Dear Ambassador Mike Huckabee and Members of the White House Faith Office,

The recent agreement with Iran has understandably caused deep concern in Israel. Many observers assume that Israel is the nation with the most to lose from this deal. After all, Iran’s regime openly calls for the destruction of the Jewish State, funds and arms terrorist proxies throughout the Middle East, and has spent decades destabilizing the region while spreading hatred and violence. Yet I would respectfully suggest that Israel is not the nation with the most to lose.

Those of us who believe in the God of Israel understand why. The Jewish people possess something no other nation has ever been promised: a Divine guarantee of our ultimate survival. The Prophet Shmuel declared, “נצח ישראל לא ישקר”—“The Eternal One of Israel does not lie.” The Jewish people have endured Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, Haman, Rome, the Crusades, the Inquisition, the pogroms, Nazi Germany, and the Soviet Union. Every empire that sought our destruction has disappeared or faded into history, while the people of Israel remain. This is not because we are stronger, wiser, or more deserving than others. It is because our continued existence is rooted in a promise made by the Master of the Universe.

This does not mean that Israel will not suffer. It does not mean that there will be no pain, sacrifice, or difficult days ahead. But it does mean that the annihilation of the Jewish people is simply not an option within God’s plan for history. Believers know how this story ends. We know that Am Yisrael will emerge from this period and continue forward toward its destiny.

America, however, has no such promise.

The danger posed by this agreement is not merely the physical threat of emboldening the Iranian regime and its proxies. Nor is it limited to the increased instability and violence that may spread throughout the world. There is another dimension altogether—a spiritual one. From the very beginning of Jewish history, God established a principle that has never been repealed: “ואברכה מברכיך ומקללך אאר”—“I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse.”

As a pastor and student of Scripture, Ambassador Huckabee, you know this principle well. Throughout history, nations that stood with the Jewish people were blessed in extraordinary ways, while those that persecuted or abandoned them eventually discovered that they had forfeited something far more valuable than political leverage. God’s protective hand rests upon societies that align themselves with His purposes in the world. When nations choose expediency over principle and pressure Israel to accept arrangements that strengthen those openly committed to her destruction, they risk placing themselves outside that protective protection and invite consequences far greater than they may presently imagine.

The Jewish people have learned, often painfully, that our ultimate security does not depend upon the goodwill of foreign powers. We are grateful for America’s friendship and support, and we pray daily for the peace and prosperity of the United States. But our confidence ultimately rests in the promises of God and not in the calculations of kings and presidents. Israel’s future does not depend on this agreement, or any agreement. “נצח ישראל לא ישקר.”

This is precisely why your voices matter so much at this moment. You occupy positions of influence at a time of tremendous consequence. The Book of Esther records Mordechai’s challenge to Queen Esther when the Jewish people faced a grave threat: “ומי יודע אם לעת כזאת הגעת למלכות”—“And who knows whether it was for just such a time that you attained royalty?” Mordechai understood that positions of leadership are not accidents. They are opportunities of Divine providence and moments of moral responsibility.

Perhaps these words were written not only for Esther, but for every person whom Divine Providence places in a position of influence during a moment of testing. Who knows whether it was for such a time as this that you arrived in these positions of leadership? Who knows whether God placed a Bible-believing ambassador in Jerusalem and established a White House Faith Office precisely for this hour, when the temptation to sacrifice principle for temporary political gain is so great?

May you have the wisdom and courage to remind this administration that standing with Israel is not merely a matter of foreign policy. It is a matter of aligning oneself with the purposes of God in history. Israel’s future is guaranteed by Divine promise. America’s future is not. And that may be the greatest lesson and the greatest warning of this moment.

Respectfully,

Rabbi Josh Wander

Jerusalem, Israel