Why were the Israelites exiled out of the Promised Land?

I've been putting together my notes for OT2 and this is such a huge question, covering all of the Former Prophets.

1. Rebellion against the Lord.

This began even as Moses led them out of Egypt: 'the whole community grumbled' (Ex 16:2). They spent 40 years in the wilderness because of this!

At the end of the book of Joshua, he gives the people a strong reminder that they need to obey the Law (Josh 23:6). If they fail, the consequence will be exile:
'If you violate the covenant of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, and go and serve other gods... the Lord's anger will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from the good land He has given you.' (Josh 23:16).

During the time of the Judges, as Joshua's generation dies, 'another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what He had done for Israel. Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals.' (Judges 2:10-11). Consequently, they were routed by their enemies and God raised up Judges to save them. 'Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshipped them.' (Judges 2:17)

Even the Judges themselves were dubious heroes; Gideon lacked decisive faith and made a golden ephod which became a snare to Israel, Jephthah made a rash vow which resulted in him killing his own daughter, and Samson's life was full of compromise instead of being a true Nazirite.

The ending of the book shows moral chaos in the gruesome story of the Levite and his concubine, which threatens to destroy the unity of Israel by causing civil war and the near cutting-off of the Benjaminites.

2. Lack of godly leadership.

The chaos in Judges is attributed to the fact there is no king; 'everyone did as they saw fit' (Judges 21:25).
The people in 1 Samuel demand a king. As Samuel presents Saul to them, he gives them a solemn warning:
'if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the Lord your God- good! But if you do not obey the Lord, and if you rebel against His commands, His hand will be against you.' (1 Sam 12:14-15)

No sooner is Saul declared king than he goes against God's Word and offers up the burnt offering himself instead of waiting for Samuel, the priest. Samuel tells him that because of this his kingdom will not ensure and God has sought out 'a man after his own heart' (1 Sam 13:14). Saul repeatedly tries to do things his own way, instead of obeying God. In the rest of 1 Samuel, we see his deterioration into madness, paranoia and murderous thoughts towards David, despite David's righteous conduct and refusal to touch the Lord's anointed (see 1 Sam 24).

When David finally becomes king, and he is the best of the kings, he commits adultery and murder in a terrible sequence of events (2 Sam 11).

The majority of the kings in 1 & 2 Kings commit terrible acts in the eyes of the Lord, and lead the whole nation into apostasy. Ahab, king of Israel, did more evil than all before him (1 Kings 16:30). He and his wife Jezebel persecute Elijah and install Baal worship as the norm. Even after the glorious display of God's power at Mt Carmel, they remain unchanged.

3. Ignoring the Prophets.

Not only does the dramatic revelation of the reality of God as Lord leave Ahab unmoved, but repeatedly he is shown to ignore and despise God's prophets.

In one incident, a prophet comes to tell him that God will give him victory over Ben-Hadad (King of Aram), and Ahab decides to let the king go. In another incident, Ahab desires Naboth's vineyard (which, according to the distribution of the land and to the inheritance laws, he had no right to claim), and allows Jezebel to have Naboth killed so that he can seize it. Elijah comes to rebuke him for this dreadful action, and Ahab greets the prophet by calling him his 'enemy' (1 Kings 21:20). God says through Elijah 'you have aroused my anger and have caused Israel to sin' (1 Kings 21:22), and the incredible thing is that Ahab does then humble himself. In great mercy, God decides to bring disaster upon Ahab's son instead of Ahab himself.

And yet how much has Ahab really changed? Not much it seems, because when the godly king Jehoshaphat of Judah comes to help him against the king of Aram, Jehoshaphat insists upon seeking counsel from a 'prophet of the Lord', not just a phoney prophet who says whatever the king wants to hear. Ahab acknowledges that there is a true prophet, but he hates him because he never prophesies anything good about him (1 Kings 22:8). Jehoshaphat's reply 'The king should not say such a thing' highlights how wrong Ahab's attitude is towards the prophets and thus towards God, as the prophets speak God's Word to him.

