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Dividing the Land of Israel

by Jonathan Sacks

The following article was adopted from a message delivered on January 7, 2006 at Hope In Messiah, three days after Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a cerebral hemorrhage that left him comatose and fighting for his life.

 Keys in Studying Prophecy 

Today Israel’s Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, is in grave condition.  One prominent believer, a TV personality, is under fire for claiming that the prime minister’s illness, which may lead to his demise, is God’s judgment for withdrawing from Gaza, for “dividing the land.”  He stated that no prime minister could divide the land without incurring God’s judgment. 

 This perspective is not new.  There is a trend among Messianic believers to view anything negative that happens as God’s judgment for doing something that the viewer thinks is against Israel or the Jewish people.  For example, after Hurricane Katrina, some were quick to say this catastrophe was God’s judgment on America for putting pressure on Israel to withdraw from Gaza. 

 Three Dangers to this Approach

 Spiritual Pride

 There are at least three dangers to this approach.  First, we don’t always know why God allows certain things.  He may have other reasons for allowing things or doing things.

Isaiah 55:8-9 says:

       For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.

 Romans 11:33-34 adds this thought: 

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!  For who has known the mind of the LORD, or who became His counselor? 

We face the danger of spiritual pride when we presume that we know God’s reasons for causing or allowing specific events to take place.  We don’t always know what God is really doing.  John 9:1-3 records a conversation Yeshua had with his disciples concerning a man who had been blind from birth. 

As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth.  And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?”  Yeshua answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

Yeshua’s disciples wrongly assumed that such negative things had to be God’s judgment for serious sin.  They wanted the juicy details.  Who sinned, the man born blind or his parents?  Yeshua told them they were wrong to presume that the blindness was God’s judgment for sin.  God had other reasons in mind.  In this case, God wanted to reveal the reality of His existence, demonstrate His love for humanity, and show that Yeshua is the Messiah by fulfilling the Messianic promise to open the eyes of the blind.   (See Isaiah 35:5-7 and Isaiah 42:7.)  

When Job suffered the loss of his children, his possessions, and his health, his friends presumed that God was judging Job for some serious sin or sins.  They were wrong.  God had other reasons. 

Judgmental Spirit 

A second danger is that this judgmental attitude creates something destructive in our own spirits that is contrary to the Spirit of God.   

This is illustrated by a story recorded in Luke 9:51-56. 

When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem; and He sent messengers on ahead of Him, and they went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him.  But they did not receive Him, because He was traveling toward Jerusalem. 

 

When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” 

 

But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what kind of spirit you are of; for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.”  And they went on to another village (emphasis added). 

The Messiah had already taught them how to respond in the face of rejection.  But their response here was impulsive and judgmental, going much further than Messiah’s earlier instruction in Luke 9:5.

  The Messiah did not come to judge, but to redeem.  He did not come to condemn, but to give life.  He did not come to destroy, but to save.  When we operate out of a mindset that is quicker to judge than to give grace, we don’t know “what kind of a spirit we are of”—how contrary our spirit often is to the Spirit of God.  This attitude first and foremost damages our relationship with God.  And secondly, it damages our relationships with others.  

In the above passage, James (Ya’akov or Jacob) and John (Yochanan) were quick to invoke God’s judgment for anything that did not fit their personal understanding of the situation.   When we have a spirit that looks more for judgment than mercy, our personal relationships are often adversely affected.  This hinders us from reflecting God’s mercy to those who need His mercy.  It hinders our ability to reach people for the Lord. 

I would be surprised if the recent comments about Prime Minister Sharon’s comatose state being God’s judgment for evacuating from Gaza gave believers any credibility among Jewish people, who often view believers as narrow-minded kooks.

We Can Be Flat Out Wrong 

The third danger is that when a believer dogmatically invokes a prophetic passage, and ascribes God’s judgment to a particular event, his or her interpretation can easily be wrong.  This further discredits believers.  

Determining if a Bible Passage Has Universal Application  

This brings us to the present issue of “dividing the land.”  There are a number of principles to consider in evaluating a particular statement or passage in the Bible.  One issue is whether the passage states a universal principle, and applies to all ages and to all situations, or is limited to a particular time or situation.  For example, the principle that God will bless those who bless Israel or the Jewish people and curse those who curse them is universal.   This promise is first found in Genesis 12:3.  In this verse, God said to Abraham:  

“I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse...”  

Two different Hebrew words in this verse are translated “curse.”  The first word (kalal) means “to lightly esteem or vilify.”  The second word (arar) means “to bind up, as under a curse.”  This implies a severe limiting.   Those who lightly esteem or vilify the Jewish people, God will bind up, as under a curse.  They will be severely limited. 

