Posted on 07/30/2002 4:40:32 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Those who curse the Jews and those who bless the Jews In 1973, during the Arab embargo on oil exports that followed the Yom Kippur War between Israel and Egypt, many Americans had to deal with embargo-induced hour-long lines at gas stations, gas rationing, and various setbacks to the economy. As a result, some called for our abandonment of Israel for the sake of oil.
Those voices were not heard among evangelical Christians.
In fact, in a television broadcast from his church to his many followers, the Rev. Jerry Falwell said that he would sooner give up his car and ride a bicycle than yield to Arab blackmail. Citing Genesis (12:3), he explained that God "will bless those who bless the Jews and curse whoever curses the Jews."
I have since heard this over and over from lay Christians calling my radio show and from Christian leaders with whom I have shared platforms.
I heard this again this past weekend in Colorado Springs, Colo., at the 25th Anniversary Celebration of Focus on the Family, where I spoke to a few thousand supporters of that influential evangelical organization. There are many reasons for the support of conservative Christians for Israel – along with social conservatives, the only group giving such support – but their belief that God blesses those who bless the Jews and curses those who curse the Jews plays a central role.
When I first heard this verse cited by the Rev. Falwell, I certainly found it encouraging to hear a major Christian figure say this to fellow Christians. But perhaps because I had just completed graduate work in the social sciences, my rational faculties simply dismissed the idea as more quaint than believable.
Over time, however, that quote stayed with me. Eight years later, when Rabbi Joseph Telushkin and I wrote a book explaining anti-Semitism ("Why the Jews? The Reason for Antisemitism," Simon & Schuster), we noted this verse. But now, after seeing the resurgence of anti-Semitism in the Arab and Muslim worlds and in Europe, after being asked by the publisher to write a new version of the book, and after hearing Christians repeatedly cite this verse, I feel compelled to finally take a position: Is this verse biblical poetry or verifiably true?
I am increasingly convinced that it is verifiably true.
I think of Spain, for example. One of the world's mightiest powers and most developed cultures in the 15th century, in 1492 it reached its zenith when it sent Christopher Columbus on a voyage that changed history. But the same year, it also expelled all its Jews and intensified the Spanish Inquisition against the many forced Jewish converts to Catholicism (converses). Spain then descended into a 500-year status as "the sick man of Europe."
I think of Germany (and Austria) as the cultural and intellectual center of Europe, if not the world, before World War II. Then Germany (with Austrians' help) murdered nearly every Jew in Europe. Germany lost over seven million people, was divided for a generation, and while it now thrives materially, culturally Germany has become irrelevant. Ask anyone, even an intellectual, to name one living German.
And I think about the world today. Look at who most blesses the Jews and who most curses them, and you decide whether the verse in Genesis has validity.
It is the United States that has, since its inception, most blessed the Jews and that does so almost alone today – in its support of the Jewish state against those who wish to exterminate it. By almost any reckoning, America has been, and remains, the most blessed of countries.
And it is the Arab world that curses the Jews. It rivals Nazi Germany for the ubiquity and intensity of its Jew-hatred. Look at its state. According to Arab scholars appointed by the United Nations to report on the state of Arab society, that part of the world lags behind the rest of humanity, including in most instances sub-Saharan Africa, in virtually every social, moral and intellectual indicator. And there is no question but that its half-century long preoccupation with destroying Israel has only increased the Arab world's woes.
No one can prove it is God who actively blesses those who bless the Jews and curses those who curse them. But, at the same time, the evidence historically and this very moment suggests that there is indeed a real connection between the state of a society and its treatment of the Jews.
I don't mean that I support every Jew right or wrong. It just means that I would sell them out for the sake of oil or phony "peace," like many others would. And once one decides to treat the Jews that way, it's much easier to treat everyone else that way, too.
What an odd thing to say.
unfortunately, falwell is theologically incorrect on this one. he is taking the bible out of context to support his equally flawed millenialist views. later in the new testament, st. paul explains that new testament references to jews and israel are really references to the new believers -- christians.
israel is a great country and the jewish people are hard working, capitalists that share many secular values with me. the united states should either support, or not support, israel on temporal issues, not on biblical bases.
Gud veell bless thuse-a vhu bless zee Joos und coorse-a vhuefer coorses zee Joos. Bork-bork-bork!
Oh, sorry -- I thought you said translate it into Swedish Chef! :-)
If Falwell actually said that, it shows how bad his theology really is. Nowhere in Genesis does it say anything about Jews. Israelites are discussed in some detail, and they received many blessings, but there is not a word about Jews.
About 1,500 years after Genesis, or about 50 Generations later, a small number of some of these Israelites offspring were called Jews. Most Israelites are not Jews, yet all of their offspring received the blessings of Abraham.
You need to take verses 1 thru 3. "1. Now the Lord said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country and from they kindred, and from thy fathers house, unto a land that I will show thee;2. And I will make thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; amd thou shalt be a blessing. 3. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee:and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."
God made an unconditional promise of blessings through Abram's seed (a)to a nation Israel to inherit a specific territory forever ( Gen 12:2 15:18-21; 17:7-8)(b) to the Church as in Christ (Gal 3-16, 28,29); and (c) and to the gentile nations (Gen.12-3
There is a promise of blessing upon those individuals and nations who bless Abram's decendents, and a curse laid upon those who persecute the Jews.
You can believe it.... or not.. I choose to believe it.
There is absolutely no Biblical support for that exclusive position. Please read the 3-MINUTE HISTORY by clicking on my FR LostTribe Profile below to find out who the players are, and when they lived, and the relationship between them.
Abram had many descendents. Those of the Jacob line are not the only ones. Does this blessing apply to all the other non-Israelite offspring as well?
Have to be careful not to confuse the ancient nation of Israel under Jacob with the modern new nation named Israel, which was almost named Zion instead. While they are related, they are not at all the same thing.
You can't have it both ways.
Recognizing that "Gentile" simply means "not quite like us" Mormons call non-Mormons "Gentiles" and Jews call non-Jews "Gentiles". But outside a specific context the word Gentile does not stand on it's own.
For Example: The Lost Sheep of the House of Israel are a unique sub-set of Gentiles who are Israelites, but not Jews. From a Jewish perspective they are Gentiles, but from an Israelite perspective they are not. So when we read:
Matthew 10:5-6 These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles , and do not enter a city of the Samaritans . But go rather to the Lost Sheep of The House of Israel."
we need to remember that the Title House of Israel was assigned to the Northern Kingdom as part of their Eternal Heritage when the Davidic Kingdom split. Its members were never Jewish, therefore Jesus command to go first to the Lost Sheep of The House of Israel was NOT a command to go first to lost Jews.
Jesus was both an Israelite and a Jew and what He said here was "do not go to the Israelite Gentiles." (A common misinterpretation has Him talking about Jewish Gentiles .)
The House of Israel later became The Lost Tribes of Israel which won their freedom from the Assyrians ~610 BC. These 5 MILLION Israelites spread quickly to the West and North where they became known to history as The CELTS and later as The Europeans and Americans. It was to these non-Jewish ISRAELITE CELTIC GENTILES in Galatia , etc. that Jesus sent his 12 apostles.
These Northern Kingdom Israelites were not Jews, thus were Gentiles in the Jewish sense. But they were not Gentiles in the Israelite sense because they WERE Israelites. This huge nation of Israelites was simply called the The Lost Sheep of the House of Israel .
These ISRAELITE CELTIC GENTILES made up the bulk of the early Christians, and all the promises they received as Israelites were, and are, still good today. For Gods inheritance has no statute of limitations.
Where exactly does Paul say that?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.