The Nation of Israel

        60th Anniversary of their return to their land

 

May 14-^th 2008 marked 60 years of Israel's re-establishment as a nation among the nations.  We rejoice with them in this  the fulfillment of God's promise to return them to their homeland. 

 

The Origin and History of Israel

 

The faithful patriarch, Abraham, was told by God to move from Ur of the Chaldees, now Iraq, to the land of Canaan or present day Israel, which He would give to him and his descendants as their homeland.  In Genesis 12 we read, “Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” Abraham obeyed God. To fulfill this promise, Abraham's wife Sarah, who had all her life been barren, was promised a child and Isaac was born. God blessed Isaac and His son Jacob because of their faith and trust in Him.  Jacob had 12 sons who became the 12 tribes of Israel. 

 

During a period of famine they moved to Egypt and stayed for 198 years. During this time they grew in great numbers. The Egyptians fearing their numbers put them under bondage.   With God's help through  the 10 plagues upon Egypt, they  were led by Moses and Aaron out of Egypt and journeyed to settle in the land God promised to the patriarch Abraham, the land of Canaan, now Israel. On their journey, at Mount Sinai, they were given the Law Covenant, the Tabernacle, and the priesthood to guide their lives and to assure them of God's providential care. Eventually they took possession of their promised land, dividing it among the 12 tribes.

 For a  period of 1845 years from BC 1813 to AD 33 God granted favor to Abraham and his descendants.  God promised them, “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy  nation.” Exodus 19:5,6   After Moses' death, Joshua became their able leader, and after his death God provided the nation with Judges to guide, direct and counsel them as a nation.  They also had the priest- hood to teach them from the Law.  However, in time the people clamored for a King like all the other nations around them. Samuel, the last of the judges, warned them that kings would lead to trials and suffering for their nation and its people.

However in the end Israel's first king was chosen. Saul was anointed and for a while ruled wisely, but in time his jealousy and power caused him to change in his heart and God forsook him.  David became his successor and ruled well. He was succeeded by his son Solomon who ruled well and was noted for his wisdom until his many wives, acquired through liaisons with other kingdoms, persuaded him to build temples to their heathen gods and to join them in their worship.  After his death, the ten northern tribes separated from the two other tribes.  Only a few of the future kings of Israel were faithful in obeying God's laws and worshiping Him. God sent prophets to rebuke these kings and to help the people continue to maintain their faith. Zedekiah was the last of Israel's kings and was probably the worst.   Nebuchadnezzar, king of  Babylon, took the population of Israel captive to Babylon for 70 years until King Cyrus of Persia  allowed them to return and rebuild Jerusalem and their temple.  Although they were returned to their land they were later controlled by Greece and finally Rome.  Due to Israel's struggle against the Roman yoke, in 70 AD  the occupying Roman legions besieged the city of Jerusalem. Many of the inhabitants starved to death in the city. All the Jewish population was then removed from their land, separated and placed  in every corner of the Roman empire. Only a meager few of the Jewish families continued to live in the land throughout the ensuing twenty centuries.

The End of Israel's Exclusive Favour

God promised Israel that if they  would obey His word and keep His covenant they would be a peculiar treasure to Him.  While there were always those who faithfully tried to follow God's will, the majority of the people and their rulers were not faithful to Him during the period of 1845 years of His favour. In AD 3O Jesus, God's son was sent to them as their saviour and king. While many of them came to hear His teachings, few accepted  and followed Him. In AD 33 the High Priest and Sanhedrin called upon the Roman governor Pilate to execute Him for claiming to be a king, shouting, ”We have no king but Caesar.”  Jesus just before His crucifixion cried over the nation saying, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!  Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.  For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.  Matthew 23: 37

 

We also find the testimony of John on the subject: He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: John 1:11,12

Jesus died to pay the ransom for the sin of Adam which has caused all of humanity to die. This includes all of mankind, both Jews and gentiles. He also opened the calling of the gospel age in which God calls individuals to follow in Jesus' footsteps of faith, and a full consecration  of their lives to lay down their time, talents and abilities in the service of their Master.  They are called to a heavenly calling to receive the divine nature if faithful. They will reign with Christ for 1000 years during His Kingdom. The dead will be raised to life on the restored earth. Satan will be bound and mankind will be able to make progress in righteousness and  obedience to God's laws. The Jews to whom Jesus first ministered were given the first opportunity to accept this gospel call before the call was also offered to the gentiles, Cornelius and his household being the first to be called.

What has God Planned for the Jews?

Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;  But, the Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them; and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.  And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have defiled my land, (Jeremiah 16:14, 15, 18; Zechariah 9:9,12)  The word “double” in these texts is the Hebrew word mishneh  and means “an equal second portion, or repetition.” As Israel was blessed by God for a period of 1845 years from BC 1813 to AD 33, the nation would experience an equal period of suffering for 1845 years which would begin to end in 1878.  In that year the town of Petach-Tikva was founded by a group of pioneers from Jerusalem, who earlier founded the society called "Work the soil and redeem the land." Petach Tikva became the school for thousands of pioneer workers, who studied the craft of farming here before they ventured out to establish tens of settlements in all parts of the country.

God's Promises to Israel and the Willing Nations

And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain (Kingdom) of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.  And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain (kingdom) of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths; for out of Zion (the spiritual seed of blessing) shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem (the natural seed of blessing).  Isaiah 2:1-4

 

 

Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth, and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain.... O house of Judah and house of Israel;  so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing; fear not, but let your hands be strong.... It shall yet come to pass that there shall come people and the inhabitants of many cities,.... saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts.... ten men shall take hold out of all the languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you; for we have heard that God is with you.  Zechariah 8:3, 21-23

 

God has blessed Israel back in their land as He promised.  The population continues to increase in spite of the efforts of her neighbours to remove her from her land. This is God's work for He is fulfilling His will.  Israel will become the “blesser nation” to all her neighbours  eventually as God's plan continues to unfold for the blessing of all the obedient  of humanity in the 1000 Year Kingdom of peace and righteousness. May we continue to pray “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Israel A Nation of Miracles

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