When we begin to look at the Abrahamic Covenant found in Genesis 12:1–3, we see that God essentially promised Abraham three things: land, seed, and blessing.
It is a covenant that is foundational, unconditional, and remains in effect to this day because God swore it by Himself (Genesis 15).
God also promised Abraham that he would become a great nation, that his name would be great, that he would be a blessing, and that through his seed all the families of the earth would be blessed. This would ultimately be fulfilled through Messiah Jesus (Genesis 22:18; Galatians 3:16).
When we ponder that thought, we should immediately realize that we owe the Jewish people much because without them we would not have the Holy Scriptures or Messiah Jesus; and we certainly would not have the many blessings the Jewish people have given and continue to give to the world.
The Jewish Virtual Library has published a list of Nobel Prize winners between 1901 and 2018 and wrote that it has been awarded to more than 900 individuals and organizations. At least 203 of them have been Jewish.1
That’s amazing when you consider the fact that the Jewish people make up less than one tenth of 1% of the world’s population, yet in spite of their small numbers, they have contributed greatly to the world in the areas of chemistry, literature, medicine, physics, economics, and more.
Who would have thought that out of the ashes of the Holocaust, a rebirthed modern-day Israel, being only 71 years old, would bless the world in so many ways?
Forbes wrote on May 14, 2018, that “Israel, a tiny country with a population of around 8.5 million, has earned the moniker of ‘Startup Nation’ mostly because it has the largest number of startups per capita in the world, around 1 startup for every 1,400 people.”2
Who would have thought that out of the ashes of the Holocaust, a rebirthed modern-day Israel, being only 71 years old, would bless the world in so many ways? Interesting Engineering this year published an article of the top 11 Israeli inventions that have changed the world for the better.3 Here are a few of them.
1. USB Flashdrive
The first-ever patent for what we know today as the USB flash disk was an Israeli one. Whilst the main components were developed by Toshiba in the 1980s and a U.S. industry coalition in the 90s with the Universal Serial Bus (USB), it wasn’t until 1999 that M-Systems packaged them together.
This kicked off the development and production of this ubiquitous device around the world.
2. Drip Irrigation
Netafilm is an innovative drip irrigation system that was developed by Israeli inventor and engineer Simcha Blass in the 1960s. He thought about the idea when observing adjacent trees whereby one was noticeably larger than the other.
On investigation, he discovered that the larger tree was sited next to a damaged water pipe. He was astonished to realize that just a small amount of regularly dripping water could make a huge difference to plant growth.
Netafilm was soon developed and by 1967 had increased crop yields by 70% in Israel. The technology soon spread around the world.
3. PillCam
The PillCam, as the name suggests, is a camera device that is designed to be swallowed. It was developed to help diagnose and treat infections, such as intestinal disorders, and digestive system cancers.
Data is transmitted from the camera to an external receiver and it is revolutionizing medicine. The camera is digestible and disposable and is now FDA-approved for use. Because of its unique design, it is able to access areas of the digestive system that are typically out of range during a conventional procedure.
4. Flexible Stent
The flexible stent has helped save millions of people’s lives since it was first developed in 1996. This tube-shaped device is used to open up arteries to help treat coronary heart disease in patients.
This helps avoid the need for open-heart surgery and all the complications that come with it. They have widely replaced more traditional rigid stents and made surgery easier and safer.
I could go on and on with the contributions and blessings the Jewish people have brought to the world. It’s too bad the world isn’t more thankful! Today anti-Semitism is on the rise once again, reminding us Satan is alive and well.
Instead of blessing the Jewish people, much of the world is still cursing and blaming them for all the ills of society. It is tragic to see how they have experienced persecution like no other people group on Earth.
I leave you with this thought: Instead of cursing the Jewish people, let us bless them and thank God for them. Let’s be thankful for the innovations they have created in order to make our lives better. Most importantly, let us never forget that through them, God brought the Savior of the world to us, the greatest gift ever given to mankind (John 3:16).
Endnotes
- “Jewish Biographies: Nobel Prize Laureates.” Jewish Virtual Library. Accessed October 25, 2019. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jewish-nobel-prize-laureates
- Matan Bordo. “Israel’s Tech Identity Crisis: Startup Nation or Scale Up Nation?” Forbes. Last modified May 14, 2018. https://www.forbes.com/sites/startupnationcentral/2018/05/14/israeli-techs-identity-crisis-startup-nation-or-scale-up-nation/#7bd4ff13ef48
- Christopher McFadden. “11 Israeli Inventions that Have Changed the World for the Better.” Interesting Engineering. Last modified May 30, 2019. https://interestingengineering.com/11-israeli-inventions-that-have-changed-the-world-for-the-better
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