This principle is then reiterated to Jacob in Genesis 27:29b, and to the entire nation of Israel in   Numbers 24:1, 9b.  It applies throughout Scripture to individuals and nations alike.  For example, Haman wanted to hang the Jew Mordecai on the gallows.  Instead, Haman was hung on the same gallows[1].  The midwives in Egypt spared the Jewish babies.  As a result, they were blessed with children.[2]  In the last days, the nations that attempt to destroy Israel will themselves be destroyed. [3]  Jeremiah 30:16 illustrates this best.  Speaking to the Jewish people, God says: 

            Therefore all who devour you will be devoured; and all your adversaries, every one of them, will go into captivity.  And those who plunder you will be for plunder, and all who prey upon you I will give for prey. 

The above passages indicate that this principle of blessing and cursing Israel is true with respect to all people throughout all generations, past, present, and future.  It is a universal principle. 

Is the Statement that God Judges Those Who Divide the Land of Israel a Universal Principle? 

Unlike the principle of blessing and cursing Israel, the more specific issue of God judging those who divide the land is not repeatedly stated throughout Scripture.  In fact it is directly found only in Joel 3.  Before examining that passage in detail, let us first briefly examine the history of Israel to determine if God always judges people or nations for “dividing the land” of Israel.    

The Assyrian Captivity in 722 B.C.E. 

In 722 B.C.E., the Lord used the king of Assyria to bring judgment on the ten northern tribes (called the northern kingdom or Israel) for their sin of worshipping other gods and following the practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before them (2 Kings 17:7-10, 18-23 [esp. verses 18, 20, 23]).  This was prophesied by Ahijah during the reign of Jeroboam I (1 Kings 14:15). God had warned both Israel and Judah for over 200 years through His prophets (Elijah, Elisha, Amos, and Hosea) that they had broken His covenant and pleaded for them to turn from their evil ways and keep His commandments.  They would not.  Because God was very angry with Israel, He removed them from the land (2 Kings 17:18), and He used Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, and Sargon II, his general, to do it.  Assyria was not judged for conquering the northern kingdom and taking part of the land of Israel.   

If we were living at that time and declared that anyone supporting an Assyrian occupation of the land would be cursed for “dividing the land,” we would have been wrong—God was behind it. 

The Babylonian Captivity in 586 B.C.E. 

Jeremiah prophesied that God had given the land of Judah, the southern tribes, to the king of Babylon (Jeremiah 27:6-15; 29:4).  Because of rebellion, God caused the land to be given to the Babylonians.  Nebuchadnezzar was not cursed for taking the land.  In fact, this passage tells us that those who resisted him were the ones who God cursed and kicked out of the land!  Jeremiah pleaded with the king of Israel (analogous to a prime minister) to give the land to the king of Babylon to avoid more of God’s judgment, but he resisted and, as a result, was led away captive to Babylon. 

If we had been living at that time, and said that anyone who supported giving the land to Babylon would be cursed for “dividing the land,” we would have been wrong—God was behind it. 

The Diaspora Caused by Rome in 70 C.E. and 135 C.E. 

Under Rome, the Jewish people were scattered to the ends of the earth for about 1900 years, starting with the exile from Jerusalem in 70 C.E. and from the rest of Israel in 135 C.E. However, ultimately, it was not Rome that caused the Diaspora.  The Bible says that God Himself brought Rome against Israel for this purpose and that God Himself is the One Who scattered the Jewish people among the nations  (Deuteronomy 28:49-68, [esp. verses 49-52, 63-67]).  (See also Leviticus 26:27-33.) 

In the first century, a prominent Israeli Jewish man correctly predicted that armies would lay siege to Jerusalem.  He ordered Jewish people to evacuate Jerusalem and Judea at that time.  That Israeli was none other than Messiah Yeshua (Jesus)!  His evacuation order is recorded in Luke 21:20, 21.  

Luke 21:20,21

“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is at hand.  Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are in the midst of the city depart, and let not those who are in the country enter the city” (emphasis added). 

The Roman armies besieged Jerusalem for three years prior to its destruction in 70 C.E.  At one point the siege was temporarily lifted.  Jewish followers of Yeshua obeyed His order and relocated to Pella (located in modern day Jordan) and were preserved.  Other Jewish people disregarded Yeshua’s evacuation order and perished. 

In this instance, long after Joel prophesied about God judging people for dividing the land, God Himself caused Jewish people to be exiled and gave possession of the land to foreigners.  If we were living at that time and stated that anyone supporting a Gentile occupation of the land and a Jewish evacuation of the land would be cursed, we would have been wrong—God was behind it.  Yeshua made this abundantly clear when He told His people to evacuate the land at that time. 

