I love Israelis but does Ted Cruz?

I am sure by now you have heard the interview with Tucker Carlson and Senator Ted Cruz in which Cruz explains that his primary reason for supporting Israel derives from the Bible. Cruz said, “We are commanded to support Israel.” Many have mocked Cruz because when pressed, he didn’t know where this statement even was in the Bible.

That is not my concern.

My first concern relates to the popular notion that the promises to Abraham and his descendants (or, “seed”) apply to the modern nation-state of Israel and how much this perspective drives US foreign policy.

My second concern stems from how we are to interpret the Bible when it refers to the descendants of Abraham and the tribes of Jacob—it is not as simple as Mr. Cruz thinks.

NB: I have seen many Facebook and Instagram posts on this topic over the last week. Many of the comments have related that belief that “Israel” refers to the modern nation-state of Israel and that denying this is “heresy.” Well, sorry, folks. It ain’t that simple, and it ain’t heresy to deny this. Let me explain.

America’s Israel-first policy

First, I find it incredible that most America Firsters (MAGA supporters) operate with an Israel-First foreign policy.

That America is second to Israel was explicitly affirmed in the assertion of Tammy Bruce, the US State Department spokeswoman, “The pride of being able to be here and do work that facilitates making things better for people and in the greatest country on earth, next to Israel.”

Now, in all fairness, Bruce was in Israel being interviewed by an Israeli network. Consequently, we might understand why she changed course so quickly. However, at the same time, she is a spokeswoman for the US State Department. 

Why do I believe that this is a problem?

American Christian (primarily evangelical) support for Israel often endorses Israel’s actions regardless. And this is not good for Israel, and it is not good for many others.

Many might disagree with me here. They might contend that they do not support Israel, regardless. But, at the end of the day, they wind up endorsing virtually everything Israel does. They claim that they are willing to criticize Israel, but they never seem to find anything worth criticizing.

When Israel bombs a hospital, it is because Hamas is hiding there.

When Israel bombs those queuing up for food distribution, it is because there was a high-profile target present.

When Israel cuts off food, water, gas, and medical aid to more than 2 million people in Gaza, it is because the Palestinians voted for Hamas, and Israel must teach the people a lesson and compel them to overthrow Hamas.

The level of atrocity, in other words, does not matter because Israel’s behavior is always justified.

The claim that the US doesn’t unquestioningly support Israel is proven wrong by its actions.

Israel’s present government has some of the most radical extremists imaginable in seats of power. People who have been imprisoned for terrorism. People who have been members of terrorist organizations.

When these extremists realize that they have the almost unquestioning support of the US Congress, we have a recipe for disaster.

But this doesn’t matter to most members of the US Congress or the White House.   

This is one of the problems with Cruz’s beliefs that they must support Israel because the Bible tells them so. It leads to unquestioning support for a secular state, and this, in turn, leads to a turning of a blind eye to what that state does.

In saying this, I am not taking an “anti-Israel” stance.

I love Israelis, but I wonder if Cruz does

I would argue that my position is more supportive of Israelis than Cruz’s.

How so?

Let’s suppose, for a moment, that the Bible commands us to support the modern state of Israel—this is a significant leap as I will explain below. We must ask if blessing Israel means endorsing everything that Israel does.

The modern nation-state of Israel is a secular state. And like all such entities, it makes mistakes, and when it does, it deserves criticism.

Such criticism is necessary and for the good of the people and the nation.

The nature of the Freedom of Speech in the US relates to the right to protest the government when it goes astray. So, also, the responsibility, and even the necessity, to criticize Israel doesn’t fade away because God allegedly made a promise to them.

The prophets of Israel did not shy away from harsh criticisms of the nation and the people.

Why? Because they hated Israel? No, because they loved the children of Israel.

Allowing anyone to get away with murder (genocide) is not loving.

Eventually, Israel and the US will pay the terrible consequences for their actions.

Turning a blind eye to Israel is not loving Israel.

Supporting Israel because you love Israel or because you want God’s blessing?

This raises the question as to whether or not Cruz and many other Christian Zionists really love Israel. Now, I don’t deny that they believe that they love Israel.

The fact is that many Jews and Israelis question the motivation behind the evangelical support for Israel. They wonder if Christian Zionists love Israel because they genuinely love the Jewish people, or because God says that if they do, they will be blessed, or even because they believe the Jews are crucial for the return of Jesus.

Note Cruz’s statement, “Growing up in Sunday school, I was taught from the Bible, those who bless Israel will be blessed, and those who curse Israel will be cursed. And from my perspective, I want to be on the blessing side of things.”

Cruz also added, “Where does my support for Israel come from? Number one, because biblically, we are commanded to support Israel.”

Now, you might respond by saying that, of course, they love Israel.

But if they loved Israel, would they not seek what is best for Israel at all times?

This is like saying you love your child, but every time they do something harmful to themselves, you cover it over and make sure they never experience any detrimental effects.

If your child goes rogue and commits countless atrocities, the most loving thing you can do is turn them in. No one wants to see their own child locked up, but it is for the well-being of the child, let alone all those he is terrorizing.

What does “Israel” mean?

My second concern relates to the meaning of “Israel.” The word “Israel” can have multiple meanings. Unfortunately, most Christian Zionists don’t seem to realize this.

When Carlson asked, “What does ‘Israel’ mean?” Cruz seemed bewildered. It was as if, for Cruz, there was only one possible meaning: He retorted, “Define Israel? Do you not know what Israel is?”

