Israel Is Becoming a “Cursing Among the Nations”

During the sixth century BCE, the nation of Judah, which consisted of two of the twelve tribes of Israel, had sinned, and due to God’s anger against Judah it was sent into exile in Babylon. This exile was to last for seventy years before some of these Judeans, then called Jews, returned to their ancestor’s land to restore it, the temple at Jerusalem, and the nation of Israel. The prophet Zechariah lived during the time when the return from exile occurred and this restoration began.

“Return to Me, … And I Will Return to You”

Zechariah’s book in the Bible begins by God—namely, “the LORD” (=Yahweh)—saying to the prophet Zechariah, “The LORD was very angry with your ancestors. Therefore say to them, Thus says the LORD of hosts: Return to me, says the LORD of hosts, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts” (Zechariah 1.3 NRSV). This is the great proclamation of God to the nation of Israel. God had promised to Abraham, the father of the nation of Israel, that he would bless it and make it great. But this promise was not unconditional. God later added a law code to this covenant through Moses, called the Ten Commandments.

Thus, Israel was required to honor God’s law in order to receive the covenant promise. This was born out, and it is echoed in this message proclaimed by Zechariah, when John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth came preaching the same message to Israel, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matthew 3.2; 4.17). Its implication is that Israel would be given the divinely promised kingdom in all of its glory if it repented; but if it did not, the kingdom that had come near would then be withdrawn. History has shown that it is the latter that happened—the kingdom was withdrawn because Israel did not repent. And divine judgment followed, with the Romans destroying Jerusalem and its temple in 70 CE and dissolving the nation in 135 CE.

Israel Is Now a “Cursing Among the Nations”

Eventually, the book of Zechariah foretells a better outcome that will happen. God says of Jews dispersed throughout the world, “I will bring them to live in Jerusalem. They shall be my people and I will be their God” (Zechariah 8.8). God continues, always speaking through the prophet Zechariah, “I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things” (v. 12). He refers to aforementioned blessings of abundance of food, wealth, and security. Then God adds, “Just as you have been a cursing among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you and you shall be a blessing” (v. 13). Notice this “cursing among the nations.” Oftentimes in history, this cursing has not been justified; but sometimes it has.

Israel’s War in Gaza

The nation of Israel has now become a “cursing among the nations” because of its invasion and war in the Gaza Strip. The nearly two years of war has resulted in reportedly over 60,000 Palestinian civilians being killed and many more wounded and starved. Yet this assault was prompted by the ruling Hamas in Gaza attacking Israel, killing 1,200 Israeli Jews in one day, and retreating. Thus, as is so often the case in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, when Palestinians attack Israeli Jews the resulting casualties are ten times higher or more on the Palestinian side as on the Jewish side.

Now, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just announced that its IDF military will increase its assault, resulting in controlling Gaza City and trying to expell Palestinians. This will surely result is much more killing. That is why the world is increasingly turning against Israel, calling for a ceasefire to stop so much killing, with some of the world cursing Israel. This Gaza war therefore is contributing immensely to the increasing antisemitism worldwide.

More UN Nations to Recognize a Palestinian State

Due to so much killing, next month at a meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York City, major western nations led by France will announce their recognition of a Palestinian state even though Palestinians do not really have a state or a land. Since Israel because a nation in 1949, and won the Six-Day War against Arab states in 1967, Israel has occupied the land that Palestinians have claimed as their own. Nations began recognizing the State of Palestine way back in 1988. Next month, their numbers will be about 150 out of the total 193 UN members. Ironically, the U.S. will not be among them, which I believe will continue to be a travesty against our country.