Do Jews Have a Divine Right to Israel's Land?
Photo by Gali Tibbon / AFP / GettyDo Jews Have a Divine Right to Israel's Land?
David Brickner
Do Jews have a divine right to the Promised Land? Are American pastors dismissive of Arab Christians in Israel? Should Christians treat the Israeli-Palestinian dispute differently than other conflicts? As pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, John Piper has been addressing these contentious questions for years. After he began informally discussing them with David Brickner, executive director of Jews for Jesus, we invited them to share some of their discussion with our readers. We begin today with Brickner's response to some of Piper's recent writings and sermons, and will continue tomorrow with Piper's response.
Dear John,
It is an honor to dialogue with you on the important and timely subject of Israel/Palestine, the land and the people. I am deeply aware of your uncompromising commitment to the cause of Christ among all peoples, including the Jewish people. The opportunities you have consistently extended to Jews for Jesus to share our ministry with the family at Bethlehem Baptist Church—and the way you have stood your ground in supporting Jewish evangelism, even after receiving considerable pressure from Jewish community leaders—speak volumes. There can be no doubt that what we share in common is far greater than the areas where we may disagree.
Yet, if I understand your views regarding the modern state of Israel and its current conflict with its neighbors correctly, I do have some real concerns—particularly in light of the current political climate (the U.N. vote on Palestinian statehood) as well as a growing trend among certain Christian polemicists against Israel (see Gary Burge and Stephen Sizer). I believe our exchange will demonstrate to readers that, despite the heated arguments that occur at the poles of the Christian positions on these issues, there is a broad middle ground where the majority of us can stand and exchange our views in an irenic and thought-provoking way.
I have recently reread your article for World Magazine (May 11, 2002), along with sermons you preached at Bethlehem Baptist Church in November 2002 and March 2004, and more recently a blog from March 2011. I'll begin this exchange on the basis of those writings.
I appreciate your clear statement of belief in God's continuing purposes for ethnic Israel. I also note that you affirm, "God promised to Israel the presently disputed land from the time of Abraham onward." And yet there seems to be a "disconnect" between those statements and your comments regarding the present-day situation as well as the future. As I see it, this disconnect occurs at two important points.
First, you say that because the majority of Jews do not believe in Jesus they have broken covenant with God and have no divine claim at this time to the land God promised them.
Second, you say that the future of the land promised to Israel becomes subsumed under the promise of God that all believers will "inherit the land … because the entire new heavens and new earth will be ours."
I believe that these views can potentially undermine Christian confidence in the ongoing election of Israel based upon the Abrahamic covenant and give encouragement to those who have adopted a supersessionist position toward Israel today. (Editors' note: supersessionism teaches that the church has replaced Israel in God's covenants and plans.)
I agree with you that Israel does not currently enjoy a divine right to the Land. But I would argue that it has never been by divine right but rather by divine mercy that Israel has dwelt in the Land. God blessed Abraham in the land he had promised him though Abraham at times acted in unbelief, at times had to fight for his land, and at one point even paid for his land (and in the end never even possessed all the land that was promised him). Similarly, for much of the biblical record, Israel lived in the Land while rebellious and breaking the Mosaic covenant. Yet God was merciful and allowed Israel to remain in the Land despite her unbelief. He did this because of his gracious promise to Abraham and his descendants. Why could God not act the same in our present-day situation?
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Steve Zavitz
True jews are inward jews (romans) and Abraham's children by faith refer to Christians. Jews in biblical times were a shadow to the church today. The new testament reveals what was hidden in the shadows and symbols of the Old testament. Another scripture is better promises on a better covenant (hebrews) because the old is passing away. Also the righteous shall live by faith (romans) and We (Christians) are children of Abraham by faith shows that faith in the Jew of jews, Christ, not by physical birth but by second birth of the Holy Spirit (John 3). Can a gentile who claims to be jewish get protection from God without becoming a Christian? Because all jews today aren't descendants of Abraham just like Mahamad Ali wasn't Muslim until his name was changed. Genesis 12:1-3 Refers to Abram being blessed and not Israel, reading carefully, God is speaking to abram not to Israel and this verse is an example of interpreting because people (including myself) don't take time to read in context etc
Mark Campbell
Elisabeth, I agree with you on Israel's unique place in history and with God. I only pointed out the fact that mankind has done unspeakable things throughout history. This shouldn't be taken be taken in any way to deny the rights they have to the land because of those individuals who kept the covenant with God. I pointed out in my post the covenant keepers from the past until this presence age as justification. But the one element that I was most interested in you commenting on was how these patriarchs found justification with God before the Torah was given to Moses. They lived hundreds of years before The Law was given. And it’s my opinion that the faithfulness of all of the children of Abraham who exercised the same type of faith he had resulted in the fulfillment of the covenant. Is it possible for the sons and daughters’ of Abraham to have this type of unique relationship with God that it even separates them from other Jewish people? What made them so different?
Elizabeth Levesque
Mark: Israel, being the "chosen people of YHWH" are not like "everyone" and human discussions about "rights" have no place with Israel who is in Divine Covenant from antiquity, and from which, Gentiles, being grafted in, to the ROOT, should well remember, or else, they too, shall be cut off! Israel, in centuries of Divine discipline, understand this, and to a Jew, it is "observance" within the LAW of YHWH, not rights, but LAW contained within the Pentateuch, which "separates" them from the Gentile nations around, which they are not supposed to emulate. And, even today, they do not. They are commanded "not" to emulate them. Talk of "rights" and "equality" are nowhere in Judaism. Israel has a special place of protection so that those who come against her have to deal with YHWH Himself. NO other nation garners such protective privilege and never will. Israel is singularly pointed out for this purpose and their land as well. Please. read your Bible more carefully before commenting to me.