We are in the 22nd day now of the war, and voices are rising on both sides regarding how it should go. Those insisting that the outcome must lead to two states are completely, even deliberately blind to the reality of the last 76 years, not to mention the enormity of the infiltration and atrocity of Oct 7 within Israeli territory. Those who defend or support Hamas for what they carried out that day have lost a moral compass, whatever they may otherwise think regarding Israel, the Jewish people, the quest for ‘justice and peace’. Most Palestinians and Gazans have expressed for many years, at least until now, preference for Hamas over the Palestinian Authority leadership under Mahmud Abbas (Abu Mazen). Despite their enslavement under oppressive regimes, this is the way of the religion in which they live.
May they look for hope in the true God, who is the God of Israel, who is the God of Isaac and not of Ishmael, who is the God of Jacob and not of Esau/Edom, the God who is a Father and has a Son, and through Him many sons and daughters, including from among those of Ishmaelite and Edomite descent. (Ex 3:13-17; Lk 20:37-38)
The heart-felt emotions for the release of the hostages (now being numbered at 229, but there are 4 more that are hardly referred to: 2 dead soldiers from 2014, and two living civilians), before any ground invasion by Israel, or even instead of any ground incursion, is the moral dilemma facing Israel: to put the return of all of the captives, without exception (no “selection” by age or gender), as the highest priority; or, to decisively defeat an enemy that would do again what it has done now, if given another opportunity, whether or not all of the hostages — both dead and alive — are rescued. When one has a very personal vested interest, and not only a national interest in the stakes, it can be ‘very personal’. We serve an awesome God, and I, for one, am glad that the destiny of every human being — both temporally and eternally — is in His hands and righteous judgment. He killed 185,000 Assyrians in one night when they blasphemed YHVH, the living God of Hezekiah, King of Israel, claiming that their god was greater than YHVH. Does this not sound familiar with the Islamic cry, “Allah is greater!” Greater than who?! Their creed is not to be interpreted as, “God is great!” Which God? Not even as, “Allah is great!” Who is Allah? And who do they mean when they are actually saying that he is ‘greater‘? (2Kgs 19; Acts 19:23-41)
May God have mercy and do “this, and that”: defeat the enemy, and rescue all of the hostages, without any “deals” to please Hamas. Qatar is not an innocent intermediary in their offers to help release hostages. Many of you know Qatar mostly by their name appearing on jerseys of one of the best football/soccer teams, whose #10 was/is the idol of many. Its name also shows up on major tennis competitions, and for their airline. Qatar sponsors Hamas, paying them billions to supposedly rebuild their country from the destruction following Hamas’ wars against Israel. As any Muslim country, Qatar’s sympathies do not lie with Israel, other than from whatever pragmatic agreements might be reached, until such time as they show their true colors. YHVH says that He will bring every nation against Jerusalem/Israel — city, nation, people, land — and He will judge them there. Yet, for now, His hand is still outstretched to save whomsoever will repent and believe the good news of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God.
Israel, as in the times before Messiah came, is putting its hopes and trust in regimes and parties that the prophets of YHVH constantly warned and rebuked them for. Can Israel and the Jewish people take God’s protection for granted? What will it look like during the time of Jacob’s Trouble? Yet, praise His holy name, YHVH is a covenant-keeping God, whose word can not, and will not, fail: all Israel (not, all Jacob) will be saved! Were those people at the pagan love-fest on Oct 7 worse sinners than others in Israel? Yeshua warns us that lest we repent from our sinfulness we will likewise perish. The shofars/trumpets are blowing. Do you hear the sound? Our Father is in the business of redeeming and saving of Jews and Arabs, turning enemies into brothers and sisters and friends. We can not choose our family, but we can choose to be friends.
This war has all the makings of vengeance: Many Israelis and Jews want to act out of vengeance to destroy and eliminate all of the Gazans; Hamas and their like believe that vengeance is their god’s business for them against infidels and unbelievers. For YHVH, He, too, will avenge the blood of His saints, but it is His “strange work”, that He does not take pleasure in, but will do it in order to rid His Kingdom of all who refuse to learn and to faithfully obey and trust in Him, who has now shown His love by His blood of atonement shed as the price of the New Covenant. (Is 28) Vengeance belongs to Him, He tells His people. We are to wait for Him, in His wisdom, in His righteousness, by His Spirit, so that no “innocents” are victims. (Dt 32:23-43 — the song of Moses; Rev 15:1-4 — the song of Moses and of the Lamb)
It is very interesting to me to see that the prayers of the saints referred to in the Revelation, which God will answer in due time, are mostly prayers seeking God’s righteous judgment over evil and evil-doers. (Rev 8:1-6) Many of the prayers of the OT saints, and in the NT, call upon God to avenge His people, and to demonstrate to their enemies that YHVH is the only true God. How long, O LORD, until you save us from our enemies, and remove those who blaspheme you and persecute your people. (Ps 94; Rev 6:9-11) The woman who persisted in praying for justice from an uncaring judge is used by Yeshua/Jesus to teach us to persevere in prayer until His righteous judgments come; and He asks, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find the faith on the Earth?” (Lk 18:1-8) Will we still believe, as things seem to be completely unraveling and evil seeming to be prevailing, that the Lord will return in great power and glory to judge all of His enemies, and to save all who have kept their hope and trust in His Word, loving Him with all our hearts, souls, mind, and strength?
(A siren is going off now for incoming rockets. I hope to return to finish this after going down to our bomb shelter.)
(Thankfully, we did not have any rockets, or shrapnel, fall into our own neighborhood.)
Israel increased and intensified its bombing of known terror command centers in Gaza, and has also shown to “the world” proof of how Hamas uses even hospitals to house terrorist command centers under hospitals! Under laws of war, this is both a war crime on their part to deliberately endanger patients and medical staff and civilians, but, by doing so, making it a lawful target for Israel to bomb it. We do not know, of course, if Hamas is also intentionally keeping some, or all, of the hostages in these underground tunnels, so that they would be killed by a possible Israeli attack. What we can be assured of, though, is that Hamas, and the media would make Israel the guilty party of committing “crimes against humanity”, when it is the enemy who is. This is part of the moral dilemma facing us, and also of great concern to the families of those being held hostage.
