There is a small town within the boundaries of the nation of Israel which has an ancient connection with the children of Israel, and today it is of growing moment in the strife between Israel and her Arab neighbors. It was called Elath, or Eloth, in the Scriptures, and is known as Elath today.
It is situated at the northernmost end of the Red Sea's Gulf of Aqaba, and is at the southernmost tip of the present boundaries of Israel. As it is south of the land of Canaan proper, its first connection with the Israelites was on their memorable journey from Egypt to Canaan. Very likely they touched this point three times in their wilderness journeyings. It is mentioned in Deut. 2:88And when we passed by from our brethren the children of Esau, which dwelt in Seir, through the way of the plain from Elath, and from Ezion-gaber, we turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab. (Deuteronomy 2:8) in connection with an adjoining place called Eziongaber, or Eziongeber.
It became a part of Israel's territory in the days of Solomon, and his copper mines have been found near by. He built "a navy of ships in Eziongeber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red Sea." From this port he sent his navy to Tharshish, or Tarshish, to bring back "gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks." (1 Kings 9:2626And king Solomon made a navy of ships in Ezion-geber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red sea, in the land of Edom. (1 Kings 9:26) Chron. 9:21.)
The Tarshish to which his ships went has not been identified, but evidently it was in the East, perhaps India, and this Red Sea port was the only place from which he could send a navy east, for there was no Suez Canal in those days, nor did mariners then round the Cape of Good Hope to go from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The Tarshish to which Jonah attempted to sail was west and not east; it has been thought to refer to a Spanish city named Tartessus. Sailing from Joppa on the Mediterranean as Jonah did, he would have had to sail west.
The next mention of this port city of Eziongeber which adjoined Elath was when the godly King Jehoshaphat made an unholy alliance with Ahaziah, a wicked king of Israel. They engaged in an enterprise to build a navy there to sail into the East to Tarshish as Solomon had done. But the prophet Eliezer, the son of Dodavah, "prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the LORD bath broken thy works. And the ships were broken, that they were not able to go to Tarshish." (2 Chron. 20:35-3735And after this did Jehoshaphat king of Judah join himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did very wickedly: 36And he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish: and they made the ships in Ezion-geber. 37Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the Lord hath broken thy works. And the ships were broken, that they were not able to go to Tarshish. (2 Chronicles 20:35‑37).)
After that, Elath was taken from Judah, probably by the Syrians, but in the days of Azariah (also called Uzziah) it was rebuilt and restored to Judah (2 Kings 14:21, 2221And all the people of Judah took Azariah, which was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah. 22He built Elath, and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers. (2 Kings 14:21‑22)). In the days of Azariah's grandson, Ahaz, it was recaptured by the Syrians (2 Kings 16:66At that time Rezin king of Syria recovered Elath to Syria, and drave the Jews from Elath: and the Syrians came to Elath, and dwelt there unto this day. (2 Kings 16:6)). Then it disappeared from the scriptural records. That was about 759 B.C.
From that date we come down more than 2700 years to 1948. In that year the fledgling state of Israel was at war with her Arab neighbors. The outcome was a victory for Israel, and her forces pushed their way south through the Negeb desert to the head of the Gulf of Aqaba and seized an 11-mile coast line. They thus recovered Elath which at the time was only a name with a few ruins.
Since 1948 the Israelis have been busy in that section.
They have reopened the copper mines of Solomon and planned to build smelters; they have rebuilt a port at Elath, and now have about completed a railroad from the north to connect the port of Elath with the centers of the nation.
It is Israel's avowed purpose to use the port of Elath for the shipment of copper and other products to the East, and also for the handling of oil. This is where the difficulty comes in: the passageway of the Gulf of Aqaba is very narrow at certain points, and Egypt is entrenched on one side and has fortified some small islands to prevent the passage of ships to and from the port. The Egyptians are in control of the Suez Canal and have closed it to all shipping destined for Israel. It has even been reported recently that the Egyptians fired on and seized a Norwegian vessel in the Mediterranean bound for Israel's port of Jaffa, passing near the Gaza strip.
To all intents and purposes Egypt is in a state of war with Israel and is determined to keep any Israeli shipping from reaching the Indian Ocean through the Gulf of Aqaba. The dynamic David
Ben Gurion of Israel is just as determined to break the Egyptian blockade of the gulf, and has said, "We will assure freedom of passage to the Indian Ocean if necessary with the help of Israel's navy, air force and army." With the railroad to Elath due to be completed this spring the hour of decision is at hand. War between Israel and her Arab opponents is a distinct possibility.
Russia's espousing of the Arab cause by supplying the latest implements of war to them, including submarines, has brought the dreaded time much closer. The Western Powers have been trying to keep the status quo in the Middle East, by limiting arms to both Israel and the Arabs, but Russia is trying to force the 'West to take a stand. Either way the West decides will put them in an embarrassing position. They cannot disclaim Israel which is so distinctly tied to the West by cultural and economic bonds, and to enrage the Arabs will cost the West those valuable oil deposits of the rich Middle East fields. Russia stands to win at the expense of the West either way.
We know, however, that these things are all working out God's purposes and that the world's statesmen are not the makers of their own destinies.
It will be a sad time for Israel if war does break out now, for they are outnumbered about 11 to 1 by Egypt alone. A confederation of Moslem peoples could overrun. Palestine, especially when armed with Russian modern equipment.
It is as we have pointed out before in other issues-Israel is, as of old, facing determined enemies both north and south of Palestine (see January Editor's Column). Eventually the West is going to have to take a bold stand and align itself with Israel. Ships shall come from the West (Chittim of Numb. 24:2424And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim, and shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber, and he also shall perish for ever. (Numbers 24:24)) and afflict Asshur and Eber. This will bring to pass the league between the future head of the Western coalition-the revived Roman Empire-and the mass of the Jews to give them Palestine and Jerusalem under his protection. The temple will be rebuilt and the worship of God set up, only to have it stopped and replaced by the worship of the beast of the Roman Empire after 31/2 years. (See Dan. 9:2727And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:27) and Rev. 13.) Then will begin those last 31/4 years of the Great Tribulation, or "time of Jacob's trouble," which will close by the coming of the Son of man with the armies of heaven to execute His righteous vengeance on His enemies—"He must reign."
But before either the first or second periods of 31/2 years each, the Lord will come to call His blood-bought Church to be with Him in the glory. How near that moment of our emancipation and greatest joy is! Surely, when we see the things taking shape for the events that are to be enacted after we are gone, the time of our change is AT HAND. "He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly: Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus." Rev. 22:2020He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. (Revelation 22:20).