The Palestinians
I will, I have to, from time to time deal with the unchristian aspects of this coming election. I hope it will challenge us all. Another teaching moment surfaced this past week. One of the candidates, Newt Gingrich, was evangelized by his then mistress, and now wife, and he became a Roman Catholic. He was a nominal Southern Baptist.
During an interview on an Israeli news outlet, Gingrich called the Palestinian issue “invented” and rejected their right to form a nation for themselves. He suggested they should have assimilated in other countries. I do not care about the political issue here, I want to address the spiritual aspects of the situation in the Middle East as well as exposing Gingrich’s attitude as unchristian and shockingly arrogant.
When Britain gave the land to the Jews there were approximately 750,000 Palestinians living in what is now Israel. Perhaps 50% fled for various reasons, and when the first Israeli government was formed they passed laws which hindered those Palestinians from returning to their homes. It was a real mess.
Now we as evangelical believers have been taught that the 1948 formation of the Jewish state was a fulfillment of prophecy, and perhaps it is. But in this church age we are not to align ourselves with any group, political or ethnic, but we are to be vessels of redemption. The notion that God has no regard for the plight of the Palestinians is very unbiblical and misrepresents the Redeemer and His mission.
Prophetic realities aside, we seem to forget that unsaved Jews are as fallen and self serving as unsaved Gentiles. The nation of Israel is not always right, and like every other nation on earth they do not always deal with people with compassion. But the church must always have a compassionate element in all we do and say. But politics sucks the life out of everything spiritual.
And so you end up with this man, or any man, committing adultery that culminates with marriage, but pompously addressing the plight of the Palestinians as callously as if they were pieces on a checker board. And much of the evangelical world cares little for them at all, and basically supports the secular nation of Israel in whatever it chooses to do. And yes, I believe the Scriptures clearly give a future vision where God fulfills His covenant with Abraham and most, if not all, of the living Jews believe on Christ. But until then we as believers now must follow Him and not Israel.
How can we say we love Jesus and yet are respecters of persons? If you were born a Palestinian, and you have heard your grandfather tell how he lost everything in 1948, would you be bitter against the Jews? Of course you would. The Palestinians need Christ, just as do the Jews. But watch as all these politicians pontificate about Middle East policies, and watch as they all attempt to outdo each other in their support for Israel.
And when you hear all this bombastic rabble, and when you see all the speech that exalts a nation and not the Christ, remember this:
Col.1:18 - 18And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
If it isn’t redemptive it isn’t Christ.
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3 comments:
So well said!!
I found this article over at Sola Dei Gloria and decided to comment.
Just to be slightly pedantic and to correct Rick Frueh, Britain didn’t give Palestine to the Zionists. Britain handed the whole issue over to the United Nations as it was too crippled after WWII to deal with Zionist terrorism in Palestine and was too embarrassed to deal with the fact that it had promised Palestinian self determination in what is now known as The McMahon – Hussain Correspondence. The Sykes – Picot agreement is another of the dastardly plans of the British, where Britain and France divided the Ottoman ruled Arab nations between them. Hence Palestine is known as ‘The Thrice Promised Land’.
Here’s the real kicker. The United Nations actually didn’t give Palestine to the Zionists. The General Assembly approved the Partition Plan. The Partition Plan was effectively a report carried out without any consultation whatsoever with Palestinians or indeed any other Arab nation or authority. In addition to this, UN General Assembly Resolutions are not binding. Israel use this every time when a resolution is found against them.
However, that was good enough for the Zionists and because of Holocaust shame the world felt at the time, no one was going to argue. The Zionist effectively got told they were going to get a bike for Christmas, so they just went to the store and shoplifted it.
So in essence, Israel was founded illegitimately. I’m not saying Israel is illegitimate. The facts are on the ground, but the point I’m making is that to suggest that Palestine is an invention is abhorrent in itself, but the facts of Israel’s founding makes it doubly so and it is important that people understand that the founding of Israel was a huge wrongdoing to the indigenous people of Palestine, and the world is responsible for this.
(And breathe…….)
I understood the facts surrounding the land, but I shortened the history.(i.e. Britain gave it to them)
"that the founding of Israel was a huge wrongdoing to the indigenous people of Palestine, and the world is responsible for this."
Yes, but the wrongdoings done the Jews over the centuries is at least comparable. But as I said, the politics of it all was not the point of my post. But I would suggest that if we champion the Jews over the Palestinains, or vice versa, we are in violation of our Christian principles.
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