GOD DISCIPLINES RELIGION WITH RELIGION
Curiously, we find that God’s disciplinary response to Israel’s sin of following the religious practices of other people/nations is to lead them into captivity to those religious people/nations. In effect, he separates himself from his people by exiling them to a place where the people do not know him and worship foreign gods. We see this portrayed specifically in the exiles of Israel to Egypt, Babylon and Assyria. And we see this principle applied repeatedly in the Old Testament when God sends one or more of the surrounding nations (i.e. religions) to punish and defeat Israel when it does not listen to his voice. But we see the pattern most clearly in the list of curses he promises for people who do not obey his spiritual laws.

One way to summarize this pattern is to say that God punishes religion with more religion. This may seem backward at first, but when we stop to look at it from God’s point of view, it makes perfect sense. And if  we follow international news at all, we see that this principle is still played out daily in these modern times. God is using excessive, fundamental religionists of one religion to discipline religionists of another discipline.

What we find in religion is that people choose to have men tell them about God rather than listening to God’s voice themselves. This is why God is compelled to discipline religious people. God calls the false prophets they listen to idols and he calls following such men and women idolatry.

STUDY TIP: See Religion is Idolatry.

In God’s language, these idolaters have made treaties with enemies of whom God has said Israel should not do as they do or follow their religious customs. Obviously they are a rebellious people who do not listen to God. If they do not listen to God, how can he get their attention?

He does that by oppressing his people with more and more religion until they get sick and tired of being oppressed and cry out to God for deliverance from bondage to religion. Just like Israel was lured into bondage to Egyptian religion during seven years of plenty when they ate their fill of the forbidden fruit of religion), they became intoxicated with religion and were helpless to deliver themselves from it. When Israel eventually saw the emptiness of religion and how religious leaders (i.e. Pharaoh) deceived, used and exploited them, Israel’s hearts were finally opened to listen to God’s voice at least a little bit. After they cried out, God sent a Messiah to lead them out of bondage into the Promised Land. That story is a parable for the deliverance process that all religious people must experience.

Deliverance depends on crying out and repentance for not listening to God’s voice. They were sent into bondage because they did not listen to his voice, and they are delivered from bondage when they choose to listen to his voice instead of the voices of false prophets/idols. When God hears their cries, he will commence the redemption/deliverance/salvation process and lead them slowly to the Promised Land where they are able to hear his voice and follow his ways because his laws are written on their hearts. He effectively leads them out of the Old/First Covenant to the New Covenant. In Bible language, God delivers, redeems and saves his people from bondage to religion (i.e. Egypt, Babylon) so he can be their God again. But he cannot and will not be their God until they stop listening other gods (i.e. religious leaders who function as false prophets).

This pattern is repeated again and again in the Bible. God represents the process of deliverance in many ways to represent the good news which says that those who are spiritually poor, spiritually blind, and held captive by religion can be healed and set free. It was the gospel of salvation for Israel then and it is the gospel of salvation for Jews and Christians  today. It is also the gospel of salvation for anyone who is enslaved by any other religion. Salvation from religion is not available, however, to anyone who is content with religion. Reading for discipline is not possible for those people.