Jewish people are a microcosm.
(God said He chose them because they were the smallest among people groups—therefore their miraculous survival against all odds can be attributed to Him alone!)
A tiny nation, yes. But we are DIVERSE. So it's not accurate to generalize.
We exemplify the gamut of mankind—the worst to the very best.
Although, strangely, not in percentages with the general population!
FAR lower in percentages of criminals, FAR lower in alcoholics, addicts, etc.
FAR, FAR higher in Nobel prize1 winners … beyond Bob Dylan :-)
For a tiny fraction of the general earth’s population, God has blessed the world through the Jewish people in science, medical, and technological breakthroughs well beyond their fair share—all the while being hated, persecuted, annihilated, and BDS’d.
(And why?)
This is one of the reasons, however, you will so often find Jewish people spearheading humanitarian causes and leading philanthropic organizations.
Our history has given us a deep compassion and empathy for hurting people.
But above and beyond any other reason, the Torah has worked this sense of charity, justice, responsibility for our brothers and community into our DNA I think.
Into a brutal and barbaric world, God used this ancient people to bring civilization, kindness, and fair wages. "Slavery" that didn't abuse workers until they died, but gave them a day off and holy days! (The ancient world equivalent to "employment.")
God taught us not to raid others' fields, and even ours' were not to be picked clean, but edges left for the needy. Unlike the heathen, not only do you not steal from your neighbor if you are able to harm him, but a thief had to pay reparations. Unheard of in the ancient world!
God's love for His creation was revealed through this tiny nation (when they lived according to His Word!) But those words were transformative nevertheless.
For the Jewish people (those who are not secular), next to the "Shema," ("Hear O' Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is One," (Deuteronomy 6:4) texts such as Deuteronomy 16:20, "Justice, justice shalt thou pursue..." and Micah 6:8, "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" have been inspiring clarion calls through the ages, "generation to generation."
We all love that, don't we?!
Here's the thing. Although it is deeply in the heart of the Jewish people to "Repair the World" (known as Tikkun Olam), without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we don't always have the discernment to judge rightly what is "good" by God's standards.
So, we make emotion-driven decisions, based on meeting this person or that group's PERCEIVED needs. Historically, many of these "causes" have been manipulative, fraught with misinformation and sometimes outright deception, which is very frustrating.
Yet, we Christians are not without fault in jumping on dissonant bandwagons...
God told Abram that through his descendants that all the families of the earth would be blessed. (Gen. 12:3)
And surely the world has been blessed by the Jewish people ... and NOT the other way around.
The greatest blessing of all has been the Messiah of Israel, through which salvation has come to the nations!
(And yet, even for that, Israel has been persecuted ... called Christ-killer ... but that's a whole other article!)
My hope is that with insight there will be less public castigating toward the Jewish people at a time of frightening escalating antisemitism.
We are living in a time of such high tension ... our world is a tinderbox just waiting to explode. God help us.
Every blessing as you seek to carry His glorious Name before a lost and dying world,
His EVERY Word Ministries
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