The Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me

Galatians 2:20
...the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 

This phrase is should be a big realization and motivation for us to a changed life. Thinking critically about the phrase, it consists of three parts. First, Jesus - Yshua is the Son of the Living God - who Himself is at One with God. Second - is the fact that Yshua loves us. Third, following from the first two facts, He gave Himself to us. Put together, these three facts should move us all to yield completely to Yshua. There is no other excuse, no other valid reason for anything else, no place for thinking about ourselves. This should be the reason to turn whole-heartedly to Yshua and abandon our rebellion and disobedience. And living a changed life, there should be nothing else that should lead us to fear and doubt.

2 Corinthians 5:21
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Our Lord Yshua took our place and became the sin for us. That is the individual sin of rebellion and disobedient nature in us. It is not about the wrong things that we do in many instances in our lives. Only God who is perfect Himself can be the perfect sacrifice. We cannot redeem ourselves - someone had to do it for us. The power of Yshua's work on the cross must be accepted by us and lived by us, not just knowing about it.

For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who built the house has more honor than the house

The author of Hebrew relates to the Hebrew audience by referring them to Moses who is faithful. There was no question about the faithfulness of Moses and Moses can be seen as a foundational figure in Judaism. Now the author brings in Jesus as a comparison and shows that Jesus too is faithful and even more so. Jesus is the High Priest and Apostle and is more worthy of glory than Moses. Moses can be regarded as a servant in God's house, but Jesus Himself is the owner of the house, whom we can belong to.

Then the Holy Spirit reminds the readers against hardening of hearts which is essentially rebellion against God. The historical example is made to the refusal of the Israelites to conquer the Promised land, and so they had to wait for forty years until the current generation has passed away. This account in history would be very familiar to the Hebrew audience. They are now called to accept Y'shua the Messiah and not have hardened hearts by sin and unbelief.



Hebrews 3
The Son Was Faithful

1 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, 2 who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was faithful in all His house. 3 For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who built the house has more honor than the house. 4 For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God. 5 And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward, 6 but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.[a]

Be Faithful

7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says:

“Today, if you will hear His voice,
8 Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
In the day of trial in the wilderness,
9 Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me,
And saw My works forty years.
10 Therefore I was angry with that generation,
And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart,
And they have not known My ways.’
11 So I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest.’”[b]
12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, 15 while it is said:

“Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”[c]


Failure of the Wilderness Wanderers

16 For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? 17 Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

And they shall be Ashamed because of their Sacrifices

God outlines the wickedness of His people in Israel, among these actions include lying, swearing, killing, adultery, stealing, bloodshed, lack of mercy and so on. God rejected them from serving Him for a period of time. The main indictment is that they have stopped following and obeying God, instead they follow other false gods, hence their harlotry.

God lists specifically their harlotry, including all sorts of offerings and worship they make to other false gods. God will let them continue on their ways for a while and see them reap the consequences, as it is said in verse 19 - "And they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices."





Hosea 4
God’s Charge Against Israel

1 Hear the word of the Lord,
You children of Israel,
For the Lord brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land:
“There is no truth or mercy
Or knowledge of God in the land.
2 By swearing and lying,
Killing and stealing and committing adultery,
They break all restraint,
With bloodshed upon bloodshed.
3 Therefore the land will mourn;
And everyone who dwells there will waste away
With the beasts of the field
And the birds of the air;
Even the fish of the sea will be taken away.
4 “Now let no man contend, or rebuke another;
For your people are like those who contend with the priest.
5 Therefore you shall stumble in the day;
The prophet also shall stumble with you in the night;
And I will destroy your mother.
6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being priest for Me;
Because you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.
7 “The more they increased,
The more they sinned against Me;
I will change[a] their glory[b] into shame.
8 They eat up the sin of My people;
They set their heart on their iniquity.
9 And it shall be: like people, like priest.
So I will punish them for their ways,
And reward them for their deeds.
10 For they shall eat, but not have enough;
They shall commit harlotry, but not increase;
Because they have ceased obeying the Lord.


The Idolatry of Israel

11 “Harlotry, wine, and new wine enslave the heart.
12 My people ask counsel from their wooden idols,
And their staff informs them.
For the spirit of harlotry has caused them to stray,
And they have played the harlot against their God.
13 They offer sacrifices on the mountaintops,
And burn incense on the hills,
Under oaks, poplars, and terebinths,
Because their shade is good.
Therefore your daughters commit harlotry,
And your brides commit adultery.
14 “I will not punish your daughters when they commit harlotry,
Nor your brides when they commit adultery;
For the men themselves go apart with harlots,
And offer sacrifices with a ritual harlot.[c]
Therefore people who do not understand will be trampled.
15 “Though you, Israel, play the harlot,
Let not Judah offend.
Do not come up to Gilgal,
Nor go up to Beth Aven,
Nor swear an oath, saying, ‘As the Lord lives’—
16 “For Israel is stubborn
Like a stubborn calf;
Now the Lord will let them forage
Like a lamb in open country.
17 “Ephraim is joined to idols,
Let him alone.
18 Their drink is rebellion,
They commit harlotry continually.
Her rulers dearly[d] love dishonor.
19 The wind has wrapped her up in its wings,
And they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.

