Who “Owns” the Land of Israel? Part 1
Recently, someone posted the following comment on our Facebook page: “They may be God’s chosen people, but that does not give them the right to deprive others of their land and their homes and their livelihoods. God loves those who seek JUSTICE, not land.”
And that got me thinking — whose land is it anyway? Since I’ve worked most of my adult life to support Jews living in the land of Israel, specifically, those living in the Biblical heartland, Judea and Samaria, I’ve come to realize this is a critical question that every Christian who loves Israel should answer with Scripture.
Psalm 24:1-2 The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.
King David says it so clearly in this verse: the Earth, the entire world belongs to the creator. When you think of a creative masterpiece, who initially owns that piece of art? The people who have created it. They are the only people who truly own it; they see its full potential, they see it with a vision for its ultimate destiny. They are trying to express an idea or a vision, to capture the inexpressible and share it with others. Then they choose who and how they will give their masterpiece to someone else. This is what God did when He created the world. He built paradise and shared it with mankind. So it truly is His to give to whomever He chooses. As we look further into Scripture we can see that He has made it very clear who is the rightful recipient of the Land of Israel.
Deuteronomy 32:8-9 When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the Children of Israel. But the Lord’s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage.
From this verse, we learn that the Most High gave each nation their inheritance; He divided mankind, and fixed the borders. Moreover, he fixed the borders of the nations, based on what the Children of Israel would require! God’s borders, then, are not set by governments or political parties. When I think about all of the borders that have been drawn and re-drawn in my short lifetime, I find it amazing that the borders of Israel cause so much angst for almost every nation on earth! When you look at it with a purely natural eye, the situation in Israel today with regard to borders is beyond ludicrous! If someone remodels their kitchen, or adds a porch to their house in Judea or Samaria, it causes consternation from the White House to the Kremlin, to parliaments across the world, and of course in The Hague. National borders changed and entire countries were created between the two world wars and no one made a fuss. So why is Israel different? Could it be because there is a spiritual element involved?
Genesis 12:1-8 Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan. Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the Oak of Moreh (Alon Moreh). And the Canaanites were then in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.”And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.
This one Scripture has two very important themes, 1) God’s commandment to Abram, first “Go to the land that I will show you”, and secondly His initial promise, “To your descendants, I will give this land”. 2) There are four very distinct city names mentioned, Shechem, Alon Moreh, Bethel and Ai. Look closely at this map to see where all four of these named cities are located. All four are found in the area that today the world calls
the “West Bank”. This is the area that our friend on Facebook says doesn’t belong to the Jewish people. Where Jews are “land-grabbing” and forcing Palestinians out of house and home. When we look at this map with our Bible open and we read God’s commandment, “Go to the land that I will show you”, and then His promise, “To your descendants I will give this land”, it paints a very powerful picture. I think we can begin to see why world leaders get heartburn when a Jew builds a house in Judea or Samaria. He is fulfilling God’s commandment and partaking of God’s promise. The devil never likes to see anyone obey God or walking in the blessing of God.Genesis 17:19-21 19 Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.”
God knew what was going to happen in the twentieth century, when He fulfilled His promise to return the descendants of Abraham to the Land of Israel. He knew that the modern State of Israel would be established in 1948, and the Arab world would dispute Israel’s legitimacy. God states very clearly to Abraham, your descendants, your heirs to the promise, those that I will establish My covenant with will come through Isaac. Ishmael is your son, and he will also receive an inheritance, but My covenant people will be the sons of Abraham and Isaac.
Who “Owns” the Land of Israel? Part 2
What about the Palestinians? Don’t they have rights to own land and live in their ancestral homeland?
To answer this question, we have to go back in history. The people who are currently called “Palestinian” are not the same people who were called “Palestinian” a century ago.
