There is no people group on the face of the earth that loves their land like the Israelis. The land of Israel is a part of their Jewish birthright, history, and heart. It is a vital part of who they are. It goes much deeper than feelings of patriotism. In a unique way, God has united the Jewish heart and the land of Israel. In Isaiah 62:4, the land is called “Beulah,” which is Hebrew for “married.” Going all the way back to the Abrahamic covenant 4,000 years ago, God married the Jewish people to the Promised Land. Speaking of the Jew and the land, God said, “For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee” (Isaiah 62:5).
This bond between the Jew and his land is perfectly illustrated with the recent return of the remains of an Israeli who was killed in action 37 years ago in southern Lebanon. On April 4, 2019, Sergeant First Class Zachary Baumel was laid to rest in the prestigious military cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. In remarks at her brother’s committal, Osan Haberman said, “All of our prayers during these 37 years went to one place and we’re here. I thought about what I would do here in this place. I can’t even embrace you. So I thought to turn to the ground and ask the land to embrace you. After a few minutes I understood that I don’t even need to ask. The land embraces you so strongly. And why? Because there is absolute love between the son that gave everything for the land and the land itself, and there is a perfect union here. You are together now.”
When people attempt to separate the Jewish people from the land God has given to them, they are wrestling with God. They are attempting to divide what God is united. God has married the Jew to the land. “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (Mathew 19:6).