Tag: Abrahamic Covenant

Why Stand with Israel?

On By CarmenLeave a comment

Israel has been on my mind daily since the brutal attack on its people on October 7, 2023. I have thought incessantly about the war between Israel and its enemies—Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, Iran, etc.

Appalling events happen in war, whether intentionally or unintentionally. It has been this way throughout history, and it is better to avoid war if possible. 

This war was started because Hamas and its allies have one goal in common—annihilate the country of Israel and its people.

Israel has no alternative but to defend itself.

What would you do if someone invaded your home and tried to kill your family?

I would certainly defend mine.  

Over the last year, I have recalled important scriptures to advocate the call to support Israel and I have studied even more to help me be sure that I follow God’s word.

I have felt compelled to explain why we should support Israel.

First, it was important for me to lay some groundwork, which I have done in my previous posts, Israel—Chosen by God.

In today’s post, I will reiterate what the Bible says about God’s relationship and love for Israel, referencing His covenant with Israel and why He chose Israel. I will also restate God’s wondrous gift to mankind through Israel and conclude with His sovereignty over all creation and His promise to defend Israel against its enemies.

God’s Covenant with Israel

God’s eternal covenant with Israel is found throughout scripture and begins with God promising Abraham to make him a great nation that would bring blessings to the entire world.

Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Genesis 12:1-3

It’s our support of the nation of Israel that renders blessings—especially in their time of need.

God’s Decree for Israel to Live Righteously

God chose Israel because He wanted a nation to follow His ways and receive His blessings to thrive and be a witness to other nations.

God provided specific laws for man to follow that are righteous and bring blessing.

These laws were given to Israel because He did not want them to commit the abominations of the people He rejected. (Deuteronomy 18:9-14)

This is why God gave Israel the land they inhabit today—and even more land that they failed to enter into.

Was Israel always obedient to God in following His commands?

No. It is recorded in scripture that Israel disobeyed God and followed after the customs of their neighbors. They essentially rejected God. And since He is a God of justice, He had to discipline His beloved children.

However, when Israel turned back to God, He forgave them and reestablished them as He said He would.

“For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts…

Malachi 3:6

God’s Deliverance of Israel

Israel is God’s chosen people, and He will always draw them back to Him.

Israel has been attacked by other nations commencing with Assyria’s invasion in 733 BC. Since then, Israel has been under attack and its people have been scattered throughout the world.

They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

Luke 21:24

“The times of the Gentiles” refers to the period of the Gentile invasion of Israel starting with the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem in 586 BC and ending with the future return of Jesus Christ to earth. This return will mark Christ’s defeat of Israel’s enemies, and He will set up His kingdom in Jerusalem to rule the nations during the millennium.

God’s Gift to Mankind through Israel

God chose Israel to provide redemption through His only Son, Jesus Christ.

This forgiveness of sins is a gift to all mankind if they surrender their lives to Christ by professing their faith in Him, asking Him for forgiveness of their sins, and abiding in Him. 

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” 

John 3:16-18

The people and nations who believe in Jesus Christ are blessed through the seed of Abraham and his descendants just as God promised.

The United States of America has been blessed because of its foundation built upon Jesus Christ, because of the Jews who came here and made this their home, and because of our alliance with Israel and recognition of the reestablishment of its statehood in 1948.

Our nation indeed has many flaws and I pray that we would repent and turn back to God wholeheartedly; that we would not follow man, but God and His decrees; and that we would continue to stand by Israel—because God has ordained it. 

God’s Sovereignty over All Creation

God set His plan in action and will not be deterred. He is the creator of all things! 

The apostle Paul asserts that God is sovereign and can do what He wants, how He wants.

 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

“For who has known the mind of the Lord,
    or who has been his counselor?”
“Or who has given a gift to him
    that he might be repaid?”

 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Romans 11:33-36

Once you become a student of the Bible, you begin to understand why the events of today are taking place and what the future holds. There is so much information in scripture about the past, present, and future events of the world, I cannot share it all here in one post.

God makes it clear that He will never turn His back on Israel. He may chastise Israel, but He will always be watching Israel and will make good on His promise to defend His beloved nation.

If I forget you, Jerusalem,
    may my right hand forget its skill.
May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
    if I do not remember you,
if I do not consider Jerusalem
    my highest joy.

Psalm 137:5-6

God’s Battle Against Israel’s Enemies

As stated previously, when Jesus Christ comes back to this earth, He will defend Israel by engaging in battle against Israel’s enemies and definitively defeat them.  