The area was called the Land of Israel or Judea (a place belonging to Jews) from Biblical times until 135 AD, when the Roman Emperor Hadrian changed the name of the province from Judea to Syria Palaestina, a brilliant PR stunt to sever the Jewish people’s connection to the region. This was done following the Jewish Bar Kokhba revolt against the Roman Empire. For most of the period between 135 AD and May 15, 1948, the area was referred to as Palestine or the Land of Israel. From the 2nd Century until the 19th Century, this area called “Palestine” was conquered, captured, sacked, pillaged, and burned by a multitude of empirical armies. But not one of these Empires sought to establish a state of their own in Palestine, nor did they establish their capital in Jerusalem or anywhere else in “Palestine.” The last Empire that controlled “Palestine” was the Ottoman Empire, which fell in 1919 following the First World War. At the conclusion of that war, the victorious allies carved up the entire Middle East, granting independence to some and creating mandates in some of the other areas. Great Britain was awarded the Mandate for Palestine.
The language of the Balfour Declaration, promising the establishment of a Jewish Homeland in Palestine and close Jewish settlement throughout the area, was incorporated in the Mandate’s foundational document. While the mandate applied to the entire area of Palestine, representing all of Israel and Jordan as we know these countries today, in 1923, the British violated the original purpose of the mandate by separating 76% of the Mandatory territory to create Jordan, giving it to the Hashemite family from the Hejaz area of Arabia, which rules the country to this day.
Since the First Century there has always been a remnant of Jews who continued to live in their ancient homeland. For part of this time, they were few and scattered, the vast majority of Jews having been exiled and forced to leave the area by the Romans. And yet there remained a handful of Jews who stayed in the land. When the British controlled Palestine, the Jews there referred to themselves as “Palestinian”. The Arabs did not recognize a separate national identity for those Arabs living in Palestine and they referred to themselves simply as Arabs, as did the Arabs of much of the Middle East. They saw themselves as part of the Greater Arab Nation that dominated most of the Middle East. Many Arabs immigrated to Palestine following the First Jewish Aliyah (coming home) that took place from 1882 – 1903. Jews came home to “Palestine” mostly from Russia and Eastern Europe because the pogroms and persecution were so intense that they had been driven from their homes and forced to flee. Why did they choose to settle in the Ottoman Empire? Because for over 2,000 years, since their ancestors had been driven from Jerusalem and Judea by the Roman armies, the Jewish people have prayed three times a day, every day, to return to the Land promised to them by God. God answered that prayer and when the time was right the Jews started to come home.
They came home to a land that was desolate, absolutely barren. For centuries, bloodshed and fighting had swarmed over this small piece of land, decimating all natural resources and beauty. Yet, they did not give up hope. They were so happy to fulfill the dream of hundreds of generations to return to this land. They immediately began to tend the land. They planted crops, sanitized water, built homes, and drained swamps. What did they need to accomplish this incredible task? They needed willing hands and strong backs, and both Arabs and Jews sought these new jobs. And thus began the Arab immigration to this area. There were jobs available, money to be made, life to be improved. So the Arabs followed the Jews into “Palestine” and began to work. They moved here from all the surrounding countries, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, Arabia. They came because they could find work and feed their families.
On May 14, 1948 the British Mandate for Palestine ended, and the Jewish nation of Israel was born. Overnight, everyone Jewish who was “Palestinian” became “Israeli.” In time, many Arabs became “Israeli” as well. The term “Palestinian” was not used again until 1964, when Yasser Arafat organized the PLO, the Palestine Liberation Organization. It is interesting to note, that in 1964, Jordan controlled all of the area that is referred to as the “West Bank” or the “Israeli Occupied Territories”. The occupation that the PLO referred to then was Israel within the pre-67 borders, for the PLO from the beginning refused to accept the existence of Israel within any boundaries.
It wasn’t until the miraculous Six-Day War in 1967 when Jordan attacked Israel from the Old City of Jerusalem and the hills of Judea and Samaria which it controlled, that Israel responded to those attacks and liberated the area. God performed a miracle, and the heart of Biblical Israel was once again under Jewish control. For the first time in over 2,000 years the ruling power in Judea and Samaria was once again Jewish, their capital is Jerusalem, and Jews have continued to come home to their ancient homeland from the four corners of the earth.
