Why Pray for Israel? Part 2 – The “Israel of God”

Do you know which nation besides the United States is most frequently included in the geopolitical, economic, and religious headlines?”   [Ready with your answer?]  According to the Pew Research Center and Gallup Polls, next to the United States, the most frequently mentioned nations are Israel and China.  No surprise that China ranks so high; but Israel?  Not only is she ranked second or third between two world superpowers; the tiny nation of Israel has survived among neighbors and their proxies that have repeatedly called for her annihilation!  Might we suggest that the answers to this anomaly lie in the providential hand of God?

Why Should We Care About Israel?

In Part 1 of this series (See HERE.), we asked, “Why Pray for Israel?”   We concluded that one cannot account for either the prominence of Israel geopolitically or the long-term historic record of social and spiritual hostilities against the Jewish people without exploring the relationship of Israel to God’s sovereign plan of the salvation and restoration of His fallen creation.  We explained that to understand “Israel” in God’s plan, we must distinguish three meanings of this name.  “Israel” often refers to
(a) the “State of Israel,” but also can mean
(b) people of Jewish ethnicity worldwide; or,
(c) "the Israel of God" (Galatians 6: 16) which includes all people, both Jew and Gentile, whose faith identifies them as “spiritual seed of Abraham" (Romans 9: 6-7).  

Genesis 12: 1-3 records God's covenant with Abraham in which He promised three things: land, descendants, and blessings.  God repeated these promises to Abraham in Genesis 15:5-7 and 17:4-8; and later, to Abraham’s son Isaac by faith whom his wife Sarah had borne in her old age (Genesis 22: 16-18).  In turn, God gave Isaac’s son Jacob the assurance of God’s “Abrahamic covenant” (Genesis 28: 1-4).  But how does God’s promise of land, descendants, and blessings relate to His plan of salvation and restoration through the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Part 1 concludes with partial answers to this question from within the writings of the Apostle Paul in his epistles to the first century churches after the death and resurrection of Christ.  In Romans 1: 16-17, Paul quotes the Prophet Habakkuk in stating that THE RIGHTEOUS SHALL LIVE BY FAITH (Habakkuk 2:4).  The patriarch Abraham demonstrated this faith when he ...believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness (Galatians 3: 6).  Wonderfully, God’s salvation is a gift to those who surrender their “works of righteousness” and by faith receive salvation as His “love gift” through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, His Sin-Bearer (Romans 6: 23; Titus 3: 5-6).

But, if the way of salvation is through faith in Christ and His Gospel, what obligation do Christians (Christ-followers) have toward Israel?  Again, the Apostle Paul, answers this question as we noted in Part 1 (Click HERE.).  There, we used a series of questions with Scripture references that provide answers.  We will now revisit these questions; and then, continue with more questions relating to God's plan for "Israel."
Note:  Our aim is not to present the "final word" on questions of God's sovereign plan. We could not presume to do this anyway based on our theological expertise.  But hopefully, our chosen format will provide a scaffolding for meaningful thought and dialog.

What should be our attitude toward “Israel” and “Jews?” 

1) Does the Gospel apply to Israel?  - Romans 1: 16-17
Paul's calling as an apostle and his testimony following his conversion made him a passionate and bold preacher of the Gospel to all people --"to the Jew first and also the Gentile."
Application: The Gospel is for all people to hear and respond.

2) Do both Jews and Gentiles face judgment without Christ?
     - Romans 2: 4, 9-11
Both Jews and Gentiles are subjects of God's kindness which ought to lead to repentance (turning from our sin) and pursuit of God's righteousness.  Otherwise, neither Jew nor Gentile can be saved from eternal damnation.
Application:  This truth is reason for us to pray for all people (1 Timothy 2: 1).

3) What example does the Apostle Paul leave for us?
     - Romans 9: 1-5
Paul was so burdened for the salvation of his Jewish countrymen that he could wish that he himself would be ...accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh... (v. 2-3).   
Consider:  Paul's example is reason for us to pray for Israel and the Jewish people.  But, we will need to distinguish what is meant by "Israel" to inform our prayers.  Read on, please.

What should be our attitude toward God's sovereign plan?

4) Does God have the right to define "righteousness?"

...the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.” - Romans 1: 16-17 (quoted by Paul from Habakkuk 2: 4)
And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. - Hebrews 11: 6
Consider:  Although God is patient toward mankind, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance (2 Peter 3: 9), yet by God's standard of justice, it is ...not because of any works of righteousness that we have done, but because of His own compassion and mercy He saves us...(Titus 3: 5).  God alone defines righteousness.

5) Does God have the right to dispense mercy?
The Scriptures say, "Yes, He does."  ...as it is written, there is none righteous, not even one...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3: 10, 23).  So then, God has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens* whom He desires (Romans 9: 18; and see v. 19-21).
Consider:  God's exercise of His choice to whom He will extend mercy and grace is illustrated throughout the descendants of Abraham, beginning with Abraham through Isaac, and made very clear in His choice of Jacob the second-born twin son of Isaac rather than the firstborn, Esau (see Romans 9: 10-16).  So then, it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy (v. 16).  Praise God for His unmerited favor!  [We will address "hardening" in Question 9.]