Behold, a day is coming for the LORD…For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle…Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward…Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him…On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea…And the LORD will be king over all the earth…But Jerusalem shall remain aloft on its site from the Gate of Benjamin to the place of the former gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s winepresses. And it shall be inhabited, for there shall never again be a decree of utter destruction. Jerusalem shall dwell in security. And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the peoples that wage war against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. And on that day a great panic from the LORD shall fall on them, so that each will seize the hand of another, and the hand of the one will be raised against the hand of the other…And the wealth of all the surrounding nations shall be collected, gold, silver, and garments in great abundance.                                                                                          

Zechariah 14:1-14

I take God at His Word and understand that we should stand with Israel, pray for Israel, and teach others the truth in God’s word about Israel.

May we turn our hearts, prayers, and support toward Israel and stand strong with this chosen nation of God.

And—may we also pray for the innocent Palestinians who are caught up in this war. It is pure evil for the Hamas terrorists to use their own people as shields in a time of war.

Shalom שָׁלוֹם

Below is a beautiful song that demonstrates Israel’s ongoing affliction and future hope.

Woe to My Country

Israel—Chosen by God: Jacob – Part I

On By Carmen1 Comment

If you remember from my previous post, “Israel—Chosen by God:  Isaac,” Jacob’s name means “he cheats.” His name perhaps came from his struggle in the womb with his brother Esau to be the firstborn. The Bible says he came out holding onto Esau’s heel.

When Jacob is a young man, we learn that he cheats Esau out of his blessing and lies to his father, Isaac.

Isaac was old and losing his vision, so he called for Esau to give him his blessing. He told Esau to first go out to hunt and bring him back some of the wild game prepared the way that he loved. His mother, Rebekah, overheard the conversation and quickly told Jacob to go out to the flock and bring her two goats so that she could prepare a delicious meal for Isaac and for Jacob to take it to him. Her intention was for Jacob to receive the blessing while Esau was out hunting.

Jacob was concerned that his father would know it was not him, because he and Esau were very different. First, Esau was hairy and Jacob was not. Esau liked to hunt and often smelled like the outdoors in the field where he liked to hunt; Jacob liked to stay around home. Their voices were distinct as most of our voices are compared to our siblings’.

Jacob was further concerned that his father would curse him for trying to fool him, but Rebekah was not about to let Jacob miss the blessing, and she was willing for the curse to be on her if Isaac found out. She told him to put on Esau’s clothes and she put goat’s hair on his body as a disguise.

Jacob took to his father the food Rebekah prepared, and Isaac was suspicious because he had brought him the food so quickly. Isaac may have been old and nearly blind, but his mind and other senses were still good.

So he went to his father and said, "My father." And he said, "Here I am. Who are you, my son?" Jacob said to his father, "I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me; now sit up an eat of my game, that your soul may bless me." But Isaac said to his son, "How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?" He answered, "Because the LORD your God granted me success." Then Isaac said to Jacob, "Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, to know whether you are really my son Esau or not." So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, who felt him and said, "The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau." And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau's hands. So he blessed him. He said, "Are you really my son Esau?" He said, "I am." Then he said, "Bring it near to me, that I may eat of my son's game and bless you." So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank. 
Genesis 27:18-25

The goat skin he felt on Jacob seemed to convince him that it was his son Esau, so Isaac asked him to come closer to give him a kiss and then blessed him.

So he came near and kissed him. And Isaac smelled the smell of his garments and blessed him and said, “See the smell of my son is as the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed! May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine. Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you!” 
Genesis 27:27-29

A father’s blessing was and still is very important to his children. And the blessing of passing on the family leadership meant everything to the child (usually the eldest) who received it.

So, Jacob lived up to his name and cheated his brother Esau out of his blessing.

Esau, on his part, was not an exemplary son; when he was younger, he had sold his birthright to Jacob for food, and had since married women from the Hittite tribe which greatly distressed Isaac and Rebekah. Just as the patriarch Abraham was very careful in ensuring Isaac would marry from his own family, Isaac should have done the same with Esau. Perhaps he contested these marriages with his eldest son, but Esau nevertheless married outside of the family. He clearly was not following God’s plan for his life and the blessing of the family legacy was taken from him.

When Esau returned from his hunting trip, he cooked the stew that his father had requested and went to see him for the family blessing. Isaac told him he had already given the blessing to whom he thought was Esau, but was deceived. They were both distressed and Esau pleaded with his father to give him the blessing. Isaac informed Esau that he could not reverse the blessing and that his future would be less than what it should have been and that he would serve his brother Jacob until he (Esau) broke away from him.  

