0121. God's Curse On Israel Because of Her Anti-Missionary Spirit

God’s Curse On Israel Because of Her Anti-Missionary Spirit

"Give glory to the Lord your God, before He cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, He turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness" (Jer_13:16).

These words follow the words that mark Israel’s failure to be truly missionary.

In Jeremiah 13 we have a graphic story. God told Jeremiah to take a white, linen girdle and tie it about his loins. Then, afterward, he told him to put the girdle under a rock by the Euphrates’ bank. Later Jeremiah was commanded to wear the soiled and filthy girdle before the people. When he was asked why he did so, his answer was to be: "After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem. This evil people * * shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing. For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto Me the whole House of Israel and the whole House of Judah, saith the Lord; that they might be unto Me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear". Then follows the awful judgments of the Lord. And these judgments fell upon Israel, and still are over Israel, all because she refused to be unto God for a people, and a name, and a praise, and a glory–that is because she was selfish, and anti-missionary.

Jesus Christ passed by and saw a fig tree, and finding no fruit thereupon, He said, "Let no fruit grow on thee henceforth for ever". The next day the disciples marveled: "Master, behold, the fig tree which Thou cursedst is withered away". And Israel is cut down, because she was fruitless. She failed God in His great purpose of making her a blessing to the nations of the world, therefore did God cause darkness to fall upon her.

Autor: R.E. NEIGHBOUR