Check out the Old Testament book of Obadiah. It is in the Old Testament between the books of Amos and Jonah. It is only one chapter, a total of twenty-one verses, but it is a great read. It will open your eyes to what is happening in and around Israel. For the record, the descendants of Ishmael, Abraham’s son by the maid-servant Hagar, are the Palestinians living in and around Israel.
Contrary to the tenets of Islam, God considered Isaac to be Abraham’s only son (Genesis 22:2). Isaac had two sons, Esau, and Jacob. Esau sold his legal birthright as the older child for a meal. The Scriptures teach us that God had already chosen Jacob to continue the line of the coming Messiah (Malachi 1; Romans 9:13). It was God who changed Jacob’s name to Israel.
Esau married two Canaanite women who influenced him to idolatry. Sometime later, he married his cousin, the daughter of Ishmael. From that relationship came the family-tree branch known as the Edomites. The most famous Edomite was probably King Herod of the early Gospel stories. It was he who sought to eliminate the newborn Messiah by killing those children under age two who lived in Bethlehem. The hatred between Israel and the residents of Canaan and the surrounding land was evident when the Amalekites attacked Israel shortly after they crossed the Red Sea. Because of their attack on Israel, God judged them and ordered King Saul to annihilate them (I Samuel 15:3). It was intensified when the Edomites would not let them cross the land of Seir. You can read about that event in Numbers 20:14-21.
God has always been Israel’s Protector not because they are so good, but because of the promise He made in His covenant with Abraham. Today, He is the protector of all who trust and obey His only Son the Lord Jesus, Jew, and Gentile. The current events occurring in the Middle East simply mean that things are progressing according to God’s heavenly timeline. Maranatha – Come Lord Jesus! Your Church is eagerly awaiting!