Because you have Multiplied Disobedience more than the Nations that are all around you

Ezekiel was first ask to perform some sort of symbolic ritual for all Israel to see. He is to cut his hair and beard, then burn some of them and scatter some of them to the wind. God was showing that some people in the city will be destroyed, while others will be scattered among the nations. This is the same judgment using sword, pestilence and famine.

God again gave the reasons  for judgment to be the rebellion and wickedness of His people. They have not obeyed God nor uphold His statutes, and they were worse than the neighbouring nations. So God pronounced a judgment which also included the father and sons eating each other. This abominable judgment was in response to their own abomination. God describes that His fury would only be spent when this judgment has occurred and He has been avenged.



Ezekiel 5
A Sword Against Jerusalem

1 “And you, son of man, take a sharp sword, take it as a barber’s razor, and pass it over your head and your beard; then take scales to weigh and divide the hair. 2 You shall burn with fire one-third in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are finished; then you shall take one-third and strike around it with the sword, and one-third you shall scatter in the wind: I will draw out a sword after them. 3 You shall also take a small number of them and bind them in the edge of your garment. 4 Then take some of them again and throw them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire. From there a fire will go out into all the house of Israel.

5 “Thus says the Lord God: ‘This is Jerusalem; I have set her in the midst of the nations and the countries all around her. 6 She has rebelled against My judgments by doing wickedness more than the nations, and against My statutes more than the countries that are all around her; for they have refused My judgments, and they have not walked in My statutes.’ 7 Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Because you have multiplied disobedience more than the nations that are all around you, have not walked in My statutes nor kept My judgments, nor even done[a] according to the judgments of the nations that are all around you’— 8 therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Indeed I, even I, am against you and will execute judgments in your midst in the sight of the nations. 9 And I will do among you what I have never done, and the like of which I will never do again, because of all your abominations. 10 Therefore fathers shall eat their sons in your midst, and sons shall eat their fathers; and I will execute judgments among you, and all of you who remain I will scatter to all the winds.

11 ‘Therefore, as I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘surely, because you have defiled My sanctuary with all your detestable things and with all your abominations, therefore I will also diminish you; My eye will not spare, nor will I have any pity. 12 One-third of you shall die of the pestilence, and be consumed with famine in your midst; and one-third shall fall by the sword all around you; and I will scatter another third to all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them.

13 ‘Thus shall My anger be spent, and I will cause My fury to rest upon them, and I will be avenged; and they shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it in My zeal, when I have spent My fury upon them. 14 Moreover I will make you a waste and a reproach among the nations that are all around you, in the sight of all who pass by.

15 ‘So it[b] shall be a reproach, a taunt, a lesson, and an astonishment to the nations that are all around you, when I execute judgments among you in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I, the Lord, have spoken. 16 When I send against them the terrible arrows of famine which shall be for destruction, which I will send to destroy you, I will increase the famine upon you and cut off your supply of bread. 17 So I will send against you famine and wild beasts, and they will bereave you. Pestilence and blood shall pass through you, and I will bring the sword against you. I, the Lord, have spoken.’”

Thoughts of Peace and Not of Evil, to give you a Future and a Hope

Many residents of Jerusalem, including the king Jeconiah and the Queen Mother were taken captive to Babylon. However Jeremiah remained in Jerusalem with the puppet king Zedekiah. On this occasion, Jeremiah wrote a letter to the captives in Babylon outlining the will of God for them. God told the people to live a productive life, even as a captive, in Jerusalem. They are told to get married, bear children and be peaceful. Also the Lord told them this will of His and told them not to trust other prophets who tell them something different. So they are not to rebel in Babylon.

The captivity to Babylon is an act of judgment, but it has an end. God planned to restore them within 70 years. God reveals that He is interested in their well being and their future. Back in Judah, they continued their rebellious ways; in  particular Zedekiah and some prophets including Shemaiah and Ahab confronted Jeremiah. Basically they were preaching a false message and was against the true message of Jeremiah that God's will was for them to live in Babylon for a certain time. Due to these false teachings, God punished them and reveal this to Jeremiah.



Jeremiah 29
Jeremiah’s Letter to the Captives

1 Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the remainder of the elders who were carried away captive—to the priests, the prophets, and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 (This happened after Jeconiah the king, the queen mother, the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem.) 3 The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying,

4 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon:

5 Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. 6 Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters—that you may be increased there, and not diminished. 7 And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace. 8 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you, nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed. 9 For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, says the Lord.

10 For thus says the Lord: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.

15 Because you have said, “The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon”— 16 therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king who sits on the throne of David, concerning all the people who dwell in this city, and concerning your brethren who have not gone out with you into captivity— 17 thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will send on them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like rotten figs that cannot be eaten, they are so bad. 18 And I will pursue them with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence; and I will deliver them to trouble among all the kingdoms of the earth—to be a curse, an astonishment, a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations where I have driven them, 19 because they have not heeded My words, says the Lord, which I sent to them by My servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; neither would you heed, says the Lord. 20 Therefore hear the word of the Lord, all you of the captivity, whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon.

21 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who prophesy a lie to you in My name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall slay them before your eyes. 22 And because of them a curse shall be taken up by all the captivity of Judah who are in Babylon, saying, “The Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire”; 23 because they have done disgraceful things in Israel, have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and have spoken lying words in My name, which I have not commanded them. Indeed I know, and am a witness, says the Lord.

