In an extremely simplified listing, check out these five actions and attitudes God instructs Christians to have towards Israel.
1. BLESS
Genesis 12:3 "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."According to the Hebraic understanding, we "bless" Israel by celebrating and honoring
her as a nation and as a people. Notice there are only two choices; either you "bless"
Israel or you "curse" her - neutrality was not a given option. Choose wisely, because
God promises to respond back to us in the same way we respond to Israel.
2. PRAY
Psalms 122:6 "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May all who love this city prosper."Prayer is so powerful and effective that God instructs us to petition heaven for
Jerusalem's peace. I believe one of the reasons God tells us to pray for Israel is because
whoever or whatever you pray for becomes close and important to your heart. And, yet
again... God promises another blessing... this time of prosperity, on our lives as we
continue to pray for the city God loves!
3. COMFORT
Isaiah 40:1 "Comfort, comfort my people says your God."The bible tells us to console and have compassion on God's people. We must never
forget that God loves, cherishes and celebrates the Jewish people, regardless of their
dysfunctional history in serving Him. In fact, Scripture reminds us in Zechariah 2:8 that
the Jews are still the apple of God's eye. Use your words of care and concern to comfort
those that God dearly loves.
4. SPEAK
Isaiah 62:1 "For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch."No more silence! We are told to speak-out against those who seek to destroy Israel and
the Jewish people. Verse 6 even goes on to call us "watchmen" who protect Jerusalem's
borders through our voice and declaration of 'warning' as we see enemies approaching.
Today, Israel is surrounded by enemies and is in serious need of voices who will be silent
no more!
5. GIVE
Romans 15:27 "They (Gentiles) were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them (Jews). For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews' spiritual blessings, they (Gentiles) owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings."The Apostle Paul instructs those of the Judeo-Christian faith to financially give to Israel
and the Jewish people. Remember, the Christian faith is undeniably based and founded
on the Jewish heritage: we have a faith based on Jewish covenants; patriarchs of our
faith were Jews; the Bible was written by mostly Jewish writers; and we have a Jewish
Messiah who was born as a Jew, lived as a Jew, died as a Jew, will return as the Jew's
Messiah and will reside in the New Jerusalem!
Today, as never before, Christians have the opportunity and responsibility to stand strong with the Jewish people and the State of Israel. Of course, our support doesn't mean that we sanction or agree with all that Israel says or does as a people or as a nation. Nor does it mean that God's love is greater for the Jews than for non-Jews... that is simply not true. However, beyond a person's political or theological bent, God's Word plainly admonishes us to actively and intentionally bless, pray, comfort, speak and give to Israel.
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