Jerusalem--God's Strategy Revealed

​When President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the official capital of Israel with plans to relocate the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv he set off a firestorm of controversy around the world.  In 1947 the United Nations drew up a plan that envisaged Jerusalem as an “international city.”  The United Nation’s partition plan drawn up in 1947 envisaged Jerusalem as a separate "international city." But since 1967, following the Six Day War, Israel has sovereignly controlled the city. About 850,000 people live in Jerusalem with a concentration of 61% Jewish and 37% Arab.  Roughly 200,000 of the Jewish population is ultra-Orthodox Jews with the rest divided generally between religious Zionist and secular Jews. For the Arab population, 96% is Muslim; the other 4% is Christian.[1]  

​Currently 86 countries occupy embassies in Tel Aviv.  No nation has its embassy in Jerusalem.  The Palestinians flatly declare that it violates international law to put an embassy there.  But as we know from Scripture, Jerusalem rightfully belongs to Israel, the capital from which King David, Solomon and centuries of Jewish kings reigned.  And there are strong Biblical reasons for this as we can glean from the following passages:  2 Samuel 5:5; 1 Kings 14:21; 2 Chronicles 33:7; Ezra 1:2, 6:12; Psalm 122:6; Isaiah 36:20, 62:7, 65:18; Jeremiah 3:17; Joel 3:17; Zechariah 8:3,22, 12:9.
 
Meditation
Ezekiel 5:5—This is what the Lord God says: I have set this Jerusalem in the center of the nations with countries all around her.
 
God is the One who chose Israel and who located the Jews in the land of Canaan.  He did this strategically to provide at the center (crossroads) of the world, a place where His name would be lifted high—where people could see and hear all about His awesome love.  Jerusalem is His chosen throne and the very city where Jesus willingly gave up His life on a cross.  It is as God says, “the city I chose for Myself to put My name there” (1Kings 11:36).  King David prophesied, “The Lord God of Israel has given rest to His people, and He has come to stay in Jerusalem forever” (1 Chronicles 23:25).

It should come as no surprise that there is so much opposition to a city and land intended to be His witness.  The fact that the President chose to move against decades of policy to recognize Jerusalem should give us pause to consider that we live in special times and that the return of God’s Son is imminent.  What happens in Israel is all part of God’s strategic plan and we would do well to pray, plan, proclaim and praise! 
 
Inspiration 
To say something is “strategic” means it is of exceptional significance, if not of game-changing importance.—Andrew R. Hoehn, Richard H. Solomon and Sonni Efron in “Strategic Choices For A Turbulent World,” Rand Corporation
 
©2017 Daniel York  ARR. Reveration is the weekly devotional ministry of First Cause.  If you would like to receive these devotionals go to www.firstcause.org and click on the “Click here to receive weekly devotionals” box.  Unlimited permission to copy this devotional without altering text or profiteering is allowed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice.      
 
Ecclesiastes 12:10-The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and to accurately write words of truth.  (Holman CSB)

[1]http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/05/middleeast/trump-jerusalem-explainer-intl/index.html