6) Does God have the right to call Gentiles as well as Jews?
The short answer is "Yes.!" As established in Question 4 above, God has the right to define both His righteousness and to dispense His mercy (Question 5) as He wills.  Romans 9: 22-24 extends this logic by stating that the same God who ...endured with much patience objects of His wrath prepared for destruction...did so to make known the riches of His glory upon objects of mercy which He prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom He called, not from among the Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.  The Apostle Paul continues describing God's sovereign plan by referencing Hosea 2: 23:  I WILL CALL THOSE WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, "MY PEOPLE," AND HER WHO WAS NOT BELOVED, "BELOVED."

Consider:  We can see from these Scriptures the ramification of God's covenant with Abraham which we discussed in Part 1 and reviewed above.  God had promised to Abraham that ALL THE NATIONS SHALL BE BLESSED IN YOU (Genesis 12: 3).  Even though God had chosen Abraham and his descendants through Isaac and Jacob to make up His "chosen people" in the Old Testament (O.T.) era, it was also clear that God was extending His mercy and grace to Gentiles.  For example, God had extended mercy to the Canaanite prostitute, Rahab (Joshua 6: 25), and the Moabite widow, Ruth (Ruth 4: 13-17), who became the great-grandmother of King David.  And so, Paul could write in Galatians 3: 8:  And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the Gospel beforehand to Abraham.... The faith calling of the Gospel of Christ was already evident in the Abrahamic covenant which foreshadowed God's plan to call people of faith from "all nations," both Jew and Gentile.
Question:  Does the message of Scriptures like Hosea 2: 23 and Galatians 3: 8 (above) suggest that God has given up on His "chosen people?"  Please continue reading.

Did God abandon His covenant with Abraham?

7) Or has God been working instead through a “remnant?”
The Old Testament Scripture in Hosea 2: 23, quoted by the Apostle Paul (See (6)), suggests that God extends His sovereign mercy and salvation to people outside of the descendants of Abraham.  You may ask, what will happen to God's "chosen people?"  Paul answers this question in Romans 9: 27 by quoting from another O.T. prophet, Isaiah, who lived 700 years BC when Israel was being threatened by Assyria:
For though your people, O Israel,
may be like the sand of the sea,
Only a remnant within them will return;
A destruction is determined,
overflowing with righteousness (Isaiah 10: 22).
In Romans 11: 1-5, Paul elaborates on “the remnant.”  First, he asks if God has rejected His people (v. 1) and concludes that He has not (v. 1-2); but instead, quotes God’s response to the prophet Elijah who was fearful and discouraged when he thought he was the only faithful person left in Israel (1 Kings 19: 18):  God replied, No!  But instead, …I HAVE KEPT FOR MYSELF 7,000 MEN WHO HAVE NOT BOWED THE KNEE TO BAAL (Romans 11: 4).  Paul then connects this O.T. reference to a the first-century remnant of his own time (v. 5) writing as follows:  In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice.
Consider: The notion of a “remnant” runs like a thread throughout the Old and New Testament Scriptures, pointing to God’s sovereignty and covenant love (Heb. hesed, or, “lovingkindness, mercy”).  In spite of the apostasy of both within Israel and among the Gentile nations, a remnant “remained steadfast in covenant loyalty. 

Through them, God’s purposes move forward…” (Bible Hub Commentary, click HERE).  Indeed, God’s remnant does not mean His plan of redemption is a small thing, as we shall now see.

8) What determines who becomes part of the remnant of Israel?
We have established that God’s covenant love and mercy does not include all of Abraham’s offspring, but only through the line of Isaac, Abraham’s son by faith (Genesis 22: 16-18), and through Isaac’s son, Jacob, renamed Israel.  Furthermore, as noted in Question 7 above, only a remnant of Israel will be saved (Romans 11: 5). The Apostle Paul explains why only a remnant of Israel were chosen. 

Summarizing his explanation in Romans 10: 1-5, Paul repeats his desire and prayer for his Jewish countrymen (v. 1) and commends their zeal for God (v.2).  But then, Paul laments that Israel by and large, …not knowing about God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own (by depending on “keeping a law of righteousness” of their own (Romans 9: 30-31) they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God (Rom. 10: 3).

And what is the “righteousness of God?” Short answer:  Jesus Christ!  For Christ is the termination of the law for [human-based] righteousness to everyone who believes (v. 4).  The alternative is to place confidence in the flesh (Philippians 3: 4) as many in Israel did, seeking to please God by their own works but failing to reach the standard of the righteousness of God which is only attained by Jesus Christ.  Instead, Israel …did not pursue [righteousness] by faith, but… stumbled over the stumbling stone…Jesus Christ (Romans 9: 30-33).  For by grace you have been saved through faith, and [even] that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works that no one should boast (Ephesians 2: 8-9).
Consider: In addressing Question 7 above, we stated that the notion of the “remnant” runs like a thread throughout Scripture.  Hopefully, we now understand that the proper "boast" of all who are the elect is a humble response to God's calling in repentance and in recognition of our need for the gift of the righteousness of Christ.
Question:  Can you see how the contrast between "human-based right standing" (i.e. "works of righteousness") before God and submitting to God's call to His righteousness is evident throughout the Bible?  The contrast began with Adam and Eve hiding behind fig leaves in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3: 7-8); then, continued between Cain and Able (Genesis 4: 1-8; Hebrews 11: 4).  Abraham produced a son, Ishmael, by his own works before Isaac was born as a son of faith (Romans 9: 7-9).  The same pattern continues through the history of Israel from the period of Moses through Joshua and the judges, the kings, the prophets, and into the current age.
Application:  The responsibility to yield to God's calling through the Gospel is one that every person must either accept or reject.  But how does that work?

