No Return Policy

The Jewish nation has had a difficult road to walk for five thousand years! There have been salad days and dog days. There’s been brutal hardship and years of abundance. There have been times of war and times of peace. But there has never, ever, been a time when God stopped loving them. There have been periods when the nation has turned its back on God, to its shame and regret, but there’s never been a time when God turned His back on them. Like the story of the prodigal son; a father may not approve of his son’s life choices, but he loves his children nonetheless. Heartaches go with the job.

After four hundred years of slavery in Egypt, God delivered them with a Mighty hand to safety and freedom. A few weeks later they were complaining that Moses, God’s chosen deliverer, had led them out into the desert to die! They felt that they would be better off back in Egypt! What could God have been thinking at that very moment? Heartaches go with the job. They realized a little too late how much better off they were. What other nation celebrates a 4,000 year old national holiday recognizing the providential hand of God in their deliverance? Does any other nation on earth have the equal of Passover?

The nation would experience problems of pride and national identity, but the cycle of I need God; I don’t need God, would ultimately come full circle. With the accompanying pain and suffering, the consequences would dwell in their collective conscience. From the Northern Kingdom falling to Assyria, and the Southern Kingdom falling to Babylon, the nation would ultimately return to the Promised Land God has reserved for them. Even though the nation of Israel has seen more than their share of conquerors and overlords, they still reside in the land God promised them. The whole world refers to Israel as the Holy Land, even though the nation itself is far from holy. But what a glorious future they have in store. Although they currently see with earthly eyes, God has seen to it that they will not return to their former self. There’s great hardship prophesied for Israel, but afterwards,WOW!