The Lord God reacted by saying, I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people; now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and that I may destroy them; but I will make of you a great nation (32:9-10). Moses stood before the Lord and interceded for the people, after he ordained the Levites to slay every man his companion, and every man his neighbor; on that day 3000 men of the people fell dead (vs.27-28). All through the Old Testament the majority of complains God had against Israel, had to do with adultery- idolatry. In Jeremiah 4:1-2 God says, If you will return, O Israel, says the Lord, if you will return to Me, and if you will put away your abominable false gods out of My sight and not stray or waver, and if you swear, As the Lord lives, in truth, un judgment and justice, and in righteousness, then the nations will bless themselves in Him and in Him will they glory. Israel was to be a light to the Gentile nations of their true God by their faithfulness and obedience to Him. But Israel failed and followed other gods, instead. The Lord then has put faithless Israel away and given her a bill of divorce (Jeremiah 3:8a). Even though, He calls her to return to Him in verses 14-20 of Jeremiah 3. the Lord says, Return, O faithless children, says the Lord, for I am Lord and Master and Husband to you, and I will take you one from a city and two from a tribal family- and I will bring you to Zion. YAHSHUA echoes in Luke 19: 41-42: And as He approached (Jerusalem) He saw the city, and He wept over it, exclaiming, Would that you had known personally, even as least in this your day, the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. And in Luke 13:34: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who continue to kill the prophets and to stone those who are sent to you! How often I have desired and yearned to gather your children together as a hen her young under her wings, but you would not!
Concerning the sin of unfaithfulness, this is what the Lord spoke to Ezekiel 12-13 and said, Son of man, when a land sins against Me by committing a trespass, and I stretch out My hand against it and break its staff of bread and send famine upon it and cut off from it man and beast, even if these three men, Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they would save but their own lives by their righteousness, says the Lord God; and to Jeremiah 15:1-2 concerning Israel’s idolatrous ways the Lord said to me, (Jeremiah) though Moses and Samuel stood [interceding for them] before Me, yet My mind could not be turned with favor toward this people. Send them out of My sight and let them go! And if they say to you, Where shall we go? Then tell them, Thus says the Lord: such as destined for death, to death, and such as are for the sword, to the sword, and such as are for famine, to famine; and such as are for captivity to captivity. The consequences that the sin of unfaithfulness against God brings is serious and of no return. One will suffer for it here on earth and afterwards, eternal death . No, this is not only for the nation of Israel; it is also for YAHSHUA’S church, since she is His bride. We are engaged to Him through His Holy Spirit. If we go after the world and the things of the world, we are under the penalty of judgment. Like Israel, we have broken the covenant; the Holy Spirit is not active in us, therefore, we have embraced the gods of the world. YAHSHUA, will then say to us, Depart from Me, I do not know you!
Ask yourself the questions: how can I be engaged to YAHSHUA and not desire Him? How can I be engaged to YAHSHUA and not love Him to the point of wanting to please Him? The tree is known by its fruit. I cannot be engaged to Him and follow the world. I either love Him or hate the world, or vice-versa. There is no room in my life for Him and the world. It is as oil and water; they do not mix together. If you continue in your idolatry, no prayers concerning you, God will hear. The sin of unfaithfulness has its consequences on the bride of Christ. The letter to the Hebrews says, For it is impossible to [restore and bring again to repentance] those who have been once for all enlightened, who have consciously tasted the heavenly gift and have become sharers of the Holy Spirit, and have felt how good the Word of God is and the mighty powers of the age and world to come, if they deviate from the faith and turn away from their allegiance- [it is impossible] to bring them back to repentance, for they nail upon the cross the Son of God afresh and are holding [Him] up to contempt and shame and public disgrace (Heb. 6:5-6). “Turning away from their allegiance” is breaking the covenant of engagement with YAHSHUA. It is walking away from the commitment to Him. It is like “the running away bride” who left the altar at the moment she was to seal the deal with the words, “I do.” Without commitment, there will be no wedding. Faithful to the end, is the commitment the Lord expects from His bride. Since He purchased her with His own blood, fulfilling His part of the covenant, the bride has the obligation to keep her part of the covenant by being faithful to Him.
Light from the Word 