9) What determines submission of heart to God’s calling?
Earlier, we explained that God reserves His sovereign right to define righteousness (Question 4) and to dispense mercy as He wishes (Question 5).  These biblical claims are predicated upon the central truth that ...without Christ, [we are] excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world (Ephesians 2: 12), and we are ...dead in our trespasses and sins...(Ephesians 2: 1).  Our "default condition" as a descendant of Adam is death and separation from God.  But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)... (Ephesians 2: 4-5).

How is it that the same God, rich in mercy, also chooses to cause hardening of hearts?  Scripture supports God's sovereign right to extend to anyone, Jew or Gentile...mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires (Romans 9: 18).  Later, in Romans 11: 7, Paul applies "hardening" to Israel, writing, ...that which Israel is seeking for [based on human-based righteousness; see Question 8), it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened.

Consider:  Logically, we can conclude that God reserves the sovereign right to allow hardening.  This divinely permitted spiritual dullness is God's judicial response to persistent unbelief.  Paul uses the example of the Egyptian Pharaoh who became hardened as he resisted Moses's pleas to free God's people from slavery (Exodus 9: 16; Romans 9: 17).  But God hardened not only Gentiles like Pharaoh but many within Israel as we noted above. Both were ...A DISOBEDIENT AND OBSTINATE PEOPLE  (Romans 9: 17).
Application:  What lesson is here for us to apply to our spiritual lives?  See Hebrews 3: 13.

10)  If God dispenses mercy or hardening, how can He find fault?
The Apostle Paul anticipates this question (Romans 9:18-19) and does not answer it, but simply warns readers not to question the Creator (v. 20-26).  To us, there appears to be a mysterious interdependency between God's sovereign call and election of those who will be saved, on the one hand; and on the other hand, the responsibility of each individual to hear and respond to God's call in repentance and faith in God's salvation through Christ.  In Romans 10: 8, Paul takes away the excuse that God's call is too faint or distant to hear: But what does [righteousness of God] say?  "THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH  [to confess] AND IN YOUR HEART [to believe]" -- that is, the word of faith which we are preaching...  Upon hearing the word of faith being preached in the power of God's Spirit, our individual responsibility is to ...confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord  ["supreme Authority, Master; and if we ...believe in your heart [core being; mind, will, affections] that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved... (v. 9).

Consider:   Only God knows how many out of all humanity have heard His call to repentance and faith; and still, they did not respond.  Can you remember times when you heard God speaking so near and inviting to your spiritual ears and tugging on your heart?  Then, hopefully you yielded to God's love in repentance and faith.  The Apostle Paul writes about the mysterious interdependency between God's choice of ...us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him (Ephesians 1: 4); and then, our responsibility to respond ...after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise...(Ephesians 1: 13).  
Application:  Although we do not fully understand how God's mercy and grace interacts with our stubborn wills, hopefully we can worship and praise Him for saving us and sealing us for eternity in the body of Christ which is His church, the community of faith in Christ composed of both Jew and Gentile.  To answer our overarching question above, God did not abandon His covenant with Abraham but expanded it through a "new covenant" inaugurated in the blood of Christ who is our Great High Priest through whom we have personal access to the throne of God (Hebrews 4: 16).

11) Who or what is "the Israel of God?"
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatian Christians who were being drawn away from the righteousness of Christ back into "law-based righteousness."  He exhorted them with these words:  But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.  For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God (Galatians 6: 14-16).  Our understanding is that the "Israel of God" is Jesus Christ, God's perfect Israel.  Because of His perfect life, sacrificial death, and resurrection, Jesus is everything that fallen Jacob (renamed Israel) and his Jewish descendants of the nation of Israel had failed to become.  God gave His exalted Son, Jesus Christ ...as head over all things to the church which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all (Ephesians 1: 22-23).  Christ, the "Israel of God, "fills all" of His creation with His glory, being Himself the fulfillment of God's redemptive plan through His covenant with Israel and the new covenant in the blood of the Lamb which establishes His church.
Consider this!  God gave His Son who has all authority (Matthew 28: 18) to serve as bridegroom and husbandman of His church (Ephesians 5: 25-27).  When the eyes of the body of Christ, the church, the Israel of God, are focused on Him, the old covenant promise of land fades in comparison to the promise of our  "citizenship in Heaven" (Philippians 3: 20).  The ethnic divisions of Jew, Greek, Roman, etc., gender, and social class also dissolve:  For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise (Galatians 3: 27-29).
Application:  What do the claims of these Scriptures mean to you?  Take time to meditate on them.  Don't let the apparent theological complexity distract you from exalting Christ ...who fills all in all with His glory.

How then, should Christians pray for Israel?

