“…Spare your people, O LORD. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations….” Joel 2:17
In recent years many Bible believers have been deeply grieved and dismayed to see Israel gradually abandon her biblical heritage to the Palestinians. All this has come about largely through the implementation of the Oslo Accords, which have come to be known as the Peace Process. Although the Oslo Accords and their related agreements have died their deserving deaths, the process continues in today’s Road Map peace initiative.
At first in Oslo I, Israel bade good-bye to most of the Gaza Strip and to the Jericho area. While it is true that Gaza does not have enormous biblical significance, Jericho is rich indeed with both biblical and spiritual significance.
Briefly, Jericho was the first Israelite conquest in Canaan and is thus very important. It was in the Jericho area where Joshua met the commander of the Lord’s armies and discovered that he himself was on “holy ground” (Josh.5:15). The city was later mentioned frequently with the ministries of Elijah and Elisha, and it was near Jericho where Elijah was taken up to heaven (2 Ki. 2:11). It seems obvious that a company of prophets or a school of some kind existed in the Jericho area (2 Ki 2:5). Later, Elisha worked a great miracle and healed the well that was producing bad water in the city (2 Ki. 2:19-22). Other miracles of the prophets were also performed in the area.
While there are many references to Jericho in the Hebrew Scriptures, there are also a good number in the New Testament. John the Baptist ministered in the area and baptized near the city. It is also the traditional area of Jesus’ baptism. It was in Jericho that Jesus healed blind Bartimaeus (Mk. 10:46-52), as well as two other blind men (Mt. 20:29-34). Jesus met Zaccheus there (Lk. 19:1-10). Finally, the beloved account of the Good Samaritan happened not too far from Jericho.
The biblical prophets, of course, are also not silent on the city of Jericho. According to them, the valley where Achan almost brought the downfall of Israel (Valley of Achor) will become a place of future blessing. The prophet Hosea says of Israel, “Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope…” (Hos. 2:14-15). Somehow, in ways we do not yet understand, Israel gave up her “door of hope” when she gave up Jericho. Today the Jericho area is virtually closed to both Israeli and foreign visitors.
CONTEST FOR THE MOUNTAINS
After Olso I in 1993, the surrender of Israel moved quickly from its lowland stages of Gaza and Jericho to the mountains of Judea and Samaria. This area is popularly known in political circles as the West Bank. These mountains are vitally important to Israel. They are of great strategic worth since their heights provide a listening ear for intelligence concerning their Arab neighbors, many of whom are still very hostile. They provide a great natural barrier to frontal military offensives. These frontal armor attacks have been both common and devastating in past wars. Of course, anyone with the slightest knowledge of military tactics would immediately grasp the strategic military importance of the high mountains. Not only are these mountains of strategic value, but they also contain the aquifer that provides a large percentage of Israel’s fresh water.
But these natural considerations are hardly of importance at all when we consider the spiritual significance of these ancient heights. Geographically, they represent the very heart of biblical Israel. In Bible times, the people of Israel lived mostly in the mountains and not so much on the plains. In fact, it was the Philistines who lived on the plains. Ezekiel gives us some interesting information concerning this central range of mountains, which incidentally includes Israel’s most ancient and holy cities. In Ezekiel the Lord speaks of this mountain area as the area to which dispersed Israel will return: “ I speak in my jealous wrath because you have suffered the scorn of the nations… But you, O mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for my people Israel, for they will soon come home” (Ezek. 36:6, 8).
Ezekiel, speaking some 2500 years ago perfectly describes the glee of the Moslems, and no doubt of Satan himself, at the surrender of these strategic mountains. Ezekiel quotes the Lord: “…The enemy said of you, ‘Aha! The ancient heights have become our possession’” (Ezek. 36:2). The Lord says of this, “…In my burning zeal I have spoken against the rest of the nations…for with glee and with malice in their hearts they made my land their own possession so that they might plunder its pastureland” (Ezek. 36:5).
