backsliding Israel committed adultery, I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce" ...

Ancient Israel, God's physical church, never had the Holy Spirit in them. The Holy Spirit was simply not available to man after Adam sinned. It required Christ's death and resurrection before the Holy Spirit could become available to man once again (John 7: 39. John 14: 16-17. John 16: 7). The only exception was that of the prophets (1 Peter 1: 10 - 11). Because Israel had not the Holy Spirit, they were simply unable to keep God's laws, and so they engaged in "adulterous" affairs with other pagan gods and would constantly break God's laws and the marriage covenant that He made with them! God offered Israel many physical blessings, but God never offer them salvation. God knew that Israel would not keep the covenant without the Holy Spirit dwelling in them! By Christ's death Israel was now free to marry whomsoever they chose to. They will be raised up in a future resurrection and given the opportunity to enter a new marriage covenant together with the saints of God (Rev. 19: 7). They will then receive God's Holy Spirit and salvation through Christ (Ezekiel 37: 11 -- 14).

You have heard it said that the commandments are for Israel, or for the Jews, yet in Rom 2: 13-15 we read: "For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. For when the Gentiles, which hath not the law (Moses did not bring the law to them) do by nature (do naturally) the things contained in the law, these (deeds of Gentiles as contained in the law), having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, ...." Folks, the Gentile who is truly converted and receives the Holy Spirit of God, now keeps the commandments of God by the power of the Holy Spirit which dwells in him.

In Gen 26: 4- 5 God says to Abraham: "And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed (Christ) shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws". Folks, that was four hundred and thirty years before there was a nation called Israel (Gal. 3: 16, 17)! Abraham kept God's laws and commandments.

In Romans 3: 19 -- 21 we read: "Now we know that what things soever the law sayeth, it sayeth to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore, by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be saved. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being