Today there are people who call themselves “Palestinian” who have co-opted the ancestral homeland of another people, the Jews! Their heritage consists of hatred, bloodshed, murder, and terrorism as its core value. Generations of Palestinians have been raised hating the Jewish “occupiers”. They have been raised with a value system that exalts the murder of innocents and twists the truth into lies.
Today the Palestinian people do not always have it easy. However, their hardships could be done away with if they laid down their weapons against Israel. If they stopped trying to kill and destroy at every opportunity, if they chose to live like neighbors should. There is more than enough land in Israel for everyone. As tiny as the Land of Israel is, there is room for all. Jews value human life and dignity, freedom and democracy. They want their Arab/Palestinian “neighbors” to live a good life, to have jobs, and education. To raise their families, attend Mosque and celebrate their holy days. The Jew’s greatest desire is to live in peace with their Arab neighbors.Today, there are road-blocks, there are security checks, there are Israeli army patrols, and there is a security fence/wall. Sometimes these security issues cause difficulties for the Palestinians and sometimes for the Israelis as well. But they are all vitally necessary to prevent terrorist attacks. And the people of Israel are living in a place where they are under attack from without and from within. Given the choice between suicide or an effective army, the Israelis will always choose to defend themselves. Because they will always choose life.
Who “Owns” the Land of Israel? Part 3
Hebron, Shechem, Jerusalem… What do these three cities in Israel have in common? If you read most newspaper articles, they list them as being in the “Occupied West Bank”. However, if you read your Bible you find detailed accounts of real estate transactions, money changing hands, when Jewish patriarchs BOUGHT these three cities. The Bible provides us with concrete evidence that the land of Israel belongs to the Jews, something any Bible believer can trust. And yet these three cities are at the very heart of the area the world says Jews have no right to live.
Hebron – Genesis 23 So Sarah died in Kirjath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. Then Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying,“I am a foreigner and a visitor among you. Give me property for a burial place among you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.” And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, “My lord, listen to me; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver. What is that between you and me? So bury your dead.” And Abraham listened to Ephron; and Abraham weighed out the silver for Ephron which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, currency of the merchants.So the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, which were within all the surrounding borders, were deeded to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city.And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.So the field and the cave that is in it were deeded to Abraham by the sons of Heth as property for a burial place.
Genesis 23 tells us the story of Sarah’s death and Abraham’s actions in order to bury her. He meets with the city council and asks to buy land to bury his wife. They respond and offer to give him the land, rather than sell it to him. Abraham insists that he will pay for the land so he can give Sarah a proper burial. Finally, the Hittites name an outrageous price, 400 shekels of silver. Abraham counts out the money before the council and pays Ephron, the man who owns the land. The chapter ends with the statement that this land, the Cave of Machpelah, the trees, and the fields that surround the cave are all deeded to Abraham. His first purchase of land in the Promised Land.
Today, you can go to Hebron and visit the Cave of Machpelah. The cave itself is no longer accessible but on top of the cave is the oldest standing building in the world, built by King Herod more than 2,000 years ago. I’ve been to Hebron many times and it is an amazing place. As you walk into the synagogue housed in that building it is with a sense of awe. Here in this very place, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Leah are all buried. Here is the very heart of an entire chapter of the Bible, and you can see it come to life right under your feet.In 1993 most of the city of Hebron was transferred to the Palestinian Authority in the Land
for Peace travesty. Only the oldest part of the city remains in Israeli hands, where the Cave of Machpelah is located and where the ancient Jewish community lived for hundreds of years well into the 20th century, today, there is only a small Jewish presence in Hebron, and though they are surrounded by hostile Arab neighbors, the community is thriving and growing. The Jews who live in Hebron are there because they have a deep faith in God and they believe the Bible is true. They are continuing an ancient tradition of Jewish life in this city since the time of Abraham. Even during the exile from the land, there has almost always been a tiny remnant in the Land and in this city. Because of their title deed spelled out in an entire chapter in Genesis, Jews never willingly left Hebron.
