Does the Bible Command Us to Support Israel?

Tucker Carlson and Ted Cruz fight over Israel

In a less-than-cordial interview with Tucker Carlson, Texas senator Ted Cruz sought to defend why he believes America ought to be supporting Israel’s recent attacks on Iran.

At one point, Cruz cites a passage in the Bible to justify his position:

Let’s set aside the made-for-TV Youtube fireworks of the interview and see if we can get a sense as to whether the Bible actually supports what Mr. Cruz says.

His basic argument is:

1. We are Biblically commanded to support Israel.

2. If we do, America will be blessed; if we don’t, we will be cursed.

3. The “Israel” referred to in Genesis 12:3 is the modern nation-state of Israel today.

Tucker Carlson, who seems to be feigning incredulity to try and let Cruz hang himself, questions Cruz’s entire argument, but seems most suspicious of argument #3

Carlson: “Hold on, define Israel. This is important, this is a majority Christian country, and you are saying—”

Cruz: “Define Israel? Do you not know what Israel is? That would be the country that you’ve asked, like, 49 questions about.”

Carlson: “So…that’s what Genesis is, that’s what God is talking about…the current nation, current borders, the current leadership, He is talking about the current political entity called Israel?”

Cruz: “Yea, He is talking about the nation of Israel.”

Who Is Israel?

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.” - Gen 12:1-3, ESV

Here we are reading about God entering into a covenant with Abra(ha)m, the one who goes on to become the father of the nation of Israel. As these promises to Abraham are developed in the covenant relationship with Yahweh, we begin to see an emphasis placed on Abraham’s descendants, or “offspring.” Abraham is promised:

“I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” - Gen 22:17-18

This promise leads to the vast growth of the nation of Israel, but ultimately to the arrival of the ultimate descendant of Abraham, Jesus Christ—the offspring of Abraham:

Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. - Gal 3:16

Paul states explicitly that Jesus is the ultimate embodiment of the covenant God made with Abraham. Jesus is the ultimate Israel, which is why so much of His life reminds you of Israel: just as Israel was called God’s son as they came up out of Egypt, passed through the waters, and were tested in the wilderness, so too is Jesus (cf. Matt 2:13-15, 3:13-4:11). Just as Israel possessed twelve tribes, Jesus possesses twelve apostles. Just as Israel was forged into a kingdom of priests through the giving of a covenant inaugurated by blood, Jesus forges His Church into a kingdom of priests through the giving of a covenant inaugurated by blood (Ex 19-24; Heb 8-9).

Now, God’s blessing or curse depends on whether you bless or curse the true Israel, Jesus Christ (1 Cor 12:3; John 5:23). And it is through the work of Christ that all nations of the earth are blessed.

…in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles… - Gal 3:14, [Gentiles refers to anyone not ethnically Jewish]

Through our union with Christ, even people who are not descendants of Abraham (Gentiles) can receive the blessings of Abraham’s covenant. Which is why Paul can state:

…for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise. - Gal 3:26-29

Which leads Paul to conclude his letter to the Galatians by simply describing the Church as “the Israel of God,” (Gal 6:16). This is why the apostles repeatedly describe the Church (those who have faith in Christ) as the true Israel¹ and why Jesus commissions His disciples to go out to the nations to make disciples and baptize them (Matt 28:18-20).

So, in sum: who is Israel? First, Jesus. Second, anyone who puts their faith in Jesus—that is, the Church.

Ted Cruz’s Dispensationalism

So, no, I do not think that Genesis 12:3 commands us to support the modern day iteration of Israel because the New Testament teaches me that Genesis 12:3 is fulfilled in the work of Jesus Christ.

Note: This doesn’t mean America shouldn’t support Israel; in fact, it seems like an imminently wise move for our country to maintain strong support of one of our few allies in an area that is full of such strong antipathy towards our nation. It just means that we shouldn’t claim the Bible commands us to do so.

Cruz appears to be advocating a kind of pop-dispensationalism, a popularized form of Bible interpretation that believes God still intends to involve the ethnic people group of Israel into His plans, especially in the last days.

However, to maintain Cruz’s position, one must maintain that Jesus and the Church’s fulfillment of the covenant of Abraham and embodiment of the new Israel hasn’t exhausted the fullness of God’s promises to ethnic Israel, and aside from Romans 11², there seems to be scant evidence that God maintains this distinction between Jew and Gentile in His plans of redemption.

1. “Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.” - Rom 4:9-12

"But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but 'Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.' This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring." - Rom 9:6-8

"For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God." - Romans 2:28–29

"Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called 'the uncircumcision' by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands—remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God." - Eph 2:11-19

"As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: 'Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.' So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,' and 'A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.' They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." - 1 Pet 2:4-10; cf. Exodus 19:6; Deut 10:15

2. A future influx of ethnic Jews being saved does not jeopardize the argument I am making here. In fact, Romans 11’s imagery of Gentiles being grafted into Israel like a “wild olive shoot into a cultivated olive tree” strengthens the image of Jews and Gentiles now being intermingled as one people of God. Paul holds out hope that there will be a future day when his Jewish brothers who have rejected Jesus will come to faith, and so “all Israel will be saved.” Paul understands that while Jews and Gentiles are alike one in Christ, the majority of the Jews at his day rejected the offspring of Abraham, Jesus. They are like “branches that have been broken off” of the olive tree, and in their place the Gentiles have been grafted in. He sees this as part of God’s plan to “incite them to jealousy” so that they may look in on the blessings of salvation the prophets of Israel foretold being enjoyed by these Gentile believers, and be compelled to likewise return and put faith in the Jewish Messiah, Jesus Christ.

The fact that Paul can talk about the distinction between Jew and Gentile doesn’t invalidate the idea that Jews and Gentiles who are both in Christ are one. The overriding image of the chapter is on unity—they are all one olive tree.