“The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people, and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:1-3).

It is the beginning of God’s holy covenant with the Jewish people.

Now, some might view this column as an oversimplification of the complicated problems facing Israel and its relationship with the Palestinians and its Middle Eastern neighbors.

But God’s decrees need not be complicated.

There is a simple reason the United States should be Israel’s Best Friend Forever, or BFF in today’s social media shorthand.

Those who bless Israel will be blessed. Those who curse Israel will be cursed.

How’s that for simple?

It’s not just a promise from God, but a warning, and it’s found in Genesis 12:3. It’s a scripture America, and American Christians in particular, should take to heart.

About Israel, Genesis 12:3 goes on to say, “And all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Note also the blessing in Psalm 122:6: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you be secure.”

Should America Feel Secure?

It stands to reason that if we remain a staunch ally of Israel, the U.S. will be blessed, as it has been through the years. This day and age, I’m not so sure where America stands with Israel considering how we arm Arab countries bent on Israel’s annihilation.

Why Does God Take Such Great Stock in Israel and the Jewish Race?

Because the Jews are God’s Chosen People.

Deut. 14:2 says, “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his treasured possession.”

But why should you as a Christian care?

Because as Christians we are bonded to the Jewish people through God’s eternal love, mercy, and, yes, His Son Jesus, who ransomed us.

They are our brothers and sisters in every sense of the word.

Why think it strange that Jesus Christ is, was and forever will be Jewish?

While Joseph the Jewish carpenter was not his biological father (God is), his mother, Mary, is Jewish.

According to the Halakha, the collective body of religious laws for Jews, having a Jewish mother makes Jesus a Jew! Awesome!

When God sent his Son Jesus to redeem the world, it was the Jew He wanted redeemed first and foremost. Romans 1:16 is powerful scripture:

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek (Gentile).”

It is my earnest prayer that the scales fall away from their eyes so they can see the true Messiah in Jesus.

Today, Israel is on the precipice of once again turning its back on God as it becomes more secular daily, a victim of its own intellectualism. More than 41 percent of the population claim to be secular Jews.

The gifts of God that make the Jewish people leaders in medicine, financing, agriculture, teaching, and technology have obviously become a double-edged sword. Self-reliance can be treacherous when it replaces reliance on God.

And yet, the ever-merciful El Shaddai honors his covenant.

Jeremiah notes that as long as there is a sun and moon, God will be with the Hebrew people.

 “This is what the Lord says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar — the Lord Almighty is his name: Only if these decrees vanish from my sight, declares the Lord, will Israel ever cease being a nation before me.” (Jeremiah 31:35-36)

They are the apple of His eye. He brought them out of slavery in Egypt and gave them a land of their own.

(On a side note, Ezekiel 29:15 prophesied that Egypt, once a world power, would never again rule over other nations. Today it is being torn apart by civil strife.)

God dispersed the Hebrews from their land for their sins (Deut. 4:27, 28:63, 29:28), but He would never forsake them.

“When the people have been torn from the land and dispersed amongst the nations, God will again take pity on them. He will gather the Israelites from all the countries and bring them to Canaan.” (Deut. 30:1-10)

Isaiah 43:5-6 also foretold of the worldwide return of the Jews to Israel, the land God gave them (Gen. 12:7).

Israel is the land of Jesus. It is God’s Holy Ground.

Jerusalem means “king of” (Jeru) “peace” (Salem). This is God’s country. Jesus is the King of Peace. This is Jesus’ homeland. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and find God’s favor.

If you want proof that God is blessing Israel, consider the following accomplishments. And note that Israel, which became a modern country in 1948 and is surrounded by enemies and beset by wars, is at the forefront of technological achievements:

• Israel is a nuclear power, relying on a policy of “nuclear ambiguity.” Israel has never officially admitted to having nuclear weapons, noting it would not be the first country to “introduce” nuclear weapons to the Middle East (during war). It is believed Israel has between 75 and 200 nuclear warheads to go with its fleet of 250 F-16 fighter jets.

• Israel, which had been barren for centuries, is a leading producer of agricultural products, exporting food to many countries. It fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah 27:6 – “In days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will bud and blossom and fill all the world with fruit.”

• Israel’s $100 billion economy is larger than all of its immediate neighbors combined.

• Israel has the highest ratio of university degrees to the population in the world. (Again, a double-edged sword when it comes to teachings anchored in secular world views).

• In proportion to its population, Israel has the largest number of start-up companies in the world. (See “Start-up Nation: The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle.”)

• The cell phone was developed in Israel by Motorola, which has its largest development center in that country.

• The Pentium MMX Chip technology was designed in Israel at Intel.

• Voice mail technology was developed in Israel.

• Both Microsoft and Cisco built their only R&D facilities outside the USA in Israel. (See List of Israeli Accomplishments.)

• An Israeli company was the first to develop and install a large-scale solar-powered and fully functional electricity generating plant, in Southern California’s Mojave desert.

• The Space Imagery Intelligence (IMINT) unit of Elbit Systems makes a “space camera,” a compact, lightweight electro-optic observation system for government, commercial and scientific applications.

• Given Imaging of Israel is best known for its remarkable PillCam (aka capsule camera endoscopy), now the gold standard for GI tract/intestinal visualization.

All sorts of geo-political red lines are being drawn in the sand when it comes to Israel and its Middle Eastern neighbors. It’s internal struggles with the Palestinians are legendary and remain a source of strife. Tensions threaten to boil over daily.

But God drew his own red line in the sand when he declared, “Those who bless Israel will be blessed, those who curse Israel will be cursed.” We don’t need any other red lines to be drawn.

It is time to pray for Israel

Pray for Israel, because like America, with each passing year Israel becomes more and more a secular state.

It forgets it was God who gave them the Land of Milk and Honey, it was God who led them out of captivity and bondage, it was God who gave them favor and prestige as the apple of His eye, and that it is God who watches over them.

Pray for Israel, that its enemies are kept at bay and that America will set aside its ambiguous foreign policy and defend it with all its might.

It is not so much that Israel needs to be saved by America, for the Lord of Hosts and His army will always protect Israel. The prayer is MORE for the protection of America.

I am convinced that the day we stop supporting Israel, the day we turn our back on Israel and the Jewish people, is the day God’s reckoning will be unleashed on us.

Pray for Israel, that the Hebrew nation returns wholesale to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, with all its heart, mind and soul … and once more truly becomes the Almighty’s Jewel Crown … His “treasured possession.”