After three days of Apple and Spotify blocking the release of this song (and refusing to credit Jewish singer Yair), the song “God of Israel” rose to number 1 the first day it was finally released. Sean sits down with Yair and Carine to talk about the meaning and purpose behind this anthem of Hope and peace over Israel.
Pop songs, movies, and books shape the way we think about love. Attraction, emotion, romance, and sentiment color how we expect it to be. But when the Lord told His followers that they’re to love the way He does, He wasn’t talking about what we find in popular culture. Jesus gave them the ultimate image of self-sacrificing love: a person laying down his life for a friend (John 15:13).
The kind He was referring to looks far more like the sacrificial service of a caregiver changing a soiled adult diaper. It looks like a family opening their home to foster children. Or like a woman interceding daily in prayer for her prodigal daughter. Sacrificial love is humbly given by countless modern heroes of the faith every day as they lay down their hopes and dreams to meet the needs of the sick, helpless, and broken among us.
The delightful feelings of “being in love” are distant cousins to the self-giving action that Jesus was referring to. And we should remember that when He spoke the words in today’s passage, He was just hours away from laying down His innocent life for each one of us—those He loves.
Bible in One Year: Acts 12-13