The great spiritual struggle for Israel’s mountains goes on today. Israel’s present government seems intent on relinquishing many of the Jewish settlements in these holy hills in order that they might secure approval of the US and European nations.
FORSAKEN HOLY CITIES
In the Oslo II settlements of 1995, Israel forsook the larger mountain cities of Jenin, Tulkarem, Kalkilya, Nablus and Bethlehem. In 1998, Israel agreed to forsake much of ancient Hebron. Later she abandoned other vast areas of ancient Judea and Samaria. Lately, Israel has seemed even to forsake the Temple Mount. Although it is under her sovereignty, she has allowed the Moslems to be in charge of it and to do massive unsupervised digging on the Mount, even to the point that one of the ancient walls is in danger of collapsing. Great archaeological damage has resulted because of this digging.
While we do not recognize any immediate biblical importance to names like Jenin and Kalkilya, we do certainly recognize Bethlehem. Also, when we realize that Nablus is another name for ancient Shechem, we begin to glimpse the tremendous spiritual heritage that has been traded away by Israel’s so-called peacemakers. It reminds us of Esau trading away his birthright for a “mess of pottage.” While Israel’s government in the meantime has been changed to a more conservative one, we are shocked that the present conservative government seems intent upon giving away the biblical heritage. Their most recent outrage is an attempt to give away the remaining Jewish settlements in Gaza.
So much damage has already been done that the areas of Judea and Samaria (West Bank) now look like a patchwork, with some Jewish areas almost totally surrounded by Moslem ones. There is violence on the ground every day with continual loss of life. The Palestinian Authority has failed to live up to its many agreements of the Peace Process.
We at least owe it to ourselves to stop and think of exactly what we have already given away in the mountains. Let us focus on two major losses, Shechem and Bethlehem. We see that it was in Shechem where God first announced the covenant of the land after Abraham had finally set foot upon it (Gen. 12:6-7). Later, Jacob erected an altar there and actually purchased some of the land from the Canaanites (Gen 33:19). When the Israelites returned to the land under Joshua they gathered at Shechem according to the Lord’s command and established the covenant there. The law of God was actually written on stones in the city (Josh. 8:33-35; Deut. 27:8). Shechem later became one of the cities of refuge for Israel (Josh 20:7), and the patriarch Joseph was buried there (Josh. 24:32). His tomb can still be seen there today.
There are some other things that are not so obvious concerning the city. It served as the capital of the northern kingdom, and King Rehoboam was crowned there (1 Ki. 12:1). The capital was finally moved to Samaria, which is very near Shechem.
The Palestinians, who received this area, made many promises to protect the Jewish holy sites but they immediately broke these promises. Joseph’s Tomb has now been attacked, ransacked and almost destroyed by them.
When we look at Bethlehem it is obvious, first of all, that this is the city of our Messiah Yeshua. He was born there according to the words of the prophet Micah, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times” (Micah 5:2). Rachel was buried on the outskirts of Bethlehem and her tomb is still a popular tourist and pilgrimage site. Bethlehem was also the city of David. He lived there, played his harp and herded sheep there. It was also the city of Boaz and Ruth in the early years of Israel’s history.
Yasser Arafat, Chairman of the PLO, has worked diligently to bring Bethlehem into the Moslem orbit and to obliterate all Christian and Jewish roots in the area. Judging from 1300 years of Moslem domination over Christians in the Middle East, we can predict that the church bells will soon be silent. In fact, the few Christians remaining in this once-Christian city are already under deep persecution by their new Moslem rulers. It is a sad note that so many Christian tours to Israel must now view Bethlehem from a distance –Bethlehem the mother city of our Christian faith. We can imagine the outrage in the Moslem world if Christians exercised such a control of Mecca.
Let us pray that Rachel will not have to weep again as her children are scattered from their ancient heritage (Jer. 31:15). Let us pray that the angel songs will not be silenced in Bethlehem’s fields – that they may someday sing there once more: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14).
– Jim Gerrish
This updated article is presented courtesy of Bridges For Peace, Jerusalem. Original publication date, 1996.