The God of Israel | How Important to God is Israel?

Here are some Bible verses to help you to understand how important Israel is to God (and, thus, how important it should be to us):

God’s unconditional and everlasting promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Gen. 12:1-3, 7; 13:14-17; 15:1-21; 17:1-8; 22:15-18; 26:3-5; 28:13-15, plus dozens more)
God says, “Israel is My son, My firstborn,” (Ex. 4:22; see also Isa. 49:15-16)
Israel is the apple of God’s eye (Deut. 32:9-10; Zech. 2:8)
God is “zealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with great zeal” (Zech. 2:14; 8:1-3)
God says to Israel, “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love,” (Jer. 31:3) even as they are rebelling against Him, and promises that His covenant with them is as certain as His covenant with the sun, moon, and stars (Jer. 31:35-37; 33:25; Isa. 54:-7-10; 41:8-10; 66:22; Hos. 3:1)
Even though many of them are enemies of the Gospel, the Jewish people are still beloved of God; their gifts, calling, and covenant with God are irrevocable (Rom. 9-11, esp. 9:3-5; 11:1, 11-15, 28-29; Rom. 3:1-4; Acts 3:25; Heb. 6:13-20)

Here are some passages that talk about our (Christian) duty to love Israel:

Christians are called to provoke the Jewish people to jealousy (by showing them the love of Yeshua (Jesus) (Rom. 11:11-15; see also Rom. 10:19; 11:31; Deut. 32:21)
Christians have been grafted into a Jewish olive tree (Rom. 11:17-20; see Eph. 2:11-16; Rom. 15:27)
Do not be ignorant of your calling toward and God’s purposes for Israel (Rom. 11:25-26)
God has not rejected His people, Israel, even after most of them rejected Yeshua (Jesus) (Rom. 3:1-4; 9:1-5; 11:1, 28-29)
The need to repent and reconcile: Matt. 5:23-24; Isa. 57:14
To provoke the Jewish people to jealousy (rom. 11:11-15; see also Rom. 10:19; 11:31; Deut. 32:21);
To identify with the Jewish roots of our faith and with the Jewish people (Rom. 11, esp. vv. 16-24; Eph. 2:11-12);
To make the Jewish people a priority as we share the Gospel (Rom. 1:16, 9:1-5, 11:11-15); see Paul’s example in Acts, always going to the synagogues first (Acts 13:5, 14; 14:1; 17:2, 10, 17; 18:4, 19; 19:8);
To earnestly pray for the Jewish people’s salvation and for the peace of Jerusalem (Ps. 122:6; isa. 62:1-7; Rom. 9:1-5; 10:1);
To love the Jewish people unconditionally, just as G-d loves them (Jer. 31:3, 20; Zech. 1:14-21; isa. 49:15-16; 54:7-10; Hos. 3:1; Mal. 1:1-5; Matt. 22:39-40; 1 John 4:7-8, 11);
To repent for a past of hatred and anti-Semitism and seek reconciliation with the Jewish people (Matt. 5:23-24; Isa. 57:14);
To bless the Jewish people (Gen. 12:3; 27:29; Num. 24:9; Rom. 15:27);
To comfort the Jewish people (Isa. 40:1-2);
To praise G-d for bringing the Jewish people home to Israel, and to proclaim what He has done to others (Jer. 31:7-11; Ezek. 36:22-23; 28:25-26; 37:24-28; 39:21-29, etc. (see below))
To participate in the Jewish people’s restoration to their land (isa. 14:1-2; 43:5-6; 49:22; 60:5, 10-11)
To support the Jewish people (especially Messianic Jews) financially (rom. 15:26-27, Gal. 6:10).