24 You shall also speak to Shemaiah the Nehelamite, saying, 25 Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: You have sent letters in your name to all the people who are at Jerusalem, to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying, 26 “The Lord has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, so that there should be officers in the house of the Lord over every man who is demented and considers himself a prophet, that you should put him in prison and in the stocks. 27 Now therefore, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth who makes himself a prophet to you? 28 For he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, ‘This captivity is long; build houses and dwell in them, and plant gardens and eat their fruit.’”

29 Now Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet. 30 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying: 31 Send to all those in captivity, saying, Thus says the Lord concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, and I have not sent him, and he has caused you to trust in a lie— 32 therefore thus says the Lord: Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his family: he shall not have anyone to dwell among this people, nor shall he see the good that I will do for My people, says the Lord, because he has taught rebellion against the Lord.

I have put a Yoke of Iron on the Neck of all these Nations

This appears to be the time in Judah that the Babylonians have set up the puppet king Zedekiah, after capturing King Jeconiah, son of Jehoiakim. A prophet named Hananiah spoke in the temple to the priests and in the presence of Jeremiah. The message of Hananiah was that whatever the Babylonians have taken up until then, God will restore it within two years. As an illustration Hananiah took the symbolic yoke from Jeremiah and broke it.

Initially it appeared that Jeremiah did not doubt the words of Hananiah. Perhaps this is because the Lord had also spoken of restoration of Judah and the people, but not within two years. The God spoke to Jeremiah saying that instead of the yoke of wood which Hananiah broke, there will be a yoke of iron instead. God revealed that Hananiah was speaking falsely. Jeremiah confronted Hananiah with God's word and prophesied that he will be destroyed. Within the same year, Hananiah died.



Jeremiah 28
Hananiah’s Falsehood and Doom

1 And it happened in the same year, at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year and in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of Azur the prophet, who was from Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of the Lord in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying, 2 “Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: ‘I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. 3 Within two full years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the Lord’s house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon. 4 And I will bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah who went to Babylon,’ says the Lord, ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’”

5 Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and in the presence of all the people who stood in the house of the Lord, 6 and the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen! The Lord do so; the Lord perform your words which you have prophesied, to bring back the vessels of the Lord’s house and all who were carried away captive, from Babylon to this place. 7 Nevertheless hear now this word that I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people: 8 The prophets who have been before me and before you of old prophesied against many countries and great kingdoms—of war and disaster and pestilence. 9 As for the prophet who prophesies of peace, when the word of the prophet comes to pass, the prophet will be known as one whom the Lord has truly sent.”

10 Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke off the prophet Jeremiah’s neck and broke it. 11 And Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Even so I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all nations within the space of two full years.’” And the prophet Jeremiah went his way.

12 Now the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, after Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying, 13 “Go and tell Hananiah, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: “You have broken the yokes of wood, but you have made in their place yokes of iron.” 14 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him. I have given him the beasts of the field also.”’”

15 Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Hear now, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, but you make this people trust in a lie. 16 Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will cast you from the face of the earth. This year you shall die, because you have taught rebellion against the Lord.’”

17 So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.

Let Us Shout Joyfully To The Rock Of Our Salvation

This psalm calls for God's people to worship the LORD joyfully with singing and shouting, with psalms. God is recognized to be in control of the whole earth from the deep places to the highest mountains. We are called to worship, bow and kneel and recognize that He is our Maker. A kind reminder to also listen to God and do not turn away when He speaks to us. An example for the reminder is the Israelites who was delivered by God, yet grieved God with their hardness of hearts.



Psalm 95
A Call to Worship and Obedience

 1 Oh come, let us sing to the LORD!
         Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
 2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
         Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
 3 For the LORD is the great God,
         And the great King above all gods.
 4 In His hand are the deep places of the earth;
         The heights of the hills are His also.
 5 The sea is His, for He made it;
         And His hands formed the dry land.
       
 6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
         Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
 7 For He is our God,
         And we are the people of His pasture,
         And the sheep of His hand.
       
         Today, if you will hear His voice:
 8 “Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion,[a]
         As in the day of trial[b] in the wilderness,
 9 When your fathers tested Me;
         They tried Me, though they saw My work.
 10 For forty years I was grieved with that generation,
         And said, ‘It is a people who go astray in their hearts,
         And they do not know My ways.’
 11 So I swore in My wrath,
         ‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ”

Hide Me from the Secret Plots of the Wicked

David's prayer to God to protect him against his enemies. We know that David had many physical enemies, such as Saul and later the enemy nations which he had to fight against. But the enemy in this psalm uses secret plots, uses their tongue to lie and shoot in secret using words.
These enemies plot evil schemes rather than attack directly in battle. They "lay snares secretly" and "devise iniquities" and "shrewd schemes". So these particular enemies may be in David's court itself. In fact David did face a plot of rebellion from his son Absalom.
In any case, David's way to battle such enemies, like other enemies, is to bring it before God. He trusts that God will be just and will fight for those who are righteous and upright.

Psalm 64
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
 1 Hear my voice, O God, in my meditation;
         Preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
 2 Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
         From the rebellion of the workers of iniquity,
 3 Who sharpen their tongue like a sword,
         And bend their bows to shoot their arrows—bitter words,
 4 That they may shoot in secret at the blameless;
         Suddenly they shoot at him and do not fear.
        
