From the ashes of the Holocaust, and through many attempts to wipe them off the earth, Israel has not only stood, but has prospered. Logical questions are “How?” and “Why?” Unfortunately, God does not always answer us in ways our human logic understands!

God faithfully created a unique people and gave them a unique mission to be the vehicle of world redemption. That is a lofty mission, and one carried out only when fully committed to the One who designed the vehicle! Unfortunately, the Jewish people repeatedly rebelled and went astray. Yet, God has never forgotten His call upon them, nor has He failed to sustain them. He has allowed natural consequences of sin to take effect, and He has allowed Israel’s enemies to be vehicles of discipline when they stray. But all the while, God is faithful, and it is obvious!

His faithfulness is seen in the way He blesses the land and the descendants of Abraham! In fact, Israel is known as the “innovation nation.” God has granted them unbelievable ingenuity, partly because invention has been a necessity for their survival. Though Jews comprise only .2% of the world’s population, they have been awarded at least 211 of the 900+ Nobel Prizes (~22%) bestowed between 1901 (when the prize was first awarded) and 2022. Furthermore, Israeli innovation is world class in:

Agriculture:

• Lush, fertile, high producing farmland that produces some of the largest and tastiest produce in the world.
• AI drones that detect diseases and pests in agricultural fields.
• Eco-friendly types of biological herbicides and pesticides that do not cause harm to humans or animals.
• Innovative growing techniques such as the invention of cherry tomatoes and specialized “bags” that protect produce from insects yet biodegrade at just the right time.

(See Made in Israel: Agriculture)

Water:

• Original invention and constant improvement of drip irrigation, including the latest micro-irrigation technology.
• Invention and production of water desalinization plants, turning sea water into drinking water.
• Various monitoring systems to detect leaks, monitor flow rates, and check for bacteria and pollutants.
• First to create Water-Gen, a system to turn air into water.

(See Made in Israel: Water)

Medicine:

• Invention and production of the PillCam, a pill-size capsule equipped with a specialized camera to conduct endoscopy exams.
• Invention and now worldwide use of Rewalk, a robotic exoskeleton that enables paraplegics to walk.
• Invention of BioWeld, a process of bonding surgical incisions using cold plasma rather than painful stitches, staples, or glue.
• Development of PulseNmore, an at-home ultrasound device used with a cell phone to connect with a physician.

(See Made in Israel: Medicine)

Technology:

• Invention of a no-touch, no-radiation device called Babysense to monitor a baby’s breathing and movements through the mattress during sleep to prevent crib death. Now sold around the world.
• Disk-on-Key (USB flash drive) was developed by three Israelis in 2000 and the product is used worldwide. The US corporation SanDisk bought the product in 2006 for $1.6 billion!
• Windows NT and XP Operating Systems were developed primarily in Israel at one of Microsoft’s two R&D center is Herzliya. Processors, firewall technology and instant messaging also either got their start or were developed primarily in Israel.
• The Java platform inside Amazon’s Kindle was designed and developed in Israel.

(See Made in Israel: Technology)

Clean and Green Technology:

• Man-made forests in the desert.
• Biblical vineyards planted in the Negev.
• Terraced farming.
• A world leader in well-designed, well-used solar energy.

(See Made in Israel: Clean and Green)

There is an Israeli principle, tikun olam (making the world a better place), that is woven into the fabric of Jewish life. Indeed, it is as though virtually every Jewish person has an innate instinct to offer help, even to those who are not so friendly to them. At times, while taking on rocket fire, they may be treating the enemy’s wounded in Israeli hospitals.

Israelis are also very willing to form partnerships with perceived enemies to do good for others. A fantastic example is United Hatzalah, a group of Jewish, Arab, and Palestinian volunteers who are trained EMT’s with the ability to reach an accident scene in as little as 90 seconds. How do they do it, particularly in a traffic-filled place such as Jerusalem?

They have specially equipped Ambucycles (check out the video!), motorcycles mounted with a miniature unit of equipment similar to ambulances. When an emergency call comes in, the location is dispatched to United Hatzalah and volunteers closest to the scene respond immediately, regardless of whether the victim is Arab, Palestinian, Jewish, or otherwise. Their mission is to save lives by providing support until full medical units arrive. It is an amazing sight to watch those ambucycles zip through traffic and on sidewalks, if necessary, to get to an accident victim. It is tikun olam in action!

Where did the innovation and tikun olam attitude originate? They are Biblical principles! Here are some examples:

 ^{35 …}for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me. (Matthew 25:35-36)

¹³ For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. ¹⁴ For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Galatians 5:13-14)

²⁷ Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. (James 1:27)

Whether secular or religious, Jew or Gentile, when we practice these things, we mirror God’s faithfulness to us!

Now to shift gears slightly and look at God’s faithfulness a little bit differently, I will leave you with this tease for next week’s study of God’s faithfulness in the future. In looking at Ezekiel 36-37, we focused on God’s faithfulness to prepare the land and bring the Jewish people back home. Next week we will turn to Ezekiel 38 to discover God’s prophetic faithfulness to Israel in the future. But here is one single concept gleaned from Ezekiel 38:11-13:

 ¹¹ You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates’— ¹² to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land. ¹³ Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to you, ‘Have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?’  

This prophetic passage describes a time when a specific gathering of enemy nations will attack Israel. Indeed, a time is coming when God’s faithfulness and goodness to Israel will strike deep chords of jealousy, envy, and greed among Israel’s enemies.

• In that passage, what clues do you find about Israel’s wealth and prosperity?
• Has it always been that way?
• What connection do you see between Israel’s modern-day ingenuity and the motives that drive Israel’s enemies?

Friends, as we travel throughout the land of Israel, you will see many of the innovations we have mentioned here! (Particularly the agricultural advancements constantly in view out our bus windows.) God’s faithfulness to the land and descendants He promised to Abraham are incredibly abundant, and they will remind us of God’s unwavering faithfulness to us as well.

As we move through end times, Israel must continue to depend upon God’s faithfulness because what’s coming is so much more than what they can handle on their own. Likewise, we rarely know what we are going to face in the immediate or distant future, but if we are faithful to cling to the Faithful One, our faith will grow through every trial and hardship as well. Our King is about to call His ambassadors home!

Week 3 will be exciting, and God’s faithfulness will be proclaimed once more! Join us as we look expectedly for God’s faithfulness in the future!

²³ Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. (Hebrews 10:23)