The city of Hebron, the cave of Machpelah and the adjacent modern-day community of Kiryat Arba are all on the itinerary for my upcoming tour to Israel March 17-27, 2014. I want to invite you to come and go with me, so you too can see the ancient city of Hebron filled with vibrant Jewish life today. The Bible comes to life in a whole new way as you walk through the city of Hebron and pray in the Cave of Machpelah. Who “Owns” the Land of Israel? Part 4
Shechem – The city of Shechem is first mentioned in Genesis 12:6 Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land. This is the first place where Abraham enters the promised land and this is the first time that Abraham hears God say “this” is the land that I promised to show you.
The next time Shechem is mentioned is during an actual real estate transaction. Money changes hands when Jacob buys the land from the children of Hamor. Genesis 33:18-20 Then Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padan Aram; and he pitched his tent before the city. And he bought the parcel of land, where he had pitched his tent, from the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for one hundred pieces of money. Then he erected an altar there and called it El Elohe Israel.
Today Shechem is an Arab city under the control of the Palestinian Authority. I have never visited Shechem because it is not safe to go into the city; however, I have stood on a mountaintop across the valley and looked over the city. If you believe everything you read in the newspapers you would think that millions of Arabs have lived here since before Abraham. Recently, I received a picture that tells a very different story. Look at the picture below dated 1920 — the city of Shechem is tiny! The modern picture, taken from the exact same place shows the modern city which has grown tremendously. But these Arabs are newcomers, way after Abraham. Actually, they arrived in the land after the Zionist movement had begun settling new communities in the Land of Israel at the beginning of the 20th century.
What is really significant about Shechem and why I believe it was important enough for God to record Jacob’s purchase of the land in Genesis, is what is recorded later on in the Bible about this city. In Deuteronomy 11 and 27 Moses commands the people to build an altar on Mount Ebal, just after their entry to the Land, where they are to reaffirm the covenant that God entered into with them in the wildernes. In Joshua 8 we read how Joshua obeys Moses’ command and gathers all the tribes of Israel at Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, Half of the tribes stand on one mountain and the other half stand on the second mountain and together they declare Amen to the blessings and the curses recited by the priests as promised by God. Why is this significant? Deutermony 11:29-30 tells us that this very spot between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim is adjacent to the terebinth of Moreh, where Abraham first heard God’s promise to give the land to his children, the “Promised Land. ” God brings the Children of Israel back to that very spot and it is there that He reaffirms His covenant with them.
If you look at the picture of Shechem above, you will see that it is located in a valley between two mountains. Mount Gerazim is on the left and Mount Ebal is on the right. So when God had Jacob purchase land in the city of Shechem, it was for a purpose. He knew that He would bring His children back to the very spot where He first spoke the promise to Abraham, all the land that you see I give to you and your descendants forever (Genesis 13:15). Four hundred years later Abraham’s descendants stand on this very spot and begin the fulfillment of that promise. Four thousand years later, Abraham’s descendants are once again in this Land, living in the Mountains of Samaria, possessing the land in fulfillment of prophecy.
We will visit the 3 seas overlook on our tour to Israel in March 2014. We will take you to the top of the mountain and show you the place where Abraham first entered the Promised Land, and we will open our Bibles to Genesis and Joshua and read about Elon Moreh, Shechem, Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim. You will get to see firsthand what God was talking about as He made that amazing promise to Abraham, deeding the Land as an everlasting inheritance for his descendants. I hope you will join me and stand with me on that amazing mountain and experience the living Bible. “It is a tree of life for all who hold it” (Proverbs 3:18)
Who “Owns” The Land of Israel? Part 5
Jerusalem– How many names are there for Jerusalem? I would like to focus on five that are mentioned In the bible:Salem, Moriah, Jebus, Zion, and Jerusalem. The Biblical references for the purchase of this city take a lot more digging than the ones for Hebron, and Shechem, but it is a more complex city and arguably the most hotly contested piece of real estate in the world today. The name of the city changes with each generation, but we can trace the connection between the names to one specific geographic location, the same area we refer to as Jerusalem, the capital of Israel.