Esau hated Jacob for this and plotted to kill him after his father died. As soon as Rebekah learned of this, she told Jacob to leave for Haran, where her brother Laban lived. She told Jacob that she would send for him to return when Esau had enough time to get over his anger toward him. Rebekah also wanted Jacob to find a wife from her family and not from any of the Hittite women that lived in Canaan.

Isaac then called for Jacob and told him to go his uncle Laban’s house and marry one of his daughters. He gave strict instructions for Jacob to marry within the family and not from the Canaanites. Isaac blessed him and sent him to Paddan-aram where his uncle lived.

Join me next for Israel—Chosen by God:  Jacob – Part 2

I have included a beautiful song below for your listening pleasure.

“I Am Not Alone” – Kari Jobe

Israel—Chosen by God: Isaac

On By Carmen1 Comment

Abraham fathered Ishmael and Isaac who both would be leaders of many nations. Isaac, however, was chosen by God to be the covenant heir and direct bloodline of Israel through Abraham’s wife, Sarah.

After Sarah died, Abraham sent the elder servant of his household on a journey back to his country to find for Isaac a wife. It was important that Isaac marry only from Abraham’s family and not from the Canaanites where he lived.

Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years. And the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh, that I may make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” 
Genesis 24:1-4

Abraham’s servant was concerned whether the young woman suitable for a wife for Isaac would refuse to leave her family and land to be Isaac’s wife. Abraham assured him that he must go and seek out a wife for Isaac from his family and that the LORD would direct his steps to the chosen woman. Abraham believed God would be faithful and provide a wife for Isaac.

The servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?” Abraham said to him, “see to it that you do not take my son back there. The LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke to me and swore to me, “To your offspring I will give this land,’ he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this oath of mine; only you must not take my son back there.” 
Genesis 24:5-8

It was customary for parents to choose spouses for their children in those days, so Abraham summoned his servant to go search for a wife for Isaac instead of sending Isaac himself. There was a covenant to be fulfilled and Abraham would not risk sending his son Isaac to the land that God told him to leave years before in search for a better land.

As Abraham’s servant traveled back to Mesopotamia, he asked God to let the woman he asks for a drink of water who gives him and his camels water, be the woman He has chosen for Isaac’s wife. The servant eventually stops near a spring for water and finds Rebekah. He asks her for water and she said that she would give him water to drink and also draw water for his camels. He was grateful that God led him to Rebekah and then asked her if there was room at her father’s house to stay for the night. She invited him to her home where he met her family. Abraham’s servant found out Rebekah was the granddaughter of Abraham’s brother, Nahor. The servant meets Bethuel, Nahor’s son and Rebekah’s father, and is intent on settling his business in Mesopotamia. He tells Bethuel and Laban, Rebekah’s brother, how he was sent by his master Abraham to seek a wife for his son and what happened at the spring with Rebekah. He tells them that his master Abraham is very wealthy and asks if they would be willing to let Rebekah go back with him to be Isaac’s wife. They acknowledge the request to be from the LORD and gave their consent.

“…Then I bowed my head and worshiped the LORD and blessed the LORD, the God of my master Abraham who had led me by the right way to take the daughter of my master’s kinsman for his son. Now then if you are going to show steadfast love and faithfulness to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.” Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “The thing has come from the LORD; we cannot speak to you bad or good. Behold, Rebekah is before you; take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the LORD has spoken.” When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed himself to the earth before the LORD. And the servant brought out jewelry of silver and of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave to her brother and to her mother costly ornaments. 
Genesis 24:48-53

It’s important to add that Rebekah accepted the proposal as well and was willing to leave with Abraham’s servant the next day, as he wanted to waste no time in returning to Isaac with Rebekah.

When Rebekah reached Canaan she sees a man in a field in the distance, and asks Abraham’s servant who he is. He tells her that the man is his master Isaac, so she jumps off the camel and runs to meet him. The Bible tells us that Isaac falls in love with Rebekah, marries her, and is consoled of his mother’s death.

Isaac prayed to the LORD for children because Rebekah could not conceive. God answered his prayer and Rebekah becomes pregnant with twin sons, Esau and Jacob. These two brothers were very different and fought against each other even while in the womb. Rebekah was concerned about this and asked the LORD why this was happening.

