GENTLE BREEZE

By NELLY FAVIS VILLAFUERTE

(Part IV)

The first article in this column appeared on May 5, 1986. By God’s grace, this column will complete its 33rd year on May 5, 2019. In all these years, I have been receiving letters from readers of this column. Recently, I received a letter from Dr. Jafar Ayesh, a Palestinian maxillofacial surgeon, graduate of the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay (UERM). He gave his comment on my article appearing in this column last March 31, 2019 (Part II of this series: Does US stand with Israel). Let me quote in part what Dr. Jafar Ayesh said:

“Dear mam,

I just want to comment on the article you wrote at the Manila Bulletin 31 of March.

First and foremost, the Zionists established what is called the State of Israel with the collaboration of the British colonizing power who gave a promise to them for the creation of their own state, which means they gave Palestine, which they don’t own, to the Zionists who don’t deserve due to the fact that they based their claim to Palestine on a Biblical promise but they never entered Palestine and even prophet Moses died in the Sinai desert.

Magandang umaga po”

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To this day, many people are asking why the modern state of the Hebrews/Jews is called Israel.  Understandably so.  Nowadays, more people are coming to know that the state of Israel is the only state/nation that has been exposed to sustained publicity since Biblical times up to this time.  It is a wonder why Israel, a tiny state about the size of New Jersey in the US, continues to fascinate and capture world attention.

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Let me share with you how the particular name Israel was chosen for the State of Israel.  It all started with the story of Jacob wrestling with God found in the Book of Genesis.  This first book in the Old Testament of the Holy Bible is referred to by many as the Book of Generations.  The book records man’s history for the first 2,000 years and traces the family records of God’s chosen line from Adam to Jacob and Joseph.  The Book of Genesis is rich in human characters and events.  Basically, the accounts of four great events, namely, the Creation, the Fall, the Flood, and Babel, and the four great figures, namely, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, in the Book of Genesis highlight God’s sovereignty and supremacy.

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                One of the great figures in the book of Genesis is Jacob, son of Isaac.  Isaac was the son of Abraham.  Of the long narration in the Book of Genesis about the life of Jacob, an episode in his life stands out.  I am referring to the account of Jacob’s wrestling with God.  In Chapter 32:28 of the Book of Genesis, we find the following account of Jacob wrestling with God:  “So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak.  When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man.  Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”  But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”  The man asked him, “What is your name?”  “Jacob,” he answered.  Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.”

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There is a story that a small group then led by David Ben-Gurion who later became Israel’s prime minister was formed at the time the Jewish state would be declared independent to decide on the name of the modern state of the Jews/Hebrews. A vote was held and the name “Israel” won by 7 – 3.  From Wikipedia: “Israel means wrestles with God or triumphant with God. Jacob's descendants came to be known as the Israelites, eventually forming the tribes of Israel and ultimately the kingdom of Israel, whence came the name of modern-day State of Israel.”

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In another account in Chapter 35 in the Book of Genesis, God again appeared to Jacob.  “And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel.  And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.” (Genesis 35:10-12, King James Version)

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Finally, let me end with the comment about Israel of one well-known Christian author and speaker: “The story of Israel begins at the very beginning of the Bible, in the book of Genesis. The very proportion of the coverage tells us something about the importance of Israel. Only two chapters are given to the whole story of creation. One chapter records the fall of man. Eight chapters cover the thousands of years from creation to the time of Abram. Then we find that fully thirty-eight chapters deal with the life stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob- the progenitors of the Jewish race. Apparently God finds Abraham and his descendants to be of enormous importance.”

(Reference: What in the World is Going On by Dr. David Jeremiah)

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This column continues to give out copies of the Holy Bible for free to those who cannot afford to buy their own copies. If interested, please send your letter-request to Ms. Nelly Favis Villafuerte, 5233 Fahrenheit St., Palanan, Makati City. Kindly mention if it is the Tagalog, English, Cebuano, or Ilocano Bible that is preferred.

Be joyful and forgiving! (Comments may be sent to Ms. Villafuerte’s email: [email protected].)