The first mention of Salem is found in Genesis 14:18, when the King of Salem comes out and blesses Abraham who has just returned from war. Abraham, in turn. gives a tithe of all his military spoils to the King of Salem (Genesis 14:18 – 20, Hebrews 7:1-2). Interestingly, the geographical location of Salem isn’t mentioned. You have to cross reference Psalm 76:2 In Salem also is His tabernacle and His dwelling place in Zion, to know that Melchizedek is the King of Jerusalem.
Genesis 22:2, “Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” I find this particular verse fascinating. The language is similar to the original command God gives to Abram, when he tells him to leave his father and mother and go to the land that I will show you. Here God is telling Abraham, to take his only son Isaac and sacrifice him on a specific mountain in the land of Moriah. The temple mount today is on Mount Moriah, presumably on the exact spot where Abraham gave action to his faith in God through the ultimate test of obedience.
Joshua 18:21-28 Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin, according to their families, were Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz, Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel,Avim, Parah, Ophrah,Chephar Haammoni, Ophni, and Gaba: twelve cities with their villagesGibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,Mizpah, Chephirah, Mozah,Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, Zelah, Eleph, Jebus (which is Jerusalem), Gibeath, and Kirjath: fourteen cities with their villages. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families.
That is all the Biblical pre-history for the city of Salem in the land of Moriah, on Mt. Moriah. It is when we get to the time of King David that the city is called Jerusalem or Zion, as King David often refers to the city in the Book of Psalms.
2 Samuel 5:5 In Hebron he (David) reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.
2 Samuel 5:6-7 And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land,… Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David).
In 2 Samuel 5 we read about King David’s rule over Israel. He starts in Hebron, and then captures Jerusalem/Salem/Zion/Jebus from the Jebusites. He is following God’s original command to Joshua to enter the Promised Land and take possession of it. Many times God spoke saying that He would remove the Jebusites from the land of Caananto give it as an inheritance to the Children of Israel. Knowing that Mt. Moriah is in Jerusalem, and Abraham had a God moment there, and paid tithes to the King of Salem, it is no wonder that David moved his capital to Jerusalem as soon as he could.
Now we get to the part where we find out that the title deed for Jerusalem is purchased by King David. In2 Samuel 24, we read about God giving David a choice of punishments, and David chooses 3 days of God’s plague so that he will not fall into man’s hand because he is trusting God to be merciful. The culmination of that destruction is detailed in verses 15-16 So the Lordsent a plague upon Israel from the morning till the appointed time. From Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men of the people died. And when the angel stretched out His hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “It is enough; now restrain your hand.” And the angel of the Lordwas by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
2 Samuel 24:18-19, 24 And Gad came that day to David and said to him, “Go up, erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”So David, according to the word of Gad, went up as the Lord commanded. Then the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
As you read this story found in 2 Samuel24:18-25 it sounds very familiar. It is the same as when Abraham went to purchase Hebron from Ephron the Hitite. Again, Araunah tries to give the threshing floor to King David as a place to sacrifice to God, to set up an altar. But David doesn’t believe the offer is genuine and he insists that he must pay for the threshing floor and oxen with 50 shekels of silver. That way it is his, he owns it and no one can question his right to follow God’s commandment to sacrifice those oxen on that location.
