Delivered on February 12, 2006, Melana

talks about "Dividing God's Land"  

We hope you enjoy reading her sermons and

wish you would join us each Sunday to

hear the new one in person.

 

 Dividing God's Land                            Genesis 12:1-7

 

As with many of my sermons that come from requests, I must begin with a disclaimer.

 

I do not have the answers - I wish I did!

 

But no one does on this issue.

 

        I do however, have some strong convictions about what I believe is right and wrong and I will share those with you.  Most of these are in line with the stand of the Presbyterian Church (USA).  Most of my feelings stem from a personal visit to the Middle East in 1987, before the Intifada began.

 

        As always, what I hope happens here is that my comments make you think, even after you leave this sanctuary.

Even better, I would be pleased if you read the news about the Middle East with a little different view point.

 

        This sermon is in response to a request to address the issues surrounding Pat Robertson's claims that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's stroke was divine retribution because he had Jews move out of the Gaza Strip.

 

        I want to dispense with Pat Robertson quickly and move on to the bigger theological question about dividing the land.

Pat Robertson, as an evangelical, wants Israel to be a strong nation because of his belief that the Messiah will return when Israel is a nation like it was before.  These evangelicals believe that the end would be speeded up if the state of Israel were reestablished and they believe that any way they can help this situation will expedite the coming of the Messiah - as if anything we can do will change God's plans.

 

        Robertson and other evangelicals with this belief do not particularly care about the nation of Israel for any reason other than the fulfillment of their own understanding of the end times.  These Evangelicals believe that when the Messiah comes, the land will be filled with Christians and there will be no room for Jews or Arabs.  I consider this sort of interest in the concerns of the Middle East to be selfish and lacking any real understanding of the complexity of the situation.

 

        The geography of Israel has always been part of what has determined their plight - for good or ill.  Israel sits at a crucial juncture of several land masses - some have called it the grand corridor between Asia and Africa.  All the nations who have conquered vast amounts of land have had to use Israel/Palestine as part of their route.  It has been the crossroads for much changing history.

 

        Let us begin by looking at the biblical claim for the land.  The Jews claim the land as theirs because of God's promise to Abraham and Sarah - we read one of those promises this morning and there are several others in Gen. 13 and 15 and 17.

God promised the land to Abraham and Sarah after they followed God's call to leave Ur and go where God took them.

 

        Muslims also claim the land because of these very same promises - look at Gen. 17:4,6: "You shall be the father of a multitude of nations."  And: "I will make nations of you and kings shall come forth from you."

 

        Muslims trace their lineage and their promise of land from Abraham through Ishmael, Abraham's son by Hagar.  Jews trace their lineage and promise of land from Abraham through Isaac, Abraham's son by Sarah, the one promised in their old age.

 

        Genesis 17: 8 says:  "I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God."

 

        See where the problem comes - It doesn't say I will give Isaac's descendants the land - It doesn't say Ishmael's descendants -

It just says to you and your descendants.  Consequently, everyone wants to make a biblical claim on this desert land.  Dealing with this issue could possibly be done in a multi-week class that would look at the biblical history and the secular history of Israel.

 

        As it is, I will attempt to make a fast run on what has happened in Israel since this promise was made to Abraham.

Another fallacy with Pat Robertson's comments comes when we try to talk about a united Israel.  Remember that after Abraham died, Isaac had the land that was given by God.  Isaac had two sons, Esau and Jacob, who were twins.  They both wanted the land - but Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of soup and then Jacob tricked Isaac into blessing him instead of Esau who was the eldest son.  Jacob had to run away for a time.

 

        Jacob had twelve sons - the oldest ten sons were jealous of the next to youngest son, Joseph - and they sold him into slavery in Egypt.  Getting a pattern of behavior here?  You remember that whole story - the famine brought the brothers to Egypt

where they found their brother ruling over the land, second only to Pharoah.  Joseph forgave them and had them move to Egypt where there was plenty of food.  Several generations later the descendants of Jacob, also known as Israel, were made slaves in Egypt.  Finally Moses arrived and answered God's call to lead the people to freedom and back to the promised land.  But they had forty years of wandering in the wilderness before they finally made it back to the land flowing with milk and honey.

 

        Joshua and the Israelites captured a good bit of what was known as Canaan from its inhabitants and reclaimed the land for their twelve tribes.  Then for nearly 200 years the land was lived in by the tribes of Israel.  There was no real "nation" - no connection with one another except in time of war.

 

        It was a time when the people often turned away from God and went their own way, forgetting what God had done for them.

The people cried out for a king - they wanted to be like the nations around them - they were more interested in what a human king could do for them, than they were in what God could do.  So God allows it - telling Samuel to anoint Saul as king.  But Israel was still not a "nation."  Saul primarily was the king of the tribe of Benjamin - and didn't do that very well.

 

        After Saul failed to follow God's instructions, God has Samuel anoint David as the king.  It was several years before David became the king - but then he set out to conquer the land and make it one nation.  David spent most of his time in war, winning land and conquering peoples.  David made Israel a great nation - Jews still consider him the archetype of king - many hope for the day when the land will once again be united under a king like David.

 

        Solomon was one of David's sons and became king after him.  He consolidated the kingdom and built the Temple - this was the best of  times   for the land of Israel - peace and prosperity, mostly.  After Solomon, there was no agreement on who should be king,

so the kingdom split into two parts - never to be one nation again.  The northern kingdom was called Israel.  The southern kingdom was called Judah.  Each had a separate king and a different agenda.  Some kings followed God's ways, others did not.  The prophets tried to tell people what they should- but no one listened very much.

 

In 721B.C, the Assyrians invaded Israel and took over their territory.

 

In 587 B.C., the Babylonians took over Judah and made people leave their homes and go to Egypt or Babylon.

 

When the Persians defeated the Babylonians, Cyrus allowed the Jews to return to their homeland, where they rebuilt the temple and their city walls.

 

In 70 AD the Romans destroyed Jerusalem, including the Temple and the Jews were scattered throughout Europe mostly.

 

        All of this is to say that there has really only been, ever, about 100 years of a United Kingdom in Israel.  Talking about dividing the land as if there were a biblical mandate for a united Israel is wrong.  This piece of land has long been fought over because of its value as a corridor between the continents - now it is being fought over because of religion and pride.

 

        There are no easy answers to the question - the Jews will have to allow the Palestinians to live freely.  Some of what I saw in Israel was not unlike what was done to the Jews under the Nazis - Palestinians living behind barbed wire fences - having to carry papers that identify them and where they can travel - soldiers with machine guns standing in front of Palestinians shops to discourage tourists from buying there.

 

        The Palestinians will have to recognize Israel's right to exist - no more strapping explosives to bodies and walking into cafes or buses.  Many citizens on each side already want peace and recognize the needed changes - but the governments and leaders will have to discover a way to live together.

 

        As Christians, we are called to pay attention to what is happening - not just how things are interpreted for us.

We need to listen and pray and be aware of what the truth is.

 

There are no easy answers, but we are called to look toward God.

 

 

 

© Melana Scruggs 2006

 

 

  

     

    

 

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