Israel's Punishment

Question: Why did/is God punishing Israel?

Answer: The 5 courses of Israel's judgment are the 5 levels of punishment that God put on them when they made the Mosaic Law covenant with Him at Mt. Sinai.

Those 5 courses are found in Leviticus 26 (and Deu 28), and are laid out like this:

Lev 26:1-13...God lays out how he will bless them IF they keep His covenant perfectly!

But in v. 15-15 He lays out how He will curse them if they don't!

v. 16-17...I also will do  this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror,  consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow  of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you.

This is the FIRST course of judgment!

The second course is found in verses 18-20...And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish  you seven times  more  for your sins.

And I will break  the pride  of your power;  and I will make  your heaven  as iron,  and your earth  as brass: And your strength  shall be spent  in vain:  for your land  shall not yield  her increase,  neither shall the trees  of the land  yield  their fruits.

The third course is found in verses 21-22...And if ye walk  contrary  unto me, and will  not hearken  unto me; I will bring  seven times  more  plagues  upon you according to your sins.

22.I will also send  wild  beasts  among you, which shall rob you of your children  , and destroy  your cattle,  and make you few in number  ; and your high ways  shall be desolate  .

The fourth course is found in verses 23-26...And if ye will not be reformed  by me by these things, but will walk  contrary  unto me;

24.Then will I also walk  contrary  unto you, and will punish  you yet  seven times  for your sins.

25.And I will bring  a sword  upon you, that shall avenge  the quarrel  of my covenant:  and when ye are gathered together  within  your cities,  I will send  the pestilence  among  you; and ye shall be delivered  into the hand  of the enemy  .

26.And when I have broken  the staff  of your bread,  ten  women  shall bake  your bread  in one  oven,  and they shall deliver  you your bread  again  by weight:  and ye shall eat  , and not be satisfied  .

And lastly, the fifth course of judgment (THE ONE THAT THE NATION OF ISRAEL IN IN RIGHT NOW!!!) is found in verses 27-39....And if ye will not for all this  hearken  unto me, but walk  contrary  unto me;

28.Then I will walk  contrary  unto you also in fury;  and I, even  I, will chastise  you seven times  for your sins.

29.And ye shall eat  the flesh  of your sons,  and the flesh  of your daughters  shall ye eat  .

30.And I will destroy  your high places,  and cut down  your images,  and cast  your carcases  upon the carcases  of your idols,  and my soul  shall abhor  you.

31.And I will make  your cities  waste,  and bring  your sanctuaries  unto desolation  , and I will not smell  the savour  of your sweet odours.

32.And I will bring  the land  into desolation  : and your enemies  which dwell  therein shall be astonished  at it.

33.And I will scatter  you among the heathen,  and will draw out  a sword  after  you: and your land  shall be desolate,  and your cities  waste.

34.Then shall the land  enjoy  her sabbaths,  as long  as it lieth desolate  , and ye be in your enemies  ' land;  even then shall the land  rest  , and enjoy  her sabbaths.

35.As long as  it lieth desolate  it shall rest  ; because it did not rest  in your sabbaths,  when ye dwelt  upon it.

36.And upon them that are left  alive of you I will send  a faintness  into their hearts  in the lands  of their enemies  ; and the sound  of a shaken  leaf  shall chase  them; and they shall flee  , as fleeing  from a sword;  and they shall fall  when none pursueth  .

37.And they shall fall  one  upon another,  as it were before  a sword,  when none pursueth  : and ye shall have no power to stand  before  your enemies  .

38.And ye shall perish  among the heathen,  and the land  of your enemies  shall eat you up  .

39.And they that are left  of you shall pine away  in their iniquity  in your enemies  ' lands;  and also in the iniquities  of their fathers.

The fact that Israel (TRUE Israel...the one over there today is NOT God's Israel, but man's!)...is scattered among the heathen AND that the heathen is in their homeland is proof that Israel is still under those 5 courses of judgment today!