There is no mention of where the threshing floor of Araunah is located geographically. However, there is another account of this same transaction recorded in 1 Chronicles 21 this account is slightly different, and as you read it there are more details filled in, of particular interest are verses 16-17. David looks up and sees the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven with a sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem, and David falls on his face to repent. Then we find out that God commands the angel to stop the destruction and tells David to build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. From this we now know that Ornan/Araunah has his threshing floor in Jerusalem.
We get a glimpse of Ornan/Araunah’s temperament/personality in verse 20 Now Ornan turned and saw the angel; and his four sons who were with him hid themselves, but Ornan continued threshing wheat. If you see an angel of the Lord with a sword in his hand bringing destruction across the entire city, a normal person would go and hide, but Ornan just goes back to work and keeps on threshing wheat. I think this lets us know that Ornan does not respect God. I think this makes it evident that when he offers his oxen and his threshing floor to King David for free, it is not a sincere offer. Thus we see that David insists on paying a fair price for the sacrifice he has been commanded to give to God.
Now we find out that there is a discrepancy in the Bible. 1 Chronicles 21:24-25 Then King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will surely buy it for the full price, for I will not take what is yours for the Lord, nor offer burnt offerings with that which costs me nothing.” So David gave Ornan six hundred shekels of gold by weight for the place.
Why does the account in 2 Samuel say 50 shekels and the account in 1 Chronicles say 600 shekels? Which one is right, or can they both be right? The Jewish belief is that David paid 50 shekels for each tribe so that the 12 tribes of Israel would all have equal ownership in the altar, 50 x 12 = 600.
One has to wonder what is so special about this particular place, why did God tell David to go to this specific threshing floor and make a sacrifice? We find the answer that ties everything together and shows us the master plan that God had in mind from the very beginning in 2Chronicles 3:1 Now Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
So we can know with certainty that Jerusalem belongs to the Jewish people and the title deed for the very land is recorded in the Bible. Think about that the next time you see a tag line on a newspaper article that comes from “Occupied Jerusalem”.
Come with me on the CFOIC Heartland tour, March 3-13, 2013 to see Hebron, Shechem, and Jerusalem for yourself. Together we will open our Bibles and read the scriptures that talk about this Land. You will meet the people who are living there today fulfilling the ancient prophecies regarding this land. They are living proof that the God we serve is a living God who keeps his word and remembers His promises forever.
The first mention of Salem is found in Genesis 14:18, when the King of Salem comes out and blesses Abraham who has just returned from war. Abraham, in turn. gives a tithe of all his military spoils to the King of Salem (Genesis 14:18 – 20, Hebrews 7:1-2). Interestingly, the geographical location of Salem isn’t mentioned. You have to cross reference Psalm 76:2 In Salem also is His tabernacle and His dwelling place in Zion, to know that Melchizedek is the King of Jerusalem.
Genesis 22:2, “Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” I find this particular verse fascinating. The language is similar to the original command God gives to Abram, when he tells him to leave his father and mother and go to the land that I will show you. Here God is telling Abraham, to take his only son Isaac and sacrifice him on a specific mountain in the land of Moriah. The temple mount today is on Mount Moriah, presumably on the exact spot where Abraham gave action to his faith in God through the ultimate test of obedience.
Joshua 18:21-28 Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin, according to their families, were Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz, Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel,Avim, Parah, Ophrah,Chephar Haammoni, Ophni, and Gaba: twelve cities with their villagesGibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,Mizpah, Chephirah, Mozah,Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, Zelah, Eleph, Jebus (which is Jerusalem), Gibeath, and Kirjath: fourteen cities with their villages. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families.
That is all the Biblical pre-history for the city of Salem in the land of Moriah, on Mt. Moriah. It is when we get to the time of King David that the city is called Jerusalem or Zion, as King David often refers to the city in the Book of Psalms.
2 Samuel 5:5 In Hebron he (David) reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.
2 Samuel 5:6-7 And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land,… Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David).
