Israel’s Independence Day is always on the 4th of the Hebrew month of Iyar, the day Israel declared Independence in 1948 on the Jewish calendar, but it changes from year to year on the Gregorian calendar. This year it will start on May 1 and end at sunset on May 2. Against all odds, the state of Israel has made it to 77 years old!
Israel is a very unusual country. There are almost 100 nations in the world, and many celebrate their Independence Day where they gained sovereignty and self-determination. But God says in His word that He is the One who formed Israel, that He was the One who had the right to scatter, and He is also the One with the power to regather His people to the land of their forefathers.
Another interesting aspect about Israel’s Independence Day is that although it’s a day of joy and celebration, it’s immediately preceded by a sombre Memorial Day for all those who have fallen in the fight for Israel’s existence, and also for the thousands of victims of terror attacks throughout the modern state’s short and embattled history. It’s often the way in Jewish life — the bitter and sweet, joy and sorrow, seem to be closely intertwined. Being God’s chosen people living in God’s chosen real estate is a high calling, a high privilege, but it comes with a high cost. We remember all these things together, almost in the same breath.
That Israel managed to reach its first birthday, never mind 77 of them, is testament to God’s divine help and providence.
The presence of a Jewish state in a sea of Muslim nations has deeply irked the spirit of Islam. Just as we saw many bold threats from Hamas on their determination to drive Israel out following their very real attempt to accomplish that on October 7, 2023, Arab media is replete with such statements. Sure, most are smart enough to talk out of a different side of their mouth to Western media, but watching interviews in Arabic, Turkish, and Farsi, we are left in little doubt about the true intentions of radical Islamists.
Jews first, then Christians.
They aren’t even hiding this. pic.twitter.com/ZUpBR487nA
— E A G L E (@JesvinGeo) November 8, 2024
Israel’s enemies are formidable, and as we saw so clearly on October 7, should not be underestimated. However, the God of Israel is far more so. Israel exists as a nation because God chose Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He renamed Jacob “Israel”: He who wrestles with God. Israel’s 12 sons, the twelve tribes, have become God’s chosen people, chosen to serve His purposes on earth for the sake of all the nations. Israel was God’s doing, God’s choice, and God’s handiwork, as the prophet Isaiah says:
But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are Mine.
Israel was created by God Himself, called for His purposes, to bring forth His word and His Messiah into the world, and to demonstrate His great faithfulness towards sinful humanity. God had every right to scatter His people into exile, and He also has the right to regather them, according to His promises. The return of the people of Israel to the Land is one of the most repeated themes in the prophets. He has not forsaken His people!
Fear not, for I am with you;
I will bring your descendants from the east,
And gather you from the west;
I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’
Bring My sons from afar,
And My daughters from the ends of the earth—
Everyone who is called by My name,
Whom I have created for My glory;
I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”
(Isaiah 43:3-7)
This people I have formed for Myself;
They shall declare My praise. (Isaiah 43:21)
Why do the nations rage?
Not only are those wishing to restore an Islamic caliphate troubled by the reappearance of the sons of Isaac, but all who oppose God’s sovereign rule on the earth express inexplicable fury towards the Jewish state. Israel speaks of the truth and reality of God — and of His standards and judgement — in a way that is hard to ignore. This draws ire and creates fierce enemies. We see this among bloodthirsty terrorist groups but also in the mobs who support them in the West, driven by the (largely anti-God) media. Living here is not for the fainthearted.
Yet all this is anticipated in the Scriptures. The Psalms are full of God’s plans for Israel and the murderous threats against God’s people. It’s a good job God is on Israel’s side.
“Yet hear now, O Jacob My servant,
And Israel whom I have chosen.
Thus says the Lord who made you
And formed you from the womb, who will help you:
‘Fear not, O Jacob My servant;
And you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
For I will pour water on him who is thirsty,
And floods on the dry ground;
I will pour My Spirit on your descendants,
And My blessing on your offspring;
And who can proclaim as I do?
Then let him declare it and set it in order for Me,
Since I appointed the ancient people.
And the things that are coming and shall come,
Let them show these to them.
Do not fear, nor be afraid;
Have I not told you from that time, and declared it?
You are My witnesses.
Is there a God besides Me?
