This is an attempt to understand the tensions surrounding Israel and her relationships with the surrounding countries and peoples. Clearly, it is a fraught topic. On both sides people can have strong views and there can be little agreement on either the facts or the interpretation of the facts.
This is just an attempt to organise those facts to see wher ethey lead. If I have got things factually incorrect, I am very willing to change what I have written. My concern is not so much to support one side or the other but to discover the truth, recognising that that truth might, or might not, support the view of one side. Indeed, one side might be shown to be right in one aspect and the other side in another aspect. I believe that all people are sinful. There is sin on both sides. One of the things we seem to find difficult in or society at the moment is recognising that there are strengths and weaknesses on both sides of most issues. We are inclined to see one group as entirely good and the other as entirely bad. A more nuanced approach might enable us to be more honest and to better understand the issues.
When God made His covenant with Abram (Genesis 12), He promised to make him a great nation. But that promise did not explicitly include land other than that Abram .was told to go to a land God would show him.
Genesis 12:1-3
The Lord 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.”
Only a few verses later, however, when Abram had arrived at Shechem, and we are told the Canaanites were in the land, God explicitly said that he was giving that land to Abram and his descendants.
Genesis 12:7
The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring, I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
That promise was reiterated various times. t is notable that some emphasise that the land would eb theirs "forever".
Genesis 13:14-17
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. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.”
Genesis 15:18-21
On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants, I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates— the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.”
In Genesis 17 the covenant was confirmed with a ceremony.
Genesis 17:7-8
"I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God."
Genesis 26:2-5
The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions.”
Genesis 28:13-15
There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
Genesis 35:9-12
"After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him. God said to him, 'Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.' So he named him Israel. And God said to him, 'I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants. The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.'"
God later referred to having promised the land to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their descendants.
Exodus 6:2-8
God also said to Moses, “I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself fully known to them. I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they resided as foreigners. Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant. Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’”
Moses reminded the people of God's words at Mt Sinai.
Deuteronomy 1:7-8
"The Lord our God said to us at Horeb, ‘You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighbouring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates. See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land the Lord swore he would give to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—and to their descendants after them."
To Joshua, God also said that He had promised Moses to give every place where he set his foot.
Joshua 1:2-4
“Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.”
Other passages do not repeat the promise as such but do refer to the land, and may refer to the promise.
Exodus 3:7-8
"The Lord said, 'I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.'"
Leviticus 20:24
"But I said to you, 'You will possess their land; I will give it to you as an inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey.' I am the Lord your God, who has set you apart from the nations."
Numbers 14:6-9
"Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite assembly, 'The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.'"
Deuteronomy 9:5
"It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the Lord your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."
That seems straight-forward except that some argue that modern Israel is not the Israel who received the promise.
Christians and Israel: Modern Israel is Not Biblical Israel - Michael Pahl (blog)
Understanding The Promised Land Of The Bible - Jennifer Maidrand (Christians For Social Action)
Israel and the Promised Land Today - Tim Jennings (Come and Reason blog)
Ask yourself
What do you believe is faithful to God's intention in the scriptures - not what do you prefer, but what was God meaning?
Some of the article above seem to rely on an understanding that the scriptures were human creations, expressing the dreams of the writers, rather than inspired and expressing the promises of God. That understanding is bound to produce a different understanding. With that basis, is it one we should take seriously?
Genesis
Abraham’s line was to be continued through Isaac (i.e. the Jews) but Abraham slept with Hagar, an Egyptian and Sarah’s slave, who then gave birth to Ishmael, the ancestor of the Arabs. There has been animosity between the sons and their descendants ever since.
The long history of anti-Semitism is inspired by Satan.
Revelation 12:4 And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth so that it might devour her child from the moment it was born.
Dragon = Satan
Woman = Israel
Child = the ultimate child of the promise, Jesus.
Satan has always done all he can to thwart the redemptive plan of God.
Abraham was not a Jew. There were no Jews. Abraham came from modern Iraq. But God chose to bring about a race/nation of people through Abraham’s seed. Through this nation would come a Messiah who would be the Saviour not just of the Jews but of all nations.
God’s redemptive plan was rooted and will find its culmination in the land of Israel. Satan is stirring up the animosity of an evil world against that one location that represents the covenant redemptive plan of God. Satan has been inspiring people and nations to hate the Jewish people, from the beginning of time, because they represent the redemptive plan of God.
Genesis 12:3 I will bless those who bless you (Israel) and whoever curses you I will curse.”
Genesis 16:11-12 The angel of the Lord also said to her (Hagar), "You are now pregnant and you will give birth to a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard your misery. he will e a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.
Genesis 25:12 says that Ishmael's descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt, as you go towards Ashur. And they lived in hostility towards all the tribes related to them.
Amos 9:14-15
...and I will bring my people Israel back from exile.
‘They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them.
They will plant vineyards and drink their wine;
they will make gardens and eat their fruit.
I will plant Israel in their own land,
never again to be uprooted
from the land I have given them,’
says the Lord your God.