 5 They encourage themselves in an evil matter;
         They talk of laying snares secretly;
         They say, “Who will see them?”
 6 They devise iniquities:
         “We have perfected a shrewd scheme.”
         Both the inward thought and the heart of man are deep.
        
 7 But God shall shoot at them with an arrow;
         Suddenly they shall be wounded.
 8 So He will make them stumble over their own tongue;
         All who see them shall flee away.
 9 All men shall fear,
         And shall declare the work of God;
         For they shall wisely consider His doing.
        
 10 The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and trust in Him.
         And all the upright in heart shall glory.

Letter to Artaxerxes Opposing Rebuilding of Temple and Jerusalem

When the Israelites planned to build the whole Temple in Jerusalem, there were some inhabitants who worked to oppose them. These opposition seemed to be non-Israelites who were brought there, perhaps by the conquering Assyrians. They mentioned they know and have sacrificed to the God of Israel, indicating they were not originally from Israel. The leaders of the rebuilding project, Zerubbabel and Jeshua refused to let them participate in the rebuilding, perhaps sensing their true motive to spoil the project.

They continued to oppose the rebuilding of the Temple through the reigns of Cyrus, Darius, Ahasuerus and Artaxerxes. The Word of God also records a transcript of their letter of opposition to the ruling Persian king in their efforts to stop the rebuilding process. The letters spread lies that the Israelites were planning rebellion and sedition and that when the walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt, then they will no longer pay tribute to Persia.

The Persian king Artaxerxes, upon reading the letter, ordered that the rebuilding be stopped immediately. This order was enforced by force and so the rebuilding of the Temple had to stop. At this stage the Israelites would have been disappointed, this interruption was just temporary, since nothing could stop the will and plan of God which was to complete the rebuilding of the Temple.



Ezra 4

Resistance to Rebuilding the Temple

 1 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the descendants of the captivity were building the temple of the LORD God of Israel, 2 they came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers’ houses, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.” 3 But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel said to them, “You may do nothing with us to build a house for our God; but we alone will build to the LORD God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.” 4 Then the people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah. They troubled them in building, 5 and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Rebuilding of Jerusalem Opposed
 
6 In the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
7 In the days of Artaxerxes also, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabel, and the rest of their companions wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the letter was written in Aramaic script, and translated into the Aramaic language. 8 Rehum[a] the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes in this fashion:
 9 From[b] Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions—representatives of the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the people of Persia and Erech and Babylon and Shushan,[c] the Dehavites, the Elamites, 10 and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnapper took captive and settled in the cities of Samaria and the remainder beyond the River[d]—and so forth.[e]
11 (This is a copy of the letter that they sent him)

   To King Artaxerxes from your servants, the men of the region beyond the River, and so forth:[f]

 12 Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came up from you have come to us at Jerusalem, and are building the rebellious and evil city, and are finishing its walls and repairing the foundations. 13 Let it now be known to the king that, if this city is built and the walls completed, they will not pay tax, tribute, or custom, and the king’s treasury will be diminished. 14 Now because we receive support from the palace, it was not proper for us to see the king’s dishonor; therefore we have sent and informed the king, 15 that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. And you will find in the book of the records and know that this city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces, and that they have incited sedition within the city in former times, for which cause this city was destroyed.

 16 We inform the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, the result will be that you will have no dominion beyond the River.
17 The king sent an answer:

   To Rehum the commander, to Shimshai the scribe, to the rest of their companions who dwell in Samaria, and to the remainder beyond the River:

   Peace, and so forth.[g]

 18 The letter which you sent to us has been clearly read before me. 19 And I gave the command, and a search has been made, and it was found that this city in former times has revolted against kings, and rebellion and sedition have been fostered in it. 20 There have also been mighty kings over Jerusalem, who have ruled over all the region beyond the River; and tax, tribute, and custom were paid to them. 21 Now give the command to make these men cease, that this city may not be built until the command is given by me.

 22 Take heed now that you do not fail to do this. Why should damage increase to the hurt of the kings?
23 Now when the copy of King Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, Shimshai

Jeroboam's Revolt Against Rehoboam

Solomon had passed his kingdom to his son Rehoboam. There had been various prophecies before that the kingdom of Israel will break apart due to a variety of reasons such as the sins of David and Solomon. But being a merciful God, He has always shown grace when his people turn towards Him. However, this was not the case for Rehoboam.

Unlike David and Solomon who turned to God at crucial point of their lives, Rehoboam turned to the advice of his peers, he would not even listen to the elderly advisers. Jeroboam who had fled from Solomon, returned to see if they would be treated well by the new king. On the advice of his friends, Rehoboam antagonised Jeroboam. The result was that Jeroboam led a rebellion to break away from Rehoboam's kingdom. Essentially all the tribes of Israel left with Jeroboam to form the nation of Israel while Rehoboam's kingdom became limited to Judah and Benjamin.



