You have made an interesting point Elliot, but I think you are going about this issue the wrong way. Since the original sin of Adam and Eve in the garden, every person has been born in sin and has a sin nature that they cannot overcome. There is nothing that a person can do for himself to pay for the wrong he has done. The parable of the Unforgiving Servant found in Matthew 18:23-35 has a good illustration of this. Our sin makes us in debt to God at over a hundred trillion dollars, a debt we could never pay. God is perfect and morally pure, so He cannot dwell with or tolerate any sin. All sin will be brought into account and all will be judged for every evil deed. The Jewish law defined what was right, wrong, good, evil, pure, unpure, and how to perform sacrifices that would temporarily atone for sins. This is the first covenant set in place between God and the Israelites, the descendants of Abraham.
There arose a problem when these chosen people strayed from the law and fell into the ways of the surrounding nations. It doesn't matter to what degree these people were sinning, it is the fact that they have not been faithful to the covenant made between them and God. Thus, God sent prophets to warn the people of the consequences of their sin. When they did not repent, God disciplined them. Later they would find their way back into following the law, but their hearts were not completely changed and they would turn back to sin again. This pattern continued until the arrival of the second covenant. This second covenant had been spoken of since God made the first covenant with Abraham. Through the line of Abraham, there would come a savior who would be blessing to all nations. This savior would die for the sin of all who believe in Him, that they could have forgiveness of sins and eternal life with God. This savior would be Jesus, fully God and fully man, all the power, sovereignty, and attributes of God, while also in human form. Jesus being God lived a perfect life of 33 years, then was killed on a cross. There, He paid for every sin of every person who would have faith in Him and call on His name. Jesus paid the 100 trillion dollars that we could never pay, and He did it by dying a torturous death for us.
However, the story doesn't end with death, because after three days Jesus rose again. Over the following forty days He appeared to different people who He would call to be witnesses to all they had seen and heard. Today, God is still saving people and is still changing the lives of those who believe in Him. He will continue to do so until Jesus returns. To summarise, it doesn't matter how much the people of Israel sinned, because one sin is an act against God worthy of death. Each one of us deserves to die because of our sin, but God sent His Son to set us free.
You have made an interesting point Elliot, but I think you are going about this issue the wrong way. Since the original sin of Adam and Eve in the garden, every person has been born in sin and has a sin nature that they cannot overcome. There is nothing that a person can do for himself to pay for the wrong he has done. The parable of the Unforgiving Servant found in Matthew 18:23-35 has a good illustration of this. Our sin makes us in debt to God at over a hundred trillion dollars, a debt we could never pay. God is perfect and morally pure, so He cannot dwell with or tolerate any sin. All sin will be brought into account and all will be judged for every evil deed. The Jewish law defined what was right, wrong, good, evil, pure, unpure, and how to perform sacrifices that would temporarily atone for sins. This is the first covenant set in place between God and the Israelites, the descendants of Abraham.
There arose a problem when these chosen people strayed from the law and fell into the ways of the surrounding nations. It doesn't matter to what degree these people were sinning, it is the fact that they have not been faithful to the covenant made between them and God. Thus, God sent prophets to warn the people of the consequences of their sin. When they did not repent, God disciplined them. Later they would find their way back into following the law, but their hearts were not completely changed and they would turn back to sin again. This pattern continued until the arrival of the second covenant. This second covenant had been spoken of since God made the first covenant with Abraham. Through the line of Abraham, there would come a savior who would be blessing to all nations. This savior would die for the sin of all who believe in Him, that they could have forgiveness of sins and eternal life with God. This savior would be Jesus, fully God and fully man, all the power, sovereignty, and attributes of God, while also in human form. Jesus being God lived a perfect life of 33 years, then was killed on a cross. There, He paid for every sin of every person who would have faith in Him and call on His name. Jesus paid the 100 trillion dollars that we could never pay, and He did it by dying a torturous death for us.
However, the story doesn't end with death, because after three days Jesus rose again. Over the following forty days He appeared to different people who He would call to be witnesses to all they had seen and heard. Today, God is still saving people and is still changing the lives of those who believe in Him. He will continue to do so until Jesus returns. To summarise, it doesn't matter how much the people of Israel sinned, because one sin is an act against God worthy of death. Each one of us deserves to die because of our sin, but God sent His Son to set us free.