INNOVATIVE CONTRIBUTION OF ISRAEL, AS GOD’S DESIGNATED ROLE
Indeed, the great nation Israel, having trusted God’s prophetic words despite difficulty, has on her part accomplished far more contributions to the world than any other nation...
‘Son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say, “Mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD. This is what the Sovereign LORD says: the enemy said of you, ‘Aha! The ancient heights have become our possession.’” Therefore prophesy and say, “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: because they ravaged and crushed you from every side so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations and the object of people’s malicious talk and slander…
‘“But you, mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for my people Israel, for they will soon come home. I am concerned for you and will look on you with favour; you will be ploughed and sown, and I will cause many people to live on you – yes, all of Israel. The towns will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. I will increase the number of people and animals living on you, and they will be fruitful and become numerous. I will settle people on you as in the past and will make you prosper more than before. Then you will know that I am the LORD…
‘“This is what the Sovereign LORD says: on the day I cleanse you from all your sins, I will resettle your towns, and the ruins will be rebuilt. The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass through it. They will say, ‘This land that was laid waste has become like the garden of Eden; the cities that were lying in ruins, desolate and destroyed, are now fortified and inhabited.’ Then the nations around you that remain will know that I the LORD have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it.” EZEKIEL 36.
Israel stands out in every field including in agricultural technology where it is one of the countries which lead the world today. Israel claims to have contributed countless breakthroughs in that field. Ofir Libstein, the General Manager of Agritech, reports on Israel’s achievements thanks to the groundbreaking innovative nature of Israeli agriculture;
‘Global warming, climate change, extreme weather phenomena, water deficiency and desertification all present new challenges that require extensive and profound approaches and durable solutions for efficient farming on the edge of the desert’, and achieved ‘the world’s most developed irrigation methods, world’s highest reused water rate, and most advanced agriculture technologies on the international market for heating and electricity generation’.
The secret in which Israel (located on the edge of the desert) has become a major player in supplying the world with cutting-edge agricultural solutions, is understood to lie in ‘geography, culture and biblical prophecy’ among the Bible believing Jews.
Libstein explains how the geographically arid land challenged Israel to come up with innovative ways to cultivate it:
‘As Jewish immigrants moved to settle the country’s land, they were challenged by its arid topography, lacking in various natural resources — hardly the best possible conditions for developing agriculture. But out of challenge sprouted advanced solutions in drip irrigation, recycling, and purifying and reuse of wastewater for agricultural purposes’.
Out of necessity and with no other choice than to innovate, SupPlant, a world-leading Israeli company has developed ‘a unique artificial intelligence system that is able to analyze data generated from crops through sensors and translate this data into irrigation commands. These commands tell farmers exactly how to irrigate in real time based on global climate shifts, resulting in more crop production with less wasted resources like water’.
Zvi Porat of Azrom, another leading Israeli company specialising in the design, engineering, and production of greenhouses that suit all crop requirements and climatic conditions, says that not only innovating out of necessity but also becoming a leader in solutions that can help the world is part of Israeli culture and he puts it:
‘As Jews, we always want to bring the light wherever we are… When I wake up in the morning, I not only want to bring my family the best welfare, but I also want to bring good to the world. That’s the core of the Jewish people’ (Line added).
What Porat mentions is exactly what God has designated His covenant people Israel to be, and it is said that many Israelis have maintained this desire. This is motivated by Bible prophecies that the land would one day go from desolate ruin to gladness and blossoming and one of these is quoted from Ezekiel at the beginning of this letter.
The first part of Ezekiel 36 prophesies the outer restoration of ‘Israel’ (symbolized in term ‘the mountains of Israel’), i.e., the restoration of the land, and the latter part, the inner renewal of Israel, i.e., the restoration of the nation Israel.
The enemy of Israel are Edom and the other nations in the context, whose position corresponds to today’s Islamic countries. They claim to possess the land and seek to harm Israel but God declares Israel’s ultimate prosperity, with abundant supply of every want. This passage illustrates Israel’s sins of idolatry, the exile, the diaspora among the heathen as judgment, forgiveness and regeneration on God’s part because
The enemy of Israel are Edom and the other nations in the context, whose position corresponds to today’s Islamic countries. They claim to possess the land and seek to harm Israel but God declares Israel’s ultimate prosperity, with abundant supply of every want. This passage illustrates Israel’s sins of idolatry, the exile, the diaspora among the heathen as judgment, forgiveness and regeneration on God’s part because
it is not for your sake, people of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. I will show the holiness of my great name… Then the nations will know that I am the LORD (vs.22-23).
Rabbi Yaakov Beasley points out the fact that over a quarter of a billion trees have been planted in Israel since 1901, making Israel the only country in the world with a net gain of trees in the 20th century, while the rest of the world struggles with deforestation. He believes that the prophecy is coming true before their eyes since the Israelis returned to the land.
Indeed, the great nation Israel, having trusted God’s prophetic words despite difficulty, has on her part accomplished far more contributions to the world than any other nation, and has tried to fulfill God’s prophecy on their own.
However, the day of final redemption will come when God Himself makes His Word come true. Thus, the whole of chapter 36 will be fulfilled in the Messianic era on earth.