2 Chronicles 10

The Revolt Against Rehoboam

 1 And Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone to Shechem to make him king. 2 So it happened, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard it (he was in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon), that Jeroboam returned from Egypt. 3 Then they sent for him and called him. And Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, 4 “Your father made our yoke heavy; now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.”
5 So he said to them, “Come back to me after three days.” And the people departed.
6 Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who stood before his father Solomon while he still lived, saying, “How do you advise me to answer these people?”
7 And they spoke to him, saying, “If you are kind to these people, and please them, and speak good words to them, they will be your servants forever.”
8 But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him. 9 And he said to them, “What advice do you give? How should we answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’?”
10 Then the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, “Thus you should speak to the people who have spoken to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter on us’—thus you shall say to them: ‘My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s waist! 11 And now, whereas my father put a heavy yoke on you, I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!’”[a]
12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had directed, saying, “Come back to me the third day.” 13 Then the king answered them roughly. King Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders, 14 and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, “My father[b] made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!”[c] 15 So the king did not listen to the people; for the turn of events was from God, that the LORD might fulfill His word, which He had spoken by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
16 Now when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying:

      “What share have we in David?
      We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse.
      Every man to your tents, O Israel!
      Now see to your own house, O David!”
So all Israel departed to their tents. 17 But Rehoboam reigned over the children of Israel who dwelt in the cities of Judah.
18 Then King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was in charge of revenue; but the children of Israel stoned him with stones, and he died. Therefore King Rehoboam mounted his chariot in haste to flee to Jerusalem. 19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.

Rebellion of Sheba, Joab Murders Amasa

This chapter again proved that when David fled Jerusalem from Absalom, it was not because his military strength had grown weak. This chapter's events after David re-entered Jerusalem after Absalom was defeated. Here there was another rebellion among the Israelites, led by Sheba the son of Bichri, a Benjamite. David wasted no time in mobilising his men, especially Joab and Abishai, and they easily crushed Sheba's rebellion.

In previous chapters, Amasa was the commander of Absalom's army. When Absalom was defeated, David took in Amasa and mentioned that Amasa could serve him and even replace Joab. We don't really know if that had been fulfilled. But when David's men went to chase Sheba to end the rebellion, Joab took advantage of the battle conditions and murdered Amasa.


2 Samuel 20

The Rebellion of Sheba

 1 And there happened to be there a rebel,[a] whose name was Sheba the son of Bichri, a Benjamite. And he blew a trumpet, and said:

      “We have no share in David,
      Nor do we have inheritance in the son of Jesse;
      Every man to his tents, O Israel!”
 2 So every man of Israel deserted David, and followed Sheba the son of Bichri. But the men of Judah, from the Jordan as far as Jerusalem, remained loyal to their king.
3 Now David came to his house at Jerusalem. And the king took the ten women, his concubines whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in seclusion and supported them, but did not go in to them. So they were shut up to the day of their death, living in widowhood.
4 And the king said to Amasa, “Assemble the men of Judah for me within three days, and be present here yourself.” 5 So Amasa went to assemble the men of Judah. But he delayed longer than the set time which David had appointed him. 6 And David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom. Take your lord’s servants and pursue him, lest he find for himself fortified cities, and escape us.” 7 So Joab’s men, with the Cherethites, the Pelethites, and all the mighty men, went out after him. And they went out of Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri. 8 When they were at the large stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa came before them. Now Joab was dressed in battle armor; on it was a belt with a sword fastened in its sheath at his hips; and as he was going forward, it fell out. 9 Then Joab said to Amasa, “Are you in health, my brother?” And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. 10 But Amasa did not notice the sword that was in Joab’s hand. And he struck him with it in the stomach, and his entrails poured out on the ground; and he did not strike him again. Thus he died.
Then Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri. 11 Meanwhile one of Joab’s men stood near Amasa, and said, “Whoever favors Joab and whoever is for David—follow Joab!” 12 But Amasa wallowed in his blood in the middle of the highway. And when the man saw that all the people stood still, he moved Amasa from the highway to the field and threw a garment over him, when he saw that everyone who came upon him halted. 13 When he was removed from the highway, all the people went on after Joab to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.
14 And he went through all the tribes of Israel to Abel and Beth Maachah and all the Berites. So they were gathered together and also went after Sheba.[b] 15 Then they came and besieged him in Abel of Beth Maachah; and they cast up a siege mound against the city, and it stood by the rampart. And all the people who were with Joab battered the wall to throw it down.
16 Then a wise woman cried out from the city, “Hear, hear! Please say to Joab, ‘Come nearby, that I may speak with you.’” 17 When he had come near to her, the woman said, “Are you Joab?”
He answered, “I am.”
Then she said to him, “Hear the words of your maidservant.”
And he answered, “I am listening.”
18 So she spoke, saying, “They used to talk in former times, saying, ‘They shall surely seek guidance at Abel,’ and so they would end disputes. 19 I am among the peaceable and faithful in Israel. You seek to destroy a city and a mother in Israel. Why would you swallow up the inheritance of the LORD?”
20 And Joab answered and said, “Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy! 21 That is not so. But a man from the mountains of Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, has raised his hand against the king, against David. Deliver him only, and I will depart from the city.”
So the woman said to Joab, “Watch, his head will be thrown to you over the wall.” 22 Then the woman in her wisdom went to all the people. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and threw it out to Joab. Then he blew a trumpet, and they withdrew from the city, every man to his tent. So Joab returned to the king at Jerusalem.

