The consensus of Christian thought, doctrine, and policy recognizes that the Hebrews are the chosen
people of God, beginning with His call to Abram as recorded in Genesis 12:1-3: “The Lord had said to
Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I
will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a
blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.” The Bible records Joshua leading the people of Israel into the land that
was promised to Abram some 500 years earlier.
Now, here we are thousands of years later, and the possession of that land is a volatile and dangerous
political football. But it’s not just about one group conquering another group of people and taking their
land. Every geopolitical boundary drawn today is different than it was at one time simply because
someone took land from a conquered foe. It’s because of who is living on this land: Jews.
The fact of the matter is that Jews have been hated, maligned, punished, and ridiculed since Abram’s
time. Because of that, it is a miracle that they even exist as a nation today. Think about it. After the
Roman Empire expelled the Jews from Judea in 135 AD, the nation should have quietly disappeared in
history. They were scattered over the known world. But the covenant with God welded the Jewish
people together no matter where they were. If they kept God’s commandments and statutes, then,
wherever they were, even though not together physically, they would remain God’s chosen people. This
gave them a culture based on faith and identity which held them together as a single entity, no matter
that they were widely dispersed. But…and this is key…it also served to alienate them from other
cultures.
Because reading the scriptures was a vital part of their religion, education, even through the so-called
“dark ages” was paramount to the Jews. Thus, they became shrewd businessmen, soon becoming the
primary force in banking, jewelry, and other industries. So, through the ages, these people who claimed
to be God’s own people and who were becoming kings of industry, elicited both fear and hatred from
others. They were, and are, perceived as a threat to many.
Yet, in all of this, the US nearly always sides with Israel politically. One reason is because they were so
many Jewish people in the “Land of the Free”. But another reason? As a nation of Christian people we
believed the words of the Scripture that God would bless any nation that blessed Israel. That is a scary
thought to me because if the many demonstrations on college campuses, as well as outright hostility to
Israel in area of Congress, show me anything it is this: We no longer believe the Word of God and are
steps away from becoming a strictly secular and heathen nation.
Say good things about your Savior and His church on this bluff.
people of God, beginning with His call to Abram as recorded in Genesis 12:1-3: “The Lord had said to
Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I
will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a
blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.” The Bible records Joshua leading the people of Israel into the land that
was promised to Abram some 500 years earlier.
Now, here we are thousands of years later, and the possession of that land is a volatile and dangerous
political football. But it’s not just about one group conquering another group of people and taking their
land. Every geopolitical boundary drawn today is different than it was at one time simply because
someone took land from a conquered foe. It’s because of who is living on this land: Jews.
The fact of the matter is that Jews have been hated, maligned, punished, and ridiculed since Abram’s
time. Because of that, it is a miracle that they even exist as a nation today. Think about it. After the
Roman Empire expelled the Jews from Judea in 135 AD, the nation should have quietly disappeared in
history. They were scattered over the known world. But the covenant with God welded the Jewish
people together no matter where they were. If they kept God’s commandments and statutes, then,
wherever they were, even though not together physically, they would remain God’s chosen people. This
gave them a culture based on faith and identity which held them together as a single entity, no matter
that they were widely dispersed. But…and this is key…it also served to alienate them from other
cultures.
Because reading the scriptures was a vital part of their religion, education, even through the so-called
“dark ages” was paramount to the Jews. Thus, they became shrewd businessmen, soon becoming the
primary force in banking, jewelry, and other industries. So, through the ages, these people who claimed
to be God’s own people and who were becoming kings of industry, elicited both fear and hatred from
others. They were, and are, perceived as a threat to many.
Yet, in all of this, the US nearly always sides with Israel politically. One reason is because they were so
many Jewish people in the “Land of the Free”. But another reason? As a nation of Christian people we
believed the words of the Scripture that God would bless any nation that blessed Israel. That is a scary
thought to me because if the many demonstrations on college campuses, as well as outright hostility to
Israel in area of Congress, show me anything it is this: We no longer believe the Word of God and are
steps away from becoming a strictly secular and heathen nation.
Say good things about your Savior and His church on this bluff.
Bro. Tony