Sabras of the New Jerusalem

The Summer before my Senior year of high school, my parents took me to Jerusalem. It was my graduation present, because I had always wanted to visit the Holy Land.

We were able to stay in a hospice in Old Jerusalem, right on the Via Dolorosa. Our rooms were actually above the Lithostrotos, where Jesus was sentenced.

It was on that trip that I met my first "Sabra." A "Sabra" is a Jew born in Israel.

Being a Sabra is an honor that carries with it both a birthright and responsibility. The name is taken from the word for "prickly pear", a fruit which has a tough, prickly outside, but is soft and sweet on the inside. Native-born Israelis are often compared to this fruit. Their tragic history has caused them to become tough and a little harsh on the outside, yet if you can get beyond the hard exterior you will discover a warmer, softer side.

Sabras are born with a national identity unlike that of any other. They love their country and are proud of their heritage. There is an understanding that they are to guard, defend, and protect Israel above all else. They are fierce patriots, and their citizenship takes precedence over their individuality. Many of them are farmers, and connected to the ground itself. They feel a responsibility to cultivate and nourish the land with which they have been entrusted.

They all serve in their military for at least two years. No one is exempt--both men and women serve in the armed forces. Each of them is assigned a weapon, which they must guard at all costs. It becomes their constant companion for the duration of the time that it is in their possession.

I recently found a great analogy in scripture to this concept of being a "Sabra." I was reading Psalm 87, and as I got to verse 4, it hit me. All of us who are born into Christ are Sabras of the New Jerusalem, and citizens of Zion!!!

Psa 87:2 The LORD loves the gates of Zion More than all the other dwelling places of Jacob.
Psa 87:3 Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God. Selah.
Psa 87:4 "I shall mention Rahab and Babylon among those who know Me; Behold, Philistia and Tyre with Ethiopia: 'This one was born there.'"
Psa 87:5 But of Zion it shall be said, "This one and that one were born in her"; And the Most High Himself will establish her.
Psa 87:6 The LORD will count when He registers the peoples, "This one was born there." Selah.

Notice the nations which are mentioned in verse 4. The present-day locations would be Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, and Sudan. Those are Muslim nations today!!!

So in a sense, every single one of us who have come to faith in Christ, regardless of what nation we come from, what language we speak, and what background we have, are "Sabras" of the city of Zion. Our citizenship carries with it a birthright and a national identity, as well as a responsibility to uphold the honor of our country. We were born to fulfill the purposes of our King.

We are also to be faithful members of the military of our nation, and to maintain and carry our weapon at all times. We are to be prepared to defend our faith, and uphold the honor and glory of our King at all cost. Our lives are not our own. We are Sabras of the New Jerusalem.