David’s Government Officers

 
23 And JoabBenaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; 24 Adoram was in charge of revenue; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; 25 Sheva was scribe; Zadok and Abiathar were the priests; 26 and Ira the Jairite was a chief minister under David.

Saul Rejected as King

So far we have seen Saul stumbling concerning things of the LORD, on various occasions he made mistakes which may be offensive to God, such as conducting offerings which was supposed to be done by priests or making oaths he was bound to fail to keep. In this chapter is one of the more serious offense that Saul did which can even be considered as rebellious and arrogant.

After all these years, the LORD finally moved to punish the Amalekites for their ambush on Israel when they first came out of Egypt. Samuel had just anoint Saul as king again and specifically directed Saul to destroy the Amalekites and spare no one. Saul however decided to spare the Amalekite King Agag after he was victorious against the Amalekites.

What Saul did was "evil in the sight of the LORD". Saul's intention was that he spared King Agag, and also spared the best of the sheep and oxen to sacrifice of the LORD. His intention must have been very right in his own eyes. The only problem was that was not how God saw it, in fact, Saul violated God's command to fulfill what he thought was right. In a deeper level, such thoughts mean the person such as Saul, thought that God was wrong and they were right.

The effect of the transgression was that God rejected Saul as King, the kingdom will not be continued in the line of Saul and "the LORD regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel". Samuel expressed it accurately by saying:
      “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
      As in obeying the voice of the LORD?
      Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
      And to heed than the fat of rams.


1 Samuel 15

Saul Spares King Agag

 1 Samuel also said to Saul, “The LORD sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the LORD. 2 Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. 3 Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”
4 So Saul gathered the people together and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men of Judah. 5 And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and lay in wait in the valley.
6 Then Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, depart, get down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. For you showed kindness to all the children of Israel when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. 7 And Saul attacked the Amalekites, from Havilah all the way to Shur, which is east of Egypt. 8 He also took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. 9 But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.


Saul Rejected as King
  
10 Now the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying, 11 “I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments.” And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the LORD all night. 12 So when Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul, it was told Samuel, saying, “Saul went to Carmel, and indeed, he set up a monument for himself; and he has gone on around, passed by, and gone down to Gilgal.” 13 Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of the LORD! I have performed the commandment of the LORD.”
14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?”
15 And Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to the LORD your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.”
16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Be quiet! And I will tell you what the LORD said to me last night.”
And he said to him, “Speak on.”
17 So Samuel said, “When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the LORD anoint you king over Israel? 18 Now the LORD sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ 19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the LORD?”
20 And Saul said to Samuel, “But I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and gone on the mission on which the LORD sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21 But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal.”
22 So Samuel said:
      “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
      As in obeying the voice of the LORD?

      And to heed than the fat of rams.
 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,
      And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
      Because you have rejected the word of the LORD,
      He also has rejected you from being king.”
24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. 25 Now therefore, please pardon my sin, and return with me, that I may worship the LORD.”
26 But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel.”
27 And as Samuel turned around to go away, Saul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore. 28 So Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you. 29 And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor relent. For He is not a man, that He should relent.”
30 Then he said, “I have sinned; yet honor me now, please, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship the LORD your God.” 31 So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul worshiped the LORD.
32 Then Samuel said, “Bring Agag king of the Amalekites here to me.” So Agag came to him cautiously.
And Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.”
33 But Samuel said, “As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.” And Samuel hacked Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.
34 Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house at Gibeah of Saul. 35 And Samuel went no more to see Saul until the day of his death. Nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul, and the LORD regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.

God Inaugurates Joshua as Leader of Israel

Moses publicly hands over the leadership of Israel to Joshua. Moses accepted God's judgement on him that he should not be able to go into the Promised Land. A tradition was also initiated as Moses instructed the Levi priests to Read the Law to the entire Israel every seven years when they come together at the Feast of the Tabernacles.

Then both Joshua and Moses when into the tabernacle to receive instructions from God and for God to inaugurate Joshua. There, God also revealed the future that Israelites will rebel agains God and God will not save them from their enemies. God then told Moses to write a song that describes the prophecies that God revealed, that even though God led them out of Egypt and supplied for them, the Israelites would break the covenant and turn away from God. Moses was then to teach the song to the Israelites so that they would all know the prophecies.


Deuteronomy 31

Joshua the New Leader of Israel

 1 Then Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. 2 And he said to them: “I am one hundred and twenty years old today. I can no longer go out and come in. Also the LORD has said to me, ‘You shall not cross over this Jordan.’ 3 The LORD your God Himself crosses over before you; He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua himself crosses over before you, just as the LORD has said. 4 And the LORD will do to them as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites and their land, when He destroyed them. 5 The LORD will give them over to you, that you may do to them according to every commandment which I have commanded you. 6 Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
7 Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. 8 And the LORD, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”


The Law to Be Read Every Seven Years

9 So Moses wrote this law and delivered it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and to all the elders of Israel. 10 And Moses commanded them, saying: “At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the year of release, at the Feast of Tabernacles, 11 when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. 12 Gather the people together, men and women and little ones, and the stranger who is within your gates, that they may hear and that they may learn to fear the LORD your God and carefully observe all the words of this law, 13 and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God as long as you live in the land which you cross the Jordan to possess.”


