SFI Sermon Resources/IFCJ.org Why and How Should Christians Support and Bless Israel? Christians should look to God’s holy word as the voice of truth regarding the problems in the Middle East. What does the voice of Scripture say? Thousands of years ago, God made an eternal covenant decree in which He gave the Promised Land to Abraham and his descendants. Israel needs to be supported by Christians because all other nations were created by an act of man, but Israel was created by an act of God! The royal land grant that was given to Abraham and his seed through Isaac and Jacob was an everlasting and unconditional covenant. (See Genesis 12:1-3; 13:14-18; 15:1-21; 17:4-8; 22:15-18; 26:1-5; and Psalm 89:28–37.) The Lord said to Abraham: “I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God” (Genesis 17:7–8). Today, we are witnessing the unfolding of biblical prophecy in the return of the Jewish people to Israel. The Bible foretold Israel’s ingathering and also prophesied that God would call “the Gentiles” to help accomplish this miracle. “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “See, I will beckon to the Gentiles, I will lift up my banner to the peoples; they will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their shoulders” (Isaiah 49:22). The Lord has certainly kept His promise. In fact, the prophets said the return of the Jews to Israel, their ancient homeland, would be greater than their exodus from Egypt (Jeremiah 16:14–15). Consider the exodus of the Jews alone from the former Soviet Union where nearly a million have come to Israel in just a ten-year period since the demise of communism. The Bible states that the nations of the world are to be a blessing unto Israel. Indeed, Scripture not only urges Gentiles not to harm or curse the Jewish people; it also warns them of the consequences they will face if they defy those instructions. Genesis 12:1–3 gives the clearest expression to this idea: “The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” The biblical mandate given to the Gentiles is to relate to Israel and the Jewish people with unconditional love. Christians are called to be a source of solace and comfort to the people of Israel, to be a blessing and to stand in solidarity with them in their times of need. It is important to also know what Jesus said about the future of Israel and Jerusalem. Jesus said: “They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luke 21-24). In this statement, Jesus made four major predictions about the future of Jerusalem. First, He predicted the destruction of Jerusalem. His prediction came true when the Romans destroyed the city in 70A.D. Second, Jesus said His Jewish brethren would be dispersed among the nations. This also came true. The Romans scattered the Jews where they lived among the nations. But the cry of their heart has always been, L’Shana Ha Ba ‘A Birushalayim—“Next year in Jerusalem.” Third, Jesus said the Gentile nations would dominate Jerusalem, as they have for the past 2,000 years. But Jesus spoke of a distant time when Gentile domination of Jerusalem would come to an end, and the Jews would once again control their ancient city. This prophecy of Jesus was fulfilled in 1967 when Israel took control of biblical Jerusalem and marched directly to the Western Wall, the only remaining wall of the Second Temple. In addition to His prophecies, Jesus instructed His followers to assist His Jewish kinsman during their times of distress. He says: “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:34–40). The Apostle Paul also spoke about Christians helping Jews in their time of need. He wrote: “They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings” (Romans 15:27).
Posted on: Tue, 11 Nov 2014 22:08:07 +0000
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