In 2 Samuel 5 we read about King David’s rule over Israel. He starts in Hebron, and then captures Jerusalem/Salem/Zion/Jebus from the Jebusites. He is following God’s original command to Joshua to enter the Promised Land and take possession of it. Many times God spoke saying that He would remove the Jebusites from the land of Caananto give it as an inheritance to the Children of Israel. Knowing that Mt. Moriah is in Jerusalem, and Abraham had a God moment there, and paid tithes to the King of Salem, it is no wonder that David moved his capital to Jerusalem as soon as he could.
Now we get to the part where we find out that the title deed for Jerusalem is purchased by King David. In2 Samuel 24, we read about God giving David a choice of punishments, and David chooses 3 days of God’s plague so that he will not fall into man’s hand because he is trusting God to be merciful. The culmination of that destruction is detailed in verses 15-16 So the Lordsent a plague upon Israel from the morning till the appointed time. From Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men of the people died. And when the angel stretched out His hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “It is enough; now restrain your hand.” And the angel of the Lordwas by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
2 Samuel 24:18-19, 24 And Gad came that day to David and said to him, “Go up, erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”So David, according to the word of Gad, went up as the Lord commanded. Then the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
As you read this story found in 2 Samuel24:18-25 it sounds very familiar. It is the same as when Abraham went to purchase Hebron from Ephron the Hitite. Again, Araunah tries to give the threshing floor to King David as a place to sacrifice to God, to set up an altar. But David doesn’t believe the offer is genuine and he insists that he must pay for the threshing floor and oxen with 50 shekels of silver. That way it is his, he owns it and no one can question his right to follow God’s commandment to sacrifice those oxen on that location.
There is no mention of where the threshing floor of Araunah is located geographically. However, there is another account of this same transaction recorded in 1 Chronicles 21 this account is slightly different, and as you read it there are more details filled in, of particular interest are verses 16-17. David looks up and sees the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven with a sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem, and David falls on his face to repent. Then we find out that God commands the angel to stop the destruction and tells David to build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. From this we now know that Ornan/Araunah has his threshing floor in Jerusalem.
We get a glimpse of Ornan/Araunah’s temperament/personality in verse 20 Now Ornan turned and saw the angel; and his four sons who were with him hid themselves, but Ornan continued threshing wheat. If you see an angel of the Lord with a sword in his hand bringing destruction across the entire city, a normal person would go and hide, but Ornan just goes back to work and keeps on threshing wheat. I think this lets us know that Ornan does not respect God. I think this makes it evident that when he offers his oxen and his threshing floor to King David for free, it is not a sincere offer. Thus we see that David insists on paying a fair price for the sacrifice he has been commanded to give to God.
Now we find out that there is a discrepancy in the Bible. 1 Chronicles 21:24-25 Then King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will surely buy it for the full price, for I will not take what is yours for the Lord, nor offer burnt offerings with that which costs me nothing.” So David gave Ornan six hundred shekels of gold by weight for the place.
Why does the account in 2 Samuel say 50 shekels and the account in 1 Chronicles say 600 shekels? Which one is right, or can they both be right? The Jewish belief is that David paid 50 shekels for each tribe so that the 12 tribes of Israel would all have equal ownership in the altar, 50 x 12 = 600.
One has to wonder what is so special about this particular place, why did God tell David to go to this specific threshing floor and make a sacrifice? We find the answer that ties everything together and shows us the master plan that God had in mind from the very beginning in 2Chronicles 3:1 Now Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
So we can know with certainty that Jerusalem belongs to the Jewish people and the title deed for the very land is recorded in the Bible. Think about that the next time you see a tag line on a newspaper article that comes from “Occupied Jerusalem”.
Come with me on the CFOIC Heartland tour, March 3-13, 2013 to see Hebron, Shechem, and Jerusalem for yourself. Together we will open our Bibles and read the scriptures that talk about this Land. You will meet the people who are living there today fulfilling the ancient prophecies regarding this land. They are living proof that the God we serve is a living God who keeps his word and remembers His promises forever.
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