Prediction of Israel’s Rebellion
 
14 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, the days approach when you must die; call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of meeting, that I may inaugurate him.”
So Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves in the tabernacle of meeting. 15 Now the LORD appeared at the tabernacle in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood above the door of the tabernacle.
16 And the LORD said to Moses: “Behold, you will rest with your fathers; and this people will rise and play the harlot with the gods of the foreigners of the land, where they go to be among them, and they will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them. 17 Then My anger shall be aroused against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them, and they shall be devoured. And many evils and troubles shall befall them, so that they will say in that day, ‘Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?’ 18 And I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil which they have done, in that they have turned to other gods.
19 “Now therefore, write down this song for yourselves, and teach it to the children of Israel; put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for Me against the children of Israel. 20 When I have brought them to the land flowing with milk and honey, of which I swore to their fathers, and they have eaten and filled themselves and grown fat, then they will turn to other gods and serve them; and they will provoke Me and break My covenant. 21 Then it shall be, when many evils and troubles have come upon them, that this song will testify against them as a witness; for it will not be forgotten in the mouths of their descendants, for I know the inclination of their behavior today, even before I have brought them to the land of which I swore to give them.”
22 Therefore Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the children of Israel. 23 Then He inaugurated Joshua the son of Nun, and said, “Be strong and of good courage; for you shall bring the children of Israel into the land of which I swore to them, and I will be with you.”
24 So it was, when Moses had completed writing the words of this law in a book, when they were finished, 25 that Moses commanded the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying: 26 “Take this Book of the Law, and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there as a witness against you; 27 for I know your rebellion and your stiff neck. If today, while I am yet alive with you, you have been rebellious against the LORD, then how much more after my death? 28 Gather to me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their hearing and call heaven and earth to witness against them. 29 For I know that after my death you will become utterly corrupt, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you. And evil will befall you in the latter days, because you will do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger through the work of your hands.”


The Song of Moses
 
30 Then Moses spoke in the hearing of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song until they were ended:

Moses Reminiscing of Failed Entry into Canaan

This is one of the final speeches by Moses to the Israelites as God prepared them for the handover of Moses' leadership and entry into the promised land. Moses reminded them that they had now a well structured government that does not depend on a single leader but had a hierarchy of leadership from the local / tribal leaders upwards. This is a form of goverment similar to many modern democracies.

Moses also reminded them of how they were supposed to conquer the land of Canaan as the Promised Land but the Israelites refused to obey and trust God after reports that the inhabitants were giants. As a result God passed judgement that the Israelites were set to wander the desert for 40 years and the present generation would pass away except Joshua and Caleb who will enter Canaan with the next generation. Even when Israel tried to repent, they again rebelled by trying to later conquer Canaan against the Lord's wishes and were defeated by the Amorites.


Deuteronomy 1

The Previous Command to Enter Canaan

 1 These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel on this side of the Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain[a] opposite Suph,[b] between Paran, Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab. 2 It is eleven days’ journey from Horeb by way of Mount Seir to Kadesh Barnea. 3 Now it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spoke to the children of Israel according to all that the LORD had given him as commandments to them, 4 after he had killed Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who dwelt at Ashtaroth in[c] Edrei.
5 On this side of the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this law, saying, 6 “The LORD our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying: ‘You have dwelt long enough at this mountain. 7 Turn and take your journey, and go to the mountains of the Amorites, to all the neighboring places in the plain,[d] in the mountains and in the lowland, in the South and on the seacoast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the River Euphrates. 8 See, I have set the land before you; go in and possess the land which the LORD swore to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—to give to them and their descendants after them.’

Tribal Leaders Appointed
 
9 “And I spoke to you at that time, saying: ‘I alone am not able to bear you. 10 The LORD your God has multiplied you, and here you are today, as the stars of heaven in multitude. 11 May the LORD God of your fathers make you a thousand times more numerous than you are, and bless you as He has promised you! 12 How can I alone bear your problems and your burdens and your complaints? 13 Choose wise, understanding, and knowledgeable men from among your tribes, and I will make them heads over you.’ 14 And you answered me and said, ‘The thing which you have told us to do is good.’ 15 So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and knowledgeable men, and made them heads over you, leaders of thousands, leaders of hundreds, leaders of fifties, leaders of tens, and officers for your tribes.
16 “Then I commanded your judges at that time, saying, ‘Hear the cases between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the stranger who is with him. 17 You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid in any man’s presence, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too hard for you, bring to me, and I will hear it.’ 18 And I commanded you at that time all the things which you should do.


Israel’s Refusal to Enter the Land
 
19 “So we departed from Horeb, and went through all that great and terrible wilderness which you saw on the way to the mountains of the Amorites, as the LORD our God had commanded us. Then we came to Kadesh Barnea. 20 And I said to you, ‘You have come to the mountains of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is giving us. 21 Look, the LORD your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as the LORD God of your fathers has spoken to you; do not fear or be discouraged.’
22 “And every one of you came near to me and said, ‘Let us send men before us, and let them search out the land for us, and bring back word to us of the way by which we should go up, and of the cities into which we shall come.’
23 “The plan pleased me well; so I took twelve of your men, one man from each tribe. 24 And they departed and went up into the mountains, and came to the Valley of Eshcol, and spied it out. 25 They also took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us; and they brought back word to us, saying, ‘It is a good land which the LORD our God is giving us.’
26 “Nevertheless you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the LORD your God; 27 and you complained in your tents, and said, ‘Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. 28 Where can we go up? Our brethren have discouraged our hearts, saying, “The people are greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.”’
29 “Then I said to you, ‘Do not be terrified, or afraid of them. 30 The LORD your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, 31 and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.’ 32 Yet, for all that, you did not believe the LORD your God, 33 who went in the way before you to search out a place for you to pitch your tents, to show you the way you should go, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day.

