Ever since the modern-day State of Israel’s founding in 1948, the world’s attention has frequently been fixed on what happens there. Wars, terror attacks, and boundary concerns have been part of Israel’s history for many decades. On October 7, attention dramatically turned toward Israel once again as the people suffered a terrorist invasion which resulted in the brutal deaths of about 1,200 people, along with hundreds of hostages being taken. The barbaric actions of Hamas toward men, women and children alike would be hard to believe if they weren’t real. Add to that the tendency of Hamas to use its own civilians as human shields in various ways, and it becomes even more unbelievable.

What is it about that small piece of land a little larger than New Jersey that stirs up so much passion and controversy? What is a person supposed to think about the issue? The answer lies not in politics or personal preferences, but in what God has to say about it through the scriptures, starting in the book of Genesis.

God made a promise to a man named Abraham that He would make a great nation out of him. God would bless those who blessed Abraham and that nation and curse those who cursed Abraham and that nation. Not only would the earth be blessed because of Abraham and that nation, all nations would be blessed because of the Messiah named Jesus Christ who, humanly-speaking, came through that line of people.

As the years went on without having their promised child, Abraham and his wife Sarah tried another plan which included Abraham having a child with Sarah’s maid, Hagar. The child’s name was Ishmael, and God made him the forefather of a great number of people starting with his 12 sons who were called 12 princes in chapters 17 and 25 of Genesis.

In Abraham and Sarah’s old age, God miraculously allowed them to have their own son, named Isaac. He inherited God’s promises to Abraham; and his son, Jacob (later called Israel), would inherit the promises after him. Not only did God’s promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob involve being made into a great nation, but it also included possession of a specific piece of land where the current state of Israel is today. God’s boundaries of the promised land were actually larger than Israel’s current borders, but we’re still living in the middle of a saga that spans thousands of years.

The children of Israel were told in the days of Moses that their relationship with the land would be dependent on their obedience or disobedience to God, but God also made it clear that His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob regarding the land and nation was unconditional. Even though the Jews spent a long time scattered from their homeland or living under dominant empires such as Babylon and Rome, Bible prophecy indicated that God would providentially regather them as a nation in their land once again.

What should be the Christian viewpoint of matters pertaining to Israel and the Jewish people? More specifically, what do I, as a Bible-believing Baptist teach to my church?

First, we recognize and understand the significant difference between Christians and most Jews regarding the way of salvation and the timing and identity of the Messiah. The scriptures teach that Jesus Christ is the Messiah who has already come the first time to provide the way of salvation and will come the second time to reign as king.

Second, we love and respect the Jewish people as we cherish a connected heritage and value the promises God made to their forefathers. The words of God were given to Jews to write and preserve, our Savior was a Jew, and our spiritual father in the family of faith, Abraham, is the human father of the nation of Israel.

Third, we firmly support the Jewish people in their desire to safely dwell and prosper in the land that God set apart for them and to defend themselves against those who would do them harm.

Fourth, we know that based on what the Bible says, the rest of the story is still in progress. As has been through all of Israel’s history, there will be ups, downs, tears, smiles, terror, and triumph with the most intense times yet to come.

Through it all, the future of the nation is sure due to the providence and sovereignty of God. Supporting the people of Israel and Jews around the world doesn’t mean I believe that they or their leadership can do no wrong, but it does mean that I will let the scriptures guide my thinking; the words of King David found in Psalm 122:6 say, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.”

Greenfield Baptist Church is a caring church with a life-changing message. Founded in 2015, this independent Baptist church meets at 138 Main Street in Greenfield. Worship services are held on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., Sunday School is at 9:30 a.m., and Midweek Prayer Meeting is held on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. For more information about the church, please call 413-376-4516 or visit www.greenfieldbaptistchurch.net. Sermon videos can be viewed by searching for “Greenfield Baptist Church MA” on YouTube.