Hating Jewish people has always been in vogue in most parts of the world. It is happening right before our very eyes every day, not just in the Middle East but also in Europe and right here in the streets and by-ways of the United States. Even among evangelicals, hatred for Israel is making serious inroads with claims such as “Ancient or biblical Israel isn’t the same as modern-day Israel.” The talking point most often heard is “Many of the decisions modern Israel makes are evil and unjust, so God is done with that nation because of her disobedience.” Those in this camp then make the claim that the “church” has replaced Israel as the covenant people of God. That wrong theology is called Replacement Theology or Supersessionism. It isn’t used only by some Christians, it is used as a mechanism for several other political ideologies, among them being Feminism, Black Liberation, Latin Liberation & even the alphabet groups use it. What is the alphabet group? LGBTQIA+. All of these practice forms of replacement, seeking to hijack the name of God for their cause. It teaches that Israel is to be removed from promises given to Israel by God, and in Israel’s place is added their particular ideology. Antisemitism, hatred for the Jews, is as old as the history of the Bible.
The very first haters are a people group called the Amalekites. When Moses led the Hebrews from Egypt toward the Promised Land they were walking. No airplanes or buses. The old people and the weak people would often lag behind. The stronger, along with those better armed, would be towards the front. The Amalekites came from the rear, attacking and killing many of the old and weak in a cowardly massacre. Deuteronomy 25:17-18 says, “Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt. How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God.” Only three years ago, there was a similar attack on the nation of Israel by Hamas. The terrorist organization attacked on October 7, 2023, killing around 1200 woman, children, and the weak by any means possible. 251 people were also taken as hostages. Many of those died from the abuse received at the hands of Hamas. Yet, we have influential lunatics in our nation that blame Israel for October 7th. Within the shores of America reside huge numbers of people that would have no problem if every Jew in the world were to be killed. There is no fear of God among them just as Amalek didn’t fear God. What is sad to me is many of those same people claim to be Christians.
Numbers 24:20 is the reason that the Amalekites are likely the first ones to be haters once the Jews left Egypt. There is a phrase, “first among nations.” That likely means they were the first among many to hate the Israelites. It would continue for centuries with other nations in cahoots with them. Judges 3, the Moabites joined with them. Judges 6, the Midianites joined them. The Amalekites are the only nation, biblically, that seemed to be outside the mercy of God. The Lord told Saul to destroy every single one of them. Destroy the men, women, and children, along with the animals. They were a godless bunch that hated God’s people with absolutely no fear of God. The instructions for Saul are found in I Samuel 15. Saul was disobedient, and it cost him his kingdom. Later in I Samuel 30, the Amalekites were at it again. They burned the city of Ziglag. David, along with his men, were out fighting enemies. While the men were gone, another cowardly attack by the Amalekites came against David’s wives and his men’s wives along with children and the weak at Ziglag. David and his men rescued the captives, but hatred for God’s people continued. It would be almost 1000 years before these evil people would be gone. It would happen during the time of Hezekiah. Read about it in I Chronicles 4:42-43. The last mention of any descendant of the Amalekites is found in Esther 9:5-10. Haman the Agagite is from the family of Agag, king of the Amalekites. Haman is hanged on his own gallows that he had constructed. Why the construction of the gallows in the first place? To kill the Jews.
Never in the history of the world has a small group of people ever been hated as much. During the Dark Ages, the Roman Catholic Church killed millions of Jews. Estimates run from 50-68 million. During WWII, Hitler killed six-million. I read a couple of years ago about a church near a railroad track in Poland. The track was used to bring Jews to the gas chambers of the Nazis. As the trains would near those churches, the congregations would sing louder so they didn’t have to hear the cries of the Jews going to their deaths.
I am praying that Christians won’t get conned into false teaching concerning the nation of Israel. I’m praying for our own people, that you’ll be discerning enough to pick-up on this belief when it rears its head in your presence. There’s not a single week that goes by that I am not confronted with articles and videos from these groups (sent to me by God’s people) about this topic. Genesis 12:3 isn’t a conditional promise; it is an unconditional promise. I don’t always like what Israel does! I think Israel is wrong sometimes! But I will never, never ever, turn my back on that nation because God unconditionally said, “I will bless them that bless thee (Israel), and curse them that curse thee (Israel): and in thee all the nations of the earth will be blessed.” I choose to stand with the Word of God and the statements it makes about everything, including the nation of Israel. I won’t be a partaker of the hatred.