Modern-day Israel is a tiny country (approximately the size of New Jersey). About 6.5 million Jews live in the country, along with 1.8 million Arabs and four hundred thousand others.
Hamas controls the Gaza Strip to the southwest and is pledged to the destruction of Israel. Hezbollah (a proxy of Iran) controls Lebanon to the north and is pledged to the same. Iran continually calls for Israel’s destruction.
In the face of such threats, the Israeli people are remarkably resilient. If you had been traveling with me this week, you would have encountered a vibrant culture on the cutting edge of technological innovation. The people are passionately committed to their nation and will do whatever it takes to defend themselves.
I pray daily for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6). But I also pray daily for the Palestinian people. Our group traveled to Bethlehem Wednesday to visit the Church of the Incarnation and meet some dear Palestinian friends with whom I have worked on study tours for many years. These friends are committed Christians; their people deserve to live in peace and security as well.
The most important battle in this world
How will lasting peace come to the conflicted region?
That’s not for me to determine. But I can say this: true peace is impossible apart from the Prince of Peace.
The greatest need in Israel is for her people to make Jesus their Messiah and Lord. The greatest need for the Palestinian people is for them to make Isa (Arabic for Jesus) their Savior and Lord.
As political vitriol in the US and the Brexit controversy in the UK illustrate, no nation has been or will ever be free from conflict and turmoil. But Christians are fighting a different battle:
“Though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3–5).
The most important battle in this world is not for this world but for the next.
President Trump endorsed Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights yesterday, marking what the Wall Street Journal calls a “sharp U.S. policy shift.” The move came during US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to Israel and before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the White House next week.
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Jim Denison, Ph.D., speaks and writes on cultural and contemporary issues. He is a trusted author and subject matter expert in areas where faith and current events intersect. His Daily Article provides leading insight for discerning today’s news from a biblical perspective.
