By Tom Brennan
The most recent military action by Israel to protect itself is drawing to a close, at least for now. There will be mourning for the dead, healing for the wounded and resupply and after action reports and analysis and more analysis. The IDF Reservists will return to suit and ties and return calls and emails. Israel will return to a state of normalcy, at least for Israel. The people of Gaza will return to shattered lives and homes. Hamas will still be there until they muster the courage to cast out the cowardly terrorists who used them as protection for their rockets and missiles. What can Christians learn and do in the obvious temporary halt in hostilities?
There are numerous Biblical truths that apply here. Jesus is called the Prince of Peace. And yet the place He lived is anything but peaceful. What is wrong here? The type of peace that politicians seek is based on compromise, often with evil. The peace that should be sought should come from the heart and be based on putting God’s commandments first and then comparing the value of men’s laws against them. Jesus said there would be wars and rumors of wars. That certainly fits the Middle East. Americans and Europeans have been involved in military actions overseas, but not on their own lands. Somehow Israel shows a resiliency that few can match.
The American Civil War provides a certain number of lessons and instances to use in considering a peace that will not only last but enrich the Land and its neighbors. Many songs came from this period that showed a heart- broken sense of loss from this fraternal struggle. Many families split along political lines, relatives met other family members across bloody battlefields. Songs such as “The empty chair” and ‘When his cruel war is over” showed that what started as marching bands, flags and banners and cheering troops collapsed into three day battles, mountains of amputated limbs and devastated landscapes where nothing would grow amidst bones and blood. But eventually a peace and sense of reunification grew and in a generation’s time the veterans would gather annually and shake hands over once contested walls and battlefields. Can this ever happen in Israel’s case?
Israel has constantly been working to make a just peace with its neighbors. Despite the overly optimistic “Arab Spring “media fantasy, Egypt has kept a degree of responsibility intact with its actions towards Gaza. Jordan has respected its treaties. However as outright terrorist groups, many with mystery funding from rich and powerful sources continue to grow and engage in barbaric violence the number of Middle Eastern nations that have legitimate, treaty-making governments are in danger from invasion and takeover. The rise of the Caliphate should be at the top of every government in the region and in the West.
We as Christians must increase our efforts to support Israel now more than ever. Not just for Israel but for the Christians in Iraq and Syria who face bloody persecution, execution, exile and barbaric convert or die methods of the terrorists and Caliphate. The statement: “first the Jews”…. is recorded on the tongues of spokesmen of most of these groups. We cannot sit silently and not witness or speak out; we will be judged for that. Israel has faced an onslaught from enemies and fair weather friends. Making our voices heard, writing in support on various media, talking with fellow congregation members, pastors and others, and being steadfast in spite of pressure to avoid the topic or be politically incorrect. Jesus was not politically correct, He was just correct.
The Almighty commanded us to leave our gift at the altar if we had a difference with our brother. At some point the wayward sons of Abraham, Isaac and Ishmael must meet, exchange handshakes and make a covenant together. They must submit to one another as brothers and once again live in under their father’s roof. Until that day there will be no peace. Let us support Israel and pray for Ishmael. That’s Biblical.
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