Oh boy! Some more boomerang jokes!
I went back to the boomerang store to complain about a defective boomerang. The clerk asked me where it was. How should I know?
Okay, okay, okay. This one’s better. A boomerang flew into a bar. The bartender said, “Welcome back!”
Hmmm, maybe not. Let me give this one more try.
As I taped a piranha to my boomerang, I thought, “Oh, this will come back to bite me.”
Now, that’s a good one, because it captures the essence of the third and final part of this series, Israel and the Boomerang Effect.
The idea of the Boomerang Effect comes from Genesis 12:3, “I will bless those who bless you, I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
In the first part of this series, we looked at how Israel and the Jewish people have been powerfully preserved by the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Preserved, yes. Protected, not always. Israel went through a lot in her history! Not only was Israel exiled twice from her land, but the Lord returned them twice (Babylonians, 586 – 516 B.C., and Romans, 70 – 1948 A.D.). Those are big boomerang moments!
In the second part I focused on the core of the Boomerang Effect, as in a “What they do to you, I’ll do to them,” says God kind of thing. We saw how God severely dealt with Laban, Pharaoh, the Assyrians, Haman and his fellow Persians, and Satan for their attacks on Abraham’s descendants.
The world would do well to know and understand God’s awesome promise to Abraham and his offspring. Thank God many stand in the gap for Israel! Most of them are Christians who understand Jesus’ heart for His people. The more Bible-savvy Christians also understand the pivotal role Abraham’s kin, the Jewish people, play in our Father’s world-encompassing plan to restore everything to the way He created the earth and humanity.
But sadly, antisemitism continually rears its ugly head like a viper, ready to strike at a multitude of Jewish targets from individuals to organizations to the nation of Israel itself. Too many individuals, organizations, and nations stand opposed to God and take it out on His people.
Is the Boomerang Effect still operating today? Does God break His promises? No. Can you point to any verse in the Bible that says God rescinded His pledge to Abraham? No. Then we should expect to see the blessing-curse Boomerang Effect working in recent history, especially during the last one hundred years.
Check this out.
The British Empire began in 1588 with the defeat of the Spanish armada. The empire grew worldwide up until the last dominion, Hong Kong, was added in 1851. From the 1800s to the early 1900’s it was said: “the sun never set on the British Empire.”
In November 1917, the Balfour Declaration stated, “His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavors to facilitate the achievement of this object.” This was good but fell short of Zionist hopes that it would be declared as the JEWISH national home, not just a national home within the region. The very next month, December 1917, the British army captured Jerusalem, wresting control of the city from the Turkish Ottoman empire. Then in 1923, the League of Nations mandated Britain “to facilitate the establishment of a Jewish national home in Palestine-Eretz Israel (Land of Israel).” (Source)
Pretty impressive, huh?
Until the British reneged on their word. They did not “use their best endeavors to facilitate the achievement of this object,” that is helping the Jews establish a national homeland. Instead, the British greatly opposed Jewish immigration and seriously restricted their numbers. Watch the movie Exodus (1960) to get an idea of just how the British treated the immigrating Jews. Coincidently during that same time (1917 to 1948), Britain began to experience national restriction. The Boomerang Effect in action?
Today “Great” Britain is a Commonwealth, a faded shadow of its former “glory days” as an empire. Furthermore, Muslim immigration and culture are currently an ever-increasing problem (nay, a threat?) to the British homeland. Isn’t that fascinating? The British defeated the Islamic Ottoman Empire and now Islam is conquering Britain. The Boomerang Effect? I think so.
The United States has been a traditional supporter of Israel since its rebirth in May 1948. Much of this can be credited to the United States’ Judeo-Christian heritage, values, and spiritual foundation.
But some of our past and present leaders and federal government agencies have harshly opposed Israel and the Jewish people. Key figures such as former Secretary of State James Baker, former President Jimmy Carter, former President Obama, and the Obama State Department have relentlessly pushed Israel to surrender land to the Arab Palestinian leadership (Yassar Arafat of the Palestine Liberation Organization and Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority), land that 1) Israel obtained by legal treaties, purchase, or rightfully secured in battle, and 2) God has given to His Jewish people.
On the other hand, President Trump did what no other President could or would do since 1948 – accept the claim by many Israelis that Jerusalem is Israel’s “united, indivisible, and eternal capital.” He backed up his commitment by moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on June 4, 2018, via Presidential executive order.
What is fascinating to me is that during the Carter and Obama anti-Israel administrations, the U.S. suffered terrible economic downturns. During the Trump administration, the U.S. not only prospered economically but socially as well. Can this be credited solely to our leaderships’ respective actions for or against Abraham’s descendants and land? Most likely not. But on the other hand, maybe God was working through various avenues to bless or curse our nation based on our response to Israel.
Another fascinating correlation is how the more liberal Christian denominations that actively advocate and work against Israel are in decline. Compare that to how the conservative denominations that advocate and work for Israel are growing in numbers and influence in our nation. Overall, I believe that can be attributed to a particular denomination’s stance on God and His word. God blesses those who love and obey Him and withdraws from (might I even suggest “curse”) denominations that ignore Him and violate His word.
There is a strong link between those who embrace God and His word and their support of the Jewish people/Israel versus those who don’t. Correlation strongly suggests causation. In short, the Boomerang Effect.
But the most thorough and compelling cases for the Boomerang Effect working today are two amazing books, God’s Final Warning to America by John McTernan and Eye To Eye – Facing The Consequences of Dividing Israel by Bill Koenig. Both are highly researched books that document the correlation between the U.S. forcing Israel to give up her God-given land and disastrous events for the US. I would like to present two pieces of evidence from those authors.
