– The milestone after leaving Egypt was earth shaking, it made the Hebrew/Israelite nation totally centered around God. Their government was a theocracy and nearly every event in their lives had religious significance, required obedience, affecting all of life. It is provided in pages and pages of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, as God explained in detail exactly what He expected from His people. One didn’t have to guess how to live, as everything was covered. As the chosen people ‘toured’ the desert, they disobeyed and suffered the consequences (many died, ex. Num 16:49)Before entering the promised land, Moses reviewed the Law/rules with the nation, all 613 of them (later they added)The people answered “All the Lord has spoken, we will do.” (Ex 19:8) “ All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient” (Ex 24:3,7), “and we will hear and do it” (Deut 5:27)The Lord’s response “Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me, and keep all My commandments always, that it may be well with them and with their sons forever!” (Deut 5:29)In Deut 27:9,10 Moses says “Be silent and listen, O Israel! This day you have become a people for the LORD your God. You shall therefore obey the LORD your God, and do His commandments and His statutes”After the 40 years in the desert and about to enter the ‘promised land’ (Canaan) , here’s what Moses said “Yet to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear.” (Deut 29:4) Later in Isaiah 44:18 “They do not know, nor do they understand, for He has smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see and their hearts so that they cannot comprehend.” Also Ps 81:11,12 “But My people did not listen to My voice; and Israel did not obey Me. So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart, To walk in their own devices.”Here’s the explanation from Rom 11:25 “that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles has come in; and thus all Israel will be saved” (see Rom 11:33)

– Moses said (based on what God told him) “Now it shall be, if you will diligently obey the LORD your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you will obey the LORD your God.“ Deut 28:1,2 “Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.””Blessed shall be the offspring of your body and the produce of your ground and the offspring of your beasts, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock.” “Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.””Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.””The LORD will cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you; they shall come out against you one way and shall flee before you seven ways.””The LORD will command the blessing upon you in your barns and in all that you put your hand to, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God gives you.””The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, as He swore to you, if you will keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and walk in His ways.””So all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of you.””And the LORD will make you abound in prosperity, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your beast and in the produce of your ground, in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give you.””The LORD will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.””And the LORD shall make you the head and not the tail, and you only shall be above, and you shall not be underneath, if you will listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I charge you today, to observe them carefully, and do not turn aside from any of the words which I command you today, to the right or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.” (Deut 28:3-14)  (Remember Rom 11:29 “the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable”)

From Deut 29:9-13 “So keep the words of this covenant to do them, that you may prosper in all that you do… that you may enter into the covenant with the LORD your God,,, in order that He may establish you today as His people and that He may be your God, just as He spoke to you and as He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”From Deut 28:15 through Deut 30:20 some of the consequences are here:Curses on food, children, body, animals, travels,Confusion, destroyed, perish, consumed, consumption,Inflammation, heat, sword, heat, blight, mildew,Sky w/o rain, ground like iron, powder, dust,Defeated, flee, terror, birds eat bodies, boils, scab, itch, no healingBlind, not prosper, oppressed, robbed, no one to saveViolated wives, lose house, no fruit, slaughtered, animals takenSons, daughters taken, driven mad, crushed, sores,This represents only ½ page of the consequences, here is an interesting item: Deut 28:49 “The LORD will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as the eagle swoops down, a nation whose language you shall not understand, a nation of fierce countenance who shall have no respect for the old, nor show favor to the young.”Here is one of Moses’ final statements about the future of the Jews: (Deut 31:27 – 29): “For I know your rebellion and your stubbornness; behold, while I am still alive with you today, you have been rebellious against the LORD; how much more, then, after my death? Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, that I may speak these words in their hearing and call the heavens and the earth to witness against them. For I know that after my death you will act corruptly and turn from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days, for you will do that which is evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger with the work of your hands.” 

Recall what they had just gone through in the 40 years of wandering (38 after receiving the Law) the Jews disobey in a variety of ways at least 15 times. This was from 1373 – 1334 BCLack of trust, bad water, hunger, thirst, idol, adversity, leadership (5 times), Consequences; plagues, earth swallowing, snakes, and disbelief caused immediate deaths of 20 – 30,000 and all men over the age of 19 would be dead in the next 38 years.Entering the promised land the Jews disobey in a variety of ways and were led by 17 judges/leaders with constant ups and downs of obedience to disobedience, the consequences grew as God brought in neighboring nations to discipline and bring them to the point that they would look to God for deliverance. This ran from 1316, – 1043 BCOver and over again the words out of Judges repeats “Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord”. God worked with many judges to bring about physical salvation after neighboring nations put them in servitude. Consequences were 1,000’s of live lost, internal rebellion and fighting, and the Book of Judges ends with “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (ie, no law ,,,,)Samuel was a priest when the people asked for a king. Samael was against as God was their king, but God had a plan and told Samuel to anoint Saul. God said to tell the people what it would cost them (The king would take their sons and daughters, establish a military, take over their land, and taxes on all at 10%.)Saul started fair and it went down hill, and Samuel anointed David who brought Israel back to a formidable country with lots of bloodshed. His son, Solomon brought Israel to a financial and military power, literally controlling commerce of the world. This was the only time Israel was closer to what God had in mind but it was short lived as he declined and his son ruined everything and the kingdom was divided. The Northern Tribes (Israel) went from bad to worse and God caused the Assyrians to conquer in 722 BC, the southern 2 tribes (Judah) had some good kings and short times of being free but things followed the northern tribes and God use Babylonians to conquer in 586 BC.The magnificent temple (Solomon’s) was destroyed in 586 BC which was the last symbol of a nation called Israel.Cyrus (of Medes & Persian empire) allowed Jews in Babylon area to go back to rebuild the Temple in 536 BC and Nehemiah was allowed to oversee the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls. This was all God’s plans foretold in Jeremiah 440 BCThe Greeks were world rulers from Alexander & 4 generals and Rome conquered and took over Jersalem in 63 BC