721 - Les Feldick Bible Study - Lesson 1 Part 1 Book 61 - The Chosen Nation Redeemed

https://lesfeldickbiblestudy.com Through the Bible with Les Feldick LESSON 1 * PART 1 * BOOK 61 THE CHOSEN NATION REDEEMED ISAIAH 42:8 – 45:3 We’re spending a little time in the book of Isaiah. The king of the Medes and the Persians will then be what God calls "His servant" who will give the decree to Ezra to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple first, and then about a hundred years later Nehemiah goes back and starts rebuilding the city walls. God is speaking while they’re still there in Egypt. Of course, the first time is this seventy-year captivity in Babylon, and then the second time, as we’ve shown on the board, is in 70 AD. From history now we know that in 606 BC God permitted the Babylonians to come in and destroy the Temple and the city and take the children of Israel back to Babylon. This left the land empty. Then in 70 AD we have Titus destroying the Temple and sending Israel again into the dispersion so that the land was emptied. Leviticus 26:32 and remember the timing now. God is speaking to the nation of Israel, and He says: "I will bring the land (that is the Promised Land) into desolation: your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it. In God’s own time, He says) 33. 34. Then shall the land (that is the Promised Land) enjoy her sabbaths,..." Leviticus 26:34-35 "Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth (what?) desolate, and you be in your enemies’ land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths. All right, now, I think while you’re in Leviticus, we might as well use another verse that I use so often, Deuteronomy chapter 30 verse 1. Remember, this is always apropos when God removes Israel from the Promised Land, whether it’s 606 BC or whether it’s 70 AD, it’s still going to pretty much be under the same process. All right, but here’s the process, if I may call it that: Deuteronomy 30:1 (all the nations not just, some of them) where the LORD thy God hath driven thee." At the time of the Babylonian captivity, the then known world was still pretty small. Then we saw the Nation suddenly appear and become a Nation in 1948. All right, so here’s the promise that they would be scattered and that while they’re scattered, while they are out of the land of Israel, however you want to put it, the land of Israel will become desolate. It remained desolate – both times! Turn to Nehemiah chapter 2, with me so you can see what I’m talking about. What would the rest of the world do? waste,…" That it was in great production. It was desolate, just like God promised it would be. So, read here in Nehemiah chapter 4 when they come back and try to rebuild the walls; let’s bring you down to verse 15. Nehemiah 4:15 The Arabs were constantly trying to thwart the work of rebuilding the city wall and the gates and so forth. Earthquakes kept anybody from building. Never forget that. All right, back to Isaiah 42. All right, Isaiah 42 and we’re going to drop in at verse 8. All right, but now in verse 8, we’re going to be aware that Israel’s number one problem leading up to the Babylonian captivity was idolatry. Idolatry. Isaiah 42:8 neither my praise to graven images."See what God is talking about? Isaiah 42:9 God knows what’s going to happen. Isaiah 42:10-11 Isaiah 42:12 Now, verse 13, we’re going to see the other side of God. He’s the God of blessing. He’s the God of joy. He’s the God of happiness. But He’s also the God of wrath and discipline. Isaiah 42:13 Not Israel’s especially but God’s. Isaiah 42:14 I have been still, (God’s gracious, remember? No matter how far Israel goes down; whether it’s unbelief, like at Kadesh-Barnea or whether it’s idolatry, like we’re dealing with here, God had made them a very special promise. II Samuel chapter 7. God tells David concerning, not just Solomon, but this whole lineage of the House of David that will be coming down the pike, God says: God knows that he will. He’s also talking about the nation of Israel in total.) Now, that’s the constant promise that God holds before the nation of Israel; that even though He will bless them and He will bring chastisement, yet His mercy will never depart. How can anybody not see that this little nation of people that should have disappeared, have anything but disappeared. They’re in the news like no other little nation on earth. It’s just unbelievable; except it’s what the Word of God has declared. Isaiah 42:17 Well, who’s he talking about? Israel! Not the pagan world. Even Terah, you remember, the father of Abraham was an idolater, but Israel? They’ve had Moses. Yet, the Nation, with the exception of a remnant, we’ll look at that maybe in the next program or two, but for the most part, the Nation has fallen in total rejection of the God of Abraham. They are falling into idolatry. They are following the gods of the pagans around them. Why, when God has been so good to them? #LesFeldick #BIbleStudy #Bible