A Promised Land for Israel
What would the world be like without Israel? It is through Israel we have the Bible, the definition of marriage, family, the moral law, and the revelation of God. We understand who God is through His interactions with Israel and her descendants.
The Revelation of God on Earth.
In Abraham’s day, the world had largely forgotten the God of Abraham and Noah. When Hashem called Abraham out of the Land of Ur, it was to “reintroduce Himself” to the world.” He would make a covenant with Abraham which included a “Promised Land.” Here through a harvest cycle, which included yearly feasts, man would see a revelation of who He is and His plan for redemption. This plan of redemption would be acted out in the Promised Land yearly through Israel.
“Israel and her descendants become the Revelation of God on Earth.” (2 Samuel 7:12-13).
To eliminate or replace Israel, as some wish to do, is to throw out the revelation of God on earth that Hashem ordained. Anyone who has attempted to remove Israel, or her Promised Land, has attempted to remove the revelation of God on earth. Even some Christians, who purport to stand only on the New Testament, have removed the very foundation upon which they are standing when they remove the Old Testament promises to Israel.
The proposed “Two-State Solution” in Israel providing a state for the Palestinians would remove and alter the promise of Hashem to his chosen people Israel. This violation of the covenant with Israel will never bring peace. The Lord Hashem warns against dividing the lands given to Israel and promises harsh judgment to those who attempt to do this.
“To eliminate or replace Israel is to throw out the revelation of God on earth.” (Joel 3:2).
A Promised Land for Israel
Abraham was a wealthy man when called by God (Hashem). Genesis 13:2 states he was very rich in livestock, as well as in silver and gold. When God called Abraham out of the land where he prospered, he did not initially know exactly where he was going.
“The Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your Country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1).
Abraham left his past life and family behind to follow God and we are told this obedience was counted to him as righteousness. (Gen. 15:6). Abraham is later told where he was to go. Abraham obeyed Hashem to leave his father’s house to go to a land God would show him. He did not know anything about this land, but he followed what he was told. (Gen. 12:1). He later was told he and his descendants would be given the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession. (Gen. 17:8). All of this had to do with a “Revelation of God on earth.”
The Land of Canaan.
The inhabitants of Canaan were called the “Canaanites.” The Bible describes them as corrupt. They were known for violence and abuse of the most vulnerable in their communities. They followed the practice of sacrificing their firstborn to their gods. (Jeremiah 7:31). For this reason, God told Moses to remove them from the Land of Canaan. (Deuteronomy 7:1-6). They were the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, the two cities destroyed in judgment with fire and brimstone directly by God. (Genesis 19:24-25). The Arabs who live in the land of Israel are not descendants of the Canaanites. They are Arabs in the lands of Israel who are for the most part opportunists who moved into the land of Israel when they saw it being transformed.
The term “Palestinians” comes from the name Rome assigned to the region of Judea when they wanted to distance it from the Jewish origin. They called it “Palistina” and later Palestine. This word comes from the former inhabitants who were called Philistines. The Philistines no longer exist. They originated from Greece and were Greek in their nationality. They were not Arabs. For the current people, who are calling themselves Palestinians, to say they are descendants of the ancient Philistinian race, is a misapplication of the past. When reference is made to the land of Palestine, those using this term are literally calling it, “the land of the Philistines.” The so-called “Palestinians” of today are a “made-up” people group with no biblical or historical roots. On the other hand, the Jews have had a continuous presence in Jerusalem, and in the lands of Israel, for over three thousand years. Even during the exile, there were Jews in the land. Those who are advocating for a “Palestinian State” are advocating for a Philistine State for a people who do not exist.
Photo Credit: https://deadliestfiction.fandom.com/wiki/Philistine_Soldier?file=Philistine.jpg
The Promised Land of Inheritance
The land promised to Abraham was later promised to his descendants through Isaac and Jacob. The Lord Hashem said, “I will bring you into the land I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” (Exodus 6:8). Moses and Joshua would later bring the Israelites from exile in Egypt back to this land and partition it to the sons of Jacob or the 12-Tribes.
