The Covenant – Israel’s Constitution
“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” (Genesis 15:18).
This is the constitution of the State of Israel. We note two important items: 1) The Lord made a covenant with Abram, not vice versa; and, 2) “have I given this land” is written in the past tense. It’s all settled, but not yet fulfilled.
We must view this from God’s perspective, where time does not matter as it does in our lives.
To Adam, God gave an alternative: “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:17). Did Adam die on that day? There are a number of theological interpretations. One thing is sure: His fellowship with the Creator died. Nevertheless, the Bible tells us that Adam lived to the great age of 930 years.
We may recall that with God, one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. God is timeless, as we are reminded in Revelation 10:6b, when speaking of the future: “there should be time no longer.”
Another example is the serpent, who deceived Eve: “…Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life” (Genesis 3:14). Lo and behold, serpents to this very day, after about 6,000 years, eat mice, rabbits and birds; they do not eat dust. Here the prophet Isaiah, about 2,700 years ago, gives an explanation: “The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat” (Isaiah 65:25a). God fulfills His Word, not necessarily based on our understanding of time.
Arab-Occupied Territory
Today, it looks different. Parts of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt are still Arab-occupied Israeli territory. That, in brief, summarizes the Mid-East conflict to this day.
The Fig Tree
When Adam and Eve sinned and took of the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, it says: “And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons” (Genesis 3:7). In plain words, they tried to cover their sin with fig leaf aprons.
The fig tree plays an important part in the history of Israel. First Kings 4:25 declares: “And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.” Security, shade from the sun, and food was supplied by the fig tree. That was “peace and prosperity.”
Fast forward to Mark 11; Jesus was hungry, and we read in verses 13-14: “And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.”
Note carefully that the fig tree had only leaves. The reason? “For the time of figs was not yet.” Why, we may ask, does Jesus look for figs (fruit) when it was not the time for fruit to appear on the tree? That’s kind of strange. But, it is a prophetic demonstration showing very vividly that under the law, no fruit would be produced. Hebrews 7:19 proclaims: “For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.” Chapter 8, verse 13 declares: “…A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.” The old “fig leaf covenant” must be replaced.
The leaves of the fig tree show us that under the law, no one would be made perfect. Subsequently, a new law had to be created: “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people” (Hebrews 8:10).
New Covenant
This new covenant is personal and individual, not collective, except one future day for the nation of Israel.
For Israel, Jeremiah 33:6-9 proclaims: “Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth. And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first. And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me. And it shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and an honour before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I do unto them: and they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and for all the prosperity that I procure unto it.” We carefully note the repeated “I will” of God. He will cleanse, He will pardon, and He shall give them “a name of joy, a praise and an honor before all the nations of the earth.” That is future.
Israel’s Geopolitical Rebirth
We are not speaking of Israel’s spiritual rebirth, but its physical one. Here, we must read Ezekiel 36. God prepares the land for the people. “Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD” (verse 1). Interestingly, He speaks to topographical Israel: “Therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes, and to the cities that are forsaken, which became a prey and derision to the residue of the heathen that are round about” (verse 4).
He continues to emphasize the land of Israel in verse 6: “Prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my fury, because ye have borne the shame of the heathen.” Then He adds the reason for the preparation of the land in verse 8: “But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand to come.”
The Kibbutz
The first Aliyah, the return of Jews to the Promised Land, took place between 1882 and 1903, when 20,000-30,000 Jews, mostly from Russia and Romania, arrived. Later, the second Aliyah (1904-1940) consisted of about 35,000-40,000 Jews, again from Eastern Europe, the territory dominated by communism.
What did those immigrants do? They plowed the land, planted, and harvested. This was under the communist kolkhoz system, which was renamed in Israel as kibbutz. Everyone owned everything and nobody owned anything—total social-collectivism.
The backbone of Israel’s establishment, without a doubt, was the kibbutz movement, with the first one established in 1910. These Jewish settlers built the rural economy. Kibbutzim supplied about 20% of the top military officers, including the prime ministers: David Ben-Gurion, Levi Eshkol, Golda Meir, Shimon Peres, and Ehud Barak.
Kibbutzim were in practice long before Karl Marx popularized the slogan, “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs” in 1875.
Beginning of the Church
Here we are reminded of the beginning of the Church in Jerusalem. Acts 4:32 documents: “And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.” Verse 37 adds: “Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.”
It did not work in the long run. The rich sold their properties, and after some time, ran out of money. Later, as we read in the New Testament, the apostle Paul had to collect money for the poor Church in Jerusalem.
A New Heart and a New Spirit
When these Jews, primarily from Eastern Europe, came to the semi-tropical land of Israel, most of them did not stay. As a matter of fact, more than half of the first Aliyah returned to Europe, and many went to the USA.
However, the second Aliyah was different; most were young people who grew up under the socialist ideology. Some 35,000 came between 1903-1914. They established social and political organizations, as well as organized labor movements. The majority stayed in the land.
The Transformation
God promises: “For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:24-26). Carefully note the words “a new heart” and “a new spirit.”
