The politicians are worried about the election results in Israel. The parties to the right, Likud and Beitenu and others won a majority, (64-120). They probably will not buy peace anymore in exchange for land. Israel is in a special sense God's land and it is land for His special people.

The land was given to Abraham and his descendants (Gen. 17:7,8) for an everlasting possession. The Jews have been dispersed to the four corners of the earth for their many grievous sins.

Now they are home again and are still coming home to their own country or rather part of it, since the War of Independence in 1947-48. That was not the doing of the UN or even of the State of Israel, but God's doing.

Since 1948 the biggest part of Israel was annexed by Jordan. All the synagogues in the old city were destroyed by Jordan. During all that time the Palestinians made no effort to create a state with Jerusalem as its capital). After the six-day war in 1967 Jordan lost their part of Israel. However, none of the surrounding nations wanted to make peace with Israel. The aim was, and still is, the destruction of Israel.

After the Yom Kippur War (Day of Atonement), Egypt eventually signed a peace treaty with Israel. Egypt got all its land in the Sinai back, plus its airfields, its oil fields and refineries intact. Sadly, Egypt's leader, Anwar Sadat, as a result, was assassinated.

Repeated offers of land for peace to the Palestinians were refused. Even the one on February 2001, when Yasser Arafat was offered almost 100 percent of the occupied territories and East Jerusalem. The result was more violence by Palestinian extremists.

The Israelis were willing to trade land for peace desperately, and to be accepted as a nation by the rest of the world. This they are really not permitted to do because it is God's land and Israel is God's special people.

In all this it is God who is in control of world affairs. A good example for this is in Daniel 4. Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, one day said proudly, I have built this great Babylon by the might of mine own power and for the honour of my majesty. As soon as he said the words, he was driven from man and dwelt with the beasts of the field. He ate grass and was wet with dew from heaven for seven years. Then he acknowledged that most High as the Lord of the Universe and that He rules in the kingdom of man. After that he was restored to his former glory.

Also in the Middle East the Most High rules in the kingdoms of men. he uses the unwillingness of the Arabs to make peace with Israel to keep the land for His people. How things will further develop?

I am not going to set a timetable. but we do now from Romans 11 that the Jews will be grafted in again in their own olive tree (11:23) and verse 26: "And so all Israel will be saved."

As it is written: "There shall come out of Zion the deliverer and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob." (Isaiah 59:20).

That is to say Israel will again become a God fearing people.
Ron Bosman
Orangeville