Blessing or curse?
Introduction
The Bible makes it clear that Israel is God’s prized possession, the apple of his eye (Zechariah 2:8). From the beginning, God promised Abraham that he would bless those that blessed Israel (the nation which would come from his family line) and curse those that curse her.
I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you (Genesis 12:2-3).
Britain’s attitude
The evangelical church in this country, along with the British Government, played a key role in the creation of the Jewish homeland (long before the Zionist movement arose). William Wilberforce, for example, was as passionate about the provision of a Jewish homeland in Palestine as he was about the abolition of slavery. In 1917 the British Government announced its support for a Jewish homeland in a letter which became known as the Balfour Declaration. The letter from the British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour to Baron Rothschild, a leader of the British Jewish community, for the transmission to the Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland, read as follows:
His Majesty's government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.
Short lived - the decline of the British Empire
The positive role played by the British Government however, was short lived. When we had the legal opportunity to help the Jews settle in the land under what was known as the British Mandate, given to us in 1920 by the League of Nations, we reneged on our obligations by preventing Jewish immigration into Palestine, resulting in many Jews perishing in Hitler’s concentration camps.
This was a dangerous thing to do in light of God’s word to Abraham. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the sun never set on the British Empire. However, the breaking of our promise to the Jews was a pivotal act that appears to have set in motion the decline of the Empire. The rapid decline of the British Empire cannot be accounted for in merely political, military or economic terms.
Spain
This was not the first time an empire had been lost because of its attitude towards the Jewish people. In the sixteenth century, Spain was the dominant nation in Europe with a high level of culture, a powerful army and navy, and an empire that spanned both hemispheres. Yet within a century of expelling all Jews from her territories in 1492, Spain soon became a struggling, second-rate power.
Compare America and Russia
If we compare the fortunes of the USA and Russia throughout the 20th century and their respective attitudes to the Jewish people, a similar picture begins to emerge. Whilst successive Americans governments lent support to the Jewish people, including allowing Jewish immigration, Russia has generally persecuted the Jews. The consequence of this is that at the end of the twentieth century the USA was the only world super power, whilst Russia suffered a century of incredible pain, revolution, and ultimate decline.
America in recent times
Sadly, in more recent times, America has begun to shift its position in relation to Israel, demanding of Israel that they give up land for peace, with the consequent decline in American fortunes. For more, see ‘As America has done to Israel’ by John P McTernan (Whitaker House, 2006).
I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you (Genesis 12:2-3)