Why is Israel so important?

Israel is God’s chosen people.  It is the only sovereign Jewish state in the entire world.

That answer often leads to another question: “Chosen for what?”

Israel is the vessel through whom God chose to reveal Himself to the world. They are His covenant people chosen to reveal His person, His ways, His covenants, His glory, and His redemption to all mankind. That purpose has never changed. However, the manner in which it took place is perhaps different than expected. Many of God’s glories were revealed to the world through Israel’s miraculous victories over her enemies, and even Israel’s sinful backsliding and God’s subsequent judgments against her. Israel’s blessings, her hardships, and even the miraculous covenant prophecies that have come to pass (such as Christ’s birth, death and resurrection) are all testaments to God’s faithfulness to His people and His omnipotent miraculous power.

God’s covenant promise to Abraham was that He would bless those who blessed him, and curse those who cursed him. That is no trite matter. Israel is the chosen people through whom God’s blessing flows to all nations — and that blessing is ultimately realized in the gift of God’s one and only Son, Christ Jesus. Christ Jesus established a covenant blessing for all who believe on Him as their LORD and Messiah. Jesus made it plain that salvation is of the Jews. He is the only One by whom all men must be saved.

Furthermore, Israel is important because it is this nation upon which the spiritual axis of the world turns. We can discern God’s timeline simply by looking at Israel. They are the “apple of God’s eye” and the “divine clock” by which this age is measured. Israel is His “peculiar treasure” with whom He is forever bound in covenant. He will never leave or forsake His covenant people, Israel. The day will come when Israel as a nation will be saved, but only once the fullness of the Gentiles has been reaped. Because of God’s choosing upon Israel, and His covenant promises to His people, we can know and understand with surety what God is doing in the world when we behold her in our own eye as well.

Israel is a nation who is beholden to God by His everlasting love and eternal covenant. And therefore, every nation is beholden to Israel if His blessing is to be bestowed upon them also.

What is my responsibility?

Every individual and nation has a responsibility toward Israel.

Yet Israel is the most hated nation living on the most contested land in the entire world. The Jewish people, who are known to God as ‘Israel’, are much more than an ethnicity, race, or religion. Their very origin is divine. They are a gift from God to the entire world with a very peculiar DNA. Israel is a strong and brilliant people. If Israel were to cease to exist, then God’s covenant with them and all who believe on Him could be broken as well — which is absolutely impossible. God cannot break covenant. He is true and faithful to His covenant word and promises. Everything He’s spoken about Israel will absolutely come to pass and prove true in its appointed time.

The question is, will you be a part of that?

As believers in Jesus Christ (the Messiah) we have an obligation to support Israel, through whom our salvation came. Through Christ Jesus Israel is our covenant brethren. Our responsibility is to love the Jewish people, to bless Israel, to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and Israel as a nation, and to lend practical help in whatever manner we are able. That means the spiritual, social, economic, political, and humanitarian support of Israel is the responsibility of all peoples and nations for one sole purpose: to ensure the survival of Israel and the fulfillment of God’s holy covenant promises for the sake of all the world!

The Church is at the forefront of this responsibility.

As believers in Jesus Christ we are bound to Israel in holy covenant as their brethren (as engrafted branches), with whom we share the covenant promises of God. That unity we share with Israel is part of the miraculous covenant work of Jesus Christ, which He accomplished on the cross (see Ephesians 2:11-21). Paul refers to this as the ‘mystery of the Gospel’. When we obey God in blessing Israel, we in turn receive a very special covenant blessing from Him that is reserved only for those who are obedient to this covenant. For those who support and bless Israel, God will also bless, support, and uphold them as well — despite their most adverse circumstances.

Why should I care?

Israel may seem very far removed from you. That is a natural feeling when you don’t know much about a particular people or nation.

Like any other nation, Israel’s culture and customs are unique to them, being rooted in God’s laws and His covenants. Those cultural customs and norms may seem very different to those who do not share in Israel’s covenant with God, which is why so many nations are Israel’s sworn enemies. As Christians, we indeed share in this covenant through Jesus Christ. He performed a miraculous redeeming work that unifies and sanctifies Jews and Gentiles as one.  Race, ethnicity, sex, and other demographics no longer have the power to divide. Christ made one Church and one Body through His sacrifice. The salvation He offers to the world came through the Jewish nation of Israel.

That covenant relationship we have with Israel through Christ is one that affects every believer personally, whether they realize it or not. It is purely a default value in our faith. Yet sadly, few Christians have knowledge of it, or understand it fully. Paul taught the Gentiles prolifically in his many epistles on this very point in an attempt to fulfill the covenant unity for which Christ prayed so diligently in John 17. When we finally understand what Christ accomplished, it is truly phenomenal!  The greatest details are found in the following books of the New Testament: Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews.

As Israel goes, so goes the world. When we understand God’s eternal plan, Israel’s history, how she came to be, and the redeeming work of our Messiah Jesus Christ, only then can we truly appreciate the gift Israel is to the world, and love her even as God does. We should care about Israel because Israel is our covenant brethren.

How does the state of Israel affect me as an individual?

The tiny nation of Israel has an affect on every nation and individual in the world, regardless of their personal views, and whether or not they believe on the God of Israel.

As we said before, those who bless Israel will be blessed, and those who curse Israel will be cursed. Everyone has the God-given freedom to choose whether or not to bless or curse. But there is more to this than a spiritual implication, as we have discussed. There is a very practical one as well.

God’s purpose in blessing Israel was to make her a blessing to all the world. This blessing goes far beyond the spiritual gift of salvation provided through Christ Jesus. It’s also a very tangible and practical blessing that is woven into the fabric of our very lives, involving commerce, technology, industry, agriculture, the arts, and many other areas. When Israel is flourishing, the world becomes a partaker of her abundance. To this very day Israel is one of the most technologically advanced nations in the world. Their ingenuity has provided some of the most brilliant developments and inventions ever known.

Israel has a history of multiplying. God has made Israel both a land and people of extraordinary blessing. He’s given them spiritual, agricultural, and technological resources that have advanced modern society and ultimately made the world a better place. Politically, Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East. Their military power is exceptional. God strategically placed Israel geographically. They are a land and people locked between mortal enemies who dwarf them. Yet Israel is able to maintain its power and the peace, stability, and security of its people. If it were not for Israel and the standards they uphold, the world would be a very different place indeed.

Whether you realize it or not, and regardless of your personal views of Israel, this tiny covenant nation has touched your life in a very personal and powerful way. Their covenant with God, and God’s covenant with them, has given them a global impact which extends to every nation and individual.