(Deuteronomy 2:5 KJV) Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.
Even today this area of the world is in turmoil. One of the mantras of the Muslims is that the land is theirs and Israel has no right to exist. The Bible obviously gives Israel to the Jewish people. You may not like it but if you believe the Bible is the word of God, deal with it. The real question is not the validity of Israel but the location of the borders.
This verse tell us that there are certain areas of the Middle East that Israel is not to have. Mount Seir is a term used to designate Edom. If you look at an atlas, possibly in the back of your Bible, you will find that Edom is on the southeast corner of the land given by God. In modern terms it would be located in Modern Jordan below the Dead Sea. It is not in any of the areas in dispute today. Later on, in verse 9, we find that Moab, and in verse 19 Ammon, were also not to belong to Israel. Moab was just above Edom. Ammon was to the east.
Israel was granted a land by God. It was denied other areas. David and Solomon may have expanded into areas greater than the basic Israel but there is a heartland that was divinely granted. We need to keep that in mind as we watch the news.
homo unius libri
Amen.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that word is in the Palestinian vocabulary.
DeleteGrace and peace.