How should we think about Israel?
Things are happening so fast in the world, I cannot say for sure what will have changed between when I write this and when you are reading it. We can say that on October 7th, 2023, the profound hatred against Israel by the terrorist organization Hamas has led to the tragic loss of numerous lives. Even here in the United States and throughout Europe, the sentiment towards the State of Israel has changed. Antisemitism is on the rise. How should we think of Israel?
Israel is a democracy
Many Americans have visited Israel and enjoyed traveling around the country with relative freedom. I’ve visited Israel three times (the third was just a single night in Tel Aviv), and on each occasion felt almost at home. Visiting the Western Wall, the Garden Tomb, the Temple Mount, and the towns in The Galilee have blessed many Christians throughout years.
Many of the western values we assume here in the United States, freedom of religion and equality between men and women, we can depend on when traveling through much of the land. It has long been asserted that Israel is the closest “friend” of the US in the Middle East.
Israel is still beloved
The Apostle Paul, himself Jewish of course, explains the striking paradox of unbelieving ethnic Israel: “As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:28-29).
Even if one is not dispensational in their theology, I believe one can affirm the biblical truth that ethnic Israel is still in some sense elect, beloved, and called of God. I see no contradiction with saying that ethnic Israel remains special and simultaneously saying they need the Gospel.
Israel is a mission field
Less than 2% of Jewish people would call themselves Christians, making them missiologically an unreached people group. Israelis tend to be pretty secular. Tel Aviv is listed as one of the most LGBTQ-friendly cities in the world. We should not expect that most Israelis are Orthodox Jews.
Right now, many believers are serving as missionaries to the Jewish people, including within the land of Israel. Organizations such as Chosen People Ministries and Jews for Jesus have been around for decades and have been doing the hard work of sharing the Gospel with the Jewish people, including Israelis. Many Jewish missionaries are staying in the land throughout this war.
Israel is in turmoil
The long history of the land is complex and highly debated. Some even question the State of Israel’s right to exist at all. The relationship between the Israelis and the Palestinians has always been dangerously tense. Suffice it to say, most Palestinians live in The West Bank currently under the Palestinian National Authority (PA), and in The Gaza Strip, until more recently, under the terrorist organization Hamas.
We should be wary of narratives that demonize Israel as oppressors and colonizers. While the land has changed hands over the centuries many times, with numerous empires occupying the territory, it is fair to say that the natives of the land throughout much of recorded history are the Jewish people. Since 1948, countless Jewish people have moved to the land with the backing of the United Nations and generations have flourished there.
Israel is in need of prayer
We should pray for peace. Pray for the profound wisdom that is needed to govern in a nearly impossible scenario. Pray for the men and women serving in the armed forces who are in serious danger. We should pray for Palestinian civilians caught in the midst of a horrible war, many of whom will need to either live as refugees or attempt to rebuild.
Pray against the rising antisemitism here in the US. The church needs to stand with our Jewish neighbors and against this hatred with boldness and clarity.
Most of all, pray that the Gospel would go forward to both the Israelis and Palestinians in powerful ways. Pray for God’s protection over the Christians ministering in the land. Pray the Prince of Peace brings everlasting peace.
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
May they be secure who love you!
Peace be within your walls
and security within your towers!
For my brothers and companions' sake
I will say, ‘Peace be within you!’
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your good.”
- Psalm 122:6-9
Rick Harrington is a pastor at First Baptist Church - Haverhill in Massachusetts and the Provost of the (upcoming) BCNE Multiplication Center. He is the author of the books "How to Find a Church: Seven Steps to Becoming Part of a Spiritual Family" and "The Weight of Preaching: Heralding the Gospel of Grace".