4. Forgetting the Law.

In Josiah king of Judah's day, the Book of the Law is found as they repair the temple. This is a sad indication of how God's Word has been forgotten over the reigns of so many godless kings. Josiah is a great reformer, but he recognises that it is too late: they stand under God's wrath for disobeying His commands (2 Kings 22:13), which the prophet Huldah confirms.

5. Lack of godly parenting.

'Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen... Teach them to your children and to their children after them.' Deut 4:9

Closely linked to the people forgetting the Law is the fact that parents were not training their children in the ways of the Lord, and this is why there was so much moral chaos and apostasy.

Even the God-fearing men were at fault here: Eli was challenged by God ('why do you honour your sons more than Me?' 1 Sam 2:29) and David did not have effective control of his family- the incident of Amnon raping his half-sister Tamar, and David's lack of decisive action to intervene which causes Absalom to act in bloody vengeance, is a prime example of this (2 Sam 13).

6. God keeps His covenant promise.

God had made it clear that if Israel were not obedient, He would send them into exile. That is why the exile happened.

'Therefore the Lord rejected all the people of Israel; He afflicted them and gave them into the hands of plunderers, until He thrust them from His presence.' 2 Kings 17:20


And yet, in all of this, there is hope in God's grace. Not all the kings were bad (Josiah and Hezekiah stand out as really godly leaders), and Isaiah prophesies the future fall of Sennacherib (king of Assyria) in 2 Kings 19, and reminds the people that God is in control:
'Have you not heard? Long ago I ordained it. In days of old I planned it; now I have brought it to pass.' v25

Going the extra mile

Lessons from David- 1 Samuel 23

What do you do when you see someone in trouble? Do you deliberately ignore them? Do you actively help them? Or are you too obsessed with your own problems to even notice?

In this chapter, we see two very different responses to a troubled situation. Keilah, evidently a walled city and a vulnerable population, is being looted by the Philistines. David's reaction is to ask God what to do. Saul's reaction is to make a plan to besiege David at Keilah.

God gives victory to David, as He promised, and answers David's prayers concerning Saul's plans. It is in a sense a hollow victory, because God tells David that the people he saved would give him up to Saul.

From the highpoint of victory, David is forced into the desert hills to hide from his pursuer. Saul is so obsessed with finding David and killing him that he ignores everything else- at the end of the chapter he is forced to face a Philistine attack. Saul is so deluded he even thinks he can bless people in God's Name for giving him the information he wants. He has followed his obsession and become so far steeped into his sin, that he has lost the ability to see what's plainly in front of him: he is being a rubbish king and a rubbish believer.

It's only when we depend on God for victory that we can be truly successful. And successful in Bible terms does not always mean luxury comforts (David wasn't getting any of those), but a close intimacy with God. That's what we should all crave and aspire to.

When God doesn't intervene

Lessons from David- 1 Samuel 21-22

It seems that this whole situation has really brought out the worst in Saul. While David is reduced to nibbling on consecrated bread and feigning insanity, 85 priests are killed by Saul's sinful rage. This could all have been prevented if God had killed Saul and made David King. But God did not intervene in this way. Why not?

He had good reasons! He is perfectly good and all His ways are just. He wanted to teach David more about trusting in Him, and whilst we may not always understand His ways, we need to trust that He is in control and knows what He's doing.

The scenario with the priests gives us two important lessons:
1. Don't be spiritually complacent- Saul was anointed by God... and now he's a killer.
2. Don't obey an evil request- the king's officials were right to disobey him.

Overall, there may be many times in life when we don't understand what God is doing. He may allow things to happen that we don't like. But we need to trust that He is doing everything for our benefit, because He loves us, and for His glory, because He is great and good.

Pursued but not alone

Lessons from David- 1 Samuel 19-20

David's situation in these chapters is not good. In fact, it is dire.

For a while he lives precariously in Saul's house (again evading Saul's deadly spear), and runs away to find Samuel- the prophet who anointed him. Why? To reaffirm his calling? To ask what God was doing? To be with someone Saul feared and respected? Maybe all these things.

