Israel is a deeply divided, tiny nation that is surrounded by hostile enemies. Can this ancient yet modern nation survive?

Tuesday’s elections remind us of just how divided the state of Israel is, with 15 parties vying for seats in the Knesset and with the differences between them as far as the east is from the west.

There are Arab politicians who stand with Hamas and are openly hostile to the Jewish state.

There are ultra-Orthodox Jews who believe that Israel’s nationhood actually hinders the coming of the Messiah and contributes to worldwide anti-Semitism.

There are even Jewish university professors who are so anti-Zionist that they have called for the boycott of their own nation.

Yet all these Arabs and Jews are citizens of the very nation they so fiercely criticize.

There are left-wing Israelis who liken Benjamin Netanyahu to a despotic megalomaniac.

There are right-wing Israelis who liken him to a hero of epic proportions, standing against the world on behalf of Israel.

And all this exists within the borders of Israel.

Outside the country, Israel is surrounded by mortal enemies: Iran, to the east, committed to Israel’s annihilation and working toward nuclear weapons; Syria, to the north, overflowing with radical Muslims and now a breeding ground for ISIS; Hamas, to the southwest, rebuilding terror tunnels rather than rebuilding hospitals and homes; Hezbollah, in Lebanon, also to the north, famous for its massive “Death to Israel” chants – and this is not to mention the many Jew-haters living in Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Saudia Arabia and other nearby countries.

To add insult to injury, it has been reported that America’s “National Intelligence Agency delivered a report to Congress that scraps Iran and Hezbollah from the terrorism list,” meaning that you can be a deadly enemy of Israel and an exporter of terror worldwide and no longer be considered a terrorist threat.

At least that’s what our “National Intelligence” says. Or have these words become an oxymoron?

But I digress.

Within Israel, there is an intense conflict between very religious Jews (a rapidly growing minority) and non-religious Jews (a barely-growing majority).

The former are deeply devoted to Torah observance and Jewish traditions, have families with as many as 12-15 children, believe that their men (for the most part) should study and pray all day and not fight in the military or work secular jobs, and are convinced that Israel’s very survival is dependent on their piety.

As for the materialism and immorality of the nation, they despise it, deeply grieved over the nation’s many sins. To give just one example, a couple of years ago, Tel Aviv was voted the most gay friendly city in the world by a landslide.

The non-religious Jews are loyal Israelis who resent their very religious compatriots, seeing them as takers rather than givers, seeping funds from hardworking people and refusing to fight in the military. And they are often viewed as hypocrites who do not practice what they preach.

The divisions run deep, even down the middle of the religious and the non-religious communities, not to mention among people from different ethnicities and cultural backgrounds. (Israel is filled to the brim with cultural diversity.)

It is true that there is a powerful unity that also runs through the people, as the tiny nation is drawn together by a common history, by a sense of divine purpose (or simply historic purpose), and by worldwide hostility to the nation and the people.

And there is certainly a deep national pride, as Israeli young people, both male and female, gladly serve in the army with a real sense that they are doing what is right and what is good, and they seek to serve with both military and ethical excellence.

Israel also has many amazing things to boast about, from its extraordinary agricultural production to its great military discipline and from its many medical and technical innovations to its democratic values in a sea of non-democratic despotic regimes.

But the odds are squarely against the state of Israel, with radical Islam growing stronger not weaker, with worldwide anti-Semitism increasing by the day, most noticeably in Europe, with more and more pressure being put on Israel to make dangerous compromises with the Palestinians, with more and more calls for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel, with Israel’s enemies getting more and more sophisticated weaponry, and with a seriously fractured relationship between President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Can Israel survive in the midst of such enormous pressure?

The answer is absolutely yes, but not because of Israel’s might or wisdom or ingenuity.

No, Israel will survive because God has ordained it, and what He has ordained, no one can reverse.

As the prophet Jeremiah declared more than 2,500 years ago (speaking of his era as well as the end of the age), “Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far away; say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.’ For the LORD has ransomed Jacob and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him” (Jeremiah 31:10-11, ESV).

Later in this same chapter (31:35-37), God said through the prophet that he would ultimately preserve Israel as a people no matter what Israel did, adding that this promise would stand as long as the sun and moon continued to shine.

And that’s why I am so confident.

Am I grateful for America’s support of Israel? Absolutely.

Do I believe it’s important to pray for Israel? Certainly.

Am I appreciative of Israel’s military prowess? For sure.

But my hope for the nation is not found in Israel’s goodness (far from it), nor is it found in Christian support for Israel, American solidarity with Israel, or any other factor.

My hope for Israel is in the Lord, and Israel will survive because God has said so.

The dissenters can take it up with him.