What If Israel Isn’t Who You Think It Is?
- Martin Jarvis
- Jun 19
- 4 min read
So many people today are moved by global events — especially those involving the nation of Israel. Christians and religious folks everywhere are praying for Israel, defending Israel, and standing with what they believe to be “God’s chosen people.”
And while that passion often comes from a place of sincerity, I believe it’s time we go deeper than just what we’ve heard in church, what grandma believed, or what a pastor once said.
To understand what Israel really is — and more importantly, who Israel really is — we have to go back. All the way back to the split of the ancient tribes after the time of King Solomon.
Scripture tells us that when Solomon died, his son Rehoboam inherited the kingdom. Instead of leading with wisdom and compassion, Rehoboam chose harshness. He ignored the elders and listened to his peers, ruling with a heavy hand. And the result? The kingdom split in two.
Ten of the twelve tribes broke away and became known as the Northern Kingdom, often referred to in scripture as Israel or Ephraim — a reference to one of Joseph’s sons, born of an Egyptian mother. The remaining two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, formed the Southern Kingdom, known simply as Judah — from which we get the word Jew.
Scripture foretells that Israel — the northern kingdom — would fall out of favor, become scattered across the earth, and eventually lose all memory of who they were. That’s the part many folks overlook. These weren’t people who kept their traditions. These were people who, over generations, were so far removed they didn’t even know they were part of Israel anymore.
But the prophets also said something else: one day, Israel and Judah would reunite. The prodigal would return home. And here’s where it gets beautiful.
Over thousands of years, those scattered tribes didn’t just disappear — they assimilated into the world. Through generations of migration, marriage, and children, the bloodline of Israel spread across every continent, every race, every nation. That’s not a poetic idea — that’s a genealogical reality.
It reminds me of something I once read about Brooke Shields — the actress — being a descendant of the Medici family of Renaissance Italy. What struck me wasn’t that she had noble lineage, but that most of us probably do too. After thousands of years of interconnection, we’re more related than we realize.
So what does that mean spiritually?
It means that when Jesus — who scripture tells us came from the tribe of Judah — is described as our Kinsman Redeemer, it’s not just symbolic. In ancient law, a kinsman could only redeem someone they were truly related to. And if the bloodline of Israel has now been spread across humanity… then we are all Jesus’ kin. And He is ours.
That’s not just theology — that’s divine strategy.
Even the missteps of ancient Israel — their scattering and separation — were part of a greater plan: to unify humanity under the hope of redemption. That’s why the angels announced peace on earth when Jesus was born. Because in Him, the divided world was being brought back together.
This also shifts how we understand the famous instruction to “pray for the peace of Israel.” If Israel is now the world, if Israel is us, then we’re not just praying for a nation — we’re praying for each other. For humanity. For reconciliation.
And here’s something more: scripture also says those who bless Israel will be blessed — and those who curse Israel will be cursed. But if the whole world has been assimilated into the lineage of Israel, then every person you meet — Palestinian, Jewish, Arab, African, Asian, European, poor, rich, stranger, friend — is of Israel.
So when you curse someone, you curse Israel. When you bless someone, you bless Israel.
Jesus knew this. That’s why He taught us to love our neighbors and our enemies. That’s why He told the story of the Good Samaritan — a man who helped someone from a group who despised him. And Jesus said, “Be like him.” Because He knew what we struggle to accept — that we are all Israel now. We are all kin.
And this changes everything.
It’s why our faith can’t stop at religious identity or national borders. It’s why true worship isn’t about how holy your book is — it’s about how deeply you love your neighbor. If your religion gives you permission to harm, exclude, hate, or kill others, then your religion may not be from God. Because God is love — and we are His children.
Religions are not God. Holy books are not God. People are the image of God. And how we treat each other is how we treat the One who made us.
The story of Israel isn’t about a group to be idolized. It’s about a family that’s been reunited. A prodigal world that’s finally coming home. A Father who never gave up. And children — scattered across lands and languages — learning how to love each other again.
That’s the peace we’re praying for. That’s the redemption we’re all included in. That’s the real Israel. And that’s the good news.
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