We are going through a time of great Jew hatred. It is amazing that basically decent Americans are getting on board but we need to consider the overwhelming diet of distortion and lies about Israel and Hamas coming from academia and the media. It used to be that Christians at least were in basic agreement about the Jews having a homeland because their default was the Bible not the talking heads.
God started by promising what appears to be a political statement,
(Gen 12:2 KJV) And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:Much of the former Christian position was based on a promise God gave to Israel. There was also a detail involving the other nartions,
(Gen 12:3 KJV) And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.The promise had geography involved,
(Gen 15:18 KJV) In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:One commentator I was listening to said this roughly corresponded to the kindom of Solomon. I have heard others say it went beyond that. The salient point is that God promised the land that is modern Israel to Israel.
The naive and ignorant ignore that. There are others who say that Israel negated the covenant by their disobedience. Others would say that political Israel is not synonymous with spiritual Israel. The issue gets a bit clouded.
As I was reading Genesis I noticed that God uses the exact same terminology with Moses that He used with Abraham, in regard to becoming a great nation. In context, Israel had just formed the golden calf and worshiped it as a god. Yahweh was a bit upset and was threatening to do to them what He had done to the neighbors of Noah, only without water.
Exodus 32:10 (KJV) Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.He did not follow through. He was speaking in his wrath. So I don’t know what to make of that. Is this an indication that He would reject Israel and cancel His covenant? How does that fit in with your theology? Keep in mind that the thinking in those days was that salvation was more national than personal. I don’t know that God saw it that way but the people certainly did.
Is the modern nation of Israel the Israel of God or just a man made institution? I would say that we need to err on the side of caution.
homo unius libri
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Comments are welcome. Feel free to agree or disagree but keep it clean, courteous and short. I heard some shorthand on a podcast: TLDR, Too long, didn't read.