Well, actually, Mr. Cruz, “Israel” can mean several things.

NB: Because I have addressed this elsewhere, I will be relatively brief here: See my book, These Brothers of Mine. See also the Determinetruth YouTube page and search under the playlist, “Israel-Gaza” for the interview with Prof David Crump.

Allow me to explain.

There are at least four different meanings of “Israel” (there are more but they don’t concern us for the sake of this article), and I am not even including how I believe Paul and the New Testament apply “Israel” or titles for Israel to Jesus and the NT people of God.

1. “Israel” is a personal name: Abraham’s grandson Jacob’s name is changed to “Israel” (Gen 32:28; 35:10).
2. “Israel” can refer to the entirety of the twelve tribes until the time of Solomon.
3. “Israel” can refer to the northern tribes, as distinct from the southern tribes of Judah (Ezekiel 37).
4. “Israel” today, of course, can be used of the modern nation-state of Israel, which itself is not an ethnically homogenous group: 20% of Israelis are Arab.

NB: The NT uses “Israel of God” (Gal 6:16). This use is disputed but is widely believed to refer to Israel as the believing community, which I would argue relates to the people of God. In Romans 12, Paul says, “All ‘Israel’ will be saved” (Rom 11:26). Here again, “Israel” is disputed. Still, the dispute revolves around those who are or will become faithful members of God’s people. Even those who contend that Paul has ethnicity in view here do not believe he has all ethnic Israelites in mind, but only those who are “saved” at some point in history.

Unfortunately, Cruz and most members of Congress, as well as many Christians today, make no effort to nuance the meaning of Israel.

Going from biblical “Israel” to the modern nation-state of Israel is quite a leap.

It seems as though Christian Zionists’ concerns relate to the nation of Israel and not the Jewish people outside of Israel.

The problem here is that the modern nation-state of Israel is a secular state in which 20% of its population is Palestinian.

To get around this, some contend that the promise to bless Israel refers to the Jewish people. This raises the question as to what about the Jewish people in America or elsewhere? Interestingly, minimal effort is made in American foreign or domestic policy that focuses on the Jewish people–unless they are in Israel.

“Jews” and “Israel” are not the same

This point is very significant for our discussion. The designation “Jew(s)” derives from Judea, which itself comes from Judah, the leading tribe of the two southern tribes (Judah and Benjamin). Now it is true that all “Jews” were Israelites, but only if we mean by “Israelite” the entirety of the twelve tribes and not merely the ten northern tribes.

This means that “Jews” and “Israelites” may refer to two distinct groups of people. Sure, they are all descendants of Abraham—kind of (see below).

Why does this matter? For one, those who point to biblical end-times prophecies regarding the restoration of Israel fail to distinguish the fact that some of these prophecies relate to the restoration of the northern tribes of Israel. This means that they cannot be fulfilled by “Jews” who are themselves members of the southern tribes of Judah.

NB: I discussed this extensively with Jason Staples on a livestream.

The promises to “Israel” do not apply to everyone

The notion that the promises to Abraham apply to the modern state of Israel is seriously problematic.

After all, the promises were not applied to all of Abraham’s descendants. After all, Ishmael, Esau, and others are excluded even though they are children of Abraham.

NB: They are not technically excluded, but that is beyond our discussion here.

In addition, Isaiah 6:11-13 indicates that many in Israel were cut off for unbelief (see also Lev 23:29; Num 15:30-31; Deut 29:18-20; Jer 7:4-15; not to mention the NT references to some being cut off; e.g., Rom 11:20-22; 9:6-8; Gal 5:4).

This point is critical. Unfaithful Israelites are cut off from the promises.

To claim that the secular nation-state of Israel represents the recipients of the covenant promises undermines the biblical text. Only faithful Israelites were recipients of the promises.

NB: Some respond by saying that God will restore the Jewish people (by which they mean “Israel”-which is problematic) and then the Jewish people (“Israel”) will repent. This, however, contravenes the entirety of the biblical covenant, which requires covenant obedience in order to receive the blessings.

“Israel” is not a homogeneous group

In addition, “Israel” has always included many who are not ethnically Israelites: i.e., descendants of Abraham.

For example, at the Exodus, we are told that a “mixed multitude” joined them (Exod 12:38).

Then there is Ruth (Ruth 1:16-17): the Moabite and great-grandmother of King David and later Jesus (Matt 1:5)

Rahab, the Canaanite (Joshua 21:1-21), is portrayed as more faithful than the Israelites and becomes a member of Israel.

Uriah the Hittite is certainly more faithful than David (2 Sam 11:3-17).

What does this mean?

Well, it means that we better get to know our Bibles a little better if we are going to base our foreign policy on it.

Resources: for further discussion

As always, much more can be said. For questions or comments, please go to the “contact us” tab at Determinetruth.com.

See Bruce Fisk, “Praised by Faint Damnation“; and “GENESIS 12:3, CHRISTIAN ZIONISM, AND BLESSING ISRAEL,” BIBLIOTHECA SACRA 180 (April–June 2023): 144–63.

Determinetruth.com has scores of resources: see the archives tab on the blog page at Determinetruth.com; see also NEME.network

See my books, Land of Contention, and These Brothers of Mine, as well as the many livestreams on the Determinetruth YouTube page.

For a wonderful book on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, see: David Crump, Like Birds in a Cage, and Gary Burge, Whose Land Whose Promise 

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