Against all odds – 77 years
By Paul Bawden
The state of Israel is a nation against all odds. For on May 1, 2025, in spite of its up and down history, Israel will celebrate its 77th Independence Day.
But why make mention of Israel’s 77th Independence Day? Israel has a unique history as a nation, dating way back to the time of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Bible. God changed Jacob’s name to Israel, and from Israel came the twelve tribes. The LORD told Israel that He had formed him, He had redeemed him, called him by His name, and he belonged to Him (Isaiah 43:1).
Israel is God’s chosen people (Deuteronomy 7:6), created by God to accomplish His purposes on earth for all the nations (Genesis 12:1-3), to be a channel for His word, and to bring the Messiah, the Savior of the world, for all humanity (Romans 9:5).
Regardless, Israel has had a mixed history of blessing, exile, return, attack, dispersion, along with the indescribable holocaust. Still, God was faithful to His promise to Abraham that Israel would have a piece of real estate in which to live. A UN Resolution in 1947 gave some land, called Palestine, for a Jewish homeland. In 1948, the surrounding Arab nations invasion was defeated by Israel declaring independence in May of that year. Again, Israel was invaded by five Arab armies and miraculously Israel defeated them.
Since that time, Israel has been fighting to survive at varying degrees of intensity. The presence of the state of Israel among the Muslim nations continues to keep stirring them against Israel. Hamas’ barbaric attack on Israel on October 7, 2003, was their determination to drive Israel out of their land. The difficulty in getting the rest of the hostages home continues to show Hama’s hatred of Israel. The antisemitic uprisings in the USA and elsewhere also show how Israel is hated.
But why this hatred of the nation of Israel? Israel’s continued presence in history to the present day, despite deadly opposition, speaks of the truth of the biblical God’s prophetic sovereignty, the validity of the Bible, along with His standards and judgment.
Independence Day is preceded by a somber Memorial Day for all those who have fallen in battle fighting for Israel’s existence, and the thousands who have lost their lives through the awful terror attacks – bereaved families visit graves, with special ceremonies held to remember those who have paid the high price for their independence. On Israel’s Independence Day, the mourning turns to dancing and joy with a range of national and local celebrations, picnics, barbecues, and fireworks. To celebrate in their promised homeland, is truly a miracle for Israel.
Israel will only experience complete independence, along with a spiritual revival, and the complete land promised through Abraham, when their Messiah and the Savior of the world returns. We who know and live for the Savior are encouraged to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Seeing how God has kept His promise to Israel, should be an encouragement to all believers that God’s word, the Bible, is true and dependable for faith, teaching, wisdom for daily living, while providing the eternal hope of being in the Lord’s presence forever.
**Much of the above information is taken from an article published by One For Israel, “Celebrating Israel’s 77th Independence Day.”
**According to All Israel News, the devastating fires in Israel have caused the cancellation of Independence events, roads are closed, and settlements evacuated.
Paul Bawden is married and served in the pastoral ministry for 45 years, retiring in 2011. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a B.A. in Speech and attended Dallas Theological Seminary, receiving a Master of Theology. He has taken counseling courses at Trinity Evangelical Seminary in Deerfield, Illinois. Paul is a lifetime member of the Evangelical Free Church of America, as well as being a member of Interim Pastor Ministries (IPM), which serves churches during their time of transition in searching for a new pastor. He writes for Union Gospel Press, as well as being a volunteer writer for GotQuestions.org. Paul likes to write, read, bike, and work in the yard. The Bawdens have had the privilege to travel to Mexico and Romania on mission trips and visited various countries in Europe.