God’s Plan for Israel

The Bible lays out the plan of God—from creation through the millennium. You and I are in that plan, somewhere along the Creator’s timeline. Jesus said that to determine where we are, we should watch the fig tree—Israel (see Luke 21:29-32).

Of course believers should study God’s Word for their individual lives. But they also must realize there is an overall plan and learn how to cooperate with it.

After Adam fell, mankind digressed to a disgraceful state. Eventually only one man and his family retained knowledge of God. Love brought judgment in the flood, and just eight people were saved—Noah, his wife, their three sons Shem, Ham and Japheth, and their sons’ wives.

From them came a group of people, introduced in Genesis 10, that the Bible calls “the nations.” Seventy foundational “nations” are listed as the offspring of Noah’s sons.

The Lord instructed them regarding their part in His plan: “‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth’” (Gen. 9:1, NKJV). But they rebelled. In the year 1996 B.C., 340 years after the flood, they were all still in one spot at Shinar (Babylon), where they conspired to build a city and a tower “‘lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth’” (Gen.11:4).

The rebellious nations needed redemption.

God worked His plan to reach them. He built a nation for His purposes. A chosen nation. A holy nation. A nation separated from the nations and unto Himself. That nation—Israel—has a call to reveal God to the rest of the world. Its call never will be relinquished (see Rom. 11:29).

God had a Plan A for Israel to do this. He strategically placed His chosen nation in a land bridge between three continents, with Europe and Asia to the northwest and northeast and Africa to the south.

Ancient armies and trade caravans passed along the Via Maris through the land of Israel. They were to see a people who worshiped the one true God. They were to witness Jehovah’s blessings on His chosen people, which revealed the value of worshiping the only true God. “Then all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord (Jehovah)” (Deut. 28:10).

Deuteronomy 28:1-14 lists the material, physical and financial blessings that the gentiles would see. These blessings were contingent upon Israel’s obeying God. If they did not obey Him, they still would have the “call” to reveal God to the nations; however, they would do it in a different way—and experience curses rather than blessings.

The culmination of the curses for Israel’s disobedience was that the Lord would scatter them “‘among all peoples, from the one end of the earth to the other’” (Deut. 28:64).

That scattering (the Diaspora) became necessary. However, every prophet reveals that from the four corners of the earth, God will gather the Jews back to their Promised Land at the end of days (see Is. 11:11-12, for example). I believe we are the generation that will behold the fulfillment of God’s promise to bring the Jews home.

Israel is God’s gift to the nations to reveal Himself to them. From the Jews came the oracles of God and eventually the Messiah. The nations are to appreciate God’s gift and to bless Israel. If they do not, curses and judgments will ensue (see Gen. 12:3; Deut. 30:7; Jer. 30:16, 20; Isaiah 41:11-12; Joel 3:1-3; Zech. 1:15; 12:1-3; 14:12; Matt. 25:31-46).

Blessings and curses are pronounced for nations, as nations, in relation to how they cooperate with God’s plan for Israel. I pray America will be one who puts itself in the way of God’s blessings by cooperating with His plan.