1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” – Genesis 12:1–3
My heart breaks as I watch the news. What’s happening in Israel is tragic. I find myself incensed by the violence and brutality against innocent people. Sadly, the reports and footage come to us like the replay of a horrific documentary. It’s as if we’ve seen this before. Indeed, we have seen this before. History books remind us that the Israeli people have endured hardships and terrorist attacks and war many times before. Now, here again, they are rising to defend themselves from the attacks of another group, this one called Hamas. Alas, the question is, “What do we do?” Well, as peace-loving, justice-seeking people of God’s Word, I would propose that we have one primary response… prayerfully stand with Israel & support however we can. (Psalm 122:6)
As we have been studying Genesis, God’s word is clear. God chose Abraham and made him a promise. This promise was that he would become the father of a great nation through which all the other nations of the world would be reached and blessed. In that promise to Abraham was this assurance, “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” As we study the Scriptures, we read that this exact promise was passed to Isaac, then Jacob, and ultimately to the nation of Israel who bore his name. As a point of note, it is a promise that was never revoked. It’s a promise God made. It’s a promise He will continue to keep, and according to Romans 11, it is a promise that true believers in Jesus are grafted into and covered by as well. And so, again, the answer is to stand with, and pray for, Israel.
The details before us are startling, but opposition to Israel is never a surprise. As we see in Genesis, the goal of the adversary is to work against and thwart God’s plan. Despite his best attempts, we can rest assured that any perceived progress of disruption is only working to carry out God’s providential plan. Let us remember, God has a plan. One day Jesus will return and redeem all things. I can’t tell you that the end is near. But I can assure you every day that passes, moves us closer than before. Our charge and our call is to be faithful in the day we are in. We are not to overly fixate on the future, but rather, do what God has called us to do today. And that indeed is to stand for and pray for the peace of Israel.
As we enter this weekend, would you please set aside the time to pray for the peace of Israel? Would you pray that this conflict would provide us opportunity to herald God’s plan for ultimate redemption in the gospel? Pray for Israel’s government, which has a moral obligation to protects its citizens. Pray for the many people who are fleeing their homes and becoming refugees. Pray for the Church at large to rise and stand against evil of all forms. And, as we pray, let’s thank the Lord for the spiritual heritage we’ve been grafted into. The matter before us is not merely political or peripheral; it is moral, biblical, and worthy of our full attention. My hope is that our time in Genesis will awaken us to the realities of the ancient spiritual war that is manifesting itself right before our eyes on the news. Let’s unite in prayer for Israel. (Psalm 122:6)