Here are some passages about the Israeli peoples return to the Land of Israel and their salvation:

“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to G-d for Israel is that they may be saved” (Rom. 10:1).
Paul wished that he could be accursed so that the Jewish people could be saved (Rom. 9:1-5)!
G-d repeatedly promises that He will bring revival to Israel:

“In the L-rd, all the descendents of Israel shall be justified and shall glory” (Isa. 45:25)
“But Israel shall be saved by the L-rd with an everlasting salvation….” (Isa. 45:17a)

He promised to gather the Jewish people back to Israel (Aliyah) and then pour out His spirit upon them:

Ezekiel 11:17-20; 20:23-44; 34:13-31; 36:16-28; 37:1-28; 38-39 (esp. v. 38:23; 39:7, 22, 25-29);
Isaiah 4:3-5; 11:11-12:6; 27:6, 9; 35, (esp. v. 5); 43:5-8, 21, 25;
Jeremiah 3:14-15; 23:3-6; 24:6-7; 32:37-41; 33:6-9; 50:19-20;
Zechariah 8:7-8; 12:10-13:9; Joel 3 (esp. vv. 1-2, 14-17, 20-21); Hosea 3:4-5; 8:10; 14:4-8

Other passages on revival in Israel: Isa. 10:20; 27:12-13; 29:22-24; 30:19-26; 31:4-6; 32:14-18; 44:1-5, 21-23; 52:6-9; 59:20-21; 61:4-9; 62:1-5; Jer. 30:3-9; 31:3-14; Hos. 1:10-11; 2:14-23; Zech. 10:8-12; Micah 7:12-20; Zeph. 3:10-13; rom. 11:25-26; rev. 7:3-8

Political Peace and Jewish-Arab Reconciliation

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; those who love you will prosper” (Ps. 122:6)
Israel, Egypt, and Assyria will all know God and be reconciled (Isa. 19:19-24)
God has promised political peace and prosperity for Israel and Jerusalem, as well as revival (Ezek. 28:25-26; 34:13-16; 36:8-15, 29-30, 33-38; Jer. 3:14-16; 23:3-4; 24:6-7; 30:19; 31:4-5, 12-14, 27-28; 32:37-44; 33:6-9, amos 9:13-15; Isa. 44:26; 60:4-5, 10; 61:4; Hos. 2:14-23; Zech. 1:17; 8:11-13; Zeph. 3:19-20; Ps. 147:12-14)

Regarding (Israelite or Gentile) Believers

Pray for unity amongst the believers in the land (John 17:20-23)
Pray for those being persecuted (Matt. 5:10-12)
Through Yeshua, Jew and Gentile are united as one new man (Eph. 2:11-16)

World Restoration as a Result of Israeli Faith in Yeshua

Israel’s acceptance of the Gospel will bring greater riches to the Gentiles and will be as “life from the dead” (Rom. 11:11-15)
Yeshua will not return until Jews in Jerusalem welcome Him (Matt. 23:37-39)
G-d promises that the nations of the world shall know that He is G-d when the Jewish people return to Israel and follow their G-d (Ezek. 36:16-38, esp. vv. 23, 36, 38; 28:25-26; 20:41-42; 37:24-28; 39:21-29; Zech. 8:20-23)
All nations shall stream to Jerusalem to worship – there shall be peace forever (Isa. 2:2-5; Mic. 4:2-5; Zech. 14:16-21)

Significance of Israel to Islam

Other than the fact that the unholy book of Islam (i.e., the Quran) says to kill us (Christians and Jews), there is a concept in Islam known as the Waqf. In a nutshell, Waqf “stuff” is owned by Allah and can never be individually owned, again. This supposed to include all of the lands that Muslims have ever held sovereignty over, like Israel.

So, in a nutshell, as He did with the gods of Egypt when He called His firstborn son (Israel) out of the land of Egypt, the God of Israel is showing His supremacy over Allah via His prophesied rebirth of the Nation of Israel (Ezekiel 37). This is a real problem for Islam, since Allah is not supposed to allow Waqf “materials” (including lands) to go out of his (i.e., Muslim) control. Thus, the existence of Israel proves the sovereignty of Yehovah, the God of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov.

Some Quotes from that Most Unholy Book (The Quran)

“O ye who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians for friends. They are friends one to another. He among you who taketh them for friends is (one) of them. Lo! Allah guideth not wrongdoing folk,” Sura 5:51, Mishari-Rashid.

“Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, and take them (captive), and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush. But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then leave their way free. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful,” Sura 9:5, Mishari-Rashid.

References

God bless, and shalom,

Darwin and Ani Airola