It’s not easy being God’s chosen people. If you don’t believe me, just look at history. Israel is quite simply a one word answer to anyone who doesn’t believe that there is a God. Come with me and let’s examine one of God’s greatest miracles – the Jewish people, and their home country of Israel. I ask only one thing from you, leave your preconceived prejudices and disbeliefs behind and examine this from a purely logical standpoint.
Over the past 10 years two countries have dominated the headlines in worldwide media like no other. The country most often mentioned in the media is the United States of America. With her economic, military, and geographic prowess this seems quite logical. The United States has an estimated 310 million people as of 2011. The U.S. also has 3.79 million square miles of land. This means that the United States ranks as the third largest country in both land and population.
However, the second most mentioned country in the media was Israel. Israel seems a bit out of place when listed beside the United States for top billing in the media. With only 7.7 million people and only 5.8 million Jews, Israel is far from a match for the United States in population. In fact, Israel is only the 95th largest country by population in the world behind such unknown countries as Azerbaijan, Benin, and Burundi (no offense if you are from one of these). In fact, Israel doesn’t even have half of the population of Burkina Faso or Malawi. If you are looking for Israel to be a large country in land mass think again. It is only the 151st largest country in the world with 8,522 square miles of land. To put that in perspective, it is just a little smaller than Vermont the 6th smallest state in the United States of America. So why is Israel so out of place in the media? It certainly isn’t logical for it to be such.
The truth of the matter is that Israel and the Jewish people in general have done more with less than any people group in the world. Having won almost 25% of the world’s Nobel Prizes over the past 100 years, Jewish people have had a huge impact on the world around them despite being only 0.70% of the world’s population. Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, Karl Marx, Niels Bohr, Paul Ehrlich, George Gershwin, Franz Kafka, Jonas Salk – the names roll off one’s tongue like a “who’s who” list of historical figures certainly not belying the small size of the people group from whence they came. In fact one could make a straight faced argument that the Jewish people have had an almost supernatural influence in the world around them in order to so outperform their size.
But make no mistake about it, Israel and the Jewish people in general have not only made the headlines due to their terrific accomplishments, the Jewish people have made headlines because of the intense hatred with which the world looks upon them. Indeed Israeli Jews live in constant fear of terrorism and outside attacks. Jews are constantly persecuted in foreign countries and were annihilated like no other people group in history during the Holocaust. Indeed 2 out of every 3 European Jews were murdered during the Holocaust. Persecuted globally, the Jews cannot even feel secure within their own borders. For such a small country of only 5.8 million Jews to be able to maintain its national sovereignty among an estimated 356 million Arab peoples who largely hate them is an amazing almost supernatural feat in and of itself. Yet maintain their sovereignty they have, and even flourished.
I write this article not as a Jew myself, but as a Christian who stands in awe of God and his ability to honor his covenant with Israel and the Jewish people. While I believe that God will save anyone who calls on the name of Jesus, I realize that the Jewish people are God’s chosen people and will always be God’s chosen people. With that delineation has come a terrific promise and an amazing protection, but also a horrendous price for disobedience. I stand as a critical thinker who uses logic as a tool to make decisions. I can see no logical way to interpret Israel’s importance and even mere existence in the world today other than to say it is beyond logic and is eerily supernatural.
Over the past 10 years two countries have dominated the headlines in worldwide media like no other. The country most often mentioned in the media is the United States of America. With her economic, military, and geographic prowess this seems quite logical. The United States has an estimated 310 million people as of 2011. The U.S. also has 3.79 million square miles of land. This means that the United States ranks as the third largest country in both land and population.
However, the second most mentioned country in the media was Israel. Israel seems a bit out of place when listed beside the United States for top billing in the media. With only 7.7 million people and only 5.8 million Jews, Israel is far from a match for the United States in population. In fact, Israel is only the 95th largest country by population in the world behind such unknown countries as Azerbaijan, Benin, and Burundi (no offense if you are from one of these). In fact, Israel doesn’t even have half of the population of Burkina Faso or Malawi. If you are looking for Israel to be a large country in land mass think again. It is only the 151st largest country in the world with 8,522 square miles of land. To put that in perspective, it is just a little smaller than Vermont the 6th smallest state in the United States of America. So why is Israel so out of place in the media? It certainly isn’t logical for it to be such.
