Abraham. Just the name of the Old Testament patriarch brings to mind stories we have heard and read about since we were children. We know about his calling and his sons, Isaac and Ishmael. We know about his wife Sara. Perhaps one thing you think of quite as readily is the promise God made to him about the land of Israel. Not a land in a spiritual or metaphysical sense but land in a literal, geographical sense. Genesis 12 declares that Abraham’s seed (Israel) will have Canaan. Genesis 15:18-21 expands to land between the Nile River in Egypt and the Euphrates River in Mesopotamia. Numbers 34:28-31 says Israel’s land will ultimately include the parcels by the Red Sea. The size of Israel now is about the size of New Jersey. It isn’t huge by a long shot, but one day it will be.
Abraham lived 4000 years ago. It was then that God promised him that Israel would have a land that was theirs. II Samuel 7:10 tells us that the Lord “will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them anymore, as before time.” Currently the affliction predicted by Nathan in this passage hasn’t ceased. October 7th of this past year was the most horrific and evil attack on the Jewish people since WWII and Hitler. Over 1200 civilians, mostly women and children, were butchered by Hamas, a terrorist organization that thrives on a culture of death. According to one source, there are 49 Arab countries in the Middle East and one non-Muslim country, Israel. Threats to Israel are a daily occurrence as the only Western cultured country in the region. But one day, hostilities will cease. Christ will see to it. In the meantime, what do we do as bible-believers, as Christians? We stand with Israel. The church isn’t Israel. God has a plan for the church, a heavenly people and He has a plan for Israel, an earthly people.