Does Israel 
Belong to the Jews

     This question has been going on since Israel once again became a nation in 1948.  The surrounding countries have tried to wipe Israel off the face of the Earth.  Keep in mind that Israel is a very small country compared to most other countries. 

 But the fact remains that the Lord made a pact with Abram a long time ago.  And that pact has been in effect ever since.

14 The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, "Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. 15 All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. 16 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. 17 Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you."

18 So Abram moved his tents and went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the Lord.
Genesis 13:14-18  (NIV)  (
I have underlined 2 main points)

The Lord said He would give it to Abram's offspring – forever.  A little later He gave more details about the land that was being given to Abram's descendants.   Now, Abram's descendants are the Jews. 

In Genesis 15:1-6 the Lord tells Abram that his seed will be as numerous as the stars.

18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates— 19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites."   Genesis 15:18-21 (NIV)

31 "I will establish your borders from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the River. I will hand over to you the people who live in the land and you will drive them out before you.  Exodus 23:31 (NIV)

It is obvious from the above that the Lord, Himself, gave the land to Abraham and his descendants. 

This blessing, this gift, was given to Abraham and later re-stated to his sons.

This is called the Abrahamic Covenant.  The Abrahamic Covenant gave to Abraham (called Abram before God re-named him) and to his descendants the land described above. 

 Was this just a short time thing?  No.  In Genesis 13:15, the Lord told Abraham that the land was going to be given to his offspring forever.  Also, He said that there would be many more of these offspring – even as many as the dust of the earth.  In other words, we would be unable to count them all.  This was one promise in the Bible that there were no conditions set on.  It was a gift with no strings attached. 

When God told Abram to leave the country he lived in and go to a land that He would show him, Abram picked up his family and went.  He didn't know where he was going at the time, he just went.  The Lord led them into the land of Canaan. 

The Lord told Abram,

    • 2 "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. 3 I will bless those who bless you,
    • and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."  (Genesis 12:2-3)

This covenant was not only with Abram, but also with his seed.  The Lord appeared to his son, Isaac and said,

"3 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. 4 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  5 because Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees and my laws."  Genesis 26:3-5

The Lord also gave the covenant to another of Abram's sons, Jacob when 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. 14 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."
(Genesis 28:13b-14)

 Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt after 600 years of servitude to them.  (See Leviticus 26) Before they got to the promised land, the Lord gave them many laws to live by.  These laws did have strings attached.  He also told them that if they would keep His commandments and walk in His laws that He would keep them safe from wild animals, healthy, well fed, and safe from their enemies.  (Leviticus 26:3-13)

 The Lord also told them that if they would not listen to Him and follow His laws that He would set His face against them.  They would get sick, they would work in vain, their enemies would take their land, and they would be ruled over by their enemies.  Their land would not yield fruit.  They would get the plagues.  Wild beasts would kill some of their children and cattle.  They would go hungry, even so much that they may resort to cannibalism.  The promised land would become desolate.  The people would be scattered among the heathen.  (Leviticus 26:14-39)

 But the Lord said in Leviticus 26:44 that for all of that, He will not cast them away to completely destroy them.  He would not break His covenant with them.  They (the Jews) are still His chosen people – even today.

 The Lord said that  if they realize and confess their sins of the present and the past  against Him that He would honor the covenant that He made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Leviticus 26:40-42).  The land that mostly laid waste when they were scattered around the world He would give back to them. (Leviticus 26:43). 

 The Jews were scattered among the rest of the world since.  There has always been a number of them in Israel, but they have always been scattered throughout the world up until 1948 when the state of Israel was reborn.  Since then, many Jews throughout the world have gone "home" to the state of Israel to live. 

 So this is now after 1948 when the state of Israel was again established.

 What can we say about them now? 

  •   God will not completely destroy them.  (Leviticus 26:44)
  •   God will remember the covenant that He made with Abraham (Genesis 12:2-3), Isaac (Genesis 26:3-5) and Jacob (Genesis 28:13b-14)
  •   If they will confess their sins of the present and past, then the Lord will honor the covenant He made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Leviticus 26:40-43)
  •   Even if they don't confess the sins, He will not cast them away or completely destroy them or break the covenant with them.  (Leviticus 26:44)

 So – if He remembers the covenant He made with their forefathers (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob), then the land of Israel does belong to them  – from the time that God gave it to them to today and forever.

 

 God said it!

 That settles it!

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Christian Basics

End Times

What Is Sin?
Am I a "sinner"?
What is the expected result of our sins?
What does it mean to be "saved"?
What is a Savior?
What is meant by Salvation?
What does it mean to "repent"?
What is meant by "religion"?
What is a Christian?
What is meant by "Belonging to Christ"?
What is a Messiah?
Who is Christ?
What is Forgiveness?
Does Israel Belong to the Jews?
Why Jews and Christians Are At Odds
  With The Rest Of The World

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page updated Monday, August 25, 2014