Is Israel Special?

“Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’” Genesis 12:1-3 

“Genesis 12:1-3 is the fountainhead of all God’s covenant promises. ‘I will bless you and make your name great… and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ The blessing is not for Abraham alone—it is for the world. Christ is the seed of Abraham, and through Him every nation finds its blessing. What a glorious promise: one man’s obedience brings salvation to millions!” Charles Spurgeon

It started with one family—the seed of Abraham. Then it exploded outward through Jesus. Because of what Jesus did on the cross, we are blessed. We are saved through Him. Jesus was Jewish.

Notice how much hate comes from Iran toward Israel and America—a Jewish nation and a heavily Christian-influenced nation. Genesis 12 seems to play out: blessing for those who bless, cursing for those who curse. Iran’s current state is tragic—hopefully one day they will be blessed too.

So why is Israel special? Jesus came through that family line. Now everyone—every nation—gets the opportunity to be blessed through Him.

Does that mean Genesis 12 is over? I hope not. That would mean God isn’t faithful to His promises. The promise isn’t purely biological. Scripture shows it’s conditional on obedience (see Deuteronomy 28; Romans 11). If it were only bloodline, why isn’t the tribe of Dan listed in Revelation 7? They drifted into idolatry in a major way (Judges 18). Is it too late for them? I hope not. It wasn’t too late for me 11 years ago. No one is too far gone because of Jesus.

Jesus was Jewish, and I’m blessed because of the promise to Abraham in Genesis 12. So I will bless Israel because God is faithful to His promises. That promise is conditional on obedience—He doesn’t force Himself on us.

I will pray for the peace of Jerusalem as Psalm 122:6 tells us to do. I will also pray for laborers for the harvest all over the world (including Iran) so Matthew 28:19-20 can be fulfilled, just as Jesus commanded.

No one is more special than anyone else. God shows no partiality (Romans 2:11; Acts 10:34). But He is faithful to His promises. That promise is available to you through Jesus.

Hope this helps. If not, pray about it and read the Bible for yourself. 

Have a great day!