12) Why has Israel seemingly "missed the boat?"
Given the prominent role of Israel in God's redemptive plan throughout the Old Testament, doesn't it seem odd that His "chosen people" should be so scattered and apparently abandoned?  The Apostle Paul anticipated this notion when he asked, God has not rejected His people, has He (Romans 11: 1a)?  Recall that we discussed how God gave Israel over to spiritual dullness (hardening) as His judicial response to their persistent unbelief (Question 9).  Then, in Romans 11: 11a, Paul asks more specifically, ...they [Israel] did not stumble as to fall did they?  Paul answers his question, emphatically "No!"  Rather, he explains that because of unbelief,  Israel was hardened, what produced a dual effect--  ...salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them [Jews] jealous (v. 11b).  The duel benefits are first, that by giving the Jews a "spirit of stupor (v. 8)...until the fullness of the Gentiles come in; and thus, all Israel will be saved...(v. 25-26a); and second, by the salvation of Gentiles, the Jews are moved to jealousy (v. 14).  It followed that if Paul could capitalize on their jealousy, at least some Jews might be saved (v. 14).

Application:  Again, if we are honest, we are no strangers to spiritual dullness.  May we not take it lightly as Hebrews 13: 3 cautions.  But also, may we be prayerfully sensitive toward others regardless of ethnicity or religious persuasion when we encounter spiritual dullness in them, realizing the miracle of God's grace that awakened us from spiritual death (Ephesians 2: 1ff).  Read on as we address what might be a prideful attitude toward the Jewish people.

13) As a Gentile, am I prideful over the spiritually dull?
Redeemed Gentiles such as us who realize that God still graciously allows His chosen people to experience a spiritual dullness while He calls lovingly to others to be saved (such as we were), it is easy to become prideful.   The Apostle Paul anticipates this unbiblical attitude and counters it with a wonderful botanical analogy to humble the prideful.  Many horticultural varieties from apples to olives have been enhanced over the years by grafting the branches (scions) that bear more promising fruit onto common, or wild, rootstocks.  No one wanting to improve a variety would graft a wild olive rootstock onto a rich-yielding rootstock.  Yet, Paul applies this unlikely scenario when he writes to bring humility to Gentile hearers:  But if some of the branches were broken off [to make room for you], and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either (Romans 11: 17-21). 

As noted in Question 12, here we see the olive tree as the place of privilege of the Jews while the wild branches are the Gentiles grafted in (saved) by God's grace.  But God is not finished with unbelieving Israel and will be grafting them back into the olive tree as "natural branches" if they forsake their unbelief (Romans 11: 23) --another reason the Gentiles (like us as "wild branches") should not be prideful.

Consider:  According to Paul's analogy, the rich root of the olive tree is believed to represent the Abrahamic covenant in which God promised Abraham many descendants (Genesis 12: 1-3; Gen. 17: 1-2).  The blessings of this covenant (See introduction above) were extended through Abraham's son, Isaac, and to his son, Jacob (renamed Israel).  Significantly, God affirmed His covenant with Jacob (Israel) twice (Genesis 28: 3; 35: 11).  In the latter instance, God appeared to Jacob, changed his name to "Israel," and said, 'I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation—even a company (or "congregation, assembly") of nations—shall come from you, and kings shall descend from you.'"  Near his death, Israel repeated the covenant in the hearing of his sons (Genesis 48: 4).  

According to John B. Carpenter (Click HERE.), God was promising more than just that an ethnic (Jewish) line will come from Israel.  Much more, there will be a "company of nations" (Hebrew, k’hal goyim) which many interpret as the Hebrew equivalent of the Greek word, ekklesia, meaning “church” or “assembly.”  In Carpenter's interpretation, "The Church did not replace Israel because Israel was always and already the Church, the promised “assembly of peoples." When the Apostle Paul speaks of the “Israel of God” (Gal 6:16), he is not speaking of a replacement entity; he is describing the continuum of God's ancient gathering of believers from all kinds of peoples and nations.  [Note that early in Israel's history, this "continuum" had included Gentiles such as Rahab and Ruth (See Question 6).]  Believers in Christ are the “children of Abraham,” and the true Israel is the one olive tree into which believing Gentiles are grafted."
Application:  Far from a prideful attitude over those who are spiritually dull, let us give humble praise to God and to Jesus Christ who is the ...head of the body, the church (Colossians 1: 18).  How will this understanding affect your attitude and prayers for those of Jewish ethnicity, and toward the Gentiles?

14) How should we focus our prayers for Israel? 
We have interpreted the command of Psalm 122: 6 to "pray for the peace of Jerusalem,” to mean that we should pray for the whole nation of Israel.  We have found no Scriptural prohibition of praying for Israel whether it be praying for the State of Israel, or praying for all who have Jewish ethnicity, or for “spiritual Israel,” the "Israel of God" (Galatians 6: 16).  In fact, given the ongoing Middle East conflict surrounding the Nation of Israel and its leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, we ought to pray for that nation.  Also, given the current rise in Antisemitism, it is important that we pray for ethnic Jews and all who hate them.

As we have considered whether and how to pray for Israel or for any nation, there is an important biblical consideration.  Based on our reasoning in Questions 7-10, we can assert that ...they are not all Israel who are descendants of Israel (Romans 9: 7).  Many Jews within the State of Israel and worldwide are apostates just as there are multitudes of Gentiles in the United States and beyond who do not live by faith in God.  Still, a remnant remains steadfast in covenant dependence upon the righteousness of God through faith.  Through the true "Israel of God," Jesus Christ, God's sovereign purposes are unfolding daily on the path toward an eternal "peace of Jerusalem."  God's spiritual remnant, "spiritual Israel" looks forward to gathering in the New Jerusalem on ...Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven (Hebrews 12: 22-23).

