Israel and Palestine: Sorting through the Pieces
Three months ago, Hamas attacked Israeli families in their homes and neighborhoods, committing atrocities of such extremity that it left us in shock. They butchered people, mocking the suffering of those they attacked, kidnapped, and abused. In the days that followed, Muslims rallied behind the Palestinians, Christians, and much of Western society rallied behind Israel in a predictable set of allegiances. Anti-semitic rallies gripped college campuses while various faith groups and churches began to fly Israeli flags and counter-protest. Israel responded to the attack with a 3-month-long war and invasion, and that conflict has headlined the news ever since.
Several people have asked me to comment on this, and my frequent response has been, “That’s a very long conversation because it’s much more complicated than you want to believe.” And it is. It has a political answer, but it also has a spiritual and ethical set of answers as well.
We hear the term “Israel,” and we immediately read it through a spiritual filter related to the Old Covenant scriptures. I want to point out Jim Denison’s great description of the issues as a much better resource. Jim is a prominent scholar and pastoral friend whom I have depended on for many years. Less than this is to cheat you out of important information.
But at its core, this is the problem with quick answers: “Israel means MANY things.” Politically, Israel is a nation-state that pursues geopolitical goals as a nation. But Israel is also a conglomeration of various religious identities and various ethnic groups. You can have an atheistic Iraeli whose pursuit of justice has nothing to do with faith in God but has everything to do with faith in their government or ethnic identity. You can also have a Messianic Jew seeking justice as a function of their faith in Christ and the framework of the Gospel.
On the other side of this terrible conflict are the political, ethnic, and spiritual groups that occupy Gaza. The political terrorist group we know as Hamas is determined to dislodge and destroy Israel (in all of its expressions). It sees this as a holy war between Islam and Israel, as well as an ethnic conflict and international debacle. And they hold every citizen who is part of a democracy in support of Israel as “enemy combatants.” In their thinking, there are no military and civilian divisions in democracy. So, to attack a child in that democracy is justified in their thinking.
The demonstrations we have seen typically pit Muslims who stand with Palestinians against Jewish and Christian groups who stand with Israel. I am neither anti-semitic nor anti-Arabic. I believe Jesus came to rescue Jews and Gentiles and grieves the loss of life of every kind. He abhors the heinous actions of the terrorists who struck Israel, but He also abhors the terrible price of pain paid by people who had no role in those actions.
Truly, friends, it’s a complex mess of emotions, allegiances, and warfare.
HOW DO WE PRAY?
Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem–it is torn by conflict from every side, and God has revealed an intimate love for His people. Even though many who call themselves “Israelites” have abandoned any faith expression in God, people matter to God.
Pray for actions that honor God–that the desire for vengeance would be shaped by justice and ethical action. Every soldier faces a decision of whether to act justly or vengefully (and those are different.)
Pray for the hostages held in Gaza and for the thousands of Palestinian families who are not supporters of Hamas but who are facing the consequences of the terrible attack that started this war. They are facing overwhelming circumstances of starvation, trauma, and death. And God wants to redeem them, too!