Who is Israel?
Discussion question for April 9, 2010.
The historical books of the Bible follow the Israelite people, from family to clan to nation. The prophetic books of the Bible warn about mistreating “God’s people”. Who were those people in the Bible? Where are they today? Are we called to side with any group in the turmoil of the current Middle East? How should we pray? How should we act?
Here’s my summary of our discussion.
For thousands of years the people of Israel have existed, maintaining a cultural heritage and identity. They are the topic of conversation, opinion and sentiment in many places of the world. Loved or hated, these people are a representation of the character of God because He declared that they are His chosen people.
Understanding the connotation of the term “Israel” is paramount for any discussion.
In the physical realm there is the politically defined government of Israel, including their laws, practices and geography. Also in the physical realm are people that associate themselves politically with Israel (known as Israelites). These can be currently under the governing structure in the Middle East, or residing some distance from it.
In the emotional realm (personhood and identity) Israel may be referred to as the Jews. These are defined as a people group that share an ancestral history, traditions and beliefs. They are either descendants of Jacob (Israel), or adopted into the family line by choice. This people group has a continuous history that goes back to Abram.
In the spiritual sense, Israel is a term used for God’s chosen people. According to the Apostle Paul, the historical Jew (Abram’s seed) rejected the Messiah (Jesus Christ) and the promises and birthrights were made available to the Gentiles. Peter declares that anyone accepting Jesus as Savior becomes part of the chosen race.
God has an amazing way of demonstrating His spiritual agenda in the emotional and physical realms. Jesus taught that His Kingdom was not of this earth (physical realm), yet He wept over Jerusalem. God cares about that city, but does so in a way that transcends the physical acreage in that part of the world. God demonstrates His great love for us, even when we are stubborn and idolatrous, by giving us historical examples of loving His people Israel.
So, our understanding of Israel can be based on the type and shadow demonstrated in Biblical history and prophecy. But it should not be limited to a spiritual view only.
When we act (react) and pray for Israel, we should do so with the holistic view that God has. Like Israel of the prophesies, we are to turn back to God when we have strayed; expect His blessing when we are obedient; expect Him to withhold when we disobey; expect Him to love us with mercy and compassion when we turn. We are more than conquerors through Christ who strengthens us, so we are not called to be victims of this generation or generations in the past. God has a plan for our good future right now.
Israel is a political hotspot, and no wonder. God continues to use that people group as a living example of the conflict in the heavenly realms. That people group, and we as an extension, are covered in His promises and loving kindness.
Cal,
As a result of my travels recently to Jordan, I have been more aware and concerned about this topic. Though I did not present my case well, I have a growing concern that we in the West are not receiving a balanced picture of what has happened in the Middle East, and what is happening now. And it seems that those in the church are more inclined to take sides, to champion the cause of Zionism, simply because the Jews are God’s people. It seems that Evangelical Christendom in the USA has an attitude that Israel can do no wrong, that because they are God’s Chosen, we are obligated to support them.
I am now looking at the facts with a more critical eye. I have no conclusions yet, but what I am seeing in the reading I am doing is that Israel has taken a military approach more often than has been necessary, and that some/many of her actions are not the kind of actions we as Americans, and Christian, would support under any other context.
I encourage Christians to read sources other than the mass media, and to read sources other than Christian news, and to read sources other than conservative leaning publications, in order to gain balance in this issue.
One author I have been impressed with is Avi Shlaim, an Iraqi-born Jew living in England. He has written a couple books, at least, that address the issue of finding the truth about what has happened in the Middle East. “Lion of Jordan; the Life of King Hussein in War and Peace” and “The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World”. I am not affirming that Shlaim is giving us comprehensive truth. He is, however, challenging, convincingly, the notion that Israel is and has been ready to make peace. More than ever, I am questioning the assumption of my conservative, Christian worldview in this matter. I am wondering…