There is no denying the fact that it is no more news that the surprise attack on Israel by Hamas on Saturday, October 7, 2023 has left many people reeling in unbelief, shock, sorrow, and pain over the lack of humanity which the terrorists viciously unleashed on innocent people. Without doubt, the attack left not a few families in Israel with tragic loss of lives of family members, friends and neighbors. However, as at today the table has turned leading to both sides of the conflict losing hundreds of their citizens, and even more wounded with Hamas terrorist group and Palestine at the receiving end.
Curiously enough, what seems to be news is that since the raging war between Israel and the militant group Hamas started is that it has reignited debate among some Christians in Nigeria, apologists of Israel and apologists of Palestine to be interrogating the common ancestry and mutual identity shared by modern Israel and biblical Israel even as emotions are running high among some clerics who are somewhat feeling the weight of not to remain silent.
Be that as it may, as a Christian, a scholar that has had the prospect of studying a wide spectrum of chapters of both the old and new testaments while in the Secondary school back in the days, and as a former staff of an Israeli Construction company where I had the privilege of gaining insight into the background of the Israelites, permit me to opine in this context that given the mannerism that characterized the biblical Israelites as they saw themselves as “God’s chosen people,” it is logical to opine that the collective mannerism of present day Israelis is not poles apart. The foregoing view can further be buttressed as they are also monotheistic, and exhibit unshaken belief in God’s covenants and the promise of redemption for sin.
In a similar vein, everyone that is in the Christendom is exhorted in the Scripture to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6) and told that those who bless Abraham (and by extension Israel) will be blessed (Genesis 12:3). Also, I believe that God still has a covenant relationship with Israel, and thus support Israel by default and, in particular, its right to the land. On the other hand, this does not mean that the current government, people, or policies of Israel are beyond fault. We can and should judge their actions against biblical principles in the same way the Old Testament prophets did.
At this juncture, kindly tolerate my point of view in this context as I opine that by virtue of being a member of the Christendom that not a few people in the Christendom subscribed to the following reasons as the basis of supporting Israel in the cause they stand for.
There is no doubt that Israel enjoys growing support from the Evangelical movement today. At times this support is little understood, especially since the Church struggled for centuries to accept the Jewish people and even engaged in anti-Semitic actions against them. Thus, many Sunday School teachers taught that God was finished with the Jews, and left them in exile as a sign of their divine rejection. However, this all changed dramatically with Israel’s restoration as a nation back in its ancestral homeland. Yet the question remains: Why should Christians support Israel today?
First and foremost, there is no denying the fact that God loves Israel. To buttress the foregoing affirmation, it is expedient to say that prophet Jeremiah states very clearly: “The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness… The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: ‘Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting Love; Therefore with loving-kindness, I have drawn you. Again I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt, O virgin of Israel! ….’” (Jeremiah 31:2–4). After a season of judgment (‘the sword’), God is motivated by His ‘everlasting love’ to restore Israel. Note that it is an everlasting love… unceasing, never-ending! It was this love that birthed God’s plan with Israel (Deuteronomy 7:7), and this love also will bring it to a glorious end (Romans 11:25-28).
At this juncture, it is germane to recall that not a few haters of Israel are asking, “How can God love a sinful nation like Israel?” The answer to the foregoing question cannot be farfetched as Israel as a country is also a beneficiary of the same unconditional love the Lord has towards the Church. Indeed, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) So here is a simple rule for all believers: We should love what Jesus loves. How is your love for Israel? Just ask God to give you His love for the Jewish people!
In fact, it is expedient to opine in this context that the Jewish people have faced enemies for thousands of years. They have gone through multiple trials of adversity, and much of that has stemmed from their faith. The Holocaust is just one example of how Jews have been persecuted for their faith. Building bridges of fellowship and understanding between Jews and Christians honors and supports Israel, the land from which both of these faiths stemmed.
Another reason to stand by Israel, and not leave her alone is that God is a covenant-keeping God as He affirmed His promise to give Israel the Land of Canaan with a sworn covenant. In Genesis, how God appeared to Abraham is crystal clear, and He promised him a land and descendants as innumerable as the stars in the heavens. Abraham replied: “How can I be sure you really will do this?” God answered by coming down like a burning torch which passed through sacrificial animals to seal the land promise with Abraham by covenant oath (Genesis 15:17-18).
In fact, what most people that are not in Christendom do not know about Christians they owe it to the Jews as they are in solidarity with them at all times. Against the backdrop of the foregoing view, it is therefore not farfetched that Christians and the Jews in Israel serve the same God, and they are one. Therefore, they need the support of everyone in Christendom. And if you ask this writer, “Should Christians Support The Nation Of Israel At A Time Like This?” He will answer in the affirmative that she should be supported in obedience to what God said in Deuteronomy chapter 7, verse 6 to 8, thus: “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.”
Finally, and most importantly, we need to bless Israel because God commands us to do so. Isaiah delivers this divine imperative, saying “‘Comfort, yes comfort My people’ says your God.” (Isaiah 40:1) This is clearly not a call to the Jewish people, otherwise they would be comforting themselves. Rather, it is a call to a Gentile people who serve God to stand alongside Israel and bless and comfort her. It is a command for a time when Israel’s warfare has ended (verse 2), a set time when God is restoring Zion. And Isaiah 40 also is clearly not a suggestion or discussion point where He invites our opinion. God Himself, the Creator of heaven and earth who calls out the stars by name (Isaiah 40:26), tells us to arise and stand with His people in comfort and love. Against the foregoing backdrop, permit me to opine that Israel will not be alone in her challenges. After all, God whose words never fails has promised her in Genesis 28:15 that “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
The post Biblical Reasons Why Israel Will Not Be Alone In Its Challenges -By Isaac Asabor first appeared on Opinion Nigeria.