In all these cases, God raised up ungodly nations to displace the Jewish people, because He had purposes that were higher than what many of God’s people understood.  God has often used the nations to be his instrument in disciplining the Jewish people.[4]  If those nations had only done what God wanted them to do, there would have been no need for God to bring any form of judgment upon them.  The problem, however, was that those nations often overdid it.  They went far beyond what God had intended in mistreating the Jewish people.  They preyed upon the Jewish people in their distress. 

As a result of this attitude of contempt for the Jewish people, God eventually judged them.[5]  But this eventual judgment was not for “dividing the land”—God raised them up for that very purpose.   It was for mistreating the Jewish people after occupying the land.  

The Future Diaspora

The Bible tells us that Gentile nations will once more be given control of Jerusalem.  This will take place during the period known as the tribulation.   Revelation 11:1, 2 describes this time: 

Then there was given me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, “Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it.  Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations; and they will tread under foot the holy city for forty-two months”  (emphasis added). 

At the beginning of this period, the Jewish people will be ordered to evacuate Jerusalem and the surrounding area.  In fact that order has already been given—not by a foreign power, not by any Israeli prime minister, but by Yeshua the Messiah.  This evacuation order is recorded twice.
 

Matthew 24:15-21 (Yeshua is speaking)

            “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.  Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house.  Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak.  But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!  But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath.  For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will” (emphasis added). 

Mark 13:14-19 (Yeshua is speaking)

“But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.  The one who is on the housetop must not go down, or go in to get anything out of his house; and the one who is in the field must not turn back to get his coat.  But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!  But pray that it may not happen in the winter.  For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will”  (emphasis added). 

At that time, if a person should say to an Israeli prime minister, “You cannot evacuate Judea, or God will judge you for dividing the land,” that person will be wrong—God will be behind it.  In fact, Yeshua said that those who do not obey His order to evacuate Judea will be in grave danger. 

From all these examples, both past and future, we see that the statement in Joel 3 that speaks of God judging those who divide the land is not a universal principle.  In fact, Yeshua Himself personally issued two of the evacuation orders listed.  Instead, the statement that God will judge those who divide the land is reserved for a specific situation at a specific time. 

The Principle of Timing

This brings us to a second principle involved in understanding Bible prophecy.  This is the issue of timing.  To properly understand a particular prophetic passage, we must determine the time at which it will be fulfilled.   In the above cases, a critical issue was one of mistaken timing.  Yes, God will judge the nations for “dividing the land” according to Joel 3:2.  Therefore, the question that must be asked is, “When will this take place?”  

Many prophecies are reserved for a set time.  For example, Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would die as the atonement for the sins of His people and the world (Isaiah 53:1-12).  It was to happen at a particular time.  That time was before the destruction of the Temple in 70 C.E.  (Daniel 9:24-26).  Similarly, God had a particular time in mind for the return of the Jewish people to Israel (1948) and for the retaking of Jerusalem (1967).  The Temple will be built at a particular time.  Messiah will return at a particular time. 

The following incident illustrates how being mistaken as to timing can lead us to misconstrue current events.  In July of 2005, a wonderful Jewish believer who lives in Israel spoke at our congregation.  This was just before the evacuation from Gaza was to take place.  This man said that the Jewish people would not withdraw from Gaza because of a prophecy in Amos 9:14-15 that said they would not be rooted out of their land again.  He showed that Gaza is part of the biblical land of Israel.   He stated that, since they would not be rooted out of their land again, something was going to happen to keep them in Gaza.   

He was right that Gaza is part of the land promised to Israel (as is much of modern day Jordan and Iraq).  He was right that Amos 9:14-15 says that the Jewish people will never again be plucked from their land.  However, in spite of this, Gaza was evacuated.  The man was wrong on the timing for Amos 9:14-15 to be fulfilled.   As a result, his prediction was wrong. 

Other Principles in Understanding Bible Prophecy

In looking at prophecy, we should keep in mind several additional principles of biblical interpretation.  It is important to make certain that we understand precisely what the passage is saying.  This may involve carefully examining the terms or phrases used.  We must identify the particular people addressed in the prophecy.  In addition, we must examine the entire passage, and not lift a particular phrase out of context. 

As we have seen, the principle of blessing and cursing the Jewish people is universal.  The statement in Joel 3 that God will judge those who “divide the land” of Israel is more limited.  It is reserved for a particular time.   We will now examine the passage to see when it will take place, and exactly what will take place at that time. 

