The Bible is filled with references to God’s covenants and love for Israel, both in the older and newer testament. When God first created man it was His desire they would always live in perfect communion with each other. As we know we weren’t able to uphold our end of relationship and thus began an epic tale of God’s intent to reconnect with man.
After starting over in Noah, only to have man fail again to meet God’s requirements for relationship, He choose to focus on one man, from whom would come one family, which would develop into one nation that would be a light to the world to lead it back to it’s Creator. That nation is Israel.
Throughout the history of this often rebellious, often tortured nation, God has remained faithful to His plan, as Paul says in Romans 9:4 “They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption (as sons), the glory, the covenants, the giving of the Torah, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.” God has never revoked Israel’s status as the Chosen nation – Romans 11:29 “the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable” (the context is Paul discussing Israel’s status).
We support Israel and the Jewish people because they are the ‘firstborn’, and in Jesus we have been made one with them in the family of God. (Ephesians 3:6 “This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs (with Israel), members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”)
We support Israel because God commands us to “mourn with those who mourn and rejoice with those who rejoice” and “if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” Are we not all members of the same household?
We support Israel because we affirm God’s irrefutable faithfulness, His everlasting covenants and His promises which are all yes and amen in Jesus. If God were to forsake Israel where would we draw our hope from that He won’t forsake us … are we so much more faithful so as to deserve His faithfulness more than Israel?
We support Israel because we have drawn from them in every way, God is the God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob, first the Jew then the Gentile, Jesus is the Jewish Messiah. If we were to call ourselves the Prodigal son, walking away with our inheritance (life) to spend upon ourselves in frivolous living, let us not forget our older brother who remained at the Father’s side, albeit in religious service, without revelation of salvation but what does the Father say to him? “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours”. And we pray for the day that the Truth is made known to him.
Lastly we support Israel financially because as Paul again says “indeed they (we Gentiles) owe it to them (Israel). For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings.” Romans 15:27