The Penalty for Israel’s Rebellion
 
34 “And the LORD heard the sound of your words, and was angry, and took an oath, saying, 35 ‘Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land of which I swore to give to your fathers, 36 except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him and his children I am giving the land on which he walked, because he wholly followed the LORD.’ 37 The LORD was also angry with me for your sakes, saying, ‘Even you shall not go in there. 38 Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall go in there. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.
39 ‘Moreover your little ones and your children, who you say will be victims, who today have no knowledge of good and evil, they shall go in there; to them I will give it, and they shall possess it. 40 But as for you, turn and take your journey into the wilderness by the Way of the Red Sea.’
41 “Then you answered and said to me, ‘We have sinned against the LORD; we will go up and fight, just as the LORD our God commanded us.’ And when everyone of you had girded on his weapons of war, you were ready to go up into the mountain.
42 “And the LORD said to me, ‘Tell them, “Do not go up nor fight, for I am not among you; lest you be defeated before your enemies.”’ 43 So I spoke to you; yet you would not listen, but rebelled against the command of the LORD, and presumptuously went up into the mountain. 44 And the Amorites who dwelt in that mountain came out against you and chased you as bees do, and drove you back from Seir to Hormah. 45 Then you returned and wept before the LORD, but the LORD would not listen to your voice nor give ear to you.
46 “So you remained in Kadesh many days, according to the days that you spent there.

Elihu Proclaims God’s Justice

Elihu starts by describing Job as being somewhat self-righteous and deluded that a mere mortal can claim that they are right and that God does wicked things. Of course God does no evil since he cannot stand evil and He is totally Good. At the end of this passage, Elihu adds rebellion to Job's sins. Despite these accusations, we see some of Elihu's description of a Just and Good God worth remembering. Of particular interest is in v14 where Elihu makes references to the Spirit and His breath. Note that the Spirit of God was as agent of Creation at the beginning. Also it was His breath that he breathe into the lifeless body of Adam to bring him to life.

Job 34

 1 Elihu further answered and said:
 2 “Hear my words, you wise men;      Give ear to me, you who have knowledge.
 3 For the ear tests words      As the palate tastes food.
 4 Let us choose justice for ourselves;      Let us know among ourselves what is good.
 5 “For Job has said, ‘I am righteous,      But God has taken away my justice;
 6 Should I lie concerning my right?      My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’
 7 What man is like Job,      Who drinks scorn like water,
 8 Who goes in company with the workers of iniquity,      And walks with wicked men?
 9 For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing      That he should delight in God.’
 10 “ Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding:      Far be it from God to do wickedness,
      And from the Almighty to commit iniquity.
 11 For He repays man according to his work,      And makes man to find a reward according to his way.
 12 Surely God will never do wickedly,      Nor will the Almighty pervert justice.
 13 Who gave Him charge over the earth?      Or who appointed Him over the whole world?
 14 If He should set His heart on it,      If He should gather to Himself His Spirit and His breath,
 15 All flesh would perish together,      And man would return to dust.
 16 “If you have understanding, hear this;      Listen to the sound of my words:
 17 Should one who hates justice govern?      Will you condemn Him who is most just?
 18 Is it fitting to say to a king, ‘You are worthless,’      And to nobles, ‘You are wicked’?
 19 Yet He is not partial to princes,      Nor does He regard the rich more than the poor;
     For they are all the work of His hands.
 20 In a moment they die, in the middle of the night;      The people are shaken and pass away;
      The mighty are taken away without a hand.
 21 “For His eyes are on the ways of man,      And He sees all his steps.
 22 There is no darkness nor shadow of death      Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.
 23 For He need not further consider a man,      That he should go before God in judgment.
 24 He breaks in pieces mighty men without inquiry,      And sets others in their place.
 25 Therefore He knows their works;      He overthrows them in the night,       And they are crushed.
 26 He strikes them as wicked men      In the open sight of others,
 27 Because they turned back from Him,      And would not consider any of His ways,
 28 So that they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him;      For He hears the cry of the afflicted.
 29 When He gives quietness, who then can make trouble?      And when He hides His face, who then can see Him,
      Whether it is against a nation or a man alone?—
 30 That the hypocrite should not reign,      Lest the people be ensnared.
 31 “For has anyone said to God,      ‘I have borne chastening;      I will offend no more;
 32 Teach me what I do not see;      If I have done iniquity, I will do no more’?
 33 Should He repay it according to your terms,      Just because you disavow it?
      You must choose, and not I;       Therefore speak what you know.
 34 “Men of understanding say to me,      Wise men who listen to me:
 35 ‘Job speaks without knowledge,      His words are without wisdom.’
 36 Oh, that Job were tried to the utmost,      Because his answers are like those of wicked men!
 37 For he adds rebellion to his sin;      He claps his hands among us,       And multiplies his words against God.”