Chosen

Good morning!

This morning I was reading in 2 Kings about some of the kings of Israel and Judah.  Many of them had bloody paths to succession.  The war between idol worship and worship of the one true God Jehovah raged for centuries, back and forth.  This king served Baal and his (or her) kingdom had to be overthrown to re-establish a monarch who would rule as David described in 2 Samuel 23 as he spoke his last words on his deathbed.  Today I was reading about Jehu of Israel and Athaliah of Judah, both bloody monarchs.  At this time, the Jewish people dwelling in the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah. This split happened shortly after the reign of Solomon, and continued for centuries.  Jehu served God faithfully, for the most part, but Athaliah - - - she was a Baal-worshipper, through and through.

After God, through Moses, led His people out of slavery in Egypt, and allowed them to wander in the desert for 40 years, He established them in The Promised Land, which includes modern day Israel, as well as extensive lands surrounding that area.  After the reign of a few kings, King Solomon was allowed to build for the Lord God a magnificent temple, which has not been equalled to this day.  This is commonly referred to as The First Temple.  Prior to this, God's presence had been centered on the Ark of the Covenant, which was kept in a tent.

The Jews dwelled in the Promised Land for many centuries, up until and about a century after the time of Christ, though they were ruled by other kingdoms during most of that time.  During the time of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, (approx. 550 BC) he took the majority of them captive to Babylon, leaving only a remnant in Jerusalem.  Solomon's temple was destroyed during this conquest.  70 years later, he let them return.  At this same time, another group of Jews fled to Egypt. That's just one example, and it was the first of what is commonly called The Diaspora or "The Dispersion".  It basically means that Jews were taken from or fled their homeland.  Jewish people lived mainly in Babylon, Egypt and the Promised Land for about 400 years.  During this period, the temple was rebuilt (The Second Temple).

Things rocked on until Rome conquered the area in about 63 BC. Then, Jesus was born, and then in about 70 AD, the second temple was destroyed in a failed rebellion against the Romans.  About 60 years later, when the Jerusalem Jews rebelled against the evil ruler, Hadrian, who was persecuting them (and Christians) mightily, he threw all Jews out of Jerusalem - - - forbidding them to ever return.  This was the second wave of The Diaspora.  The Jewish temple has never been rebuilt.  (But, the Bible tells us it will be.)

Jews scattered to Europe and other parts of the world, eventually including America.   Since its earliest days, Jews have flourished in America, making for this country some of its greatest triumphs.  Here Americans have given Jews religious freedom.  This may surprise you. Today, a little over 43% of the world's Jews live in Israel.  Of the remaining 56% or so, the majority reside in the United States of America, with almost all the rest living in the other G8 countries.  (These statistics came from Wikipedia, Jewish Diaspora.)

It is a mystery why God chose the Jewish people.  Who can know the mind of God?  But, it seems undeniable that He did choose them, as this is demonstrated over and over in Scripture.  There is no other ancient people whose history has been so painstakingly documented and who have endured for so many thousands of years.  It is truly supernatural.  God has a plan for His Chosen people.

I am deeply troubled by a couple of current events in other parts of the world, because of their potential effect on my country, America.  The first is the ongoing war between the terrorists of Hamas in Gaza and the people of the country of Israel.  For many years, ever since its birth in 1947, Israel has been America's ally.  Yet, recently, our country has been ambivalent to Israel, sometimes even hostile.  This will not go well for America, due to the fact that God promised to "bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you". (Genesis 12:3)  This promise was made from God to Abraham, referring to his descendants through Isaac, Jacob, and Jacob's 12 sons.  It is sometimes called The Abrahamic Covenant.  That verse goes on to say that through the Jewish people, all the nations of the earth will be blessed.   In Zechariah 2:8 God gives a warning to nations who plunder Israel, that they are harming "the apple of His eye", or His "most treasured possession", as other versions put it.

The American people would do well to heed this dire warning.  As I've been sitting here blogging, my phone has alerted, due to an installed app, to let me know that the Hamas terrorists have fired rockets into Israel.  When I get these notifications, I pray for Israel's protection and safety.  The app is called Red Alert Israel, if you are interested.  But, it will annoy you, because it goes off all the time.  Right now, Israel and Hamas are supposed to be about half-way through a 72-hour cease fire for humanitarian reasons.  You can see how well that is going... The rockets were being fired into Israel last night as well.

We read in Psalm 121:4 that "He who watches over Israel does not slumber, nor does He sleep."
Christians, please pray for Israel, for the Jewish people.  God is not through with them yet.  Use your influence to sway our leaders to advocate for the well-being of Israel.  It will be to America's detriment if we abandon her.

Holy Father, we learn in Scripture that you ever-vigilantly watch over your chosen people, Israel, because you have loved them with an everlasting love.  I am so thankful to have been adopted into this family, not through birth or heritage, but through the precious sacrifice of your Son, Jesus.  As an adopted daughter, your everlasting Love extends to me.  I pray this morning for the nation of Israel, that no weapon formed against her will stand, that all rockets fired at her will go off-course, that her people will be protected and the land be spared severe damage.  Oh God, we cannot clearly see how you will work Your will out for your Chosen People.  But, You see!  You know!  We trust you and marvel at your marvelous works!  I love you, LORD.  In Jesus' name, amen.