GOD'S CHOSEN PEOPLE

We often see articles by evangelical writers insisting that Christians must back the nation of Israel in her struggle against the Palestinian Muslims because God expects it of us. While my sympathies tend to run with Israel, as she faces the hostile and determined Muslim world, it is not because of any Biblical mandate.

Yes, there was a time when the Hebrew nation was God's chosen people. "Jehovah thy God hath chosen thee to be a people for his own possession" (Deuteronomy 7:6). He chose them not because they were a better or stronger people, but because of his promise to faithful Abraham, that through his descendants He would bring Messiah into the world (Genesis 12:2-3). For 1500 long years he nurtured, provided for and protected them so that there would be a suitable environment for his promised Son. The record of the Israelites during that period was not laudable. It was one of disobedience, rebellion and unfaithfulness.

When in the l of time God sent forth his Son, they not only rejected him and his message, they secured his death on the cross (Mathew 27:20-25; Acts 2:23). Brazenly, they cried out, "Let his blood be on us, and on our children" They insisted, "We have no king but Caesar" (John 19:15). Jesus lamented "O Jerusalem...how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold your house is left unto you desolate" (Mathew 23:37-38). Still God insisted that the promises of the gospel be given to the Jew first (Romans 1:16). When Paul encountered a consistent pattern of rejection, he said to the Jews, "It was necessary that the word of God should first be spoken to you. Seeing ye thrust it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles" (Acts 13:46).

God rejected political Israel, as was evidenced by his giving them over to the Romans who destroyed their nation in 70 A.D. Paul likens that rejection to the pruning off of unfruitful branches from an olive tree. He did not however, reject that righteous remnant among them that had faith such as Abraham had. They believed on his Son and he grafted them into his covenant family (Romans 11:23).

In this present dispensation of time, Christians, of whatever race, are children of God. By their faith and baptism they are “Abraham’s seed, heirs according to promise” (Galatians 3:26-29). The church of Christ is the true Israel of God (Galatians 6:14-16). "He chose us in Christ" (Ephesians 1:4).

Today God's people are not chosen on the basis of their race, but their faith. "It is not the children of the flesh that are children of God, but the children of the promise" (Romans 9:8). Thus any Jew, who accepts Jesus as his savior and is obedient to his will, shall be saved (Romans 11:23-26).

For humanitarian reasons, we should be supportive of the Israelis having a homeland and should oppose those who are determined to destroy them. However, we have no obligation to back political Israel, right or wrong. God does not expect that.

Our government is no more obligated to the nation of Israel than it is to any other democratic nation.