In the Old Testament, God told Abraham, “I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” While this is a clear reference to the blessing of the coming of the Messiah, there is another aspect to this blessing.

When God scattered them for their rebellion, they stood out as the makers and shakers of society, even if they attempted to do it quietly. They have been leaders in commerce and masters of entire industries. The Lord has given them great genius and first-class business acumen. They make more than their share of the world-changing scientific discoveries, win Nobel prizes, and have made the desert bloom. God has clearly kept His promise to bless the nations through them.

History is filled with examples of ways God has had His hands on the Jewish people. During the plague that killed so many in Europe, it was God’s hygiene laws that protected the Jews. During the horrors of WWII, many were kept alive even inside the concentration camps. Why? The Germans needed the industrial expertise of Jews who had formerly owned entire sectors of the economy like dressmaking and tailoring.

When the Jews were formally given the land of Israel in 1948, they emigrated and turned a barren wasteland into a blooming garden. Israel became a hub of international commerce and a respected nation where Jews could flourish.

But the world was not happy with this blessing. Just days after Israel was officially declared a nation, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq—six militarily prepared, fully armed nations—attacked Israel on all fronts. And lost! Many miraculous stories have come out of that war and several since then, with the Lord clearly on the side of His people.

But Israel has had to continue defending itself against broad hostility. Muslim neighbors continue to attack, and the attitude of so many people around the world today is hatred, annoyance, and disgust. In a word: antisemitism. But why all the hate?

Could it be that the world is jealous of this people who display such tremendous resilience? During the Dark Ages, Europeans accused Jews of witchcraft because they didn’t succumb to the plague. All the Jews did was follow Old Testament hygiene laws. Could it be that Europe was jealous that Jews weren’t getting sick and dying like the rest of the known world?

Hitler’s Germany tried to convince the world that Jews were parasites who took everyone’s jobs. In reality, Jews ran entire industries that the Germans then struggled to keep going after placing Jews in concentration camps. Could it be that they were jealous that Jews had such skillful business minds and phenomenal work ethics?

Today, there is a fierce battle over the territory of Israel, with terrorist groups like Hamas inciting violence against the Jewish people. On October 7, 2023, Hamas attacked a music festival in Israel, killing hundreds, wounding thousands, and kidnapping hundreds more.

Since that time, antisemitism has grown on university campuses around the world. President Trump issued an executive order in January 2025 to investigate the rise in antisemitism.

In his order, he stated that the October attacks on Israel have unleashed an “unprecedented wave of vile antisemitic discrimination, vandalism, and violence against our [Jewish] citizens, especially in our schools and on our campuses. Jewish students have faced an unrelenting barrage of discrimination; denial of access to campus common areas and facilities, including libraries and classrooms; and intimidation, harassment, and physical threats and assault.”

Arab terrorists hate the beacon of light, life, and good that sits smack-dab in the Middle East. Yet look at how destitute many Arab nations are because of their own religious beliefs and decisions. Could they be jealous that their half-brother through Abraham is succeeding so well when their own people do not?

There is clearly a spiritual dimension to the hatred we see, given how much the devil hates God’s promise to His chosen people, Israel. But perhaps the “human” reason for all the hatred comes down to sheer jealousy over how blessed the Jewish people have been.