The Apple of His Eye
October 20, 2035
By Chuck Harris
Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from father's house,
To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you,
And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing;
And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth Will be blessed. Genesis 12:1-4
I love Israel. Israel is a testimony to the faithfulness of God! Just think on it! Of the 8 billion people on the planet only 0.2
% are Jewish (15.5 million). But the Jews are heard of totally out of proportion to their small numbers.
The late historian, Max Dimont, makes the point in his book "Jews, God and History " the Jewish contribution to the world's list of great names in religion, science, literature , music, finance and philosophy is staggering." Statistically, they should hardly be heard of, like the Ainu people of Asia. It is not the size of the people but the size of their God! "The Lord did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath He swore to your ancestors ... " (Deu.7:7)
Dimont continues, "Great nations of the pagan era which appeared at the same time as the Jews have totally disappeared. "The Babylonians, the Persians , the Phoenicians, the Hittites, the Pt111istines- all have vanished from the face of the earth." Even though the Roman Empire sacked Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple of Herod in 70 A.O., sending the nation into exile for two thousand years, the people still survived . Even when antisemitism supposedly reached its apogee with the Nazi ideology and its evil fruit of the holocaust, the Jewish people have emerged a people still standing due to the faithfulness God and his keeping covenant with Abraham.
I am reminded of a college classmate of mine ; a Jewish fellow who I will call Joel. He was bright, not athletically inclined, bookish and wore his yarmulke proudly. We had nothing in common except the pre-med classes we took together, and we would meet in the library occasionally to study.
When the Yorn Kippur War broke out in October of 1973, we were studying together. Without hesitation Joel volunteered to fight and put everything on hold. I remember being impressed by the statement he made to me; "Never again!" He was referring to the Holocaust.
I never saw him again. I don't know if he was among 2,800 soldiers that lost their lives in that conflict, or if he returned to finish his studies.
I wasn't a Christian in college; far from it. Agnostic would be a better description. But Joel's allegiance to his God and to his people , Israel, and the land God has promised them, made me stand up and notice, and was instrumental in my coming to faith in Christ while in medical school in 1976. I had met the awaited Messiah that Joel was still waiting to meet. It says in Zechariah 2:8
"For thus says the lord of hosts, 'After glory He has sent Me against the nations which plunder you, for he who touches you, touches the apple of His eye."
Questions to Think About:
By Chuck Harris
Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from father's house,
To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you,
And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing;
And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth Will be blessed. Genesis 12:1-4
I love Israel. Israel is a testimony to the faithfulness of God! Just think on it! Of the 8 billion people on the planet only 0.2
% are Jewish (15.5 million). But the Jews are heard of totally out of proportion to their small numbers.
The late historian, Max Dimont, makes the point in his book "Jews, God and History " the Jewish contribution to the world's list of great names in religion, science, literature , music, finance and philosophy is staggering." Statistically, they should hardly be heard of, like the Ainu people of Asia. It is not the size of the people but the size of their God! "The Lord did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath He swore to your ancestors ... " (Deu.7:7)
Dimont continues, "Great nations of the pagan era which appeared at the same time as the Jews have totally disappeared. "The Babylonians, the Persians , the Phoenicians, the Hittites, the Pt111istines- all have vanished from the face of the earth." Even though the Roman Empire sacked Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple of Herod in 70 A.O., sending the nation into exile for two thousand years, the people still survived . Even when antisemitism supposedly reached its apogee with the Nazi ideology and its evil fruit of the holocaust, the Jewish people have emerged a people still standing due to the faithfulness God and his keeping covenant with Abraham.
I am reminded of a college classmate of mine ; a Jewish fellow who I will call Joel. He was bright, not athletically inclined, bookish and wore his yarmulke proudly. We had nothing in common except the pre-med classes we took together, and we would meet in the library occasionally to study.
When the Yorn Kippur War broke out in October of 1973, we were studying together. Without hesitation Joel volunteered to fight and put everything on hold. I remember being impressed by the statement he made to me; "Never again!" He was referring to the Holocaust.
I never saw him again. I don't know if he was among 2,800 soldiers that lost their lives in that conflict, or if he returned to finish his studies.
I wasn't a Christian in college; far from it. Agnostic would be a better description. But Joel's allegiance to his God and to his people , Israel, and the land God has promised them, made me stand up and notice, and was instrumental in my coming to faith in Christ while in medical school in 1976. I had met the awaited Messiah that Joel was still waiting to meet. It says in Zechariah 2:8
"For thus says the lord of hosts, 'After glory He has sent Me against the nations which plunder you, for he who touches you, touches the apple of His eye."
Questions to Think About:
- How does Israel's story reinforce your faith in God's faithfulness to keep His promises, even over thousands of years?
- Can you recall a time when the faithful actions or conviction of another person influenced your journey or challenged your own beliefs ?
- How does the belief that Jesus is the Messiah buiid on and fulfill the promises made to Abraham and the people of Israel?
- How can a greater understanding of God's faithfulness to Israel deepen our own love and appreciation for God?
Posted in Devotions