Passage Read: Ezekiel 36-39
Meditation Verses: 36:5-10
Thought
By divine decree, the land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel forever. Even when the Lord Himself drives His people out of the land as punishment for their sins, it does not mean the Lord has given up the land or allowed others to take ownership of it. Any who claim it for themselves in Israel's absence are counted as thieves and interlopers. They have no right to the land. The Lord promises to remove the shame and disgrace of the land by bringing it's rightful owners back to it, to enjoy is blessings and fruit once more. This promise was not completely fulfilled after the Babylonian captivity, because God did not turn wickedness from them and pour out His Spirit on them. That was a start, and Christ's first coming was another step toward the fulfillment of this promise, but the Spirit was not poured out on all Israel, and shortly after, Israel was again driven from their land. It is not even completely fulfilled today with the restoration of the nation. It will not be completed until Christ's second coming. Which means the land still belongs to Israel alone. No matter how many times God drives His people out, this promise remains in force and any nation who appropriates the land of Israel does so to their own harm, in violation of God's will and purpose. They have no right to the land and will have to return it to the Jews.
Application
In the eyes of men, others may have a right to the land of Israel, but in the eyes and eternal plan of God, no one but Israel has a right to that land. Until all men acknowledge the Lord, there will be conflict over ownership of the land. But clearly, it does indeed belong to Israel alone. No one else has any claim on it, because God has decreed it for Israel. It is not even about history or most recent tenancy. It is about God's promise. The land belongs to God and He has given the land of Israel to the people of Israel as an eternal inheritance. No matter how many other peoples' hands it passes through, in God's year of Jubilee, the land must revert back to the Jews.