The Jewish enigma (Part 2)

In part 1 we saw that the experience of the Jews over their entire history is an enigma; can we find any explanation? The answer is in the Bible. In Deuteronomy (written at the very beginning of the Jewish nation) we have a prediction of their future destruction and dispersion at the hands of the Assyrians, Babylonians, and later the Romans. We read: “The LORD will bring a nation against you from far away, from the ends of the earth, like an eagle swooping down, a nation whose language you will not understand.” (Deuteronomy 28:49, NIV)

Verse 64 of the same chapter continues: “Then the LORD will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship other gods – gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your ancestors have known. Among those nations you will find no repose, no resting place for the sole of your foot...” (Deuteronomy 28:64-65, NIV) What an amazing prediction of ‘the wandering Jew’, driven from place to place escaping from persecution. The chapter goes on to predict the suffering of the Jews in exile: “Your life shall hang in doubt before you: you shall fear day and night and have no assurance of life.” (Deuteronomy 28:66, NKJV) Those words are true of many phases of Jewish persecution – but none more so than of their experience in Nazi concentration camps awaiting almost certain death.

But why in the face of such intense persecution and attempts to exterminate or assimilate the Jews have they survived as a distinct ethnic group? We could point to both their strict religious separation from Gentile people and ethnic persecution as cohesive forces. But the overriding reason was the hand of God in preserving His chosen people, “‘For I am with you’, says the LORD ‘to save you; though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you, yet I will not make a complete end of you. But I will correct you in justice, and will not let you go altogether unpunished.’” (Jeremiah 30:11, NKJV)

Perhaps most amazing is the way in which the Bible predicted thousands of years ago the regathering of the Jews to their homeland and the restoration of the nation of Israel; in Ezekiel 37 we read, “‘Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land’” (Ezekiel 37: 21, NKJV). What we have witnessed in modern Israel is only a beginning, much greater things are to follow: “…and one king shall be king of them all” (Ezekiel 37:22, NKJV). Who is that king? In Luke 1 the angel Gabriel tells Mary (Jesus’ mother) of the future destiny of Jesus, “The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob (Israel) for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end” (Luke 1:32, NKJV) Ultimately, Jesus will reign over the whole world as predicted in Revelation, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever!” (Revelation 11:15, NKJV)”.