Hold on just a second before you jump straight to the comment section and accuse me of being anti-Semitic. I can assure you, I’m anything but.
I take literally God’s promise to Abraham when He said, “… I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 12:3).
I believe, unequivocally, that Israel has both the right and responsibility to defend herself. This idea that Israel is an apartheid state, an oppressive regime, or an occupier of someone else’s land is demonstrably false and can be proven so with just a cursory reading of history.
In fact, in my humble opinion, so much of the turmoil Israel currently finds herself in is because they have made far too many concessions, not too few. Due to the barbaric nature of the recent Hamas attacks, Israel seems to have garnered sympathy and support from unlikely people and places.
But don’t look for that to last long. In the coming months, you will likely see the same old talking points and global pressure for Israel to show restraint and be amenable to negotiations for peace, likely in the form of a two-state solution or some other compromise.
However, the reality is Hamas, doesn’t want peace with Israel. That’s not just conjecture on my part. Shortly after their creation in 1987, Hamas published their 1988 charter stating in no uncertain terms that their goal was the destruction of Israel. They published an updated document in 2017 that seemed to soften their language but still refused to recognize that Israel even has a right to exist.
So how does one broker peace with an enemy whose stated goal is your annihilation? You don’t. It seems clear to me that Israel’s only option is to completely eradicate Hamas, which, as of this writing appears to be Israel’s objective.
Therein lies the call to pray for Palestine. As with any war, there will be collateral damage. Innocent people will suffer, and many will die.
We tend to think, or at least I confess I do, that they are about to get what they deserve. We are talking about the worst of humanity, men who rape women and behead babies. They don’t deserve mercy.
My wife and I were discussing the situation in Israel just a few days ago, and she reminded me of the prophet Jonah.
Jonah’s situation was vastly different in many ways, but I can’t help but wonder if some of us today are harboring a heart and attitude like his.
Many people when reading about Jonah seem to focus so much on his rebellion and encounter with the fish that swallowed him up, they fail to realize why he didn’t want to go to Nineveh.
Nineveh was the capital city of Assyria, which was a longtime enemy of God’s people. Like Hamas, they were vile and wicked people. Historical accounts tell us Nineveh was known for cutting off people’s hands and feet, gouging out eyes, and impaling and skinning their captives.
Nahum called Nineveh “the bloody city,” whose “prey departeth not” (Nahum 3:1).
Jonah’s rebellion was not born out of fear, nor was it because he thought Nineveh was a lost cause and stood no chance of ever repenting.
He rebelled because he knew of God’s grace, and thus knew Nineveh likely would repent, and if they did repent, God would likely stay His wrath – which is exactly what happened.
Because of their wickedness towards God’s people, Jonah wanted Nineveh to suffer the wrath of God. After they repented, we read that “it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry” (Jonah 4:1).
Angry and depressed, Jonah confessed to God, “I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou [art] a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness …” (Jonah 4:2).
How about us? Would we rather see the destruction of people rather than repentance? In our flesh, we may be more like Jonah than we care to admit.
At this point I want to clarify a few things so I’m not misunderstood.
First, as I’ve already mentioned, Israel has the right and the responsibility to defend herself. Hamas cannot be negotiated with, thus they need to be eliminated.
Secondly, I’m under no illusion that Hamas will experience a mass repentance the likes of Nineveh.
The conflict in the Middle East stems from the animosity between Abraham’s son Ishmael, “born after the flesh,” (Galatians 4:23), and his son Isaac, born “by promise” (Galatians 4:23).
The Arabs are descendants of Ishmael, while the Jews are descendants of Isaac.
I don’t want to paint with too broad a brush because I understand that not all Arabs and Jews hate each other.
But if I understand Scripture correctly, as a whole, the hostility between the two nations will exist until the Lord returns and establishes His kingdom. In fact, the Lord told Hagar that her son “will be a wild man; his hand [will be] against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren” (Genesis 16:12).
That said, however, we should still pray for those on both sides who have already suffered and will suffer greatly.
Though Hamas must be dealt with, let’s not forget the innocent women and children among them.
