Sadly, Israel were mostly unfaithful to God. They disobeyed his commandments and turned aside to the worship of idols. Therefore, instead of all the blessings they could have continuously enjoyed, they received all the curses God had pronounced upon them for disobedience. God is merciful and he repeatedly sent prophets to exhort them to return into the right way; but they refused to hear. Therefore, after many centuries, the ultimate punishment came upon the nation and they were removed out of the land and scattered throughout the nations of the world, just as God had declared. Their cities were destroyed and the land became such a desolation that people could not imagine that it ever had been a flourishing “land of milk and honey”. The land enjoyed her sabbaths during their absence while it lay desolate and they suffered terribly in their enemies’ lands.
The Jews were absent from the Promised Land for nearly two thousand years after the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in A.D.70. During this long period they suffered at the hands of the Gentiles, the holocaust under Hitler and the Nazis in which six millions Jews were put to death being just one example. However, God will save Israel and bring them back to his land because of the promise he made to their fathers. Already many Jews have returned to the land according to the outworking of God’s purpose. The desolating Turks were removed from the land in 1917 by the British who declared the Jews could have a national home there, and in 1948 the State of Israel came into existence. In three wars the Arab nations attacked Israel to destroy her, but she survived because it is God’s will that the Jews be in the land ready for the return of their King. Jesus, the king of Israel, will soon come to Jerusalem and he invites anyone to believe and do as he requires and then to live and reign with him in his kingdom re-established in the land.
God gave the people of Israel many commandments to obey, with the promise that obedience would bring great blessings to them in every aspect of their lives. He promised to provide rain for their crops so their land would flourish and be fruitful, and they would dwell safely in the land, easily overcoming any enemies that attacked them. However, if they disobeyed then the reverse would take place. Their land would become unfruitful and they would suffer at the hand of invading enemies.