(Continued-Chapter V-Elohim, The Divine Personalitied, Working Out Man's Redemption)

If a person will study carefully the entire prophecy of Leviticus, chapter 26, which is duplicated with fuller details in Deuteronomy, chapter 28, he will see that Moses outlines the entire history of Israel from the Exodus until she--the last generation of the remnant scattered among the nations--confesses her sins, her iniquity, and the iniquity of her fathers which they (the fathers) committed while in the land, and on account of which transgression God spewed her out of her own country and scattered her among the nations. When she thus in true penitence repudiates her iniquity, God will then remember her and the promise which He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Then He will restore her to her own soil. When one thus studies these outlines of Israel's history recorded by Moses, the great lawgiver, one sees that the nation has never accepted God's first and best plan. But we are thankful that, according to the prediction of her prophets, she will yet in the future choose His first and best plan and will yield to Him implicit obedience. When she does this, she will be made the head of the nations and will no longer be the tail as she is at the present time (Deut. 28:13).

Moreover, the prophet as an ambassador of Israel's rejected Redeemer tells the nation--after Messiah has returned to glory--that, if she had only hearkened to His commandment, "then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea: thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like the grains thereof . . ." (Isa. 48:18,19). In this message to the nation he tells her that, if she had only obeyed Him and received His teaching when He came, He would have extended peace to her like a river and her righteousness would have been as the waves of the sea. In other words, Messiah, after His departure, sends back this message in which He informs her that, if she had only given heed to what He told her, her entire history would have been different. She would be enjoying peace, constant and permanent peace, in both the spiritual and physical realms. Moreover the promise made to Abraham concerning his seed's becoming like the sands of the sea would have been fulfilled. But since she does not hearken, according to this forecast, to the message of Messiah, she must suffer the consequences and penalties of her disobedience.

The final clause of verse 19 reads as follows: "His name would not be cut off nor destroyed from before me." The Hebrew is לֹא־יִכָּרֵת וְלֹא־יִשָּׁמֵד שְׁמוֹ מִלְּפָנָי and can be as correctly rendered: "His name shall not be cut off nor destroyed from before me." This rendering seems to accord with the facts of the context. Let us continually bear in mind that in verses 17-19 we have a message which Israel's Messiah, after He returns to glory, sends to His people who do not accept Him when He appears before them and delivers the great message found in verses 3-16 of this chapter. He tells them that, had they been obedient to Him, their peace would have flowed as a river and their righteousness would have been as the waves of the sea--the promise made to Abraham would have been fulfilled to them. But since they did not obey Him, these blessed results did not come into their lives. Although they do not accept Him when He appears, his (Israel's) name shall not be cut off nor destroyed from before the face of the Redeemer. In order to express the thought in good English, we could insert the word "yet" or "nevertheless" before this last clause. In that event it would read thus: "Nevertheless his name shall not be cut off nor destroyed from before me." This is in perfect harmony with the teaching of Moses and the prophets. God created Israel to be the channel of world-blessing. He is never forced by circumstances to change His designs and purposes. In making His plans, He takes into account the frailties of man and his lack of obedience to the divine will. Nevertheless He steers the course of history and will eventually bring events around when His will shall be done perfectly on earth as in heaven. He has chosen Israel to be the channel of world-blessing. Regardless of her failures and shortcomings He will work out His plan in her national life and bring her to the point where she will become an empty channel through which His blessings and power will flow to the whole world. In other words, in this statement which we have under consideration, the Redeemer assures His ancient people that under no conditions will He cast them off. Jeremiah proclaimed the same doctrine in the following passage:

35 Thus saith Jehovah, who giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, who stirreth up the sea, so that the waves thereof roar; Jehovah of hosts is his name: 36 If these ordinances depart from before me, saith Jehovah, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever. 37 Thus saith Jehovah: If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, then will I also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith Jehovah (Jer. 31:35-37).

This scripture assures us that Israel shall never cease as a nation and that the seed of Jacob shall always remain before God.

A similar promise, made in regard to Israel's Messiah, is found in the following passage:

19 And the word of Jehovah came unto Jeremiah saying, 20 Thus saith Jehovah: If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, so that there shall not be day and night in their season; 21 then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he shall not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers. 22 As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured; so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me (Jer. 33:19-22).

God will never cast aside His ancient people whom He has foreknown. He will lead them along the path over which they should travel, as He has done in the past, and will continue to do so until He finally leads them through the furnace of affliction in which all impurities will be purged from the nation. Then Israel will come forth as gold and silver, refined seven times. At that time Messiah will mount the throne of David and will reign over all nations.

The oracle finally concludes with this message:
20 Go ye forth from Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans; with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth: say ye, Jehovah hath redeemed his servant Jacob. 21 And they thirsted not when he led them through the deserts; he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them, he clave the rock also, and the waters gushed out. 22 There is no peace, saith Jehovah, to the wicked (Isa. 48:20-22).

As has already been noted, Babylon is to be rebuilt in fulfillment of prophecy and to stand in the end of this age. It will be the dominant metropolis of the nations--the financial, the industrial, and the economic world-center. Suddenly, in a moment, in one day its overthrow will be accomplished. Before the Lord does this, however, He gives the call to His ancient people who will be residing in Babylon to leave the city, to flee from the land of the Chaldeans. This same note is sounded in Jeremiah, chapters 50 and 51. Those faithful believing Hebrews who accept the message of Moses and the prophets will at that time flee from that country.

Those urged to leave are also exhorted to proclaim their deliverance to the world. This thought is expressed in the following language: "With a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth: say ye, Jehovah hath redeemed his servant Jacob." When the time here foreseen arrives, Israel will have learned about her redemption which has been wrought for her by Jehovah, her creator, and with a ringing voice of joy and ecstasy will tell forth this message to the ends of the earth. She will have been given this message of redemption. She will believe it and will sound forth the glad tidings to all nations.

A further prediction is included in this revelation. It is expressed in these words: "And they thirsted not when he led them through the deserts; he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them; he clave the rock also, and the waters gushed out." This promise looks forward to the completion of Israel's regathering to her own homeland. As she returns, she passes through the desert--especially those who leave the East will have to pass through weary wastes as they journey to the land of their fathers. God will provide in a miraculous manner water for them. He did it for their ancestors when they journeyed through the wilderness at the time of the Exodus, and again He will do it for His faithful, loyal servants when they return to Him in fulfillment of this marvelous prediction.

This oracle finally concludes with these words: "There is no peace, saith Jehovah, to the wicked." This refrain occurs again in Isaiah 57:21. Finally the Book of Isaiah concludes with a prediction similar to this one but expressed in the most vivid, graphic language. But there are peace, joy, and happiness, in both time and eternity, for those who accept the redemption wrought by Israel's Redeemer.