God has a special place in His heart for Israel. He calls Israel the apple of His eye. If God has a special place in His heart for Israel, then so should we, for those who bless Israel will be blessed. God will see to it.
God gave a promise to Abraham and that promise was passed to his son Isaac, and to Jacob and his 12 sons and to the children of Israel today. That promise is found in Genesis 12:2-3, “I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, and so you shall be a blessing. And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
Those promises given to Abraham and passed down to the inheritance of Israel is still true today. Those who bless Israel will be blessed. That truth should inform our foreign policy as a nation. And it should inform our perspective on Israel today.
This nation is the most prosperous and powerful nation on the earth. It has also been the greatest supporter and ally of Israel since it became a nation on May 14, 1948. One of the greatest influences of that national support for Israel has come from the church.
We are also recipients of God’s blessings that have come to us through Israel. Jesus Himself was a Jew, and through Him, truly all the nations of the earth have been blessed. As Jesus said to the woman at the well in John 4, “Salvation comes from the Jews.”
The disciples were Jews. Much of the New Testament was written by those who were Jews. The patriarchs, the promises, the Old Testament, and the prophets, all came to us through Israel. Indeed, we are indebted to them. Romans 15:27.
Christians should bless Israel by praying for them. Psalm 122:6-7 informs our prayer, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; pray, ‘May they prosper who love you. May peace be within your walls, and prosperity within your palaces.'”
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem because God has placed His name there. It is a city of His own possession. The enemies of God seek to destroy the apple of His eye. Israel will be the center of the unfolding events of the latter days and Jerusalem will be the epicenter.
May we stand with Israel as Isaiah the prophet declared, “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep quiet, until her righteousness goes forth like brightness, and her salvation like a torch that is burning.” Isaiah 62:1.
Blessors of Israel will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake, we will not keep quiet. Stand with us as we stand with Israel; for those who bless Israel will be blessed.
By Pastor Rich Jones
