Our interest in the transformation that is proceeding in the land of Israel rests on a far more substantial basis than a mere sentimental regard for Biblical scenes and places. It has a more vital and personal value that naturally follows the recognition that the Gospel proclaimed by Christ and his apostles was concerning “The Hope of Israel”, and involved the fulfillment of the divine promises relating to the people and the Land.
A recent exhibition of pictures and screening of two films by the Cumberland (S.A.) ecclesia drew our attention to the remarkable progress made in the re-settlement in their own home land of Jews from all parts of the world, and the magnitude of the works they attempted and accomplished. We saw their first early efforts, so small beginnings it seemed in contrast with the scenes of today; the impressive cities of modern buildings, thronged with busy people; the many communal settlements, thriving and active in farming and agriculture.
We recalled that there were only about 500 Jews in all of Palestine 130 years ago, and that the number gradually increased to 100,000 by 1914. Then in the next 20 years the figures lifted to 500,000, and now there is estimated to be at least 2,000,000 Jews settled in Israel.
It is now 68 years ago since Dr. Theodore Herzl in 1896 stirred all of Jewry with his proposal of a Jewish State in Palestine, saying in the last words of his pamphlet, -. . . the Jews wish to have a State, and they shall have one . . . the world will be freed by our liberty, enriched by our wealth, and magnified by our greatness. And whatever we attempt there to accomplish for our own welfare will re-act with beneficent force for the good of humanity”. Today we are witnessing a partial fulfillment of that vision.
The re-birth of the ancient nation and their work in establishing their new State of Israel has been the subject of a number of authors’ works. One of the more recent is a particularly comprehensive historical record by Jaakov Morris (1961) which is most engrossing to read. He deals with the earliest historical details and archaeology relating mainly to the arid desert wastes in the Negev, the south lands of Palestine. He tells the story of the return of “The Judeans” and their operations in conquering the desert, converting the desolate, arid, sandy areas to cultivated lands and habitations.
As we read of the amazing results that have been gained in the desert we think of Isaiah’s inspired poetic prophecy:
“The wildness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom: like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing.”1 (How this has literally happened is what we would like to tell you about.)
It is of these desert lands that David Ben-Gurion speaks in his introduction to the author’s book. He, when Prime Minister, left the city and with his wife came to live at the village of Sdeh Boker in the Negev.
“within these 5,000 square miles of sand, eroded soil and mountain are vested Israel’s major hopes of advancement in the absorption of further large numbers of the Jewish people still in dispersion, and in the attainment of the country’s full economic independence . . . the transformation of the Negev into a centre of agriculture, industry, mining commerce, learning and research . . . is the central pioneer task of this generation. . . . The reclamation of the Negev desert . . . has more than local interest, vital as that interest may be. . . . Here man is faced with a fateful and momentous challenge of nature. . . . The Negev, in short, is in many respects a small and modest pilot plant in mankind’s battle against desert regions anywhere . . .”
The small State of Israel, as Ben-Gurion points out, cannot long tolerate a desert which takes up over half its territory: “If the State does not put an end to the desert, the desert may put an end to the State.”
The descripion we are given is that of a hot, dry barrenness; a sterile impotence where no trees or any form of vegetation greet the eye. There is white dust of lime stone everywhere; red and brown sandstone ridges shimmer in the burning sun glare; without earth or water to soften the arid waste. A place that would seem to be humanly impossible of any transformation. Yet that is the challenge to Israel that they propose to contend with and conquer.
The Negev is not a large tract of country compared with many other desert regions, but its history is full of the civilizations of the earlier ages. Situated in a strategic position that forms the land bridge to connect three continents—Africa, Asia and Europe —it became not only the trade route, but often a battle ground of warring nations. The Patriarchs dwelt there, and Judah’s kings subdued its native rulers. It is a rich field of archeological discoveries, indicating that in remote times large populations existed there, and left a wilderness behind them. The area that Israel has obtained is shaped like an inverted pyramid, with the point resting on the port of Eilat at the head of the gulf of Akaba. From there to the northern boundary is about 150 miles, where the breadth spans from east to west for somewhere near 75 miles, with the ancient site of Beersheba situated near the centre: now a busy centre of traffic. The S.W. boundary is the Sinai desert—a hostile Egyptian country—and on the S.E. is the forbidding Arabian desert.
Thus the little State of Israel is surrounded with enemies, who declare their intention to overrun their country and remove them from the map.
What Israel has done and the results she has obtained in this extremely difficult situation must now be left for a future occasion; reflecting meanwhile that what we see happening is very much like the first faint preparation for the rule of Christ from Jerusalem.
Reference
1. Isaiah 35 – 1, 2 “Masters of the desert”, Yaakov Murris, 1961. “The Jews in our time”, Norman Bentwich, 1960.
Is Pentecost Happening Today? (Part 7) – Tongues Shall Cease