On Tuesday the 28th of January 2020, the USA and Israel announced a new peace plan for the Middle East. It includes a two-state solution with Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and a Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem, along with a halt to new Israeli settlements.

While I was recovering in bed from Labyrinthitis, I couldn’t read much, so I listened to the Bible. The Lord brought me right to Genesis 15:18:

“In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates.”

That’s a massive area,from the Nile in Egypt all the way up through Turkey, Iraq, and Syria. The Jews today are living in just a tiny portion of what God originally promised to Abraham and his descendants.

In Genesis 17:5-8 the Lord confirms it again as an everlasting covenant:

“Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham… And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant… And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”

It’s important to remember that the land doesn’t ultimately belong to the Jewish people, it belongs to God Himself. They are tenants on His land. As Leviticus 25:23 says:

“The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me.”

I believe it is a dangerous thing to divide God’s land and especially the city of Jerusalem. There could be serious consequences. As John MacArthur notes in his Study Bible: “The land is Mine. God owns the earth and all that is in it… The people of Israel were, in fact, only tenants on the land by the Lord’s grace.”

Let’s pray for the peace of Jerusalem and for God’s perfect will to be done in the Middle East. One day the true Prince of Peace, the Lord Jesus Christ, will reign from Jerusalem and bring lasting peace to that troubled region.

Until then, may we stand on the sure promises of God’s Word.

God bless you,

Peter

More information on the plan, on why it was released now? What are the chances of the deal working? And the reaction around the world to the deal can be found here on Reuters https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-israel-palestinians-plan-explainer/whats-in-trumps-middle-east-peace-plan-idUKKBN1ZR1JH

Seeing the map from the (Photo Credit) White House