What About Israel?

TLDR

God's Chosen People were given the Promised Land by YHWH, the great I Am.
They have had historical and verifiable occupation in the Promised Land for thousands of years.
God revealed Himself through Moses and established a covenant religious system (Yahwism or Judaism), promising a Messiah.
Many times God's people rebelled, were punished and scattered, and then eventually returned.
Wars have consequences, and the land today called Israel was set aside by the victorious Allies of WWII as a Jewish state in their ancestral lands.
Even from a secular perspective, doesn't a people or a nation have the right to exist and defend itself from threats?

God's Chosen People were given the Promised Land by YHWH, the great I Am.

These people were the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (aka Israel), and have been variously known as children of Abraham, Hebrews, Jews, Israelites, "Jacob", "Israel", and Judeans in scripture and historical references.

14 The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. 15 All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. (Genesis 13:14–15)

I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham,[a] a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew… (Romans 11:1)

Then say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all around, and bring them to their own land. And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. And one king shall be king over them all, and they shall be no longer two nations, and no longer divided into two kingdoms. (Ezekiel 37:21-22)

While these are a few good examples, this is far from an exhaustive list!

The people of God (aka YHWH, Yahweh, Jehovah) were also called "Israel", as descendants of Jacob (Israel), as well as both the land and the kingdom bearing this name. So historically Israel is a people, but also a nation, and also known as the land of the people of God. Note: For a while, the northern kingdom was called Israel (southern Judah) after Solomon. Even in Jesus' time these people were called by a variety of names, including Israelites and Jews.

They have had historical and verifiable occupation in the Promised Land for thousands of years

YHWH's people have had historical and documented occupation in the Promised Land for thousands of years, but not always continuous due to exile and diaspora, invasions, religious wars, and persecutions. This land has been called by many names: Judah, Israel, Judea, Palestine, but "a rose by any other name" … it is still the Promised Land given to His Chosen People. Archeology verifies this, the Bible testifies to this, and history includes this reality.

God revealed Himself through Moses and established a covenant religious system (Yahwism or Judaism), promising a Messiah.

From the very moment that Moses brought the 10 Commandments down for his people, some believed and followed, and some rebelled. God revealed to Moses a system of belief and practice to follow; one where they could have their sins forgiven and look forward to a Savior. As time went along, these followers were not just people of blood descent, but were also included by being grafted in through faith, inter-marriage, and conversion. Sadly, there are also many who have been pruned out because of their unfaithfulness. (See Romans ch. 11)

Many times God's people rebelled, were punished and scattered, and then eventually returned.

The Bible makes reference to the 12 Tribes of Israel in end-times prophecy, and there is no indication that they ceased to exist after the Church was founded by Jesus and the Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. They were exiled and scattered (i.e. the diaspora) because they were apostate, rejecting their God (and Messiah) for others, but yet returned to the land where the temple was built and rebuilt more than once.

Many of today's Jews follow a form of historical Judaism, including using the Torah and the Prophets. Many of these people have family lineages that they claim are historically Jewish. As Christians, we should realize that genetic lineage is not the only thing that makes a child of Abraham, but rather faith. There are many cases of people being grafted into the Jewish family, including some in Jesus' own family tree. There is also cultural Judaism, just like social Christianity, Latin American Catholicism, etc. As far as I can tell, the modern state of Israel welcomes all who claim to be Jewish.

Note: Even in NT times, the Jews were not the real enemy, but they were lost sheep in need of their Savior. (See Romans 11:28). It should be noted that many Jews were some of his most devoted followers from the beginning. The political classes and temple leaders with power to lose were the actual threat. In Christ, however, all believers are grafted into God's family. While it may not be everyone's intent, saying that "the Jews murdered Jesus", has historically been used to demonize and persecute them. I believe that it is very unwise and unfair to repeat that without good context.

Wars have consequences, and the land today called Israel was set aside by the victorious Allies of WWII.

All nations are creations of men, generally through conflict. Israel was created in response to a terrible evil committed against those identifying as Jews. This is their ancestral home. The patriarchs, prophets, Jesus, the apostles, and the majority of his early followers (and many enemies) all lived in the Promised Land, which is the area we now call Israel. This is faithfully recorded in the New Testament, and is supported by historical records and archeology. The victors of WWII chose to form Israel as a sanctuary, and to right a great wrong.

So Israel was created as a Jewish state in their ancestral lands, in view of the atrocities of the Holocaust against the Jews. Our nation was a part of this decision and our responsibility. They are surrounded by Islamic nations who resent it and want to destroy it. It has been under attack from its very inception, while most of the inhabitants want to live in peace at home and with their Muslim neighbors. Historically Jews have been widely persecuted, but still held to a religious and cultural identity, based on traditions and scripture.

Even from a secular perspective, doesn't a people or a nation have the right to exist and defend itself from threats?

Looking in the mirror, it seems like I recall other countries (like ours) that have done that from time to time.

This generation's conflict is primarily a war against radical jihadist Islam. They want us (the Satans) eradicated. Radical Islam is at war with Western civilization and Christianity, to the extent that Christians cannot freely or safely enter some of our most holy sites. In this, we are practical allies with the state of Israel, one of the few democratically elected governments in that region. While it is in many ways a decadent, secular state (like the US), it does allow the co-existence of other religions, unlike many of its neighbors.

It should be noted that Israel has nukes. Any uncontrolled war will result in nuclear war if the Islamists try to literally wipe them off the map. We should all strive for a lasting peace, but that has rarely come by appeasement of evil. There is a moral difference in war between targeted attacks on civilians, and those killed while attacking the enemy, which is not a genocide, despite claims to the contrary. When the children are no longer taught to hate and kill their neighbors, then peace can come.

To be clear, I don't believe that we should "blindly" support them, but should we stand by and allow them to be destroyed? In my opinion, and that of many others, if the Islamic terrorists would lay down their arms, then there would be peace. If Israel lays down their arms, then they will cease to exist, i.e. a real genocide. We need to be strategic partners, who can give them honest and blunt feedback and advice, not back-stabbers.

How about a little thought (gedanken) experiment? If we were under the same attacks here, how would we respond? With WWII atomic bombs, bombing of whole cities in Germany, or the post 9-11 War on Terror, so it would seem. Was everything done possible to mitigate collateral damage that we could? Who really knows? But I am sure that we would not tolerate daily missiles launched into Orlando from Cuba, would we?

Friday, August 16, 2024