Who made up the main force of Israel's 1948 army?
The main force was composed of kibbutz people—farmers and common people—who formed a ragtag army with no military acumen. They had only small arms, no tanks, artillery, or air power, yet defeated the Arabs in 1948, establishing Israel as a nation again.
Les explains that the kibbutz people were the mainstay of Israel's 1948 army. These were farmers and common people, a ragtag force with no military acumen, much like America's Revolutionary War. They had only small arms—no tanks, artillery, or air power—yet with the overhanding power of God they defeated the Arabs and established themselves as a little nation once again. Les connects this to Ezekiel's dry bones, where sinews, flesh, and skin came upon them, but there was still no breath, meaning no spiritual life as yet.