A simple question: Why did God send Abraham to Judea? If someone could have told me the answer, I could have memorized it. If someone would have explained it to me, I would have been able to write it down and give it back to them in an essay. But today, I SAW the answer…
Judea, or Palestine, is surrounded by the Mediterranean sea to the West, and Desert to the East. Therefore anyone trying to go South, North or West, must come through this region. There is no way around it! To travel the crazy topography of this land, traveling is very strategic. Roadways and main highways weave in between mountains and along rivers. Egyptians had to cross this region to travel North. The Arabs had to cross through to expand their trade to the coast and ports of Tyre. Every Pharaoh, King, and Emperor recognized the military importance of owning such a land. Whoever owned this region could control opposing nations’ movements. Also, they would dominate all the trade that inevitably came through the area. They knew it was vital, and they wanted it.
Enter Abraham- Kings had agendas for world dominance, and empire building, but God would use this strategic land for other purposes: To spread His glory. “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:1-3).
As our Tour director said: “If you have a message and you want to make it known, you go to the ‘Land Between.’” Abraham had a world changing message, and God gave him the land that would get the job done. God’s purpose was not to have Israel as his special people-group and ignore the rest of the world forever; the above text says that He blessed Abraham and His people with a message for the express intentions that the blessing would spread “to all the families of the earth.” So what is this blessing? What is this message that God would spread through His people by using the strategic layout of this land?
The blessing is the knowledge of the One True God, who created mankind to be in a soul-fulfilling relationship with Him and worship him forever. Humanity has rebelled against God, and God has a mission, that began with Abraham and has unfolded through the ages: to redeem lost humanity. Kingdoms of the Old Testament would inevitably come through this land, and when they did, they would encounter an influential, godly people that would bless them with the amazing message. The other nations would encounter more than mere words; they would encounter a people wholly dedicated to God, whose lives were as much of the message as their words. They were different, and others would know. They did not worship the same gods, perform the same rituals, or practice the same lifestyles as those around them. However, they were not a people hidden in a corner; they were on center stage!
Their fulfilled lives, reconciled and in fellowship with the One, True, Personal God, appealed loudly to all around: “Be reconciled to God!”
This message is why I am in the Middle East right now. Amidst the craziness, tension and unrest, I am going back to where it all began. God’s promise to Abraham has now changed my life 1,000’s of years later. You see, a further development happened in God mission to reconcile men and women to Himself. Jesus Christ came with the same message, called the Gospel. He was going to take the sins of man on Himself and pay their penalty by being crucified on the cross. Because He was the Son of God he rose again three days later. Just as God raised Jesus from death to life, He exercises the same power to raise us to life who are spiritually dead. For all who confess of their sinful lifestyle, and desire to be reconciled to God, Jesus came to forgive them their sins. More so, he made it possible to leave our sinful ways behind us and turn our lives around and follow Jesus as the lord of our lives.
It’s funny-I often think how one person, with 12 followers, could have so great an impact on the world as Jesus has. Here I am typing on my laptop in the year 2011, and 80 percent of the world has heard the message, whether they choose to believe it or not. But you see, Jesus brought his message to Palestine. It was only a matter of time before the provocative message spread among the trade routes to Arabia and Egypt. It was only a matter of time before the message caught wind in the sails of the ships heading to Greece. It was only a matter of time before the world class road system of the Roman Empire not only escorted armies, but also the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So if you are reading this message, consider the reality of God’s mission and Jesus Christ’ message. Where do you fit in it all? Then, consider that it all began, in “The Land Between.”
