Israel (9) - Broken Covenant

The Israeli government has continued to break the terms of the Mosaic covenant.

1. God requires that the same laws apply to all people living in the nation.

   You are to have the same law for the alien and the native-born. I am the LORD your God (Lev 24:22).

   This is not the current situation in Israel, as many Palestinians do not have the full privileges of citizenship. Many laws and regulations discriminate against them.

2. God requires his people to be kind to the strangers living in their midst.

   When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God (Lev 19:33,34).

   Israeli treatment of the Palestinian people does not meet this standard.

3. The law gives instructions about how war should be conducted. Non-combatants should be protected and the land should not be harmed (Deut 20).

   • thousands of homes have been demolished by bulldozers
   • woman and children are killed by missiles from helicopters and tanks.

   The Israeli army is ignoring this aspect of the covenant.

4. The law declares that parents should not be punished for their children’s sin.

   Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin (Deut 24:16).

   Standard practice for the Israeli army is to destroy the homes of militants, even if the home belongs to their parents.

5. The first commandment requires Israel to honor God before everything.

   I am the LORD your God, who brought you … out of the land of slavery. "You shall have no other gods before me (Ex 20:2,3).

   The people of Israel trust clever politics and strong military leaders for security.

6. The prophet Isaiah warned against alliances with other nations.

   Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help.... but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the Lord (Is 31:1).

   Modern Israel has to depend on an alliance with the United States for survival. Israel trusts an alliance with a nation whose people honor the Messiah that most Jews have rejected. If Israel had God’s protection, it would not need American military and financial support.

While their government continues to break the covenant, the nation of Israel cannot expect to live in his blessing.

Being surrounded by evil nations is not an excuse for breaking the covenant. Israel was surrounded by evil nations when God made the covenant with Moses, but he never gave any exemptions. The requirements of the covenant are much higher than the standards of international law. The government of Israel often assumes that it can operate in the same way as other nations. That is not true. God requires a higher standard of his people, because he has given them great privilege.