““In those days and in that time, declares the Lord, the people of Israel and the people of Judah shall come together, weeping as they come, and they shall seek the Lord their God. They shall ask the way to Zion, with faces turned toward it, saying, ‘Come, let us join ourselves to the Lord in an everlasting covenant that will never be forgotten.’” (Jeremiah 50:4–5, ESV)
As we look into the affairs of the world, we see much going on in the Middle East. There we have a small nation that was reestablished in May 1948. That nation is Israel. From that time on the nation has constantly been under attack.
Yet Israel’s issues began centuries before. The nation had been assaulted by many others throughout their history, from the Philistines through the Babylonians.
The nation was divided in two by civil war following the reign of Solomon. The Northern Kingdom, Israel was formed of 10 tribes and the Southern Kingdom, Judah was formed from two tribes and the Levites.
The Northern Kingdom, Israel, devolved into gross idolatry and never had what we might consider a good king. In 722 BC the Assyrians conquered them and the northern ten tribes of Israel lost their national identity, and this was never revived to this day.
The Southern Kingdom, Judah fared a bit better. While they had a succession of what was considered both good and bad kings, the seeds of idolatry were sown and for that reason the nation lost the protective hand of the Lord, and were ultimately conquered by Babylon as their punishment in 586 BC. A small remnant of the Southern Kingdom, were exiled to Babylon.
From this history it would seem that the nation would be doomed. Today the Northern Kingdom is known as the Ten Lost Tribes. Their identity was lost when conquered by the Assyrians. The Southern Kingdom however was not totally lost they would eventually return to Judah and rebuild.
Yet today the thought of the entire nation of twelve tribes being regathered in the Land that God promised seems humanly impossible for several reasons. First because the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom seem to be lost and the nation of Israel today is surrounded by their enemies.
Yet, here we see a prophesy of Jeremiah that refutes the contemporary finite thinking of man. Jeremiah tells of a time when all 12 tribes will be regathered. He wrote, “the people of Israel and the people of Judah shall come together.” Yes, the lost ten tribes and Judah and Benjamin of the Southern Kingdom shall once again be united. Moreover, as we read in previous chapters, Jeremiah prophesied that God will defeat all the enemies of Israel.
When will all this happen? Well, it has not happened yet. However, the Lord God said it will. He in the right time will make it happen.
Today, as it has been throughout history we find a force of antisemitism. If you do not see it, you are wearing blinders. We see unrest and protests even in our own country to this extent.
If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, do not jump on the antisemitic bandwagon. Why? Consider this verse that goes back to the Covenant promise that God made with Abraham.
“I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”” (Genesis 12:3, ESV)
The Israelites trace their lineage back to Abraham and are heirs to God’s promise. Those who stand against Israel, the antisemites, stand on the wrong side and day of reckoning in coming. There is a day coming when those who oppose Israel will face the judgment do them and the Lord Jesus will establish His reign on earth, His millennial reign of righteousness and peace.
Get on the right side, Israel’s side. You see God will bless those who bless Israel and curse those who stand against Israel.