Amos spoke before the exile of Israel to Assyria in 721 B.C.. The northern tribes are now considered "lost". They did not return to the land. The southern tribes (Judah), after exile in Babylon, did return but could it be said of them that they would never be uprooted again? They were scattered during the Roman occupation. This is not to cast any doubt on the truthfulness or accuracy of Amos' prophecy. It is simply a warning about the care required to understand, and apply, prophecy. Have we understood the context? With what confidence can we say that Israel will never again be driven from their land?
Zechariah 12:3
On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.
Which day is God referring to? If "all nations" are attacking Jerusalem, this might be referring to the last battle (see below). If these are not the last days, is it possible that Israel could again be conquered?
Vv.6-8 You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.
Reflections
We live in a time of unusual chaos. Every day there are extraordinary things being reports - extreme weather, wars, earthquakes, political chaos, very weird ideas that people are swallowing. It seems to fit this passage but…
We are not to be alarmed. Christians seem to get particularly fearful at these times. God says not to. We can trust Him.
Wars and rumours of wars do not indicate the end. The end is still to come. It seems that the end is not immediate. There have been wars and rumours of wars throughout history.
Wars, famines etc are the beginnings of birth pains.
They are the early stages. They are related to the end times but do not necessarily indicate that the end is imminent.
This passage pictures many nations coming against Israel led by Gog, from the land of Magog, also described as the chief prince of Meshek and Tubal.
Some people believe Magog to be Russia. 38:15 talks about Gog coming from the far north.
The other nations mentioned are Persia (Iran), Cush and Put, Gomer and Beth Togarmah.
God will lead them out with their armies.
They would invade a land
That has recovered from war
Whose people are gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel which had long been desolate.
Where all of the people are living in safety
Magog and the other nations will get this idea of invading a land of unwalled villages, a peaceful and unsuspecting people, living without walls and gates and bars. The nations will plan to plunder the land.
Those in Sheba, Dedan, and Tarshish will ask if they have come to plunder (38:13).
God leads them to attack but His purpose is to prove His holiness (38:16).
The earlier prophets had spoke of this (38:17)
When Gog attacks, God’s anger will be aroused. There will be a mighty earthquake. All animals and people will tremble at God’s presence. The earth will be shaken and God will execute judgement against Gog with plague and bloodshed, rain, hailstones and burning sulphur. God will show that he is Lord.
All of the armies will fall on the mountains of Israel. They will be fed to the birds and wild animals (39:2-6, 17-20). Fire will be sent on Magog and those who live in safety in the coastal lands (39:6).
God will make known His holy name and no longer let it be profaned (39:7). These things will surely happen (39:8).
Jews will gather the weapons and use them for fuel for 7 years. They will plunder those who plundered them (39:10b).
Gog and all his hordes will be buried in the valley of those who travel east to the Sea. It will be called the Valley of Hamon Gog (the hordes of Gog) including near a town called Hamonah (39:16).
For 7 months the people of the land will bury the dead so as to cleanse the land (39:12-13, 14b-16).
The day when God displays His glory will become a memorial day (39:13).
All the nations will see God’s glory (39:21). Israel will know that God is the Lord their God (39:22).
The nations will know that God punished Israel with exile (39:23-24). But God would also restore Israel and be zealous for His holy name (39:25). Israel will forget their shame and unfaithfulness when they lived in safety in the land and no one made them afraid (39:26). Yes, God punished them with exile but He will also gather them to their land. He will prove Himself holy and will reveal Himself and pour out His Spirit on Israel (39:27-29).
Reflections
There will be a great battle when the nations attack Israel.
Israel living in safety in unwalled villages does not seem to speak of now when Israel is under constant threat.
Gary Hamrick says
This talks about a Russia/Iran coalition but
It talks about a battle coming from the north whereas Hamas is in the south
It says no one comes to Israel's defence. USA has.
But…
If we start seeing Iran getting involved… and including Hezbollah in the north…
If Russian gets involved…
If USA pulls back…
Jesus said we do not know the hour or the day. His emphasis is on being ready.
Matthew 24:32-35 Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it/He is right at the door.
We are to understand the significance of the signs and watch for them.
Matthew 25:1-13 - Parable of virgins
V.13 - Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the hour or the day.
It is the unknownness of the time of Jesus’ return that makes it essential that we are watching and ready.
Matthew 25:14-30 - Parable of Bags of Gold
The master returns and calls them to account. What had they done while he was away?
That is not quite true! Hamas is an acronym for the Arabic name Ḥarakat al-Muqāwamah al-ʾIslāmiyyah (The Islamic Resistance Movement). The word "hamas" in Arabic means "zeal", "enthusiasm" or "fanaticism".
Hamas is also a Hebrew word in the Bible. It does not refer to the terrorist organisation but it does mean violence and destruction. Is it a God-thing to have it in the Bible at all, and with such an appropriate meaning? Or, is it of no significance?
Some people have pointed out that hamas occurs in Genesis 6:13: So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence (hamas) because of them. I am going to destroy both them and the earth, also pointing out that Jesus said (Matthew 24:37) that "as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man".
"Hamas" is used in various other places in the Old Testament as well.