Application: We understand that ...our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 3: 20).  But, in the meantime, the Scriptures urge us to pray for ...all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity (1 Timothy 2: 1b-2).  When we obey these commands and pray for one another and for leaders like President Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, and their administrations, we understand that God has always worked through the hearts of a remnant of godly people.  Nations are only as godly as their leaders and citizens.  When we use the prayer format taught by Jesus, we pray, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven (Matthew 6: 10).  Our primary focus is not for the glory of any earthly nation or political leader.  Instead, we bow humbly before Jesus Christ, the true “Israel of God,” the One whom God has made …head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all (Ephesians 1: 22-23).   It is in the Body of Christ, the church, that our hope for the Earth should rest because …Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever.  Amen!
Question:  How will you pray after having read and considered the 14 questions we have raised?  We trust that your faith is being strengthened because you are more able to evaluate the current geopolitical, economic, and spiritual forces at work through the lens of a correct biblical worldview.

Comments Welcome:  Hopefully, we have stirred some questions in your mind and we'd love to hear from you.  Just click the "Comment" link below and share your questions and insights on what we have offered in Part 2, or from Part 1 (Click HERE).  You can respond privately by writing to silviusj@gmail.com 

Why Pray for Israel? Part 1 - Which Israel?

Christians and Jews around the world are called upon to “pray for Israel.”  But who is “Israel,” and who is included under this designation?  Politically, “Israel” can mean the “State of Israel.” But "Israel" can also mean "ethnic Jews," the descendants of Abraham’s grandson, Jacob, whom God named “Israel.”  Finally, the New Testament Scriptures use the name, “Israel of God,” a special designation that only includes those who are members of the community of faith in Jesus Christ.  Obviously, if we are called to “pray for Israel,” some clarification is needed.

Who and What is “Israel?”
Since 1948, when Israel became a nation with boundaries, “Israel” refers to the “State of Israel,” a political entity located in the general area of the original “Promised Land” that God promised to Abraham’s descendants (Genesis 12: 1).  Naturally, this act of creating a nation for ethnic Jews sparked a decades-long conflict with the Arab and Palestinian population of the area.

But “Israel” is more than the name of the Jewish nation.  “Israel” is a Hebrew name, meaning “he wrestles with God", or "God strives and prevails."  God gave this name to the patriarch Jacob after he wrestled with a man believed to be the preincarnate Christ (see Genesis 32:22-32).  This name change from Jacob (meaning “heel grabber” or “supplanter”) to “Israel” accompanied God's affirmation of the Abrahamic Covenant with Jacob, now “Israel” (Genesis 28: 1-4).  God had already affirmed this covenant with Israel’s father, Isaac (Genesis 22: 16-18).  It was through Israel’s twelve (12) sons that God created the Jewish nation, first during their bondage in Egypt (Exodus 1-13) and eventually, through their miraculous exodus to the “Promised Land.”

The twelve tribes of Israel have been called “God’s chosen people.”  However, many theologians consider the “Israel of God” to be more strictly defined as “spiritual Israel;” namely, all members of the community of faith in Christ, both Jew and Gentile.  The “Israel of God” has been a central focus in God’s redemptive plan that has progressed forward into our day.

In summary, the name “Israel" is used in three different groupings of people; namely,
(a) citizens of the State of Israel
(b) people of Jewish ethnicity worldwide
(c) Jewish members of the community of faith in Christ;
Therefore, the content and focus of prayers for “Israel” should be informed by an understanding of what we understand "Israel" to be.  This understanding requires a study of the Scriptures from a systematic theological approach. 

Because we are not experts in biblical theology, those who choose to read on will discover that we don’t have all the answers. Our approach will be to raise what we believe are revealing questions and then, provide relevant Scripture passages to address each question.  Then, after a brief commentary, we will invite readers to reason toward a correct answer.  But first, we share a bit of background on the biblical command to "pray for Jerusalem."

God’s Covenant with “Israel”
Psalm 122 is often used to provide a Scriptural basis for praying for Israel.  Historically, during their ascent to worship in Jerusalem, the Jews would sing Psalm 122 which includes King David’s prayer and a command to pray for Jerusalem for peace and prosperity.  The scope of this lovely prayer likely extended to the whole nation of Israel (v. 6-7):

    Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
    May they prosper who love you.
    May peace be within your walls,
    And prosperity within your palaces.

King David’s prayer for the peace and prosperity of Jerusalem is consistent with the scope of God’s covenant with Abraham, established over 1,000 years earlier.  The Abrahamic Covenant as outlined in Genesis 12: 1-3 included the “Promised Land” on which God would establish a great nation. God had commanded Abraham:

Notice that the Abrahamic Covenant contains God’s promise of blessing to those who bless Israel and curse upon those who curse her.  Reverence toward God and toward His covenant with Abraham and his descendants has placed “God’s people,” the Jews, in the global spotlight for many centuries. 