The Road Map to Peace and the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. In July 2002, four entities called the Quartet – the United States, the European Union, the United Nations, and Russia – created the principles of a road map for peace, which included an independent Palestinian state on Israel’s God-given land. This plan was released in April 2003.
While the road map was being created, on February 1, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated on re-entry. Born-again Christian Rick Husband was the commander and Israel’s first astronaut, Ilan Ramon was payload specialist. Both perished in the disaster along with the rest of the crew.
“Columbia” is a female name of Latin origin that means “dove” and Columbia has been a female representation of America since Colonial times. Space Shuttle Columbia coincidentally broke up over Palestine, TX upon which rained much of the debris. (Source)
Could God have been telling our leaders just before the Road Map to Peace was released in 2003 that the “land of the dove” will be broken up if the U.S. pushes Israel to create a Palestinian State from His covenant land? Rather than bring peace, would the Quartet’s efforts result in catastrophe? Many prophetic voices saw this as an ominous warning since “the Lord God does nothing without revealing His counsel to his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7).
The Gaza evacuation and Hurricane Katrina. Two years later in 2005, Israel’s evacuation of its Jewish residents from their homes in the Gaza Strip began under the Disengagement Plan. The Disengagement Plan was part of the Road Map for Peace. It was initiated by Ariel Sharon with the full support of the U.S. and President Bush. The Gaza evacuation lasted from August 17-22. 8,000 Israeli civilians from 21 Israeli communities in the Gaza Strip were displaced. On August 28, forty-eight Israeli dead from the Gush Katif cemetery were disinterred and transferred to family-designated locations.
On August 23, the day after the evacuation was complete, Hurricane Katrina formed over the Bahamas and hit New Orleans on August 29, the day after the Israeli dead were pulled up from their graves and displaced elsewhere.
80% of New Orleans flooded and over 1 million people were displaced. Katrina’s flood damage to New Orleans was so bad, not only were the residents forced to flee their homes for high ground, but caskets popped out of cemetery grounds and were displaced by moving water. Some caskets broke open and disgorged dead bodies, leaving the remains exposed to the elements. Yes, at the exact time God’s people were being displaced due to the “road map for peace,” but so too the living and dead around New Orleans. Coincidence? I think not. I believe it was the Boomerang Effect.
So, what can we do to avoid the Boomerang Effect? Neither curse nor bless Israel and the Jewish people. But if you bless them or treat them with “contempt, distaste, disgust, disdain, scorn, or loathing,” know that the God who keeps His word will return the same to you.
Am I saying the nation of Israel and the Jewish people are perfect? Far from it. All human beings are imperfect, and any group comprised of human beings will be imperfect, even wicked. The Bible records the dark, wicked times of Israel and His people.
What I’m saying is God has a special calling on Israel and the Jews that is backed up by the Boomerang Effect. Let God deal with His people. Many of us can attest to God’s dealings in our lives without anyone else helping, right? He doesn’t’ need us butting in.
However, we can be on the blessing side of the Boomerang Effect! Why not? Who doesn’t want to be blessed by the Sovereign of the Universe? Based on the Boomerang Effect, we can be a blessing to God’s people and invite His blessing at the same time. Here’s how we can do that:
Educate. Learn about Israel and its ancient history. Study the whole Bible and discover God’s heart for His people. Study Israel’s recent history, especially from the late 1800s onward. Find out what Israel’s tough political and social issues are.
Advocate. Social media is a major arena to share what you’ve learned! Stand up when Israel or the Jewish people are smeared in social media and the press. Praise those who report even-handedly. Write emails to political officials. Write op-ed pieces for publication. Start a blog. Join and support pro-Israel ministries and groups, especially Bridges For Peace. Full disclosure, I’m a BFP representative and I would love to see you avail yourself of what this great ministry has to offer! Check out Bridges For Peace
Participate. Attend a Night to Honor Israel event. Take part in cultural, arts, and educational programs hosted by your local synagogue. Or just attend a synagogue service. Don’t hesitate. Your Jewish soon-to-be friends will gladly help you join in. Volunteer for service work with the local Jewish community.
Supplicate. Pray for Israel, her leaders, the Jewish people locally and around the world, and Jewish-Christian relationships.
Resource-itate. (Sorry, I was going for alliteration.) Support Israel and the Jewish community with finances and other material/manpower resources. Encourage others to do so. Make business connections with Israel and promote their products. Support trustworthy ministries that are already on the ground and working in Israel like Bridges For Peace does.
Recreate. Experience Israel personally! Soak in the magnificent atmosphere of the most prayed over and historically significant parcel of land in the world! Every Christian should visit Israel at least once. How can you possibly know Israel and God’s heart for the Land if you’ve never set foot in it? How can you possibly understand our Jewish Messiah without connecting Him to His Land and people? So, go!
It’s obvious God’s blessing on Abraham is ongoing, including the Boomerang Effect. We’ve seen it in the Bible, in history, and current events. If we’re wise, we’ll stand with Israel and the Jewish people, though they may not see it or understand why we do it. But that doesn’t matter. We must do what the Lord calls us to do – to bless Abraham by blessing his offspring. Because how we respond to Israel and the Jewish people determines how God will respond to us.
So speaketh the Lord.
By the way, I just found out it’s my boomerang’s birthday. I wished it many happy returns.
Pastor Jay Christianson
The Truth Barista, Frothy Thoughts