Indeed there is no other Rock;
I know not one.’ ”
(Isaiah 44:1-3, 6-8)
Steps toward statehood and Israel’s Independence
Israel is God’s firstborn, a legitimate son, regathered to the Land according to God’s own purposes. The reestablishment of the new state were also legitimate, despite voices protesting the opposite. The process to become a state was not a “land grab” by “white colonizers” but rather the return of indigenous people to the land of their forefathers after a long exile. The journey towards formal statehood had several steps, all legitimate and legal, after the real colonizers, the Turkish Ottoman Empire, was finally defeated.
a) The Balfour Declaration, November 2, 1917: the UK with support of four other nations declared a homeland for the Jews in Palestine after defeating the Turks who controlled the Middle East previously.
b) The San Remo Article 22, April 1920: Ratified the Balfour Declaration as internationally binding law.
c) The League of Nations endorsed the Balfour Declaration on July 24, 1922: A legal document titled “Mandate for Palestine” was unanimously approved by all 51 states of the League, laying down the Jewish legal rights in Palestine: “Recognition has been given to the historical connection of the Jewish people with Palestine and to the grounds for reconstituting their national home in that country.”
d) 1947 UN Resolution 181: UN member states voted to partition Palestine in 1947, although with a smaller share for the Jews. The original Mandate for Palestine had given the area east of the Jordan river to the Arabs and west to the Jews, but the UN resolution allotted 77% of that area as a Jewish homeland.
e) The 1948 invasion by the surrounding Arab nations and their surprising defeat led to Israel declaring independence in May of that year.
Immediately, Israel was invaded by five Arab armies, but miraculously, the tiny state of bedraggled Holocaust survivors and kibbutz farmers won the victory, with one weapon between three men. Just as the stragglers of Israel were attacked by Amalekites when they came out of slavery in Egypt, so they were ambushed when reaching the Promised Land once again. Israel has been fighting for survival ever since, in varying levels of intensity, but the attempts to undo what God has done will persist until the Messiah comes again in glory.
But Israel must be here. The Messiah must return to a Jewish Jerusalem, where His people can welcome Him with cries of “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”
The pieces are falling into place, and Satan cannot stop it. But he will try.
Yom haZikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day
Before we celebrate the survival of Israel for another year, we will mourn the deaths of all those who have been killed, murdered, and maimed in the battle for Israel’s existence. Initially the two events were marked on the same day, but in order to give everyone the opportunity to properly grieve and freely celebrate, they were separated.
Flags are placed on the graves of Israeli fallen soldiers in preparation for Memorial Day, and state flags are lowered to half-mast. On Thursday evening the land is filled with a minute-long siren, during which we stand in silence to remember all those who have fallen in service and killed by terrorists. There’s a state ceremony at the Western Wall plaza in the evening, and another siren in the morning at 11:00 am for two minutes, before the main ceremony at the military cemetery on Mount Herzl. Another memorial service is then held at 13:00 for more than 5,000 victims of terror.
There are also victims of anti-Israel terror who are not Israeli, including JFK’s brother, Robert F. Kennedy. In newly released documents, the assassin has been identified as a Jerusalem-born Jordanian named Sirhan Bishara Sirhan who was driven by “uncontrollable rage” about RFK’s support for Israel. He became obsessed with the idea of killing Kennedy, writing, “RFK must die” and “RFK must be killed,” in his journal since RFK had publicly supported Israel and pledged to increase military aid.1
During Yom haZikaron, many people light candles and say prayers, while bereaved families visit the graves of their loved ones. There are special ceremonies held all across the country, and songs associated with Yom HaZikaron are played as we all remember the high price Israel has paid… and continues to pay.
We will have to wait for the official statistics for this year to know exactly how many terror victims and fallen soldiers will be remembered this year (another Bedouin soldier was killed just yesterday), but over 25,000 have given their lives fighting for Israel’s survival.
Remember these, O Jacob,
And Israel, for you are My servant;
I have formed you, you are My servant;
O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me!
(Isaiah 44:21)
The work of God
When the day draws to a close and Israel’s Independence Day begins, the inevitable fireworks and barbecues are ignited. The nation does a 360 turn from mourning to dancing, and it’s become traditional to barbecue on Independence Day. I wonder if God finds it a soothing aroma… certainly He must be pleased that Israel is back in place. The scene is set. His people have been resettled. There is still much to do, but it’s the hand of the Lord that has been at work.
“But you, Israel, are My servant,
Jacob whom I have chosen,
The descendants of Abraham My friend.
You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth,
And called from its farthest regions,
And said to you,
‘You are My servant,
I have chosen you and have not cast you away:
Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
(Isaiah 41:8-10)
- https://allisrael.com/newly-unsealed-fbi-files-reveal-unusual-israel-connection-in-robert-f-kennedy-assassination