The covenant and additional blessings from God for His “chosen people” has also led to a sense of pride within the ethnic Jewish community that, justified or not, has created animosity among non-Jewish people toward the Jews.  Anti-Semitism has a long history written with the shed blood of millions of ethnic Jews.  No other ethnic group rivals the Jews in terms of the length of the historical span of persecutions and deaths, and the number of people whose lives were disrupted or terminated.  The magnitude of the animosity and persecutions of the Jews throughout history is difficult to explain apart from the notion of a devilish spiritual warfare against “the Israel of God.”

Today, Israel and ethnic Jews exert a powerful influence upon American culture, global politics, and foreign policy of the United States in relation to western allies and the Middle East.  Here in the United States, we hear of increasing expressions of anti-Semitism both verbally and by acts of violence.  For these reasons, it seems obvious that Christian’s ought to pray for those in authority as well as for all people regardless of ethnicity who are caught in the turmoil of these conflicts.  As we seek to know how and for whom we should pray in regards to “Israel,” we must look more closely at the significance of God’s covenant with Abraham and his offspring, and what God means by making Abraham “a great nation…[through which] all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

Why Pray for “Israel?”
Following his miraculous conversion from Judaism to Christianity, a Jewish Pharisee named Saul who became the Apostle Paul, wrote extensively on the subject of the “Israel of God.”  We will begin with the book of Romans, the first of Paul’s writings which compose about half of the 27 books of the New Testament of the Bible.  Romans was addressed to the Christian church in Rome following the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  As promised, we will proceed with our first revealing question that points to scriptural clues about God’s definition and plan for “Israel.”

What should be our attitude toward “Israel” and “Jews?” 

1) Does the Gospel apply to Israel?  - Romans 1: 16-17

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek (or Gentile).  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.” - Romans 1: 17
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 6: 23
Consider:  Paul understood God’s intended scope of His Gospel and its power to bring salvation to both Jew and Gentile.  The free gift of Life in God's righteousness through faith in Christ's atoning death spares the believer from eternal damnation and frees the believer from trying to please God by law-keeping. Paul's own rebirth made him passionate and bold to proclaim the Gospel to all people.

2) Do both Jews and Gentiles face judgment without Christ?
                                                                     - Romans 2: 4, 9-11
Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?  There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.  For there is no partiality with God.
Consider:   Both Jews and Gentiles are subjects of God's kindness which ought to lead to repentance (turning from our sin) and pursuit of God's righteousness. Otherwise, neither Jew nor Gentile can be saved from eternal damnation.  This truth is reason for us to pray for all people (1 Timothy 2: 1).

3)  What lesson is there in the Apostle Paul's attitude toward
      his Jewish brethren? - Romans 9: 1-5
I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.  
Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.  For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. - Romans 10: 1-2

Consider:  Paul expresses deep sorrow for his brethren because they did not comprehend "God’s righteousness."  Instead, by ...seeking to establish their own [righteousness], they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.  The Jews did not realize that ...Christ is the end of the law for [all human-based] righteousness to everyone who believes.  It is clear that the Apostle Paul's love for Christ and his love for both Jew and Gentile had compelled him (2 Corinthians 5: 14) to pray and witness Christ to all regardless of religious affiliation (See Romans 10: 1-4).

 

APPLICATION:  Are we "ashamed of the Gospel?" Do we underestimate its power to save both Jew and Gentile? Is God's love for Jews any less than for Gentiles?  If we have been saved from damnation and are being transformed by the Gospel, what ought to be our attitude toward unsaved Jews and Gentiles? Finally, do we believe the Scriptures support praying for Israel?

HOW Should We Pray for "Israel?"

The Scriptures we have cited above and the Apostle Paul's testimony of love for his Jewish brethren ought to convince us of our duty to pray for Israel.  But now, we face a new question: "HOW should we pray for Israel?"  The obvious answer is that we ought to pray for the salvation of our Jewish friends just as we would also pray for our Gentile friends. 

But, like our Gentile friends, our Jewish friends are a diverse group whose love for God ranges widely from the Messianic Jews who acknowledge Jesus Christ as God's Messiah, to the orthodox Jews who hold a very strict view of and obedience to the Torah, and finally to Jews who live a carnal or godless lifestyle in rejection of the Jewish faith.  The latter can generally be considered Jews only by their claim to Jewish ethnicity.  Within the ethnic Jews, there is also a diversity with respect to their commitment to the Zionist movement which encourages Jewish immigration to the region of the "Promised Land" and the establishment of the Jewish state.

The subject of Zionism immediately raises the question, "HOW should we pray for Israel?"  Our focus shifts from individual justification and salvation before God to the question of God's redemptive plan for the Jews--and Gentiles.  Here, we must address how God's dealing with both Jew and Gentile relates to His sovereign plan for redeeming fallen mankind, both Jew and Gentile, that began "before the foundation of the world" (Ephesians 1: 4)? 

Given the religious and political diversity that exists among ethnic Jews, combined with our need to understand God's redemptive plan, it is clear that we must return to God's Word if we are to pray according to God's will and purposes for Israel.  In Part 2 of "Why Pray for Israel" (Click HERE.), we will continue our approach of asking questions pertaining to God's plan for Israel and citing Scripture that will help us find answers.

