“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”
(Proverbs 14:34)
This Biblical principle has stood the test of time for millennia. When the people of a nation honour God by acting righteously, that nation is blessed. This works from the top down and the bottom up. When leaders submit to God’s authority, when governments and public institutions act with righteousness and justice, a nation is strengthened. Likewise, when ordinary people live righteously before God, their actions also shape the moral and spiritual condition of the country around them.
Sadly, the opposite is also true: “sin is a reproach to any people.” We can see evidence of this in our own nation today. The British government has increasingly taken positions against Israel that we believe dishonour God and contradict Biblical principles regarding the land and people of Israel, particularly the recognition of a Palestinian state. As a result, antisemitism is rising across Britain, while justice and accountability are often applied unevenly. Just this week, the Nova exhibition honouring those murdered on October 7 had to remove advertising signs because of antisemitic threats and hostility. Righteousness is not exalting our nation at this time. Instead, we are seeing the consequences of moral confusion and spiritual compromise.
Likewise, this week we witnessed shocking scenes in Israel itself, when a fringe government minister was filmed mocking and verbally abusing flotilla activists. His behaviour was condemned both inside and outside Israel. Yet the damage extended beyond one individual. Through the foolish actions of one man, Israel’s image was harmed in the eyes of many watching around the world.
We understand the spiritual battle we are in. Anything negative involving Israel is quickly amplified and spread by those who seek to smear and delegitimise the Jewish state.
The enemies of Israel do not need an excuse to hate Israel. False accusations of “genocide,” “apartheid,” and distortions surrounding the “Nakba” are already repeated constantly across the world as if these lies are facts. To antisemites, the actions of one Israeli are often used to condemn the entire nation and even the Jewish people as a whole. That is why Israel must act carefully and wisely in how it conducts and presents itself before the nations. We know much of the international media will magnify Israel’s perceived actions while ignoring atrocities committed against Christians and Jews, and this is why wisdom and righteousness are required to counter the enemy’s lies.
God’s people are commanded, “to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).
May the actions of God’s people exalt our nations once again, and may Israel become a praise in the earth, for Zion’s sake.
Prayer Points:
Pray for US/Iran – We pray for righteousness to reign as US-Iranian negotiations continue. We pray that President Trump and his team will have the wisdom to see through the lies and the courage to act in defence of Israel and the Jewish people against the genocidal threat of the Iranian regime. We pray that Iran will never obtain a nuclear weapon and that the regime will fail in all its plans against Israel.
Pray for the UK – We pray for Britain as we continue to see missteps in our foreign policy towards Israel, and a continued rise in antisemitism and hatred against Israel from too many people. We pray for protection over the Nova festival exhibition and that many will come to see the truth about what happened on October 7th. We also pray that the UK will finally outlaw the IRGC and stop Iran’s terror proxies from operating in the UK.
Pray for Israel – We pray for wisdom for Israel’s leaders, the government and its ministers will walk humbly with God and do justly when dealing with their enemies. We all know that the Gaza flotillas are propaganda missions in support of Hamas and do nothing to aid the Palestinians, but the way they are handled can negatively impact Israel’s image around the world. We pray that those responsible for disparaging Israel’s reputation, both those acting foolishly and those spreading lies, will turn away from evil and turn to righteousness.
Pray for the Iranian people: Many Iranian people stand alongside Israel and against the Iranian regime. We pray that these precious people will one day be free of the oppressive dictatorship that rules over them and that righteousness will exalt the nation of Iran.