The truth of the matter is that Israel and the Jewish people in general have done more with less than any people group in the world. Having won almost 25% of the world’s Nobel Prizes over the past 100 years, Jewish people have had a huge impact on the world around them despite being only 0.70% of the world’s population. Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, Karl Marx, Niels Bohr, Paul Ehrlich, George Gershwin, Franz Kafka, Jonas Salk – the names roll off one’s tongue like a “who’s who” list of historical figures certainly not belying the small size of the people group from whence they came. In fact one could make a straight faced argument that the Jewish people have had an almost supernatural influence in the world around them in order to so outperform their size.
But make no mistake about it, Israel and the Jewish people in general have not only made the headlines due to their terrific accomplishments, the Jewish people have made headlines because of the intense hatred with which the world looks upon them. Indeed Israeli Jews live in constant fear of terrorism and outside attacks. Jews are constantly persecuted in foreign countries and were annihilated like no other people group in history during the Holocaust. Indeed 2 out of every 3 European Jews were murdered during the Holocaust. Persecuted globally, the Jews cannot even feel secure within their own borders. For such a small country of only 5.8 million Jews to be able to maintain its national sovereignty among an estimated 356 million Arab peoples who largely hate them is an amazing almost supernatural feat in and of itself. Yet maintain their sovereignty they have, and even flourished.
I write this article not as a Jew myself, but as a Christian who stands in awe of God and his ability to honor his covenant with Israel and the Jewish people. While I believe that God will save anyone who calls on the name of Jesus, I realize that the Jewish people are God’s chosen people and will always be God’s chosen people. With that delineation has come a terrific promise and an amazing protection, but also a horrendous price for disobedience. I stand as a critical thinker who uses logic as a tool to make decisions. I can see no logical way to interpret Israel’s importance and even mere existence in the world today other than to say it is beyond logic and is eerily supernatural.
You make many good points here, and I think "supernatural" is appropriate to describe Israel's existence.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand plenty of things in the Bible, but I have always believed - based on the Bible (esp. Romans 11) - that Israel will always be God's chosen people. I know people who believe (and a preacher who preaches) that we Christians stand in place of Israel as God's chosen people and that Jews must come into the Kingdom the same way we do. I am always shocked to hear that come from a Christian. (And, dare I say, it often comes with a tinge of jealousy.) I could be wrong, but I know our God is sovereign.
You completely overlook Israel's military and its alliance with the United States. The U.S. has played a huge role in establishing Israel's power and protecting it.
ReplyDeleteLogically speaking and the holy land nonsense set aside, Jewish Israelis shouldn't even be in what is now Israel. It should still be Palestine like it was for many many years. Jewish Israelis are only being "terrorized" because they disgustingly took over the Palestinians land. To this day everyone has it backwards. The Jewish Israelis are terrorizing the Palestinians. I'm not disagreeing with your point about how great of a contribution the Jewish people have made and how they have been wrongly persecuted, because that is very true. I do however disagree that a god had anything to do with it. I do completely disagree with your title. I am deist/ atheist and I think it's laughable. I also agree with what Steve said. The United States gives Israel several billion dollars a year for military aid. That's not including all of the weapons the U.S. gives them. Military speaking, Israel would be screwed without the United States help. If you are really interested in Israel, I highly recommend that you watch a documentary called "Peace, Propaganda, and the promised land." You can find it on google videos. It is very neat and eye opening. I hope you will watch it. I'm not commenting on here to be rude or question your beliefs. I am however curious as to why your perspective on this topic is so skewed.
ReplyDeleteI support Israel
ReplyDeleteDear Hunter, you are right but not very much. It is true that US has helped Israel with billions, but US has given many other countries around the world many many billions. Thus far in only three countries of the world the US help has worked in the real positive way, these are Japan, Germany and Israel. It is important that also only these three countries stand with US. Many many more billions have been sent to other countries not only without any positive effect on their fate but the result has been ironically an extreme animosity towards US. If you watch the news, the best example is Pakistan.
ReplyDeleteAt the other hand let's not forget that not only Israel is benefiting from US but also US is benefiting from Israel. Not only Israel is the only democracy in that region supporting US and US policies but US is benefiting from the close technological cooperation between the US and the Israeli weaponry. Every one finds out for himself/ herself what they are.