RESOURCES — SHORT ARTICLES

 

SHORT ARTICLES BY TOM ELSEROAD
	2021-06-01	What About The Israel Versus Palestinian Issue
		The Bible does not teach that we should be partial to Israel or to the Palestinians in their current Christ-rejecting rebellion against God. Both sides should be treated with compassionate public justice in the same way that disputes are settled between nations generally. Justice and mercy should be displayed on both sides. Neither Jews nor Palestinians can justify any special way by virtue of claiming a present day divine right to the land while they are living in rebellion against the One who made the land a gift of covenant keeping. Israel was chosen by God from all the peoples of the world to be the focus of His blessing in the history of redemption. This history climaxed in the coming, death, and resurrection of Jesus as Israel's Messiah and the world's Savior. 1. Israel is God's chosen people (Du.7:6). Deu 7:6 "For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. 2. God promised to Israel the present disputed land. This was true from the time of Abraham onward (Du.34:4). Deu 34:4 Then the LORD said to him, "This is the land of which I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, 'I will give it to your descendants.' I have caused you to see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there." But neither of these two facts, Israel's election and God's covenant promise of the land, means that Israel today has a present-day divine right to the land. Why do we say that? A non-covenant keeping people do not have a divine right to the land of promise. God said to Israel If indeed you will obey My voice, and keep My covenant you shall be My treasured possession among all peoples (Ex.19:5). Today, Israel is a covenant breaking people. Those who are covenant breakers cannot lay claim on God's promises whom they reject. Israel was driven from the land of promise under God's judgment with the Babylonians. Notice Daniel's prayer (Da.9.4-7). Daniel prays that God is righteous, but Israel is shameful, and that God has the divine right to deny Israel possession of the land. Jesus stood with tears looking out over Jerusalem (Lk.19:42). Luk 19:42 saying, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. They rejected the cornerstone, and as a result the kingdom will be taken away from them (Mt.21:43). Mat 21:43 "Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. Allow me to provide an example concerning present-day Israel and the land in particular. Israel recently has given away land with the hope of achieving peace. If they believed they had a divine right to the land, then they had no right giving away part of the land. • In 1978 Israel gave the entire Sinai Peninsula to Egypt. • In 2005 Israel unilaterally left Gaza. • Israel has been willing to do the same thing, give land for peace, with the Palestinians. The only point here is that present-day Israel is in the land but in unbelief. Jesus provides further insight (Mt.8:11-12). Mat 8:11 And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. Mat 8:12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." For now, a hardening has come upon Israel. Today these are the “times of the Gentiles” (Lk.21:24; Ro.11:25). But this hardening of Israel is not God's last word on the matter. God has a saving purpose for Israel. All Israel will turn to Jesus as a group (Ro.11:26). The broken off branches will be grafted in one day (Ro.11:16-19), and the times of the Gentiles will finally come to a close (Re.11:2). In the meanwhile, our prayer should be devoted especially to heralding the gospel as the only hope of lasting peace among Jews and Palestinians. We should pray, “O Lord, grant the day when Israel's hardening will be lifted.” Pray that their eyes will be opened and see Jesus as their Messiah. Then they will be grafted into God's salvation. Pastor Tom Elseroad

 

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