In light of what we have learned about Just War, how far should Christians go in their support of Israel?
Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.Genesis 12:1-3
And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel. How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied?Numbers 23:7-8
Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought!Numbers 23:23
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces. For my brethren and companions’ sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee. Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek thy good.Psalm 122:6-9
These are just a few of many passages that speak of supporting Israel. The main question that we must answer is do these passage of Scripture apply to the modern day nation of Israel, all Jews, both, or neither? The modern day nation of Israel is only about 75% Jewish (genealogy-wise;) approximately 15-20% of Israelis are Muslim. Only about 65% of the nation actually practice some form of Judaism. Does God’s promise extend to the modern day nation of Israel, including their Muslim and atheist populations, or only the direct descendants of Jacob? George Soros is a Jew; do we support all of his efforts because he is a direct descendant of Jacob?
I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.Romans 9:1-8
I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them: Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway. I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them. For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?Romans 11:1-15
For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.Romans 11:25-32
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.Romans 1:16
It is clear from Romans that there is a future for the physical descendants of Abraham. As such we should make the evangelization of Jews a priority. The emphasis in the New Testament is not on political alliances or military support but on evangelization of the Jews. This means our priority is not the alliance between Israel and America; it is sharing the Gospel with Jews and Gentiles. If we support Israel but do not share the Gospel with Jews in America we are actually going contrary to what Paul is teaching in Romans.
A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.Proverbs 17:17
A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.Proverbs 18:24
Thine own friend, and thy father’s friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother’s house in the day of thy calamity: for better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off.Proverbs 27:10
In addition to God’s covenant with the Jewish people we should seek to be good allies. The Bible is full of Scriptures encouraging Christians to be good friends. The nation of Israel is one of the United States’ closest allies. As such we need to be there for them.
Open rebuke is better than secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.Proverbs 27:5-6
And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgat the LORD their God, and served Baalim and the groves. Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushanrishathaim eight years.Judges 3:7-8
The vast majority of the Old Testament is a continual judging of Israel for their sins. God uses nation after nation to oppress the Jews to turn them from their iniquity. God even goes so far as to completely remove the Jews from Israel. The same thing happens to the Jews for rejecting Jesus. The Romans come and destroy Jerusalem. From this we can conclude that our support for Israel cannot go beyond God’s Law. If the nation of Israel violates God’s Law, we must openly oppose them on that issue. If an individual Jew violates God’s Law, the most loving thing we can do is oppose them. This is what Jesus, the prophets, and the apostles did. This is what it means to be a good ally and friend. If God opposed Israel for their sins, how can we support them when they are wrong?
Conclusion: We should be a good ally to the nation of Israel, but we must oppose them when they violate God’s Law.
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