The Land Issue in Israel...

I don't know if you saw the interview with President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu after they met and discussed the Israeli-Palestinian land issue.  President Obama wants Israel to go back to the pre-1967 borders and Netanyahu made his position very clear that they could not do that.

So what's the big deal?  Why not just split the land and have two countries?  Well, the Palestinian leaders don't want that either.  They want it all and they want to destroy Israel.  They hate that Israel exists.  And the Bible says that the land is not to be split.  It also says that those who bless Israel will be blessed and those that curse Israel will be cursed. 

So, why is there even a land issue?  When and why did all this begin?  I'm so glad you asked!  This week, we are going to look at an overview of the history of Israel so we can understand why this land issue is so important.

  It all started over 4000 years ago with Abraham.  God told him to leave his homeland and go to Canaan, where God would make him a great nation - which He did.  Then, because of a famine, around 1400 BC the family of Jacob, Abraham's grandson, went to Egypt and stayed there for 400 years.  They had lots of kids and by the time they left Egypt, there were several million people who were known as Israelites. (God had changed Jacob's name to Israel before he went to Egypt.)

They wandered in the wilderness for 40 years because of disobedience and then spent the next 200 years fighting the idol-worshiping people who had settled in Canaan when the Israelites left to go to Egypt.  Then, under King David, they were a unified country with a government which they enjoyed until David's son, Solomon, died.  At that point, the country split into two - Israel (north) and Judah (south).

200 years later, the Assyrians invaded and conquered Israel.  God had warned them that judgment was coming because of their disobedience to Him.  They didn't listen.  Obviously!  Then, even though they had seen their relatives in the north being taken captive, God allowed the southern kingdom of Judah to be taken captive by Babylon because of their disobedience to Him.  Babylon also destroyed Solomon's Temple that he had built for the Lord.

Fifty years later, Persia conquered Babylonia and King Cyrus allowed a group of Jews to rebuild and settle in Jerusalem.  Around 100 years later, Alexander the Great conquered the Persian empire and the land of Israel was renamed Palestine. He ruled his Greek empire for 27 years and died as a young man.  His empire was separated into four sections - one for each of his four generals.  Seleucus founded a series of rulers that gained control of Palestine. 

The new rulers, called Seleucids, prohibited the practice of Judaism and the Jews in Palestine revolted.  Under the leadership of the Maccabees, the Jews gained independence from the Seleucids.  Palestine remained an independent Jewish state, called Judah, from about 145 to 63 BC.

Tomorrow:  Jesus and the Romans come on the scene in Israel.

Decor


The other day I was walking around my house trying to look at things with a fresh eye and had an "ah ha!" moment.  My honey and I were given a formica tabletop before we got married and my dad turned a base for it on his lathe.  My honey made a leaf for the table out of a piece of plywood.  None of it had been changed for 30 years until I got a brilliant idea and painted the vertical parts of the table base to match the hutch.  Then, I used stain with polyurethane in it on the horizontal pieces and the leaf. Now they look like they go together.  I have to tell ya - that makes me happy!

Before:  (I almost forgot to take a picture before I started painting. That's why the table is upside down...)

After:  (You can see the matching hutch in the background)

Today's Recipe - Sunny Layered Salad
Taste of Home

1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 Tbsp sugar
6 cups shredded lettuce
1 cup frozen peas, thawed and well drained
1/2 medium cucumber, sliced
2 medium tomatoes, cut into thin wedges
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
15 oz can mandarin oranges, drained

Dressing:
1/4 cup light olive oil
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper


In a skillet, cook and stir almonds and sugar over low heat until sugar is dissolved and almonds are coated.  Spread almonds on waxed paper and set aside.
In a large glass salad bowl, layer the lettuce, peas, cucumber, tomatoes, cheese and oranges.  Sprinkle with the sugared almonds.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine dressing ingredients; shake well.  Pour over salad and serve immediately.  10-12 servings