IN light of the recent surge of terrorism and war between Israel and a group of Palestinians who identified themselves as Hamas, the question of who really own the piece of land that is now Israel and how it ought to be divided has become more relevant again.
The idea of the “Promised land” is rooted in the stories of Abraham and his descendants, "I will make you a great nation" (Gen. 12)-- that they were promised land, progeny, and God’s favor, and that those promises were given and fulfilled in Biblical times.
An understanding that God historically favored the people of Israel (part is the modern-day Jewish people), and that such a predilection remains true today, is also prominent among many Christian beliefs.
What's the Biblical proof of this claim? Below are five (5) unequivocal statements made by God in the Scriptures:
1. God as the Creator is the absolute owner of lands. God owns it all so He can grant it to whomever He favored. Look closely at these verses:
"You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; FOR ALL THE EARTH IS MINE. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.” (Exodus 19:4-6)
The above covenantal promise assured the children of Israel of God's commitment He made with Abraham as their parent. This promise was tied to the land and to their choosing as a "kingdom of priests and holy nation."
2. There is no partiality in God giving the land to Israel as it was grounded on obedience to uphold God and His commandments. To this day, Israel is the only nation on earth that practices and uphold the seventh-day Sabbath, keeps God's annual Feast days (Lev. 23), and other biblical laws ('kosher' laws, etc.).
"Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the Lord your God, also the earth with all that is in it. The Lord delighted only in your fathers, to love them; and He chose their descendants after them, you above all peoples, as it is this day. Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer. For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe." (Deuteronomy 10:14-17)
3. God is the ultimate ruler in Israel; therefore, ultimate power over the land rested with Him as Israel's King (Ps. 149:2; Isa. 43:15). He alone had the right to rule over and dispense the land for His own benefit and in accordance with His own sovereign purpose.
"And the Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying,“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land which I give you, then the land shall keep a sabbath to the Lord...‘So you shall observe My statutes and keep My judgments, and perform them; and you will dwell in the land in safety. Then the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill, and dwell there in safety...‘The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with Me.'" (Leviticus 25:1-2,18-19, 23)
4. Israel is described as the “people of God's inheritance” (Deut. 4:20; cf. 1 Kings 8:53) The land was part of Israel's inheritance as the firstborn son of God among the nations (Exodus 32:13; Leviticus 20:24; Deuteronomy 4:21). Notice:
“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. The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the Lord loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt." (Deut. 7:6-8)
5. The 'Land of Promise' to this date is still restless (full of violence, death). Jerusalem itself is called a "stumbling stone, a rock of offense" (Rom. 9:33), but the Lord God will not stop His people for claiming it. He also knows that this "inheritance" will not be fully realized until He Himself intervenes and set up His kingdom on earth!
"These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland...Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them." (Hebrews 11:13-16)
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