God Said "I Will"
Part Two: Why Israel Still Matters—and Why It Is Opposed
This is Part Two of a two-part series. To read Part One, and all previous articles, click on this link to my Archive: https://www.fromstuart.com/archive
What We Learn from God’s Dealings with Israel
If I failed to reflect on God’s dealings with the Jewish people, I would miss vital insight into both human nature and divine nature.
Here is what becomes clear:
Under the best conditions, human nature is sinful.
Under all conditions, divine nature is merciful.
Israel’s unfaithfulness has never surpassed God’s faithfulness. In this, we see a grace that is truly greater than all our sin.
Why I Support Israel’s Right to the Land
I support Israel’s right to the land because the land belongs to God—and He chose to give it to the Jewish people. I do not wish to defy God.
But why such animosity toward Israel? Why repeated attempts to “drive the Jews into the sea”? This makes no sense geopolitically. The explanation is not political—it is spiritual.
The presence of Jewish people in the land accomplishes two things that Satan hates.
1) It Proves the Bible to Be True
Scripture repeatedly affirms God’s intent to give the land to the Jewish people:
Psalm 105:8–11
“He has remembered His covenant forever… saying, ‘To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion of your inheritance.’”
In A.D. 70, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and forced the Jews out of the land. What followed were centuries of massacres, ghettos, purges, deportations, forced baptisms, concentration camps, and gas chambers.
How, then, could the Jewish people still exist—let alone return to their homeland in May of 1948?
The modern State of Israel is nothing less than evidence that God keeps His word.
Dr. William F. Albright, longtime professor of Semitic languages at Johns Hopkins University and one of the foremost biblical archaeologists of modern times, stated:
“No other phenomenon in history is quite so extraordinary as the unique event represented by the restoration of Israel…”
When God made His covenant with Abraham, Satan took notice. One can imagine him thinking: If I destroy the Jews, I will prove God cannot be trusted.
But the Jewish people remain.
And if God keeps His promises to Israel, then He can be trusted to keep His promises to you.
Frederick II of Prussia once asked a respected Christian general, “Give me proof for the truth of the Bible.”
The general replied with two words: “The Jews.”
You cannot speak today with a Babylonian, a Hittite, or a Moabite. But you can speak with a Jewish person. We are still here—against all odds.
2) It Challenges the Claims of the Koran
Islam refers to Jews and Christians as “people of the Book,” claiming that both have failed and that God has transferred His promises to Islam.
But Israel today tells a different story. The once barren land is thriving. Jewish people are returning and are prospering in their Land.
This reality directly contradicts Islamic theology. Thus, the continued presence of Jews in the land becomes intolerable to those claims.
God Is Not Finished with Israel
When Solomon dedicated the Temple, God said:
2 Chronicles 7:14
“If My people… humble themselves and pray… then I will hear… forgive… and heal their land.”
God’s heart remains open to Israel.
Some claim God has rejected and replaced the Jewish people. The apostle Paul directly addresses this in Romans 11:1:
“God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be!”
And then, in Romans 11:11, Paul says:
“I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous.”
Israel has stumbled—but not fallen beyond recovery. Their stumbling opened the door for Gentile salvation, with the ultimate goal of stirring Israel to jealousy so that they too might be saved.
A Personal Word
I’m grateful to God for the Gentile believer, Mark Santostefano, who, in 1973, while stationed together in the military, aroused me to jealousy.
He lived the Christ-life before me. He became my friend. He prayed for my salvation. He risked our friendship by telling me about my sin and my need for the Savior.
There are many other Jewish people like me out there. Please don’t leave us out. If the Gospel is for anyone, it most assuredly is for Jewish people.
Hear again the words of Paul in Romans 1:16:
“I am not ashamed of the Gospel. It is the power of God for salvation, to all who believe; to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile.”
A Final Exhortation
Today, many opinions about Israel are shaped more by social media than by Scripture. This must not be so for those connected to Yeshua, Israel’s Messiah.
May we think about Israel in ways consistent with the mind of Israel’s God, as expressed through the prophet Jeremiah:
Jeremiah 31:1–10
“At that time,” declares the LORD, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people.”
“I have loved you with an everlasting love…”
“Again I will build you and you will be rebuilt…”
“Behold, I am bringing them from the north country…”
“He who scattered Israel will gather him and keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.”
God has not given up on Israel—and neither should we.
— Stuart
We are so grateful for sitting under some of the most correct Biblical teaches Sagemont Church, which included you, dear Jewish brother, completed in Christ.
Gougers.
“Just as our disobedience does not nullify our salvation, Israel’s disobedience under the Mosaic Covenant does not nullify God’s unconditional promise under the Abrahamic Covenant.”
Thank you, Pastor Stuart, for comparing and contrasting these covenants. This helps me organize my thinking and directs me back to the Lord’s original plan for His chosen people, the land He gave them, and their role in bringing forth the Messiah.