shows that as often as they sinned and turned again to the LORD in repentance, so often did He raise up deliverers for them.

Great victories were given over the nations in David's day, and when his son Solomon reigned the nation attained the zenith of glory. Alas! that in his later days Solomon's heart was turned away from the LORD his God who had done so much for him, and the dual monarchy was the result, Rehoboam being left with two tribes, and Jeroboam being given ten. Thence we find Israel and Judah.

Jeroboam had the promise from the LORD that, if he followed the LORD, his house should be established, but alas! he was responsible for setting up the golden calves, one in Dan and the other in Bethel, and thus the kingdom from the start was given up to idolatry; later it was carried to Assyria because of continuance in sin, and disregard of the word of God. Her treacherous sister Judah saw it " she also went and played the harlot" (Jeremiah 3.7, 8). There were some very good kings in Judah when spiritual revival was brought about as the result of their listening to and obeying the law of God, but such pleadings by God as,

"Return, 0 backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am a Husband unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion" (Jeremiah 3.14).

were unheeded.

Instead, "They mocked the messengers of God, and despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, till there was no remedy (Heb. healing). Therefore He brought upon them the king of the Chaldeans, who slew their young men in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man. or ancient: He gave them all into his hand. And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes; all these he brought to Babylon. And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palace thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof. And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; and they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: to fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah" (2 Chronicles 36.16-21).

All this is in keeping with the terms of the covenant, " If thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all His commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all the nations of the earth: and all these blessings shall come upon thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the v6ice of the LORD thy God."

"But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all His commandment and His statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee and overtake thee." For an account of these blessings and curses see Deuteronomy 28.

These dealings of God with His people in a past age have their voice for us today. We may learn that to become the people of God involves more than receiving Christ as Saviour. There is a coming to the Living Stone as living stones (1 Peter 2.4, 5): a bowing to the will of the risen Lord: a sanctification unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1.2). There is the giving " more earnest heed to the things that were heard, lest haply we drift away from them." To be God's people and God's house is conditional: "whose house are we if we hold fast ... "(Hebrews 3.6).

PRASHER, G. | Mar 1957
The Kingdom Of God