“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May they prosper who love you’”
(Psalm 122:6).
Fewer places in the world have experienced as many wars & nearly
constant conflict as the land of Israel. In December of 2016, President Obama
refused to use the USA’s veto power concerning a UN Security Council vote
allowing Palestinians to build in Jerusalem. President Obama’s actions were
said to undermine our relationship with one of our closest allies. Senator John
McCain called this an “outrageous attack” on Israel. Speaker of the House of
Representatives called this “absolutely shameful.” Many Democrats expressed
similar concerns. But why make such a big deal over a chunk of ground that is
just barely bigger than the state of New Jersey? The reason is completely
religious at its root.
Is the land of Israel sacred? Who does it belong to? Why is it
important to us? Why are there such contentions and how should we respond to
them?
According to many adherents of Christianity, Islam and Judaism (which
make up over half of the world’s population), yes it is sacred. Jews dating
back to Abraham have considered the land of Israel, the Promised Land, to be
home. Muslims consider the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem to be the third holiest
site in Islam. Christians likewise consider Israel important, with its origins
in Judaism, Jesus’ entire earthly ministry was focused in Israel, and the early
church was founded in Jerusalem.
In order to answer these questions we have to consider the life of
Abraham. In roughly 2,000 B.C. God calls Abraham to leave his homeland of Ur of
the Chaldeans (Acts 7:2-3, modern day Iraq), and travel to a land that God will
show him. God’s calling of Abraham included a covenant that involved the blessing
of land, a great nation including descendants as numerous as the stars in the
sky, a great name/reputation, and a blessing that would come to the entire
world on account of him. The blessings of this covenant were solely based on
Abraham’s faith in the Lord (James 2:22-23). Abraham responded in faith and
went to the Promised Land.
The nature of the blessings God promised to Abraham reveal much of the
controversy concerning the Middle East, and specifically, the Land of Israel.
God promised Abraham a very special land (Gen. 12:1), and He reiterated His
promise on several occasions (Gen. 13:14-18; 15:18-21; Deut. 30:1-10; Josh.
24:3; Ezek. 33:24; Heb. 11:9-16; etc.). On account of this, many believe that
the land of Israel belongs to Abraham’s descendants.
However, this is where the real question lies, who are the true
descendants of Abraham? Muslims believe that they are the true descendants
through Abraham’s first son Ishmael, while both Jews and Christians see their
family tree through Isaac. Thus the contentions over a plot of land.
For some Christians, they believe that God still has a very special
plan specifically for the Jews & the land of Israel, while others believe
that the Church, aka Christians have replaced the Jews as the spiritual Israel.
Yet what does the Bible have to say concerning this matter? That is a topic for
another time, but hopefully this has helped to explain why the Middle East has
been and will continue to be a hotspot for decades to come, and enjoy the
blessings of father Abraham.
In His service,
Matt
No comments:
Post a Comment