Lamplighter_MarApr15_Dispersion-Jews

Israel in Prophecy:
The Dispersion of the Jews
“Jews Fleeing a Pogrom” by Issachar Ber Ryback (1897-1935).
Dr. David R. Reagan
In approximately 1440 BC, Moses led the Jewish people out of
Egypt, beginning a journey to the land God had promised them
in Canaan. 1 The journey should have taken 11 days (Deuteronomy
1:2). But, instead, it took them 40 years!
The extended length of the journey was due to the people’s
lack of faith that ultimately motivated some of them to rebel
against Moses (Numbers 14:1-4 and Psalm 78:17-42). This
behavior prompted God to decide that the generation that
departed from Egypt would have to die in the wilderness before
their descendants would be allowed to enter the Promised Land
(Numbers 14:26-38).
Accordingly, it was about 1400 BC when the children of
Israel were finally poised to cross the Jordan River and enter the
land they had been promised. On that auspicious occasion,
Moses paused their journey to summarize God’s Law for them
(Deuteronomy 5-27). He also used the occasion to provide them
with a detailed warning (Deuteronomy 28-29).
The Land Use Covenant
God had already given the descendants of Abraham through
Isaac and Jacob the title deed to the land of Canaan (Genesis
12:1-3; 17:1-8; 26:1-5; and 28:13-14). Now, through Moses, He
was going to make another covenant with them that would be
related to their use of the land. Basically, what Moses told them
was that even though they had an everlasting title to the land,
their use and enjoyment of it would depend upon their obedience
to God’s Laws which had been revealed to them during their
wilderness wanderings.
Moses proclaimed that if the people were obedient to God,
He would shower them with blessings (Deuteronomy 28:1-14).
Their children, their crops and their animals would be blessed
(28:4). Their enemies would be defeated and they would
“abound in prosperity” and be established as “a holy people
whom the rest of the world would fear (28:7-11).
Moses proceeded to sternly warn them that if they were disobedient
to God, He would place curses on them. Their children
would rebel, their crops would fail and their animals would not
reproduce (Deuteronomy 28:16-19). They would also suffer from
diseases, drought, and foreign domination (28:21,24,33).
Moses further warned that if they did not respond in
repentance to these remedial judgments, the Lord would intensify
them: “. . . then the LORD will bring extraordinary plagues on
you and your descendants, even severe and lasting plagues, and
miserable and chronic sicknesses . . . all the diseases of Egypt of
which you were afraid . . .” (28:39-60).
Moses then declared that if these extreme measures did not
produce repentance, God would subject them to the worst
possible punishment — exile from their homeland: “Moreover,
the LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of
March - April 2015 The Lamplighter page 3