When people get to know me, they discover that I love Israel - not only the land of Israel, but also the people of Israel. Why do I love Israel so much?
Because Israel is the land of the Bible and the people of the Bible.
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| The Sea of Galilee, Israel |
You simply cannot separate Israel from the Bible. Throughout both the Old and New Testament, Israel is central to the Bible.
If you grew up in a Christian home and heard lots of Bible stories like I did, most of those stories took place in the land of Israel and with the people of Israel.
I've been privileged to visit the land of Israel three different times. On my last trip to Israel in 2018, the group I was with had a tour guide who talked to our group through a microphone while we were riding in a van. Hearing him talk and point things out while riding through the land was a real treat! Something our tour guide said stuck with me:
"About 85 percent of the Bible took place in the land of Israel."
Wow! I didn't realize that much of the Bible took place in Israel.
I think every Christian should visit Israel at least once in their lifetime if they can. Our Savior died and rose again in Jerusalem. Christianity began in Jerusalem on the Biblical holiday of Pentecost. Whether Christians realize it or not, Christianity is very much tied to Israel. You cannot separate the two, although many Christians try very hard to do so.
The entire Old Testament of our Bible was originally written in Hebrew. Most of the writers of the New Testament of the Bible were Hebrew. The Bible is a Hebrew book with a Hebrew culture.
Culture is a unique thing. There are so many different cultures and people groups around the world, and the Lord God made them all. I think it's fun to see what different cultures are like.
Nearly 10 years ago, I was in Ghana, West Africa for three months. Their culture is very different from mine. I enjoyed the opportunity to see and learn more about their culture. Before going, I was informed that, in Ghana, you do not eat or give money with your left hand. To them, the left hand is considered the "dirty" hand. (I won't go into detail what that means) Being left handed, I was glad to know that before I went. If I hadn't known that, I could have easily offended someone there, and I certainly didn't want to do that. Thankfully, I was able to eat just fine, eating “finger food” style, with my right hand. But when paying for things in Ghana, it really took some concentration for me to use my right hand. My left hand is more natural for me to use.
Once again, culture is a fun thing, but each culture is unique and often different from our own.
I find it fascinating that some Christians do not want anything to do with Hebrew or Jewish culture when the very culture of the Bible is Hebrew. I think that likely stems from some Christian pastors teaching that, although Israel was God's people in the Old Testament, God is done with them now. God has cast them away. That is not true. The apostle Paul makes that very clear in the New Testament, in Romans, when he wrote:
"I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin." Romans 11:1
The Word of God, in the New Testament, also says that the very gates of heaven are inscribed with the names of the 12 Tribes of Israel. In describing heaven, the apostle John writes:
"And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel." Revelation 21:12
The apostle John was Jewish along with most (or all) of the 12 disciples. Our Lord Jesus Christ was also Jewish and had a Jewish Name, Yeshua. This is something many Christians forget, I think.
Why do I love Israel?
I love Israel, not only because it is the land of the Bible, the people of the Bible, and the culture of the Bible, but I also love Israel because God loves Israel.
In speaking to Israel, consider what God says in these beautiful and familiar verses:
"The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.
Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel..." Jeremiah 31:3-4
God's love for Israel, and His covenant with them, is everlasting.
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