1 Kings 16:20-21 All
the people left from the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites,
Hivites and Jebusites (these peoples were not Israelites), that
is, their descendants remaining in the land, whom the
Israelites could not exterminate--these Solomon
conscripted for his slave labor force, as it is to this day.
The current explosive situation in
Gaza is affecting the entire world politically, economically, and even
spiritually. Ever since the establishment of the Jewish State in 1948,
Palestinian refugees have posed a large scale humanitarian problem. Prior to
1948, the British maintained the government on a colonial basis which was set
up after World War 1. When Britain left the Palestine Protectorate, both the Jordanians
and Jews carved territory for themselves, ousting the Palestinians from both
sides of the River Jordan.
War was inevitable between Jews and
Arabs, with the Palestinians often being caught in the middle. Bigger Arab
States like Syria and Egypt tried to eliminate Israel, but they were beaten
back on several occasions by Israeli forces. Throughout the following decades,
the situation worsened, which meant that the whole region became ripe for
terrorist groups to take over the leadership of the displaced Palestinians.
Extermination is a terrible word,
but the region has experienced it on many occasions. In today’s passage (1 Kings 9:20-28) we sadly read about the
extermination of regional peoples and the enslavement of the remnant by the ancient
Israelite nation. Throughout the centuries, extermination of the regional
people – whether Philistine or Israelite – continued through the barbarism of
the Egyptians, Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Islamists, and
Crusaders. Rural Palestinians and Jewish communities were often uprooted,
attacked, and slaughtered at the hands of invaders. Sadly, much of the history
of the whole Holy Land region has been anything but holy: ‘Inhumanity Land’ may
be a more appropriate term.
So what can we do about the current
crisis? What can Christians do to help? Praying for peace helps, but until
extremists on both sides lose their power over the masses of the people, the
ceasefires will always be broken and the wickedness of war will be prevalent.
We should choose to be neutral and
be wary of propaganda from both conflicting sides. When we pass on
unsubstantiated reports or heavily support one side over the other, we are not
promoting peace: we are just escalating and expanding the conflict. If we truly
follow the Prince of Peace, then we need to do our best not to get caught up in
the conflict. Cooler heads and sincere prayers, humanitarian support and
expressing the truth are what is needed. Children on both sides of the divide
cannot sleep because they are afraid of war, and of one another. That fear
escalates into hatred where ignorance, falsehoods, and propaganda are
unchecked. As Christians, we need to find a better way than continuing the bitter
wickedness.
Questions for personal reflection
What do I truly
know and understand about the present conflict between Israelis and Palestinians?
Are my sources of information unbiased?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, we pray for both the Palestinian
and Israeli people. We ask for a cease fire to be resumed quickly and accepted
by both sides. We pray for the protection of innocents, as well as for strong compassionate
leaders to emerge from both sides who will truly seek peace instead of war, justice instead of
revenge, conciliation instead of conflict. Help us to do whatever we can by
seeking truth over propaganda, as well as providing aid instead of arms. In
Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.
John
Stuart is the pastor of Erin Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like
to comment on today’s message or ask questions, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.
Today’s
image is John’s Siochain Celtic Cross. Siochain is an ancient Gaelic word for
peace. The cross depicted has the Holy Spirit descending as the Dove of Peace.
If you would like to view a larger version, please click the following link: Siochain
Cross.
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