“For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be His people, His treasured possession. The LORD did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath He swore to your forefathers that He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 7:6-8).
“In days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will bud and blossom and fill all the world with fruit” (Isaiah 27:6).
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May they prosper who love you’” (Psalm 122:6).
Believers yesterday, today, and unending, must unquestionably endorse Israel as the nation God loves. We must remember that the nation Israel is very special to the heart of God.
God’s everlasting intention has been and ever will be to bless the world through Israel. In reality, He has already brought blessing into the world in the way of bringing salvation through the Jews via their (and our by adoption), Messiah Jesus, Who was born of the Jews. The following affirmation that “salvation is from the Jews” implies that we have an incalculable responsibility to Israel, though for the most part, they did not and do not, as a whole recognize Jesus as God’s Messiah to them. Our most valuable gift from God, our salvation, has come to us through the Jews.
6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.
9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.
10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
11 The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? 12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?”
13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”
17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’
18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.”
19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”
21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (Who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.”
26 Jesus said to her, “I Who speak to you am He.”
We, as redeemed children of God, must be faithful to pray for God’s chosen people, Israel. Today Israel remains in the status of refusal, and unbelief concerning their Messiah, Jesus Christ, but there is a “remnant chosen by grace” (Romans 11:5). Some are being saved thereby becoming a part of the body of Christ, the Church, through faith in their Messiah, Jesus.
In spite of today’s secular belief, Israel is the chosen people of God. He dearly loves them.
“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” (Genesis 12:2-3).
The Abrahamic Covenant is plenty incentive for believers to pray for and be supportive to the nation of Israel. Furthermore, the Bible affirms God’s love and nurture for Israel, His chosen people, and history discloses countries having been wiped out over their evil actions toward God’s chosen people. Christian’s should be there for God’s chosen. This does not mean that we automatically buy into the approaches they use in their dealings with Arab nations. The Bible forewarned that struggle would always describe relations between the descendants of Isaac and Ishmael. The reality is this conflict will persist until Jesus comes. We do not need to agree with all the nation of Israel does, but they surely do have a right to survive. God still has a plan, and will carry out His covenants regarding Israel. Afflictions come to all who seeks to interfere with God’s purpose; “whoever curses you I will curse” (Genesis 12:3).
Church, you must be wise; fully follow God’s directives. “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem,” and the well-being of Israel. Pray On!
