2011-04-29
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Last week I was led to write about justification and the basic principles inherent in the Abrahamic Covenant-people, land, and a King. This week, it’s important that I enlarge upon the issue of land by divine right. If we go back to GN 15: 18-21, “Then and there the Lord made a covenant with Abram. He said, ‘I promise to give your descendants all this land from the border of Egypt to the Euphrates River, including the lands of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadminites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.” While all these tribes of pagans mentioned lived in what is present-day Israel, the land described stretches east of Israel to include modern Jordan, the portion of Iraq that covers territory from Jordan’s east boarder to the Euphrates River, all of Lebanon, the PLO territory, and a portion of southern Syria! Today, Israel is the size of the state of New Jersey. She has ceded land including Bethlehem [the site of Christ’s birth] and Hebron [the site of Abraham’s family burial ground-the cave at Macpelah] to the PLO. Presently, the PLO has closed off this sacred burial ground to pilgrims wanting to visit there. It has also ceded the Gaza strip, a small, but strategically important, strip of land jutting up from the south near Israel’s boarder. This strip is near the old Philistine city of Ashdod in the SW corner of Israel. The Gaza Strip is controlled by an anti-Semitic organization called Hamas. At the northern end of Israel, are the Golan Heights, territory still within Israel which is an area routinely bombarded by the Syrian-controlled, Hezbollah, also an anti-Israeli force. At one point, Israel’s neighbors discussed her ceding these heights which overlook Syria to that country, but thankfully, the Israeli’s recognized she would become indefensible if such a “land for peace” deal was ever implemented.
We had to ask the question: Is Israel disobeying God’s will in these “land for peace” deals? While I believe she is, I will leave it up to each of you to ask God in prayer about this. When we examine the book of Isaiah, we see that one of its main thrusts is God’s effort to get the people of Israel to obey Him. Just look at the assurances God gives Israel in IS 41: 2-4. “Who was it that brought the conqueror from the east and make him triumphant wherever he goes? Who gives him victory over kings and nations? His word strikes them down as if they were dust. His arrows scatter them like straw before the wind. He follows in pursuit and marches safely on, so fast that he hardly touches the ground! Who was it that made this happen? Who has determined the course of history? I, the Lord, was there at the beginning, and I, the Lord God, will be there at the end.” While this was written 300 years before Christ, we must understand that such military victories as these can happen if the leaders in Israel have given away her territory. It seems that even then, God knew at some time He would have to correct the disobedience that seems to prevail even today.
Let’s look a little further in this magnificent chapter, at IS 41: 8-10. “But you, Israel My servant, you are the people that I have chosen, the descendants of Abraham, My friend. I brought you from the ends of the earth; I called you from its farthest corners and said to you, ‘You are My servant. I did not reject you, but chose you. Do not be afraid-I am with you! I am your God-let nothing terrify you! I will make you strong and help you. I will protect you and save you.” What this does is to provide proof that God intends for Israel to eventually be unified as a nation, it’s people brought home from dyaspora [scattering and loss of nationhood], and that the teaching of replacement theology is a lie. God won’t give up on Israel, and we must pray that Israel won’t give up on God! There won’t be a nation without territory. REV 21: 1-2 gives us the consummation of prophecy for the future. “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth disappeared, and the sea vanished. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, prepared and ready, like a bride dressed to greet her husband.” What will happen to Israel’s territory during the time before the Tribulation? Only God knows, but it will be quite necessary for her to retain her territory and not get into any more trading land for peace deals with her neighbors for her to obey God.
As far as territory by divine right is concerned, there are many unanswered questions. What is happening now in Egypt, Algeria, Bahrain, Libya, and other Arab countries certainly makes these questions intriguing. In each country mentioned, different groups have either toppled long-standing and autocratic governments. This is what happened in Egypt when Hosnea Mubark was ousted from his 30 year iron grip on the people in favor of a more democratic government. As I am writing this message, the rebel forces in Libya have taken all the territory except for an area that includes the city of Tripoli. Moramar Quaddfi and his family, who have ruled Libya with an iron fist, find themselves isolated and in danger of being ousted. The rebels want government by the people. The same is true for the other Arab countries I’ve mentioned here. God has made it clear. He and He alone is in charge of human governments and history. DN 4: 17, “This is the decision of the alert and watchful angels. So then, let all people everywhere know that the Supreme God has power over human kingdoms and that He can give them to anyone He chooses, even to the least important of men.”
PRAYER: O Lord, we must understand that You alone had every right to ask the questions of Job and his friends that you did in JOB 38 and 39. These are questions only the Creator can rightly ask. Certainly, Dearest Father, it is not our desire to question Your omnipotence. All we know is that all the trials we endure are meant to teach us what You believe we should know. When You told us, in IS 41: 13, “I am the Lord your God; I strengthen you and tell you, ‘Do not be afraid; I will help you,” You meant for us to obey You, even if we didn’t understand all the reasons why. We humans want to know all the details, and You tell us just enough to bring us to strong faith in the rest. You have told us to take You at your word, that faith, as defined in HE 11: 1, is “to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see.” This is not easy for us, because it goes against our fleshly desire to have all the facts. But, we need to believe You when You say You will protect those who turn to You and love You. We ask You, Dearest Father, to give the Knesset [governing body of Israel] and our government in WA wisdom in decision-making and discernment. The matters of Your people today, the Jews and those Gentile believers who are “branches of the wild olive tree that have been grafted to the cultivated olive tree” [RO 11: 24] are crucial to God’s will. They will be carried out by those who believe in You and know Your will. These are people You will save and bring back to Your right side in heaven. You are a generous, loving, and compassionate God. We thank and praise You, in Christ’s holy, mighty name. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I’m led to write about the Seed and the Land, Christ the King and the Promised Land. We will see that despite no mention of Christ’s name in the OT, He is very much a part of it. As for the Promised Land, God kept His promise to grant it to His chosen people, but we must see what they chose to do with it. We will also see how God obligated Himself to Abram, establishing a most remarkable covenant relationship between them. In many ways, true friendship is obligating yourself by choice to your friend. While a friendship between God and a human will never be an equal one, it is still each obligating himself to the other. A trust is built up, based on experience with each other. Placing trust in God is always a good idea, since God keeps His promises. PS 40: 3-4, “He taught me a new song, a song of praise to Our God. Many who see this will take a warning and will put their trust in the Lord. Happy are those who trust in the Lord, Who do not turn to idols or join those who worship false gods.” Friends are open and honest with each other; they don’t feel danger the their friend will breech a confidence given. PR 17: 17, “Friends always show their love. What are brothers for if not to share trouble?” Friends are forgiving. PR 17: 9, “If you want people to like you, forgive them when they wrong you, remembering wrongs can break up a friendship.” When God forged a friendship with Abram, He knew Abram wasn’t perfect and forgave that. Why? Because He knew that Abram was more willing than any other human of his time to obey God’s command to leave his Mesopotamian home and follow God without even knowing his final destination. God knew that through Abram his important cosmic purposes could be fulfilled. Can He do this with us? If we have true faith, I believe He can. Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15