The Bible and the State of Israelby Steve Hayner
Is the modern state of Israel the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy? Are the Jews "God's chosen people" and does God have a special plan for the Jews in Israel today? Do the Jews have an exclusive right to the land called Israel? But what does Bible actually say?
Old Testament is full of affirmation and wonder about God's choice of the nation of Israel to be his special people. He chose these people for the glorious purpose of being the nation through whom the Messiah would come for the whole world.
In Romans 9:4-5, Paul talks about his own heritage as a Jew and says that these people
are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed forever.
But these are the same people about whom Paul says that he now has "great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart" (Romans 9:2). He loves the people of Israel - the descendants of Abraham. There is no room for anti-Semitism, but Paul is concerned because they have not turned to Jesus.
Paul goes on to say that
... not all Israelites truly belong to Israel, and not all of Abraham's children are his true descendants; but 'It is through Isaac that descendants shall be named for you.' This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as descendants.
Paul is saying that the true Israel today is neither the Jews nor the modern Israelis, but rather believers in the Messiah, even if they are gentiles. Paul is even clearer in Romans 2:28ff.:
For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is true circumcision something external and physical. Rather, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart it is spiritual and not literal. Such a person receives praise not from others but from God. (See also Luke 3.7-8; John 8.3159; Matt. 21.43; Eph. 3:1-6.)
This perspective is actually in the Old Testament as well. The prophets rather consistently draw the distinction between those who are merely "born" as physical descendents of Abraham, and those who are true members of the covenant because of their obedience. The prophets insisted that God's choice of Israel to be the covenant people would not guarantee immunity from the judgment of God.
But what about the Promised Land? Does the Bible indicate that the Jews will one day return to the Promised Land? Many believers think so. And since this promise was never literally fulfilled after the Old Testament, these believers have looked forward to this return. Is that what happened in 1948 when the modern state of Israel came into being? And is the current expansion of Israel since the 1967 War continuing this process?
I would make a few observations:
The Old Testament promises about the Jews' return to the land are always accompanied by a description of their return to the Lord. It is hard to see how the secular and largely unbelieving State of Israel can possibly be a fulfillment of any of these prophecies. (Less than 20% of Israelis today even say they believe in God, and most of the Christians in Israel are actually Palestinians.)
The Old Testament promises concerning "the land" are nowhere repeated in the New Testament. There are promises that Jews will turn to Christ, but the land and Israel as a political entity are not mentioned.
The international community has given the Jews a homeland where they have a right to live in peace and security along with others who have been in that land for hundreds and hundreds of years. Even for those who believe that the Jewish people have some divine claim to reside in Palestine today (and such a claim is certainly not clear in the Bible), then the biblical mandate is that Israel must treat the residents of the land with justice and mercy. This has always been God's call. There is no biblical support for the notion that the land should belong to the Jews alone and that they should have a right to push the Palestinians out.
God cares about all the people in Israel/Palestine today. There is no biblical support for backing the Israeli government when it practices economic strangulation of Palestinians, confiscation of homes and lands, and the unjust violation of human rights. Neither is there biblical support for backing the reciprocal violence of the Palestinians. Jesus calls us to be peacemakers, to stand for justice, to love people of every ethnicity, to share God's love through Christ with the nations, and to extend help to those in need. Jesus calls us to pray for peace.
Unless otherwise noted, all materials on the urbana.org web site are Copyright InterVarsity Christian Fellowship / USA. All rights reserved.
Explore articles on these topics: select about the world church and chapter ethnicity culture and justice mission fields mission theory mission tools money poverty and justice Prayer serving God today spiritual growth Urbana history
Is the modern state of Israel the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy? Are the Jews "God's chosen people" and does God have a special plan for the Jews in Israel today? Do the Jews have an exclusive right to the land called Israel? But what does Bible actually say?
Old Testament is full of affirmation and wonder about God's choice of the nation of Israel to be his special people. He chose these people for the glorious purpose of being the nation through whom the Messiah would come for the whole world.
In Romans 9:4-5, Paul talks about his own heritage as a Jew and says that these people
are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed forever.
But these are the same people about whom Paul says that he now has "great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart" (Romans 9:2). He loves the people of Israel - the descendants of Abraham. There is no room for anti-Semitism, but Paul is concerned because they have not turned to Jesus.
Paul goes on to say that
... not all Israelites truly belong to Israel, and not all of Abraham's children are his true descendants; but 'It is through Isaac that descendants shall be named for you.' This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as descendants.
Paul is saying that the true Israel today is neither the Jews nor the modern Israelis, but rather believers in the Messiah, even if they are gentiles. Paul is even clearer in Romans 2:28ff.:
For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is true circumcision something external and physical. Rather, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart it is spiritual and not literal. Such a person receives praise not from others but from God. (See also Luke 3.7-8; John 8.3159; Matt. 21.43; Eph. 3:1-6.)
This perspective is actually in the Old Testament as well. The prophets rather consistently draw the distinction between those who are merely "born" as physical descendents of Abraham, and those who are true members of the covenant because of their obedience. The prophets insisted that God's choice of Israel to be the covenant people would not guarantee immunity from the judgment of God.
But what about the Promised Land? Does the Bible indicate that the Jews will one day return to the Promised Land? Many believers think so. And since this promise was never literally fulfilled after the Old Testament, these believers have looked forward to this return. Is that what happened in 1948 when the modern state of Israel came into being? And is the current expansion of Israel since the 1967 War continuing this process?
I would make a few observations:
The Old Testament promises about the Jews' return to the land are always accompanied by a description of their return to the Lord. It is hard to see how the secular and largely unbelieving State of Israel can possibly be a fulfillment of any of these prophecies. (Less than 20% of Israelis today even say they believe in God, and most of the Christians in Israel are actually Palestinians.)
The Old Testament promises concerning "the land" are nowhere repeated in the New Testament. There are promises that Jews will turn to Christ, but the land and Israel as a political entity are not mentioned.
The international community has given the Jews a homeland where they have a right to live in peace and security along with others who have been in that land for hundreds and hundreds of years. Even for those who believe that the Jewish people have some divine claim to reside in Palestine today (and such a claim is certainly not clear in the Bible), then the biblical mandate is that Israel must treat the residents of the land with justice and mercy. This has always been God's call. There is no biblical support for the notion that the land should belong to the Jews alone and that they should have a right to push the Palestinians out.
God cares about all the people in Israel/Palestine today. There is no biblical support for backing the Israeli government when it practices economic strangulation of Palestinians, confiscation of homes and lands, and the unjust violation of human rights. Neither is there biblical support for backing the reciprocal violence of the Palestinians. Jesus calls us to be peacemakers, to stand for justice, to love people of every ethnicity, to share God's love through Christ with the nations, and to extend help to those in need. Jesus calls us to pray for peace.
Unless otherwise noted, all materials on the urbana.org web site are Copyright InterVarsity Christian Fellowship / USA. All rights reserved.
Explore articles on these topics: select about the world church and chapter ethnicity culture and justice mission fields mission theory mission tools money poverty and justice Prayer serving God today spiritual growth Urbana history
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