Joel 2:30-3:3

2:30  I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth; blood, fire and columns of smoke.

 

31   The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.

 

32  And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the LORD will be delivered; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape, as the LORD has said, even among the survivors whom the LORD calls.

 

3:1  For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, 

 

2    I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat.  Then I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; and they have divided up My land.

 

3    They have also cast lots for My people, traded a boy for a harlot and sold a girl for wine that they may drink  (emphasis added). 

From the description and terminology of Joel 2:30-31, it is easy to determine the time when this will be fulfilled.  The sun being turned to darkness and the moon to blood are descriptive of the great tribulation period.  “The Day of the Lord” is the time when the Lord Himself will judge the nations, save Israel, and set up His kingdom.  It will begin with this period of great tribulation.[6] 

This “dividing of the land” during the tribulation period is described in Daniel 11:39, which speaks of a future evil world ruler known as the antichrist and what he will do when he and the Gentile powers of the world rule over Jerusalem and the land for 42 months.[7]  

Daniel 11:39 

He will take action against the strongest of fortresses with the help of a foreign god; he will give great honor to those who acknowledge him and will cause them to rule over the many, and will divide the land for a price (emphasis added). 

At that time, the antichrist will divvy up the land of Israel among the Gentiles for gain. This appears to be the dividing of the land spoken of in Joel—the time frame matches exactly. 

The People Who Will Be Judged in Joel 3

In Joel 3:1 we are told that, at that time, the tribulation, God will judge the nations.  The Hebrew word translated “nations” is “Goyim,” which means Gentiles, or Gentile nations.  It is critical to realize that the judgment spoken of in Joel 3 is a judgment against the Gentile nations.  It is the Goyim, or nations, who are brought into the valley of Jehoshaphat.  It is the nations who are judged—not Israel and not any Israeli prime minister!

What It Means to “Divide the Land”

The Hebrew word translated “divide” appears 65 times in Scripture.  In over half of the passages, it refers to either dividing land or spoils among victors.  In those passages, it never refers to dividing land among opposing parties.  Instead, it always refers to dividing land or spoils among the same victorious group. 

According to Joel 3:1-2, God will judge the Goyim at a specific place and at a specific time for four (4) things they will have done to the Jewish people: 

1.      Scattered them among the nations

2.      Divided the land

3.      Cast lots for the people—Divided up, not only the land, but also the remaining people and made them slaves.

4.      Sold their slaves to others—The examples given are selling a boy in exchange for sex with a harlot, and selling a girl for a bottle or glass of wine. 

The whole attitude of these nations will be one of contempt for God and for God’s people.  They will so devalue Jewish life that they will sell a boy as payment for prostitution and a girl for wine.  Both will be sold for a moment of debauchery.   The Jewish prophet Zechariah said that they will kill two-thirds of the Jewish people at that time.[8]  This will be the ultimate act of cursing—the lightly esteeming and vilifying of the Jewish people.  

These events appear to be chronological.  First, the nations will take over Judea and scatter the Jewish people.  Second, they will then divide up the land for gain.  Third, they will make slaves of the Jewish people who remain in the land (who did not obey Yeshua’s admonition to leave but were not killed).  They will then sell them as payment for cheap thrills.  

The judgment against the Gentiles will not be for only dividing the land.  It will be a judgment for doing a combination of all four of these things.  None of these particular end-time events have yet taken place.  God’s judgment described in Joel for “dividing the land” will not begin until they do. 

Conclusion

The judgment described in Joel 3:1-21 is not against any Jew, but is reserved for the Gentile nations. Ariel Sharon is not a Gentile, and he has not done the four things described in Joel against the Jewish people.  Instead, he has given his life for his nation for over 50 years.  The comatose state of Prime Minister Sharon has nothing to do with the judgment described in Joel 3.  

Israel will not receive all of the land promised in Scripture until the Lord returns.  Today it has only a small portion of the Promised Land.  At the end of the tribulation, Yeshua will return, save the Jewish people, and set up His Kingdom.  At that time, Israel will receive all the land promised—from the River of Egypt to the Euphrates. [9] 

In the meantime, we must pray for Israel and the Jewish people.  The principle of blessing and cursing Jewish people remains.  America must remain supportive and defend Israel’s right to exist to continue to be blessed.  We must do the same.  We pray for the day when all Israel will be saved.  We long for the day when the promise that all Jewish people will know the God of Israel promised by God to Abraham, and reiterated through the Hebrew prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Zechariah through the Messiah, will be fulfilled.  May it come speedily in our days.  Ameyn.