And the LORD said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.” 
Genesis 25:23

Esau, the eldest was named as such because he was red and hairy. Jacob came out of the womb holding onto Esau’s heel and was therefore given his name which means “he cheats.” In Hebrew, “heel catcher” means supplanter which means “to supersede (another) especially by force or treachery.” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

As Esau grew up, he became a hunter of wild game and was Isaac’s favorite. Jacob was the opposite and preferred to be at home and was Rebekah’s favorite.

Once when Esau was out hunting, Jacob was home cooking stew. When Esau returned, he begged his brother for some of his stew because he was hungry and exhausted. Jacob tells him, of course! But first, you must sell me your birthright. Esau’s rashness led him to comply because he said what good was a birthright when he was going to die of starvation. Jacob made Esau swear to give him his birthright, which he did, and God despised Esau’s lack of gratefulness.

A famine in the land where Isaac lived became severe, so Isaac went to Abimelech, the king of the Philistines for help. Then the LORD spoke to Isaac.

And the LORD appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” 
Genesis 26:2-5

Isaac remained in the land of Gerar and became very successful and wealthy. Even with success, Isaac experienced trials with his neighbors and continued disappointment in his children.  

Join me next for Israel—Chosen by God: Jacob

For additional information, look for Israel—Chosen by God: Abraham

In the meantime, I pray that God blesses you and reveals His truth to you.

I have included the song below for your listening pleasure and to encourage you in your walk with God.

“Waiting” – Healing Place Worship

Israel—Chosen by God: Abraham

On By Carmen3 Comments

The nation of Israel represents the people that God chose to be His very own which started with a promise to the patriarch Abraham.

In Genesis 11, we find Abraham, originally named Abram, descended nine generations from Shem (son of Noah). When Abraham was around 70 years old, he was called by God to leave his country in Mesopotamia to go to a land that God promised him where He would make of him a great nation. This promise is known as the Abrahamic Covenant.


Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Genesis 12:1-3

So, Abraham believed God and left the land of Ur. Abraham followed God through many lands and trials because he trusted God for the promise. God reiterated His promise and told him he would be called Abraham which means “father of many nations.” 

When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly." Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you.  And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you and throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”  
Genesis 17:1-8

Because Abraham and his wife Sarah, originally named Sarai, were very old, they had a difficult time believing that God could give them a child. Instead of trusting God, they decided to “help” Him. Sarah gave her Egyptian handmade, Hagar, to Abraham so that she could give them a child. Hagar conceived through Abraham, and a son was born whom they named Ishmael. Abraham loved Ishmael very much, but soon trouble started between Sarah and Hagar. Arrogance and jealousy between the two women ensued because Hagar looked down upon Sarah who was without her own child. This was difficult for Abraham, but he held on to Ishmael as if he would be his covenant heir.

However, Ishmael was not God’s choice, as Abraham had hoped. God said that He would provide through Sarah the promised son who would be named Isaac.

And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.” Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.” 
Genesis 17:15-20

As God promised, Sarah became pregnant in her old age and gave birth to Isaac, the covenant heir. Abraham was overjoyed with Isaac and still loved Ishmael very much. As Isaac grew, trouble in the family started again—this time between Ishmael and Isaac. Ishmael made fun of Isaac and Sarah became enraged, telling Abraham to get rid of Hagar and her son. Ishmael was Abraham’s first son and he was very displeased by this reaction from Sarah.

God appeared to Abraham and assured him that Ishmael would be okay and that he should send him away with his mother. 

But God said to Abraham, “Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named. And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring.” So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed and wondered in the wilderness of Beersheba. 
Genesis 21:12-14

Why did God make a covenant with Abraham through Isaac?

From the beginning of time, God had a plan for eternal redemption through the bloodline of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. These patriarchs are through whom Jesus was born. Our heavenly Father wanted the Israelites to be separated physically and spiritually from the other nations that worshiped false gods and performed ungodly practices. God called the Israelites to be righteous and to follow His ways which He gave to them in the form of laws.

When you come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD. And because of these abominations the LORD your God is driving them out before you. You shall be blameless before the LORD your God, for these nations, which you are about to dispossess, listen to fortune-tellers and to diviners. But as for you, the LORD your God has not allowed you to do this. 
Deuteronomy 18:9-14

Does this mean that the Israelites always followed God’s laws?

No.

The Israelites would sin against God time and time again, but God was faithful to His word, forgave the Israelites, and vowed to bring His promise to fulfillment until the end of time here on earth.

Join me next week for the next part of this blog post where we will focus on the continued lineage of Jesus Christ through the nation of Israel.

May God bless you as you seek His truth for your life.

I have included a song for your listening pleasure.

“Promises” – Maverick City