Police Devotion 5-31-16
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:” (Psalm 122:6)
One thing we see in Scripture is that Satan has a hatred for Israel (not that he likes anyone else, but he particularly hates Israel). He has used people in power—and no doubt still does—to try to destroy Israel. God loves all people, but He has a special love for Israel. Likewise, Satan has a special hatred for Israel.
One reason Satan hates Israel is that the Saviour of the world came as a Jew. God told Abraham, “…I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth [not just Jewish families, but all families of the earth] be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3). The greatest blessing a person could ever have, whether Jew or Gentile, is to know Jesus as Saviour. The devil knew that his best chance to keep the Saviour from coming (so mankind would be doomed to hell) was to destroy the Jews.
In Exodus, Satan provoked Pharaoh in Egypt to kill the Hebrew baby boys; no boys meant no Saviour. Satan also saw when Gabriel told Mary that she’d give birth to Jesus. So Caesar Augustus’ taxation decree could have been Satan’s attempt to destroy the Saviour. Joseph had to take his very-pregnant wife, Mary, over 65 miles of rough terrain from Nazareth to Bethlehem, risking a miscarriage. Satan also used King Herod to massacre the children two years old and under, trying to destroy the Christ child.
In the book of Esther, we also see Satan’s hatred and attempt to destroy Jews using the wicked Medo-Persian minister, Haman. Haman was mad because Esther’s cousin, Mordecai, wouldn’t bow down to him. As a result, he had a law passed that all Jews under the authority of King Ahasuerus were to be killed.
Many times in their history, Israel degraded into sin and idolatry, and God let them be taken captive time and again by cruel heathen nations. However, God also protected Israel as a nation. Even with Pharaoh’s plot to kill the Hebrew babies, God let Moses slip through the cracks and even be adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter and later rise to power. God also let Esther come to power “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14). She became the wife of the Medo-Persian King Ahasuerus, and exposed Haman’s plot to destroy her people. Ahasuerus had Haman hanged on the same gallows he’d prepared for Mordecai.
As a nation, the Jews are still special to God. That doesn’t mean that being a Jew is an automatic ticket to heaven. When Jesus preached in Nazareth where He’d grown up, the people apparently expected some special favor as His hometown people: “…whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country” (Luke 4:23). The Lord didn’t oblige them. Instead, He pointed out that Jews need to receive Him as God and Saviour, just like Gentiles. He then described how God used a Sidonian (Gentile) woman to feed the prophet Elijah and blessed her for her faithfulness (1 Kings 17:9-16). He also told how God healed a Syrian (Gentile) soldier, Naaman, from leprosy (2 Kings 5:1-17). When they heard that Jesus was not showing them favor, they became so angry that they tried to throw Him off a cliff.
Still, God loves Israel. That promise, “…I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee” (Genesis 12:3) is still powerful for people and nations today. America needs to support Israel, and people need to “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” Satan still wants to destroy Israel and will still use people in power. So when you hear in the news that someone in power wants to make things tough for Israel or easier for her enemies (and Israel has plenty of them), you can guess who’s whispering in his ear.
Of course, God wants Gentiles saved, too. Jesus said, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature [boldfaces mine]” (Mark 16:15). Please click “How Do I Go to Heaven?” under Helpful Links to see how to have your sins forgiven and be saved.
Brian Miller 5/31/2016
Cleveland Baptist Church | 4431 Tiedeman Road, Brooklyn, Ohio 44144 | 216.671.2822