Should the United States befriend Israel?

This has, without a doubt, been an interesting week in Middle-East affairs with Turkey’s unsuccessful bid to break Israel’s naval blockade of the Gaza Strip, the boarding of the Marmara and the deaths of the nine purported peace activists aboard. For students of Bible prophecy, all eyes are on Israel as God makes that tiny nation into the cup of trembling and the burdensome stone that he said he would in the book of Zechariah. God is readying himself to shift his attention away from what the Bible calls the Church and to return his attention to that singular nation it calls God’s chosen people.

Events such as these are what the Bible calls the approaching of “the day” when Jesus Christ will return bodily to this earth. While I am in no way attempting to date when he will do so, in Hebrews 10 we are told that we will be able to see that day’s approach. Just as the approach of day is particularly glorious in our own valley during the winter and early spring when the nights are still very dark, even so is Christ’s’ approach in these days of deepening apostasy and wickedness to those who are true believers. While his return will catch the majority of the world unaware as a thief in the night, it will not be a surprise to us. Truly, we live in exciting times.

With this said, let me say unequivocally that America should be Israel’s friend. Whether the Obama administration agrees or not makes no difference, America should. I don’t care how many more flotillas are boarded and the majority of world opinion is against them, America should. And I don’t care if Israel has no other friend in the world, and if friendship with her would cause America to be enemies with every other nation on earth, America should.

Our friendship with Israel should never be based on world opinion but on what is right, and on what side Almighty God is on.

My friend, if you ever want to be able to say “God bless America” and hope that God will do so, America had better befriend Israel. In Genesis 12, as God began to form Israel from Abraham, God told Abraham, “I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee.” This same blessing and cursing was passed on from Isaac to Jacob in chapter 27 where Isaac said, “cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.” And a third time we find this same blessing in the book of Numbers just prior to Israel’s entrance into Canaan from the mouth of Balaam who said, “Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee.”

Three times God has promised to bless those who bless Israel, and three times he has promised to curse those who curse them. And while I believe God will bless or curse individuals, I also believe God deals with individual nations as well, which is the particular context of the pronouncement in Numbers.

Folks, it doesn’t matter how many preachers get up and say “God bless America,” or how many bumper stickers we put on our cars, if America will not befriend Israel, God will not bless. And take notice: President Bush was not the friend of Israel that he should have been, and it doesn’t look like President Obama will be any better.

I do believe Jerry Falwell was right when he said God had removed his hand of protection from America back in September 2001.

Lastly, if America doesn’t want to fight against God, she had better befriend Israel. It is interesting to note in the book of Acts after Christ’s ascension back into heaven, that Jewish leaders were told to leave the Apostles alone because if their movement was of men that it would “come to nought’” but if it was of God, “lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.”

In Zechariah 2 it is said of Israel, “he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his (God’s) eye.”

The truth is that America had best figure out which side of the fight God is on. Not standing solidly with Israel is quite literally picking a fight that just cannot be won.

Ron Hamman is pastor of Independent Baptist Church of Wasilla. Contact him at 357-4229 or ron.hamman@gci.net.