NEVE DEKALIM, Gaza Strip (Aug. 15) - Tearful Jewish settlers locked gates at their communities, formed human chains and burned tires to block troops from delivering eviction notices Monday as Israel began to pull out from the Gaza Strip after 38 years of occupation. Read more here.A pastor I knew once traveled to Israel a few years ago. He came back with the startling revelation (at least, it was to me) that Israel was not predominantly Jewish anymore. Instead, he said, they are mostly atheists. Apparently, it would appear from the previous news report, that the inhabitants of Gaza must be predominantly Jewish, because they cling to the idea that the land in which they are now living is still the "Promised Land".
In the Bible we are told that the Israelites were led, by God, via Moses, into Canaan, the location which is present day Israel. Over the centuries, the Jews have been scattered over the Earth by those who would seek to destroy and decimate them.
If you simply read through, without even studying, the Old Testament, it becomes clear that the Jews must indeed be the chosen People. Of all the ancient peoples and civilizations that have been destroyed and displaced over the centuries, the ones remaining to this day are the Jews. Why?
Because the Jews are God's chosen people. Time and time again, the Jews have abandoned God and time after time, God has welcomed them back and forgiven them their transgressions.
They are the only people to whom God has promised protection and they are the only people that have continued to snub their collective noses at God, but God has continued to keep His promise to them regardless.
Now, the Jews are once again suffering the consequences of turning their backs on the One that protects them. They are losing the land that God has promised them.
Some might ask, "What's the big deal? If they have to move, move, and get it over with."
Some might say that.
I might say that, myself, if I did not know something of their history. As for myself, I once moved all the way from Kansas City, KS. to this small village in Western Maryland for something as unimportant as a woman, (thereby raising the aggregate IQ of both states) so, I am not one to judge.
But the Jews know that this is their land, and whatever happens to them in the next millennia or so, they will get it back.
The point is this: Gaza belongs to the Jews. It has belonged to them since Joshua fought the battle of Jericho. God gave it to them. Sure, Palestine and Egypt and others have laid claim to the land before, and still claim it to be theirs, but nevertheless, the land belongs to the Jews. It always will, and no matter what the Palestinians or the Egyptians or anyone else says, Gaza is Israel's.
So, Palestine has it now, but this battle is far from over. The time will come, as it invariably and inevitably does, that Israel will return to God and he will once again forgive them and bless them, and once again, Gaza will be theirs.
But not without a lot more bloodshed on both sides.
UPDATE: I discovered a pretty good blog today, check it out here.
12 comments:
Except, of course, by the time they got back there, it wasn't their land anymore.
The Israeli government spent so much time in the last twenty years encouraging Jewish settlers to move to land that was not theirs to settle, the fact that this is happening at all is amazing. Partitions are always painful (India and Pakistan still aren't over theirs'), and all I can hope is that the nuts aren't running the show on this one.
But when aren't they?
"Except, of course, by the time they got back there, it wasn't their land anymore."
Bachelor, you need to read the Old Testament. You don't have to study it. All you have to do is read it. It would help you understand that no matter who SAYS they own that land, it belongs to Israel.
Mark, the problem with Isreal, the Gaza strip, and the whole Isreali/Palestinian situation is that both sides have a legitimate claim on that piece of land, according to the Old Testament.
God promised that land to the seed of Abraham.
Well, at the time that God promised this, Abraham had no children, and his wife, Sarah was barren. Abraham got tired of waiting on God, and decided to take matters into his own hands. He took a concubine, (Hagar,)and had a son, Ishmael. (Gen 16, v.1-16)
The modern day Isrealis are the descendants of Isaac, and the modern day Palistinians are the descendants of Ishmael.
God has promised the land of Isreal to both sides, and the Bible says that there will never be peace in the Middle East while the World stands.
It would be great if a solution could be reached, But I have it on good authority that this will never happen...
If Pakistan has the land now, there will be serious ramifications. I think you meant Palestine, Mark.
Tug, God promised the land to Abraham's seed, that is true, but Sarai was God's intended wife for Abraham, therefore Isaac is the true heir to the land of Canaan. Ishmael was, and is a usurper.
I neglected to add in this post, the similarity between Israel's concession by compromise and Jacobs selling of his birthright. In a very real way, Israel has sold her Birthright to the Palestinians.
Thanks, Francis, for pointing that out. I fixed it.
To me, what is heart-breaking about the evictions is that the settlers are being told to leave their homes in the name of improved security for Israel.
I fear that the road map to peace won't lead to what's promised.
A Palestinian state won't mean an end to the bloodshed.
Maybe I'm just being too pessimistic tonight, but I think it's hopeless.
I'm a staunch defender of the Israeli state, but no one has a right to any land........Every nation must perpetually defend itself, or it's right to exist will be taken away by someone with more "will to exist."
Such is the brutal reality of the history of the world.........Has always been the case, and will always be the case.
That said, I can't believe Israel is giving up its land......Makes me think their "will" is dropping at the false hope of peace. --> Peace at any cost.
How long do you think it will be before the Palestinians demand a connection of the West Bank and Gaza?? Which is impossible as long as Israel exists, but it's coming. --> Maybe Israel can give them a strip of land right through the heart of the country to link the two...........UGH!!
The Palestinians have been chanting to throw the Jews into the Sea for decades. It almost seams as though the Jews are walking themselves right out to the water on their own......This time I doubt the waters will part.
The whole thing makes me sick.........And I'm not a Jew.
That was my point, Mary.
The Bible says that there will be no peace there while the world stands.
Hopeless.
Part of me wants America to remember that we are Capitalists, and pull everything out of that area that has an american flag on it, and then sell arms to BOTH SIDES until there is no one left alive over there, But I know that we cannot do that...
That would be morally wrong.
Ya know the Captain might have a point..........Of course it would be wrong though.
Unfortunately, its going to happen anyway, and they'll both get plenty of weapons from the French, Germans, Chinese, etc.......
Look, I don't want to be some sort of secular humanist heathen here, but you know that the bible isn't international law, right?
And that maybe just maybe if the Palestinians have the land that was their ancestors' land back, maybe that will indeed make things better?
Cap'n, you're the only one not being scary about this one. Tell the rest of them, please!
Yeah, giving land to the nutjobs in Hamas will really make them see the light:
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2005-08-20T122953Z_01_MOL044922_RTRIDST_0_INTERNATIONAL-MIDEAST-HAMAS-DC.XML
" 'Gaza is not Palestine,' a masked spokesman for Hamas's armed wing told a news conference in Gaza City.
'As for Jerusalem and the West Bank, we will seek to liberate them by resistance just as the Gaza Strip was liberated,' said the spokesman, surrounded by gunmen and militants with rocket launchers."
My judgement on this is that they have handed the Palestineans a major victory because, and this point is important, no concessions have been demanded of the Palestineans. None. Most of them are celebrating their "liberation" from the efforts of their "martyrs".
My question here is this: where are the other Islamic countries? If they are really so concerned with the plight of the Palestineans, why don't they accept them as citizens of their countries? Or do they enjoy having a buffer state of desperately poor people to use against the hated Zionists more? I can see parrallels between this situation and the one involving the ROK, the DPRK and Red China.
This will do nothing to stop the terror from the islamofascists in Palestine. Remember, these people are taught to hate Jews from a real young age.
I would go one step further and raze every building to the ground in Gaza prior to handing it over. Let's see if the Palestineans can make the desert bloom as the Isrealis did. Something makes me doubt it.
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