The Jews: Punished For: Changing the Ordinances
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Throughout the biblical narrative, the Jewish people are depicted as God's chosen nation, entrusted with His laws and ordinances. However, there are instances where they faced divine punishment for deviating from these divine instructions. One significant aspect of this deviation is the changing or neglecting of God's ordinances.

Biblical Context

The ordinances given to the Israelites were part of the covenant established between God and His people. These laws were meant to set them apart as a holy nation and a kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:5-6). The ordinances included moral, ceremonial, and civil laws that governed every aspect of their lives.

Instances of Punishment

1. Isaiah's Prophecy: The prophet Isaiah speaks directly to the issue of changing ordinances. In Isaiah 24:5-6 , it is written, "The earth is defiled by its inhabitants, for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse has consumed the earth, and its inhabitants must bear the guilt; therefore the earth’s dwellers have been burned, and only a few survive." This passage highlights the consequences of altering God's statutes, leading to a curse upon the land and its people.

2. Jeremiah's Rebuke: Jeremiah, another major prophet, also addresses the issue of forsaking God's law. In Jeremiah 11:10 , it states, "They have returned to the sins of their forefathers who refused to obey My words and have followed other gods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken the covenant I made with their fathers." Here, the breaking of the covenant is linked to idolatry and disobedience, resulting in divine punishment.

3. Ezekiel's Lament: The prophet Ezekiel laments the rebellion of the Israelites in Ezekiel 20:24 , "because they had not obeyed My ordinances, but had rejected My statutes and profaned My Sabbaths, and their eyes were set on the idols of their fathers." The neglect of God's ordinances, including the Sabbath, is associated with idolatry and results in severe consequences.

Theological Implications

The changing of ordinances is seen as a direct affront to God's authority and holiness. It signifies a breach of the covenant relationship, which was foundational to Israel's identity and mission. The punishments described in the Scriptures serve as a reminder of the seriousness with which God views His laws and the expectations He has for His people to uphold them.

Historical Consequences

Historically, the Jewish people experienced various forms of punishment for their disobedience, including exile and subjugation by foreign powers. The Babylonian exile is a prime example, where the Israelites were removed from their land as a result of their persistent idolatry and failure to adhere to God's commands (2 Chronicles 36:15-21).

Conclusion

The biblical narrative underscores the importance of faithfulness to God's ordinances. The Jewish people's experiences serve as a testament to the consequences of altering divine laws and the enduring call to uphold the covenant with God.
Torrey's Topical Textbook
Isaiah 24:5
The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Sinner's Excuses Answered
... in war to death, God authorized the Jews in certain ... Jesus was not in any sense punished;
He only ... Changing the ruling preference, the governing purpose of the ...
/.../finney/sermons on gospel themes/vi the sinners excuses answered.htm

Matt. xix. 1
... I mean, that the Jews went away having learnt ... a few desperate fugitives, wandering
and changing from place ... pay a penalty here, and there be punished without end ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on the gospel of saint matthew/homily lxii matt xix 1.htm

The Fourth Commandment
... The grand reason for changing the Jewish Sabbath to the ... His sin was monstrous, and
it was punished with a ... The Lord threatened the Jews, that if they would not ...
/.../watson/the ten commandments/2 4 the fourth commandment.htm

V. ...
... gropes like a blind man,"is ever changing from this ... the epistle to the Gentiles and
not to the Jews. ... these, when they injure others, may be punished, so that ...
/.../the epistles of st peter and st jude preached and explained/chapter ii v .htm

The Third Book
... of his voice to the action without changing the feeling ... Of the Jews five times received
I forty stripes save ... is flogged or roughly put out or punished by some ...
//christianbookshelf.org/salvian/on the government of god/the third book.htm

Confessio Augustana.
... God's own ordinances, and that in such ordinances we should ... And perhaps the world
is punished for so long a ... to mind the history; because that the Jews also and ...
/.../the creeds of the evangelical protestant churches/confessio augustana.htm

The Last Days of the Old Eastern World
... a cause of anxiety to the empire; to leave it unpunished would have been an avowal
of weakness or timidity, which would not fail to be quickly punished in Syria ...
/.../chapter iithe last days of 2.htm

Period I: the Imperial State Church of the Undivided Empire, or ...
... in the East, who have hitherto kept this festival with the Jews, will henceforth ...
to the fisc, and likewise rectors of provinces are to be punished if they ...
/.../ayer/a source book for ancient church history/period i the imperial state.htm

The Medes and the Second Chaldaean Empire
... long as these latter held the reins of government; their removal from office had
been, as it were, the signal for a welcome change in the fortunes of the Jews. ...
/.../chapter iiithe medes and the.htm

Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ;
... Those intended in this text are the Jews, even all of them, by the first all ... There
is also at this day a formal customary coming to his ordinances and ways of ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/come and welcome to jesus.htm

Resources
What does it mean that Jesus is the King of the Jews? | GotQuestions.org

Who are the Ashkenazi Jews? Are the Ashkenazim truly Jews? | GotQuestions.org

Who are the Jews for Jesus, and what do they believe? | GotQuestions.org

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The Jews: Punished For: Breaking Covenant
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