The questions we are now ready to ask include the following:
1)  Should Christians pray (if at all) for the state of Israel in its struggle against threats to eliminate its existence?
2)  When the Bible speaks of the future restoration of Israel, does this mean the state of Israel as a political entity; or, does God's plan for restoration refer to "the Israel of God" (Galatians 6: 16), all those, both Jew and Gentile who are spiritual "seed of Abraham" (Romans 9: 6-7)?
3)  Should our prayers be different for the state of Israel than for "spiritual Israel" --i.e. "the Israel of God?"

Comment:  Now it's your turn to respond.  Hopefully, we have stirred some questions in your mind and we'd love to hear from you.  Just click the "comment" link below and share your questions and insights on what we have offered in Part 1.  You can respond privately by writing to silviusj@gmail.com 

Viruses Everywhere: Biblical & Biological Insights

Part of human nature is to fear things that are large, powerful, potentially deadly, and unpredictable.  Hurricanes, tornadoes, global tyrants, and wars come to mind.  But our most recent threat comes from none of the above---except that it is unpredictable and potentially deadly.  The Coronavirus (COVID-19) is smaller than microscopic--it is sub-microscopic!  We call it the “invisible enemy.” 

It is easy to be anxious and even fearful now even though history records that America has withstood great threats before.  World conquerors, including Napoleon, Hitler, Stalin, Khrushchev have loomed large on the world horizon.  Our nation has also endured a Civil War, the Great Depression, nuclear annihilation, the turmoil of the Vietnam War, and the 9-11 attacks.  Given the recent revitalization of the economy, some of us wondered if there was anything large and powerful enough to bring our nation to its knees?  Now we know the answer is “Yes:” -- a tiny virus—our “invisible enemy.”

Americans who have known the fear of “large enemies” are now especially unnerved by a tiny “army from the unseen world.”  Our lives are threatened by infection and death, and by radical changes we must now make in our lifestyle.  Our fast-paced lives are slowed to a snail’s pace and many have become increasingly isolated.  Any one or all of these happenings are bringing us face-to-face with the reality of an “unseen world,” and we are now looking beyond our “invisible enemy” and toward the spiritual world to seek much-needed comfort, meaning, and purpose.

Does God Have a Purpose for Viruses?
My previous article, Coronavirus Resistance: Biological and Spiritual, addressed how we can respond to the virus pandemic in terms of “resistances” to two kinds—biological and spiritual.  However, I did not address one important consideration that underlies these two “resistances.” When tragedy strikes on a grand scale, God is often placed on trial.  Sudden events like hurricanes, earthquakes, and pandemics can make us question the nature and character of God in two ways. 

First, if He is a God of purpose, what possible good is served by widespread suffering and death?   Specifically, if we are to believe the account in Genesis 1: 31 that “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good,” then what good is there in viruses that inflict suffering and death upon humans and many forms of life?  And second, does God even see the sufferings and deaths of people supposedly created in His very image?  And even if God does see, does He really care?

The answer to the first question, “What good is there in viruses?” is coming through recent discoveries in the science of biology.  Biologists who base their logic on biblical revelation, may reason as follows: 
1) God created the world for His purposes and pronounced it good.
2) God created viruses for a good purpose within His creation.
3) The fall of humans into sin corrupted creation (Genesis 3).
4) The nature and purpose of viruses was altered from what was originally “good.”  
This line of thinking, that there is design and purpose in creation, may lead the scientist in his or her approach to research.  The research of my friend and former colleague, Dr. Joe Francis, illustrates this point.

Answers from Biology?
As a biology professor at The Master’s University, in Santa Clarita, California, Dr. Francis approaches his research in microscopy, cellular immunology, invertebrate biology, and microbiology from an intelligent design (ID) perspective.  Regarding even pathogenic microbes like viruses, he deduces that if the biological realm is the product of ID, and if the Designer is the benevolent Jehovah God (a claim not held by all ID proponents), then there ought to be at least some beneficial purpose for at least some viruses.  Dr. Francis applies his biblical worldview to scientific logic as follows:


We serve an amazing Creator who has established a life-supporting microbial-based biomatrix that supports life on earth.  So, it should not be surprising that our Creator uses the smallest but most abundant creature on earth, the lowly bacteriophage virus, to support life.

His ID-based hypothesis has prompted Dr. Francis to ask if and how viruses contribute good in creation.  A summary of his findings is contained in his recent article, “COVID-19, Coronavirus, and Creation Virology.”  Of particular interest are a group of viruses, called bacteriophages, that reproduce on or within bacteria and cyanobacteria (photosynthetic microbes, formerly called “blue-green algae”).  To understand how important bacteriophages are to cyanobacteria, and to life on Earth, we need to review what you may have learned in your school days about geochemical cycling of carbon, particularly the carbon cycle.

The carbon cycle may be portrayed as a picture or model tracing the flow of carbon from reservoirs or “sinks” (in atmosphere, on land and in the oceans) into organic molecules that are the “building blocks” of living organisms.   This conversion of carbon to organic molecules is accomplished by photosynthesis in green plants and other autotrophs.  Through release of wastes and through death of living organisms, carbon eventually “cycles” back to the sinks again. 