Jacob had taken his brother’s birthright from Esau and fled. Later when he tried to return back to his family, he had an encounter where he wrestled with God all night. It was at this place Hashem changed Jacob’s name to Israel. (Genesis 32:22-30). The name Israel in English or “Yisrael” in Hebrew means “someone who struggles with God, (an overcomer).” The name “Yisra” means, “to struggle, and “El” means “God.” Jacob named the place where this struggle happened “Peniel” because he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved.” (Genesis 32:30).
The Birth of Israel
Because Jacob’s name was changed to Israel by Hashem, his sons would now be known as “The Sons of Israel.” They would later be taken as slaves in Egypt. After four hundred years, Moses would lead them back to the Promised Land where the Twelve Sons of Jacob (Israel) would retake the land under Joshua.
The Scattered Tribes
In the year 722 BCE the Ten Northern Tribes were exiled by Assyrians and scattered to the nations. The remaining tribes of Judah and Benjamin continued in Judah until 70 AD when the Roman emperor Titus laid siege to Jerusalem and destroyed the city. Because of God’s promise to Abraham, Hashem promises to bring them back from the nations, return to their promised land, and restore the Temple:
“For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land.” (Ezekiel 36:24).
“The nations also will know that I the Lord, sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.” (Ezekiel 37:28).
Return of the Tribes to the land of Israel.
The prophet Ezekiel describes much of the land, the scattered tribes returned to, as a desolate land (Ezekiel 36:34). He goes on to say the returning tribes will transform this desolate land to be like a garden of Eden. In the 1900’s, when the Jews began to return to the lands of Israel, much of the land was desolate. The writer, Mark Twain, visited Israel and described it as portrayed by Ezekiel, “And Jerusalem, the stateliest name in history, was in reality a village, so small he could circle it – all rags, poverty and dirt.” He describes it as devoid of inhabitants. Tel Aviv was a swamp. It was not until the Jews returned to this land and made it prosperous that Arabs came to move in and contend for the land. The truth of the matter is that the Jews are not the occupiers of another people group’s lands. The Jews are the rightful owners.
A Revelation of God through Israel’s Restoration.
The prophets tell us that the return of the scattered tribes, and the restoration of the Promised Land, will cause the surrounding nations to know and see the hand of God (Hashem),
“Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted what was desolate. Like the flock at Jerusalem on its feast days, so shall the ruined cities be filled with flocks of men.” (Ezekiel 36:36-38).
Since Israel became a state in 1948, the land of Israel has been transformed and prosperous in just one generation. Its agricultural advancements allow Israel to feed much of the Middle East exporting a total of 8.95 billion dollars worth of produce in 2023. Learning how to irrigate arid lands has allowed the desolate lands to blossom with produce. The population of Jews in Israel has gone from 649,000 in 1948 to over nine million in 2023.
Like Jacob, who once wrestled with God to return home and who overcame adversity, so the sons of Jacob have returned home to their Promised Land to see it transformed. The prophets tell us that nations will once again try to remove Israel from their Promised Land, but they will fail. Future battles to take away their lands are described in Ezekiel 38 & 39 and Zechariah 12. But God has promised to defend Israel against her enemies and declares He will be seen in her midst,
“Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the Lord your God (Hashem) and there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame.”
(Joel 2:27).
“Israel and her history have to do with a “Revelation of God on Earth.”
Here are some of the ways God’s revelation on earth is seen through Israel:
- The Word of God comes to us through the prophets of Israel.
- The Sacrificial System and the temples teach us how God redeems man from sin and restores him to covenant with God.
- The Law of God given through Moses teaches us morality and justice. Modern judicial systems are based on this law.
- Family and Marriage are defined and their purpose in the book of Genesis.
- The Mercy and Justice of God are clearly seen in His Interactions with the Jewish people.
- Life on earth and life after death are framed by the Bible Writers.
- God’s Covenants with man are seen through His relationship with Israel.
“Anyone who removes Israel, or her Promise Land, has removed the original Revelation of God on earth.”
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