Eleven Minutes
Isaiah 11:11-12 (KJV)
11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, …
12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
Eleven minutes after David Ben-Gurion declared independence, President Harry Truman recognized the nation of Israel. As a student of history, and a Christian, this was a fascinating moment. The people of Abraham had once again taken root downward in the land Jacob raised Joseph in.
Today they have grown upward and outward. The country is considered the eleventh most powerful in the world. As a follower of technology I can tell you it’s one of the most innovative in the world. The amazing story of Israel is one that touches every aspect of humanity in some form.
Hebrews 11:11-12 (KJV)
11 Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.
12 Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.
It reminds us all that God’s promises are not only true, but long lasting. What He spoke to Abraham, He fulfilled in the days of Joshua, Zerubbabel, and Harry Truman. Say what you will, but only God could have placed the same family on the same land three times throughout history.
When someone tried to give Truman credit for what happened, as a student of The Bible he simply said “I am Cyrus”, meaning he was only fulfilling what God had ordained for him to do. This feels me with hope, because His promises are yes and amen. If He said it that settles it. When you hold to the promises of God, you have historical evidence that He keeps them.
If you are going through a time of challenge, I would encourage you to hold onto His Word. From Abraham to Christ, He keeps His promises. It doesn’t matter how long, or even how impossible it may seem. Israel used a perfect reference in their Declaration Of Independence, one that fills every Jew and Christian’s heart with peace, The Rock Of Israel.
It points to where all of our stability comes, to Whom we look in a time of crisis, and The One higher than every problem. He was big enough to deliver Israel from Egypt, cause Cyrus to send them back to Jerusalem, and to use a man who wasn’t even supposed to be President to help His people. God is also big enough to free each of us from whatever we face, for He is The Rock Of Israel. May we all rejoice with Israel on this day, for it is a day of promise!
