There is a great deal of confusion today surrounding Israel, the Land, and the people. As I write this, I cannot ignore the reality that some of this confusion comes from those who claim to follow the Messiah, yet have moved away from the full counsel of God’s Word in order to support conclusions that align with their own understanding. The tragic part is that this is often done in His name. I am reminded of a key verse that most of my readers will know:

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Psalm 119:105

God’s Word is meant to be the compass of our lives, giving light to every step we take and guiding us in truth.

This week’s reading begins with God’s instructions to Israel as they prepare to enter the Land. The Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai and said,

“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you come into the land which I am going to give you, then the land shall have a Sabbath to the Lord’”
Leviticus 25:1–2

There is something powerful in the way God says this. He says, “When you come into the land,” not “if” and not “maybe” (emphasis mine). This is a declaration of what He will do. It is a promise that He will bring His people into the Land and fulfill His Word.

However, the children of Israel are also given some clear warnings. In Leviticus 26:3, we read, “If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments so as to carry them out,” which describes the blessings that follow obedience. In Leviticus 26:14, we read, “But if you do not obey Me and do not carry out all these commandments,” which describes the consequences of disobedience, including exile from the Land. This distinction is essential. The promise of dwelling in the Land is not canceled, but the experience of blessing and security within it is connected to obedience.

Some point to Israel’s disobedience and the exile and conclude that God is finished with Israel. Others go further and claim that what is often called “the Church” has replaced Israel and inherited the blessings, while Israel remains only under judgment. However, this approach does not hold when we read the full counsel of Scripture. It is not a matter of selecting one part and ignoring another. The covenant is not divided in that way. If one claims to inherit the blessings, then the conditions, responsibilities, and consequences that are part of that same covenant cannot be set aside. It does not function as a partial inheritance.

Returning to God’s Word, it is difficult to reconcile the idea that God is done with Israel with what is written in Leviticus 26:42, where God says that He will remember His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and that He will remember the Land. This is reinforced in Leviticus 26:44–45, where God declares that even when Israel is in the land of their enemies, He will not reject them or destroy them in a way that would break His covenant. Instead, He will remember His covenant with their ancestors, whom He brought out of Egypt, so that He might be their God.

In Leviticus 26:1–2, we also find a command that Israel has struggled with. God instructs His people not to make idols and calls them to keep His Sabbaths and revere His sanctuary. This is not only a matter of history. The issue of replacing God with something else remains very real. If we are honest, this is not only about Israel. It is about all of us.

It is easy to look at Israel’s history and say that they failed, that they turned away, and that they broke the covenant. That assessment is not without truth. Israel did fail. We walked away. We rejected the fountain of living water. In Jeremiah 16:11–13, God speaks clearly about this reality and describes the consequences that followed. This is a serious expression of judgment.

However, this is not the end of the story. In the very next verses, God makes a declaration that speaks directly into our time. In Jeremiah 16:14–15, He declares that days are coming when the defining act of redemption will no longer be remembered only as the exodus from Egypt, but also as the regathering of the people of Israel from all the lands where they had been scattered. He states clearly that He will restore them to the land that He gave to their fathers. This is not presented as a possibility but as a certainty.

The regathering of the Jewish people from the nations is not merely a political development. It reflects the unfolding of something that God declared long ago. After exile, persecution, war, and even the Holocaust, the continued existence of the Jewish people and their return to the Land presents a reality that cannot be easily dismissed.

At the same time, this is not a reason for pride or complacency. The Haftarah concludes with both a warning and a prayer. In Jeremiah 17:13–14, God is described as the hope of Israel, and those who abandon Him are warned of the consequences. At the same time, there is a personal cry for healing and salvation that acknowledges complete dependence on Him.

God is not finished with Israel. His covenant remains, and His promises endure.

This leads to a broader question that extends beyond Israel alone. If God’s covenant with Israel can be set aside or redefined, then on what foundation do any of us stand?

Shabbat Shalom,
Moran