It is understandable that so many Psalms speak of anguish, but affirm a trust in God. Even in dark times, David saw evidence of God's hand providing for him and protecting him:
-the warnings he received from Jonathan and Michal
-Jonathan's intervention
-the Spirit working on those who came to capture David, even Saul himself
-the arrows signal

God provided Samuel and Jonathan to comfort, reassure and help David to escape Saul's wrath. They were able to affirm his innocence ('He took his life in his hands when he killed the Philistine. The Lord won a great victory for all Israel... Why then would you do wrong to an innocent man like David' 19.5) whilst still giving glory to God.

Jonathan particularly stands out as a model of sacrificial friendship, placing his relationship with his father on the line to save David. He doesn't think of his own satus and power, but of David's- he evidently believes and supports God's anointing (20.15).

Jonathan loves God, and his care for David is an outworking of that. David has to face a time of lonelienss and persecution, but Jonathan will be praying for him.

Subjected to jealousy

Lessons from David- 1 Samuel 18

It's good to be reminded of what David endured before he became King. Having been anointed by Samuel, and defeated Goliath, David is subjected to Saul's jealousy and suspicion. His God-given success (5) is a reminder to Saul of his own depravity.

David is unfairly treated, from being targetted with a spear (10), to being trapped with Saul's schemes. Saul had promised to give whoever slayed Goliath one of his daughters in marriage; now he seeks to avoid keeping his promise or, worse still, use it against David (21).

But God's blessing is such, that He even uses Saul's threatening challenge (24-25) to bless David, as he completes it successfully. This chapter highlights David's success -a gift from God- and God's faithful protection even when he is in mortal danger.

A daring act of faith

Lessons from David- 1 Samuel 17

The story of how David killed Goliath is well-known, but what is made pointedly clear by the writer of this book is that it was not a victory of skill and strength, but of faith. It's easy to miss that in the thrill of the story.

Saul and the Israelites were 'dismayed and terrified' (11) of Goliath's stand-off challenge. But look at David's reaction:
'Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?' (26)

Is David being young and foolhardy, or conceited as his brother accuses him (28)? No, David knows his God! He sees the 9ft tall armoured giant... then thinks of his God, who made the universe and formed the stars with His hands. No comparison!

David was filled with God's Spirit since his anointing by Samuel (16.13). He spoke with faith and courage from God's Spirit, who reassured him that the God he trusted in would not fail him. In earlier battles with lions and bears (34-36), David learnt the grace of God's protection and strength:
'The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.' (37)

But more than Saul or anyone else, David recognises (in Spirit-given wisdom) that this is more than a physical battle. God's Name stands trampled by Goliath's pride- he has 'defied the armies of the living God' (36) in his challenge. And God's people needed to act to glorify God's Name. It is no testimony to God's power and might when His people run away in fear.

When he faces Goliath, David does so for God's glory, in God's strength (not his own):
'You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the Name of the Lord Almighty... This day the Lord will hand you over to me... and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel'. (45-46)

In humble simplicity, David the shepherd defeats Goliath the warrior- all through God's strength and power. It is notable that God uses the humble, lowly David rather than Saul the King or even Eliab the elder brother, because out of all of them, only David had faith that God would act to defeat Goliath and glorify His Name. We need the same faith.

Never judge a book by its cover...

Lessons From David #1- 1 Samuel 16

This is our introduction to David: he is a young shepherd boy, not counted as important and certainly not the future king Samuel was looking for. He is described as 'ruddy' with 'handsome features'- nothing to dislike, but nothing to impress either.

'The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.' (7)

This is immensely encouraging for us! We are not sized up by God in terms of height, muscles or social stature. He just looks at our hearts. God is not impressed by how much money or stuff we have- all He wants from us is a 'broken and contrite heart' (See Psalm 51). That means humility- we should recognise our need for Him. We don't need anything else, because God can meet all our needs anyway.

This is shown clearly when David is anointed and the Spirit of the Lord came on him in power (13). This then has the knock-on effect of being the reason for David entering Saul's service:
'He is a brave man... And the Lord is with him.' (18)

David's harp-playing gives Saul peace- already pointing towards Saul's defects as a king and how David is a better, more godly man. But it's notable that David starts small- he doesn't become king straight away. He has to wait, and go through a lot of troubled experiences first. God has much to teach him. And, through his experiences, we have much to learn too.