The story behind the prophetic establishment of the State of Israel, Part 2 of 3

“I will bring back my exiled people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them," says the Lord your God.” (Amos 9:14-15)

The events of Friday, May 14, 1948 should never be forgotten. The life-threatening pressure, the pending war of annihilation, and the promises of the ancient prophets. Find Part 1 of this story to get caught up!

In the scope of human history, there are several factual anomalies surrounding the creation of the State of Israel that are difficult to explain. During the founding process, there were countless situations in which the state should have failed internally or have been conquered outwardly. Yet, something or “Someone" kept it together. That “Someone” also told us what He would do ahead of time.

Put yourself in that time on Friday eve, May 14, 1948. Years after the Holocaust and in the face of an impending and outnumbered war, you’ve just listened to David Ben Gurion’s radio address as he reads Israel’s Declaration of Independence, which included these words:

“THE STATE OF ISRAEL will be open for Jewish immigration and for the Ingathering of the Exiles; it will foster the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; it will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel…”

Just hours later that evening as Shabbat began, the weekly Torah portion contained this promise: “You will possess their land; I will give it to you as an inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey” (Leviticus 20:24). 

Perhaps more stunning was the traditional haftarah portion for that week from the Book of Amos 9 which reads:

“I will bring back my exiled people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them," says the Lord your God.” (Amos 9:14-15)

Could that really be true? Has God seen the armies preparing at our borders…??

Of all the 54 weekly Torah readings throughout the year and of all the days that independence could have been declared, Jewish communities around the world were hearing this declaration and the prophet’s words together within hours of each other.

In the words of famed Holocaust survivor and writer Elie Wiesel: “In Jewish history, there are no coincidences.” Only God could have orchestrated this. Jewish people around the world were reading these ancient prophecies along with hearing Israel’s current events, literally within hours of each other. 

As the State was declared and the war began, the Jewish people were outnumbered in every way. They faced four well-equipped, invading Arab soldiers to one kibbutz farmer or Holocaust survivor with minimal weapons or ammunition. 

On the first day of the war, Israel had no planes, 1 tank, 3 armored vehicles and just a few cannons. They didn’t have enough guns for the people or enough ammo for the guns. Many created makeshift weapons or explosives from what they could find until the British blockades were gone and the WWII surplus arms that had been purchased abroad could be hurried into the country. 

To make matters more challenging, more than 30% of the Jewish defenders were new immigrants who didn’t speak the same language or had not yet learned Hebrew. Many got off the boat, were handed a gun as a “welcome home” and were fighting the enemy within a few short days.

How do you prepare locals and new immigrants to defend their lives and homes, let alone train an army, under these conditions?

Yet, the promise from Leviticus and Amos from the very first day of statehood remained. God doesn’t seem to care about the odds. Furthermore, the first full day of Israel’s statehood was Shabbat, the nation's weekly day of rest. 

Let that sink in. In the face of chaotic internal turmoil, overwhelming outward odds of annihilation and the weight of Israel’s declared independence for the first time in 2,000 years, the nation began with God’s eternal promises and instructions to rest. 

If only we could learn such lessons to rest in His promises despite outward appearances. 

Look for Part 3 as the foretold miracles of multiplication were only beginning.