Considering the upcoming elections in Israel next week, I decided to write about God’s love for the Israelites. As you meditate on this post, you will have the opportunity to discover what the Bible that tells about these special people to God and to reevaluate your attitude toward them. You can also leave your comment below and share it with your friends. Good reading!
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Without exaggeration
When I see how much God loves Israel, I do not consider any effort in favor of that people to be exaggerated. God loves Israel in an inexplicable way. This relationship must be viewed from the perspective of a covenant or contract made between God and Israel.
Those who interpret Israel as the church of Jesus are wrong and make confusion with two distinct peoples. The truth is that in Jesus, all Christians have the privilege of participating in the relationship with God, which was once exclusive to the people of Israel. In this way the church of the Lord Jesus and Israel are united in the same promises, persecution and blessings.
When Jesus came to earth, he knew very clearly that he came only to the people of Israel. He distinguished between the Israelites and the Gentiles during his ministry, ministering primarily to the sheep of the house of Israel. He then sent the Apostle Paul dedicated to the Gentiles, again distinguishing between the church and the people of Israel.
Blessing for All
The promise God made to the patriarch Abraham is that through his descendants, the people of Israel, all families of other nations would be blessed. And this word is fulfilled in Jesus, rejected at first by the Jews, bringing salvation to all peoples.
Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned down God’s offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share when they finally accept it.
Apostle Paul, Letter to the Romans 11:12
The fact that Jesus, as apostle and high priest of faith, prioritized Israel resulted in the complete fulfillment of God’s purpose of loving the world. From Jerusalem, through Jews who were the first Christians, the Gospel message reached all peoples, bringing development and wealth to the nations of the earth.
To the Jew first
Robert Morris, leader and founder of Gateway Church, says that “one of the main reasons God blessed Gateway is because of their obedience in bringing the gospel to the Jew first.” He is questioned by leaders around the world, including at conferences and TV shows, and always quotes the above sentence in his answers.
For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.
Apostle Paul, Letter to the Romans 1:16
Rapha and I had the opportunity to visit Israel twice and one of the things that impressed us most was the faithfulness of that people to the promises of God’s Word. Desert regions produce all kinds of fruits, including for export, because this is written in the prophets. There is a major project to bring water from Galilee to the desert for the same reason.
If something is written in God’s Word, they create projects to make those promises come true. Therefore, they never lack resources. The same thing is perceived by the practice of weekly rest day, the Shabbat. Although this principle, like marriage and others, is God-given guidance even before the creation of the people of Israel, they are the ones who most faithfully practice it as a people. We have a lot to learn from them.
Whenever we obey a principle of God’s Word, the result is blessing, peace, and prosperity for our families. It is God’s pleasure to see His people living fully satisfied. And besides, being blessed, God’s people bless everyone around them.
Anti-Semitism
The only enemy who ceaselessly acts against this plan of blessing for all peoples is the devil. And anti-Semitism is one of his main strategies, increasingly used to undermine a person or a people in relation to God’s promises. Even Christian churches and leaders are seduced by anti-Semitic philosophies by prioritizing other influences over God’s Word with regard to Israel. Martin Luther was adept at this ideology.
In the past, leaders fearful of Israel’s control over the world have come up with ideas of resistance and combat against the Jewish people. But the more they are persecuted, the more they have had the opportunity to return to the promised land of their patriarchs. They have restored their almost lost language and lived together a return to God’s promises to them.
No curse can touch Jacob;
Numbers 23:23
no magic has any power against Israel.
For now it will be said of Jacob,
‘What wonders God has done for Israel!
False convictions, taught by family members, schools, and even churches, have led many Gentiles to live far from what God’s Word teaches us about his way of thinking and loving Israel.
We love what God loves
Our family prays for Israel daily, we invest financially every month in pro-Israel organizations and projects, and plan to return to visit their country at other times. The vision God has given us, as well as its provision and prosperity, is the fruit of His promises. And one of these promises is found in Psalm 122:
Pray for peace in Jerusalem.
Psalms 122:6
May all who love this city prosper.
We love Israel because we love God, and Israel has a special place in his heart. We are grateful to God for the way our nation, Brazil, has positioned itself in favor of Israel in the past, and now again aligns itself with God’s heart in this regard.
Conclusion
So I want to invite you to think better about Israel. Mostly, I encourage you to pray, asking God for a revelation from his own heart. Ask him to show you how you should value these people and surely He will give you practical opportunities to love Israel.
Prayer: God, thank you so much for your great love. I thank you especially for Israel, and for bringing salvation through this people to all the families of the earth. I pray for the peace and prosperity of Jerusalem. I also ask for your revelation in my life about this beloved people in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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