Scientific modeling of carbon dioxide (CO₂) fixation into organic compounds reveals that oceanic phytoplankton, including various groups of algae and seaweeds, and cyanobacteria, convert as much CO₂ into organic form by photosynthesis as the total carbon fixed by all terrestrial green plants combined.  The CO₂ fixation by oceanic phytoplankton is a major reason why oceans are able to absorb a significant part of human-generated (anthropogenic) CO₂ and thus, to lessen the increase in atmospheric CO₂ that contributes to climate warming. Researchers estimate that cyanobacteria alone may account for 25% of the total uptake of CO₂ by oceanic phytoplankton.  Thus, cyanobacteria are very important players in helping to counterbalance against rising CO₂ levels associated with climate warming. 

Having established the significant role of cyanobacteria in global geochemical cycling of carbon, it becomes significant that some bacteriophage viruses perform a very important service for cyanobacteria.  Amazingly, bacteriophages can insert genes (segments of the DNA code) into the cyanobacterial genome.  The benefit is life-saving for cyanobacteria that have been “sunburned” by excessive rays of the sun.  Instead of a destructive effect on living cells, here we have viruses being “lifesavers.”  

But there is another role that viruses play, this one directly affecting the path of carbon in the oceanic part of the carbon cycle.  According to Suttle, on average, a liter of ocean water contains 3 billion viruses.  Oceanic bacteriophage viruses facilitate the release of organic carbon from phytoplankton, including cyanobacteria.  When bacteriophages infect the cells of phytoplankton, considered a form of particulate organic matter (POC), these viruses cause cells to split open (lysis) and release C-containing molecules as dissolved organic carbon (DOC).  Ocean studies reveal that viral lysing of cells (POC) to release DOC keeps more carbon in the shallow ocean layer where it is more likely to be oxidized and returned to the atmosphere than if it were to remain part of POC that can sink to greater depths.  This “viral shunting” of carbon away from POC which might otherwise have been eaten by zooplankton herbivores is being much researched by scientists.  Their aim is to predict the influence of phytoplankton photosynthesis and viral shunting on atmospheric CO₂ levels and climate change.

We can see that, based on the hypothesis that God’s creation is good but groaning under sin’s domination, creationist scientists are not surprised that viruses have beneficial functions, even in a groaning creation. Dr. Francis predicts that further studies of viruses may reveal more about their originally intended functions in creation.

Does God Know Me?  Does He Care?
The fact that viruses contribute at least some “good” in this world may not be very heartening to readers who are infected or wonder if they will be infected with COVID-19.  God may still be “on trial” in your thinking.  You may allow that God created “good viruses,” but where is God when the whole world and my life is in such turmoil?  At times like this, we easily tend to view the whole of humanity as tiny specs in the midst of an expansive universe.  Even some who would give intellectual assent to the existence of God might say with one writer, Put yourself in the planetary space, a mere dot, and do you think that the Almighty Maker can have discernment of THEE?  I’m afraid this expression of doubt, aloneness, and hopelessness is increasingly common in our culture today?

F.B. Meyer contrasts the skeptic with the glorious praise of David who as a shepherd had often marveled at the starry heavens: “How absolutely different is the outlook of the Psalmist! He stands under the Eastern heavens, blazing at midnight with myriads of resplendent constellations, and cries:  O Jehovah, my Lord, how excellent is Thy Name in all the earth, who has set Thy glory above the heavens! They are Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers; as for moon and stars, Thou has ordained them.  How great Thou art!  Then he turns to think of man, and says: ‘There must be something more in man than a superficial gaze is competent to discover.  He must surely possess an unrealized dignity and worth, since the great God, the Maker of these worlds, stoops to call him friend.”  That David and God loved each other as passionate friends is evident by reading the Psalms (Psalm 8 and 139 are good examples.).

But the faint-hearted might say, “Friendship with God may be for a David, or a Moses, or an Elijah, but God is not mindful of me, nor would He visit me.”  Please hear F.B. Meyer’s response to that notion, based on Psalm 8: 4 and other Scripture:
What about “Zacchaeus, that the Son of Man should visit his house—is he not a publican?  Yes, but of late he has been restoring his ill-gotten gains… (Luke 19).  What of Simon Peter, that Christ should visit him (a betrayer)?  Ah, but he will one day become the rock-man, the foremost leader of the Church (Matthew 16: 18)!  So [also] does Christ our Lord see what we may become, and he stands at the door of our life, seeking admission.  Let us heed His knock and bid Him come in.”

How About You?
In the midst of this time of uncertainty because of the COVID-19 virus, are you more inclined to look into the world of the unseen, not to find viruses, but to pursue God’s rightful place in the center of your life.  Maybe these days offer a perfect incentive to evaluate your source of meaning and purpose.  If you’ve been ignoring, avoiding, doubting, or critically trying God in your “court of law,” why are you really doing this?  I pray that this article has given you spiritual insight into the greatness and wisdom of God, the grandeur of His creation, and the goodness of His character as reflected in both the biology of viruses and the richness of Scripture which speaks of the God who gave His very best through Christ in order to reconcile us from sin and, if we will respond in faith.  He did this to make us into His friends.  Before you can be a friend of God you need to take Steps to Peace with God.  I pray that you will take these steps.  You may contact me at silviusj@cedarville.edu or enter your questions or responses using "Post a Comment" below.

Acknowledgement:
Thanks to my brother in Christ and former colleague, Joe Francis, for his research on bacteriophages and cyanobacteria; and, thanks to my brother, Mike Naylor, for referring me to Joe's recent work.