For a number of years, I worked in the oil & gas industry conducting title search analysis in county courthouses for the purposes of verifying property & mineral rights ownership. Conveyance deeds have many common elements. A warranty deed will identify the Grantor, the Grantee and the specific legal description of the property that is being conveyed. There is no question about the property’s boundaries and acreage, because it is detailed in exact specifications on the deed. Is there such a deed defined for the nation of Israel?
In marking some of the sovereign acts of God, the Psalmist declares: He smote many nations, and slew mighty kings…and He gave their land as a heritage, a heritage to Israel His people (Psalm 135:10,12). The mention of land in this passage refers to literal real estate; a piece of geography on the sands of the Middle East. It is generally promised as part of what we call the Abrahamic covenant: Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country…to the land which I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1). Later from a vantage point in Canaan, God said to Abram: Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendents forever (Genesis 12:14-15). In other words, as far as Abram could see in any direction, God said, “This land is for My people (Israel).”
Does the Bible get any more specific about the perimeters of this land? Indeed, it does – the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt (Nile) as far as the great river, the river Euphrates.” (Genesis 15:18). When God reaffirmed this promise to Joshua, He said, “Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you…from the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun, will be your territory.” (Joshua 1:3-4). In Ezekiel 48, the prophet establishes the northern border at Hamath (100 miles north of Damascus), and the southern border at Kadesh (about 100 miles south of Jerusalem). So, the land God gave to Israel included everything from the Nile river in Egypt to Lebanon (North to South) and everything from the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River (West to East). In terms of modern geography, that includes all of the land modern Israel currently possesses, plus all of the land of the Palestinians (the West Bank and Gaza), plus some of Egypt and Syria, plus all of Jordan, plus some of Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Israel currently possesses only a fraction of the land God has promised.
A modern Jewish rabbi has been quoted to say, “If you do not know how to read the Bible, you cannot understand the daily newspaper. If you do not know the Biblical story of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, you cannot possibly understand the miracle of the modern state of Israel.” It is easy to get caught up in the political peace-treaty and military cease-fire negotiations of the current Israeli-Middle Eastern conflicts. The liberal media loves to paint Israel as the bullies trying to push good families out of their homes and work places with bombs and guns. That is not at all the situation. Israel is simply striving to maintain possession of that which God promised to them thousands of years ago! Others have taken and occupy that which God said belongs to Israel.
It is important that we grasp the current ramifications of this ancient deed of conveyance. If not, we will find ourselves sympathetic with or in support of political leaders who use their offices and appointments to strike settlement deals which are against God’s stated legal description for Israel. That is theologically important, for the Bible clearly states that whoever is a friend to Israel is a friend to God, and God will bless those who bless Israel but will curse those who curse Israel (Genesis 12:3). Working for that which God promised them assures a nation’s right standing with God in relation to His chosen people, Israel. Our president and world leaders will serve their people well to remember this divine mandate. God has never broken a promise. Never in her history has Israel occupied all the land God promised her. That day is coming. She will! The map at the front of this article shows an approximation of these Biblical parameters. America will either be a part of that victory or an opponent to it. Pay careful attention to the statements and endorsements of our government to know which direction they are leading us. The result will be either a blessed nation or a cursed nation.
Standing with Israel,
Pastor Rick Smith
(Revised & reprinted from September, 2009)