As with many of my posts, I know this is not going to make me popular,
but the current situation with Israel has sparked a desire to share some
thoughts on the subject and hopefully shed light on misunderstandings many
people have with regard to Israel.
First, I want to say that this will not be a political post.
If fact, I dislike politics in general, and I think many Christians today need
to realize that while politics are important, they will never solve the
problems of this world. Politics are not the answer; the gospel is. Only the
return of Christ and the consummation of His kingdom will ultimately put all
wrongs to right. Second, my purpose is to attempt to look at this situation
from a biblical perspective and try to show why unconditional support for the
nation of Israel may not always be wise. Now before you light torches to burn
me as a heretic, hear me out.
Race or Remnant?
Many Christians are under the misapprehension that Israel is
God's chosen people based upon race. The Bible says otherwise. One of the texts
often quoted is Deuteronomy 7:6-7:
“For you are a people holy to the Lord your
God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his
treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the
earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people
that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the
fewest of all peoples."
Yes, this is absolutely true, but notice the reason for God's
choice. It wasn't because Israel was so special, but because "the Lord set
his love" on them. God chose to love them for His own purposes. Yet how
many times did Israel disobey the Lord? How many times did they provoke Him to
anger because of their idol worship? The texts would be too numerous to cite.
Anyone who has read the Old Testament knows this. They continuously rebelled
against God and broke His covenant over and over. God, however, continued to
set His love upon them. In fact, Deuteronomy 7 sounds an awful lot like the
doctrine of unconditional election.
I find it ironic that many who champion the modern state of
Israel are diametrically opposed to the doctrine of election. They have no
problem with God distinguishing Jews from other people, but cannot bear the
thought that God would unconditionally choose the elect before the foundation
of the world. What do you think election is if not choosing a particular
people? I'm sorry to say this, but to affirm the Jews are God's chosen people,
but deny that God chooses His elect for salvation is hypocritical. The key
factor to recognize is that God's choice is not based on ethnicity, but
according to the purpose of His will (Eph. 1:5, 11).
Now I realize that during Old Testament times, the vast
majority of Gentile nations were left in darkness, however, there was a mixed
multitude that left Egypt in the Exodus (Exod. 12:38). And there were laws that
applied to Israelites as well as to aliens and sojourners (Exod. 20:10, Lev.
16:29, 22:18). Further, many Israelites were apostate. But God kept for Himself
a faithful remnant, (Rom. 11:4, 1 Kgs. 19:18) which is true Israel; not a
specific nation, but rather, people from
every tribe, tongue, and nation.
And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take
the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your
blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and
people and nation," (Rev. 5:9).
These are God's chosen people, from every race under heaven that
have been purchased by the blood of the Lamb.
Not All Israel is
Israel
In Romans chapter 9 Paul says, "But it is not as though
the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to
Israel," (Rom. 9:6). What in the world does that mean Paul? What are you
talking about? Well, in the rest of the chapter, Paul goes on to show that
God's choice was not based upon race. Rather, "the children of the promise
are counted as offspring," (Rom. 9:8). God chose Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob
over Esau, why? Paul tells us in verse 11, "…in order that God's purpose
of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who
calls."
In the book of Galatians Paul explains that whether you are a
Jew or a Gentile is irrelevant. In Galatians 3:16 he says the promises were
made to Abraham's offspring, who is Christ, and then in verses 28 and 29 he says, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor
free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if
you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according
to promise." God told Abraham he would be the father of many nations (not Israel only) and that
through his offspring (Jesus) all the nations of the earth would be blessed
(Gen. 12:3, 22:18, etc.).
In fact, the very language used for Israel in the Old
Testament is used by Peter and applied to the church.
"But you are a chosen race, a
royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own
possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called
you out of darkness into his marvelous light," (1 Pet. 2:9).
Did you know there are Palestinian Christians? That's right;
Palestinian Christians. That may come as a shock to some people, but it's true.
There are also Jewish Christians. We cannot broad-brush people solely based on
their nationality. Nor can we let misinterpreted passages of Scripture cloud
our minds. We must understand the Bible clearly. All believers are one in
Christ. Listen to what Peter said after his encounter with Cornelius:
So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand
that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone
who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him," (Acts
10:34-35).
After hearing Peter's story, the church in Jerusalem responded
by saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that
leads to life,” (Acts 11:18).
God has made the two one. He has broken down the wall of
separation (Eph. 2:14) and has grafted Gentiles into His family (Rom. 11:17).
The Promised Land
The land of Palestine is a very touchy subject. I know I am
treading on sacred ground here (pun intended). But I am going to say something
that may shock some people. The modern state of Israel does not have a divine
right to the land of Palestine. Gasp! I realize that there are all kinds of
eschatological views on this subject, which I am not going to address,
however, Christians seem to forget that the promises God made to Israel concerning
the land were conditional. That's right; they were conditional. If Israel
followed the Lord and kept His commandments they would be blessed, but if they
disobeyed, they would be exiled from the land. And this is exactly what
happened with the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities. So why would the modern
state of Israel which doesn't keep God's covenants, and has for the most part
rejected their Messiah, have a divine right to the land? Again, the promises
were based upon obedience to the covenant God made with them.
Moreover, the temporal land promises were actually fulfilled. Wait
a minute. The land promises were fulfilled? Yes, they were fulfilled. Let's
look at a few passages of Scripture.
"Thus the Lord gave to Israel all the land that
he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they
settled there. And the Lord gave them rest on every side just as
he had sworn to their fathers… Not one word of all the good promises that
the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to
pass," (Joshua 21:43, 45).
"Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from
the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of
Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his
life," (1 Kings 4:21).
Now don't those borders sound familiar? Yes, they do. This is
exactly what God promised to give Abraham (Gen. 15:18, etc.). So before you tar and
feather me, please read your Bible. God fulfilled His promise. Further, the
writer of Hebrews tells us that Abraham "was looking forward to the city
that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God," (Heb. 11:10).
The Promised Land foreshadowed the rest believers will enjoy someday in the new
heaven and the new earth (Rev. 21:1).
We must understand that the land, the temple, the choosing of Israel; all the
types and shadows of the Old Testament find their fulfillment in Christ (Matt.
5:17).
Conclusion
So does Israel have the right to exist as a nation? Of course.
Should they protect their borders? Yes. Do they have the right to defend
themselves against unjust attacks? Absolutely! We should support Israel, but our support must be filtered through the pages of Scripture. The Bible teaches that anyone,
whether Jew or Gentile, who is not a follower of Christ is under the wrath of
God unless they repent and believe (John 3:36, Eph. 2:3). What Jewish people
need is the gospel. It isn't about nationality; it's about spirituality, those
who are united to Christ through His death and resurrection. God will always
have a remnant, chosen by grace (Rom.
11:5). Therefore, the Jews are only God's chosen people in so far as they have
placed their faith in Jesus the Messiah.
