..To Ancient SDA's ............ To "What's New?"

God's View

of the

Wilderness Wandering

Ezekiel 20:1-24

A look at some ancient Sabbath-observers

by

R B Ainslie

(Headings added)

Why there were no answers from God

And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the LORD, and sat before me [while Ezekiel was in the captivity of Babylon].

[They wanted to know why they were in captivity,
and when would God rescue them from it?]

Then came the word of the LORD to me, saying, "Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD; ‘Are you come to inquire of Me? As I live, says the Lord GOD, I will not be inquired of by you’."

"Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge [show] them? Cause them to know the abominations of their fathers: and say to them,

Jesus had tried during Moses’ time

‘Thus says the Lord GOD; In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up My hand to the seed of the house of Jacob [in friendly greeting], and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up My hand to them, saying, ‘I am the LORD your God’; in the day that I lifted up My hand to them [in a solemn promise], to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I had espied for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands: then said I to them, ‘Cast you away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the LORD your God’."

"But they rebelled against Me, and would not hearken to Me: they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt. [So I could not fully protect them.]"

"Then I said, ‘I will [have to] pour out My fury upon them, to accomplish My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.’ [I'll have to stop protecting them.] But I wrought [worked hard to save them] for My name's sake [because He is a Saviour], that it should not be polluted [or misunderstood] before the heathen, among whom they were, in whose sight I made Myself known to them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt."

"Wherefore I caused them [was able to get them] to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness [as I had promised]."

He tried again in the wilderness

"And I gave them My statutes [the laws (principles) of My kingdom], and showed them My judgments [daily/hourly advice on how to keep the laws], which if a man do, he shall even live in them."

"Moreover also I gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them [and they could "rest" in that knowledge and power]."

"But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness: they walked not in My statutes, and they despised My judgments [continual advice], which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and My Sabbaths they greatly polluted [while outwardly keeping the day]: then I said, ‘I would pour out My fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them’."

"But I wrought [worked hard to save them again] for My name's sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, in whose sight I brought them out." [Consider Exodus 32:30-35].

"Yet also I lifted up My hand [in a solemn promise] to them in the wilderness, that I would not [be able to] bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands; because they despised My judgments, and walked not in My statutes, but polluted My Sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols [and they rejected My full protection.]"

"Nevertheless My eye spared them from destroying [all of] them, neither did I make an end of them in the wilderness [for I was able to save two of that generation and bring them into the Promised Land!]."

An explanation of the Sabbath "rest"

1,500 years later.

Hebrews 3:7-19; 4:1-11

[Paul wrote to the Hebrew Christians] Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost said, "Today if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: when your fathers tempted Me, proved Me, and saw My works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, ‘They do always err in their heart; and they have not known My ways’. So I sware in my wrath, ‘They shall not [will not] enter into My [Sabbath] rest’.)"

Take heed, brothers and sisters, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today"; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end; while it is said, "Today if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation."

For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was He grieved forty years? Was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness?

And to whom sware He that they should not enter into His "rest", but to them that believed not? So we see that they COULD NOT enter in because of unbelief.

Chapter 4

Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into His "rest", any of you should seem to come short of it. For to us [Christians] was the gospel preached, as well as to them [the people of the Old Testament times]: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.

For we which have believed do enter into "rest", as He said, "As I have sworn in My wrath, if they shall enter into My ‘rest’:" although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For He spoke in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise [with this meaning], "And God did rest the seventh day from all His works." And in this place again, "If they shall enter into My rest."

Seeing therefore it remains that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: again, He limits a certain day [of opportunity], saying in David [in the Psalms], "Today, after so long a time"; as it is said, "Today if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts."

For if Jesus [Joshua] had given them [the Sabbath] rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day [of opportunity].

There remains therefore a "rest" to the people of God. ["the keeping of a Sabbath", margin] For he that is entered into His "rest", he also has ceased from his own works, as God did from His. Let us labour therefore to enter into that "rest", lest any man [today] fall after the same example of unbelief.

Back to Ezekiel 20

Jesus tried with the next generation

"But I said to their children in the wilderness [near the end of the forty years], ‘Walk you not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols [don’t do as they did]: I am the LORD your God; walk in My statutes, and keep My judgments, and do them; and hallow My Sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God’."

He was rejected again

"Notwithstanding the children [also] rebelled against Me: they walked not in My statutes, neither kept My judgments to do them, which if a man do, he shall even live in them. They [also] polluted My Sabbaths. Then I said, I would pour out My fury upon them, to accomplish My anger against them in the wilderness. Nevertheless I withdrew My hand [again], and wrought for My name's sake, that it should not be polluted in the sight of the heathen, in whose sight I brought them forth."

They would go into exile in Babylon

"I lifted up My hand to them also in the wilderness [and promised them], that I would scatter them among the heathen, and disperse them through the countries [mainly into Babylon]; because they had not executed My judgments, but had despised My statutes, and had polluted My Sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers' idols.

[And so, Ezekiel, they will have to stay here until the majority change their attitude.]"

All these things happened as a result of their behaviour, not because Jesus wished it, or was punishing them. Without a change of heart, without a great change in their allegiance, Jesus was not able to help them in any great way. They could not "enter in because of THEIR unbelief".

He was "grieved" for them, but helpless when they refused to walk in His way, to enter in His "rest". Therefore they remained in Babylon till the seventy years was complete as Jesus had foretold.

Jeremiah 25:11-12

And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, said the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.

From this history we should learn a lesson.

We are in modern "Babylon" and we have been called to "come out of her, My people". Revelation 18:4.

How shall we get out?

By entering into the Sabbath "rest".

Only by becoming Sabbath-keepers and not Saturday observers will we be able to hear His voice clearly and "do" His judgments.

Then we will not be "lukewarm" Laodiceans, but "hot" ones!!

oooOooo

To Ancient SDA's ............ To "What's New?"

This page hosted by Get your own Free Home Page