Reading the covenantal Scriptures from beginning to end give us a pretty clear picture of God's thoughts, emotions, and plans regarding His people Israel: He loves them with an everlasting love.

That alone should compel us to care about Israel---to love what He loves. Yet, here's a few more baseline reasons why any believer should care about Israel:

IF YOU LOVE JESUS

If you love Jesus, then you should love Israel. Jesus is the Jewish Man who is still resurrected from the dead and presently in heaven in His glorified body. He is at the right hand of the Father, until "the time of the restoration of all things" (Acts 2) when He comes to rule on the throne of David and all the nations stream to the mountain of the house of the Lord (Isaiah 2). He will come from heaven and return to Zion (Zechariah 1:16; 2:10).

If you have been quickly skimming over this facet of His return so clearly outlaid in the Holy Scriptures, you're missing out on a colossal part of His redemptive narrative.

IF YOU LOVE THE KINGDOM OF GOD

If you love the Kingdom of God, then you should care about Israel. There's an important point we can't overlook when we talk about the Kingdom: at the center of all the prophetic Scriptures' thrust is a Jewish King from the seed of David (2 Samuel 7) who will reign forever from Jerusalem with a literal kingdom and government that will have no end (Luke 1:32-33, Isaiah 9). He isn't staying in heaven forever---His Kingdom will be on the earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6) and his glory will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.

IF YOU LOVE THE SCRIPTURES

If you love the Scriptures, then you will love Israel. It is hard to ignore the fact of how much God speaks about his enduring faithful love to Israel and the many promises to (1) restore them from disobedience and their temporary blindness, (2) bring them back from a final captivity, and (3) establish them forever in the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

He will heal their incurable wound (Jeremiah 30:12 and 30:17), and make their red-stained sins washed white as snow (Isaiah 1:18). He will "remove the iniquity of the land in one day" (Zechariah 3:9) as He remembers their sin no more: "For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:34). He has atoned for their iniquity through His own blood, as though a Lamb who was slaughtered for the whole nation, and will impute His everlasting righteousness to the remnant who calls upon His name (Daniel 9:24; Jeremiah 50:20; Romans 11:26-27). He will be their God and they will be His people, forever.

IF YOU CARE ABOUT WORSHIP & PRAYER

If you care about worship and prayer, then you'll be excited to know that the Scriptures command us to "sing on behalf of Judah" (Jeremiah 31) and "pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122). "Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, streaming to the goodness of the Lord" (Jeremiah 31). "Out of them shall come songs of thanksgiving, and the voices of those who celebrate." (Jeremiah 30:13)

In the latter days, the Lord will establish the mountain of His house, his house of prayer for all nations, as the highest mountain (Isaiah 2). He will redeem them back to their original identity (Exodus 19:6) to be a kingdom of priest to Him.

IF YOU'RE A BELIEVER IN THE NEW COVENANT

If you're a believer in the new covenant, you'll grow in caring about Israel as you realize the "new covenant" was made specifically with the house of Israel and Judah. It was also first spoken about in what we modernly call the "Old Testament" through the prophet Jeremiah:

"Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah...this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people...for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” (Jeremiah 31)

This is the new covenant which the blood of Jesus was shed for:

"For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." (Matthew 26:28)

Now don't get confused...the new covenant doesn't make the promises to Abraham obsolete. In fact, it's just the opposite: the blood of Jesus is actually the only way Israel can step into their eternal inheritance promised long ago to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Yes, the Mosaic covenant is obsolete in terms of the way someone achieves righteousness. The Law only more deeply revealed the need for an eternal and everlasting righteousness to be imputed to the inside of a person. The Mosaic Law would never suffice to lead Israel (or any human) into inheriting the promises. (Hence the need for a perfectly righteous sacrifice not based on man's own works). But just because the Mosaic covenant is obsolete in regards to righteousness does not in any way negate the promises made to Abraham. Don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater.

In fact, the promises made to Abraham were made before the Mosaic “old covenant” even came into existence:

"Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made...And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect.For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise. What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made..."

SO HERE'S THE MAIN POINT:

God's promises of old made to His friend Abraham are still in full effect—and the blood of the new covenant is the only way Israel will walk in their promised destiny. The promises made to Abraham and the nation of Israel were never based upon their own works—it was solely based on the eternal and unconditional faithfulness of Yahweh Himself. It's an election of grace. Apart from that, all man's works are like filthy rags that will never amount to anything.

We, as believing Gentiles, then see our inseparable connection to the covenantal people as we presently find ourselves vessels of His mercy, enjoying the sweet fellowship and forgiveness because of the blood of Jesus---and find ourselves aching and longing for Israel (the root that supports us, Romans 11:18) to come to their Maker who spilled His atoning blood for them.

If God has cast away Israel for good, then He is a liar and an unfaithful Bridegroom. But He hasn't cast them off forever (Romans 11:1). Yes, He has temporarily and partially (see Romans 11:25: "until" and "in part") blinded them, but is eagerly anticipating the day He will restore them. He actually burns with great zeal and jealous desire (Zechariah 1:14-15; 8:2-3), speaking night after night and day after day (Psalm 19), not keeping silent for the sake of Jerusalem (Isaiah 62), and summoning the whole earth (Psalm 50) to hear His voice calling out and agree with Him.

At the end of the day, it’s not even about Israel. It is about the namesake of the LORD. He could have chosen whoever He wanted—it’s not because they were more special than anyone else (Deuteronomy 7:7). So, if you have a problem with Israel, it really means you have a problem with God. That’s the deeper root.

God will be found true and every man found a liar (Romans 3:4). If you have disagreement and offense in your heart, regarding His choosing, then repent of that unbelief and turn to His ways—His infinitely deep wisdom and knowledge (Romans 11:33).

So, let's agree with Him and His covenantal election today.