Zechariah 2:6 -9 “Up, up! Flee from the land of the north,” says the Lord; “for I have spread you abroad like the four winds of heaven,” says the Lord. 7 “Up, Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon.”
8 For thus says the Lord of hosts: “He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye (the pupil of His eye.) 9 For surely I will shake My hand against them, and they shall become spoil for their servants. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me.
What does the “apple of God’s eye” refer to? It refers to the pupil of God’s eye. Just as we protect our eyes because they are so precious, so God promises to treasure and protect Israel as if that small country is the pupil of His eye. For the next few days, we are going to look at Israel as God describes it in His Word.
In Genesis 15:18-21 God promises the land of Israel to Abraham. “On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates—the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”
Genesis 17:1-8 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”
In Deuteronomy 11:10-12 God describes the Promised Land. “For the land which you go to possess is not like the land of Egypt from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and watered it by foot, as a vegetable garden; but the land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven, a land for which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year.”
How big is Israel?
Israel is a small country covering approximately 22,000–22,145 square kilometers (8,500-8,600 square miles.) It is about 470 km (290 miles) long and very narrow, ranging from only 15 km to 114 km in width. It is often compared in size to the US state of New Jersey or the country of El Salvador. But was this God’s will for Israel originally? Not at all! God promised the Israelites a vast territory stretching from the Nile River in Egypt to the Euphrates River in modern-day Iraq, and from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River. This included the land of Canaan, encompassing modern-day Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and parts of Syria and Lebanon.
Key details about the territory God intended for Israel include:
- Boundaries: Defined as from the “river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates” (Genesis 15:18) and from the Mediterranean Sea east to the Euphrates.
- The Land of Canaan: This was the core area intended for the 12 tribes, which they were instructed to conquer and inhabit, dividing it by lot.
- Extent: It included lands occupied by the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, and others, stretching from the Negev in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north.
- Current Possession: Historically, Israel only reached this maximum extent during the reigns of David and Solomon, with many areas remaining unconquered during Joshua’s time.
Romans 11:29 tells us, “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”When God gave the land of Israel to Abraham and his descendants, He didn’t make a mistake. Once God gives something, He does not take it back. As we continue to consider God’s Word about Israel, let’s ask God that He opens our minds and hearts to His will for Israel.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, open our minds and hearts to Your land of Israel and Your perfect Will for it. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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