Something strange happened. Instead of returning to their countries of origin, they worked the land, instituted productive agricultural settlements, established economic infrastructure, created jobs, built houses, machines, and often secretly manufactured weapons for defense.
In the 1970s, when we stayed at several kibbutz hotels during our Israel tours, we had the opportunity to speak to some of the people working and residing there. Most were very unhappy and endlessly complained. To our question, “Why don’t you go back?” they simply answered, “No way, never!” What happened to them? Doubtless, it was the “new heart” and the “new spirit” they received when they returned to the land of their forefathers.
Throughout the centuries, Jews were often forbidden to own land, learn a trade, or be part of the prevailing economic system. Now, reunited with the land, they loved the land, worked the land, and prospered more than expected.
But, that’s not the end. There is a purpose of the Designer, who gave them the new heart and the new spirit; in verse 27, we read: “And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.” That is yet to come.
14 May 1948
It was on that day, 14 May 1948, that something happened.
On the day the British Mandate over Palestine expired—Friday, May 14, 1948—the Jewish People’s Council gathered at the Tel Aviv Museum to declare the establishment of the State of Israel. David Ben-Gurion created the Council with representatives from a broad swath of the yishuv, including some of his rivals. They were all required to Hebraicize their names, so, for example, Golda Meyerson became Golda Meir.
-www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org
This decisive event was to be kept secret. The members of the People’s Council (Moetzet HaAm) were told to arrive at 15:30. The event would take place at 16:00. That time was chosen so as not to breach the Sabbath.
God Problem
Before that time, the declaration statement was still under debate.
A major issue was over the inclusion of God in the last section of the document, with the draft using the phrase “and placing our trust in the Almighty.” The two rabbis, Shapira and Yehuda Leib Maimon, argued for its inclusion, saying that it could not be omitted, with Shapira supporting the wording “God of Israel” or “the Almighty and Redeemer of Israel.” It was strongly opposed by Zisling, a member of the secularist Mapam. In the end the phrase “Rock of Israel” was used, which could be interpreted as either referring to God, or the land of Eretz Israel, Ben-Gurion saying, “Each of us, in his own way, believes in the ‘Rock of Israel’ as he conceives it.”
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_Declaration_of_Independence
First to Recognize Israel
The Soviet Union was the first nation to fully recognize Israel de jure on 17 May 1948, followed by Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Ireland, and South Africa. The United States extended official recognition after the first Israeli election, as Truman had promised, on 31 January 1949. By virtue of General Assembly Resolution 273 (III), Israel was admitted to membership in the United Nations on 11 May 1949.
An explanation may be necessary, since virtually all sources in the United States insist that the US was first to recognize Israel, only 11 minutes after the declaration was made. Here are the facts.
The US Department of State sent an outgoing telegram marked “top secret” on 14 May 1948, specifically mentioning that the US government “within next few hours recognize provisional Jewish govt as de facto authority of new Jewish state.”
The recognition was for a “provisional Jewish government,” not the “State of Israel,” and it was “top secret.”
There are multiple reasons for the US delay in officially recognizing the State of Israel. One was very obvious: The Jewish State had zero chance of survival.
Haganah
Not only did the Jewish defense force, the Haganah, have their hands full defending their settlements against Arab Palestinians, they were now threatened by five established Arab nations.
Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria immediately attacked the newborn State.
More significant was a UN arms embargo against both Israel and the Arab states. But, one must mention that the already existing Arab states, such as Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia, to name a few, were already well-armed and trained for combat.
Soviet Union to the Rescue
Czechoslovakia, a satellite of the Soviet Union at that time, was willing to sell leftover weapons from the Second World War to Israel. One report recounts that it sent “twenty-five Avia S-199 fighters, 61 Supermarine Spitfire fighter aircraft, and a significant volume of other weapons, of which much had to be smuggled to the land of Israel.”
Language Barrier
Another problem was that in many cases, Israel’s newly established defense force could not easily communicate, since many of the newcomers did not yet understand Hebrew.
Besides the military facts, one must understand that the Arab League—consisting of Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and North Yemen—stood in diametric opposition to the establishment of a Jewish State on the territory of British Mandate Palestine.
The Arab League, today consisting of 22 sovereign states, was threatening destruction of the Jewish State. For all practical purposes, the Jews in the land of Israel were in a hopeless situation. There was absolutely no chance that the some 650,000 Jews could stand before the mighty Arab military forces.
And yet they did. How was that possible? It was miraculous. David Ben Gurion once said, “If you don’t believe in miracles, you are not a realist.”
Zero Chance for Israel
Israel indeed had a zero chance of survival. Yet in the end, they not only defended themselves but also expanded their territory by 77%.
Israel experienced the miracle: “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26).
The Lord gave a new heart and a new spirit to the newcomers! They survived the repeated attacks by their enemies—each time enlarging their borders significantly.
Today, Israel is a nation to be reckoned with. When it comes to air superiority, virtually no one has a chance. The tables have now turned.
The Missing Part
Yet there is something missing; namely, the ultimate fulfillment: “And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them” (Ezekiel 36:27). When will that be fulfilled? “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob” (Romans 11:25-26).
Midnight Call - 01/2025
