Remembering October 7, 2023

One year ago, terror attacks against Israel reignited the flames of conflict in the Middle East, leading to tens of thousands dead, much destruction, and spiraling instability. Speaking to my Christian readers, let me be clear from the start…

As we mark this grim anniversary, it’s important to approach this as Christians.

That means we are to pray, love our neighbors, love even our enemies, and desire peace.

• “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.” (Psalm 122:6)

• “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.” (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

• “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” (Matthew 22:39)

• “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;” (Matthew 5:44)

• “Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.” (1 Peter 3:11)

Therefore, I’m not coming at this with any axe to grind or agenda to push other than to speak as a Christian. On that note…It’s tempting as Christians, especially those of us (like me) who:

• love the Bible
• love America
• believe that democratic governments are better than the alternative, and
• hold to a generally dispensationalist view of the end times

…to instinctively line up with Israel and oppose all those who are against her. I get that, especially given the Abrahamic Covenant:

“And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3, KJV)

However, and this is important…

While I believe this covenant is still true, this covenant didn’t mean that Abraham, Isaac, and their descendants would always be correct in everything they did. Nor does it abrogate the biblical commands to put God first and to pursue what is right. And that means…

You’re not in violation of the Abrahamic Covenant if you disagree with a policy or action taken by the modern Israeli government.

“Wait! Are you saying Israel is wrong in this?”

Look at it this way… the Allies were the “good guys” in World War II, but that doesn’t mean everything the Allies did in World War II was good. Got it?

In the Book of Judges, Samson was the “good guy” and the Philistines were the “bad guys.” Right? But… if you’re going to tell me that Samson was right in everything he said and did, I’m going to look at you like you forgot to take your mental health medication.

The Bible is honest about when God’s people fall short and mess up. In that spirit, we’re not doing our friends, family, our country, Israel, or ourselves any favors if we ignore or overlook our faults and exclusively focus on the faults of others. And in this case…

We have to acknowledge that, since its reestablishment in 1948, the Israeli government hasn’t always made the right decisions. Thus, when it comes to the pursuit of peace, please don’t take the position that Israel doesn’t carry some responsibility in that endeavor.

What’s more, we as Christians can’t be so pro-Israel that we forget about those living in the Middle East who (regardless of their political or social views) do not support Hamas, Hezbollah, or any other terrorist organization. And yet they are caught up in this carnage. We also have to remember our brothers and sisters in Christ living in the war zone. There are Christians in Gaza and Lebanon.

Now…

All that having been said…

Though I’m aware Israel hasn’t always made the right choices and that we should be compassionate to ALL those caught up in the escalating Middle East conflicts…

On this 1-year anniversary of October 7, 2023, let’s not overlook, obfuscate, or try to deny the obvious, which is…

Israel was unjustly and savagely attacked one year ago on this day. They were attacked by terrorists who murdered, raped, abused, and tortured civilians — and who took hostages (many of whom have still not been released).

And they were attacked by a terrorist organization — Hamas — that has pledged to destroy them! This is explicitly stated in the Hamas Covenant (or Charter) of 1988, where Hamas calls for the establishment of an Islamic state in all of historic Palestine, rejecting the existence of Israel. Article 13 of the charter explicitly states that there is no peaceful solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict except through jihad (holy war) and that the land of Palestine cannot be surrendered to Israel. Although Hamas has made revisions in more recent documents, including a 2017 political statement, it has never formally renounced its commitment to Israel’s destruction.

The war in the Middle East has now expanded to include Hezbollah, which has also pledged itself to Israel’s destruction. Hezbollah’s founding ideology, as outlined in its 1985 Open Letter, calls for the elimination of Israel and views the establishment of an Islamic state in Lebanon as part of its broader goal to resist Israeli influence and presence in the region. The group sees Israel as an illegitimate state and has engaged in numerous military confrontations with Israel.

Whatever your views may be of Benjamin Netanyahu or the Israeli government…

It’s a fact that Israel is battling enemies who want to destroy them.

It’s difficult to negotiate, in good faith, with an enemy who wants to kill you and wipe out your country! Very, very difficult.

Not only that, but…

Hamas wants to maximize human casualties. They use civilians as shields. This should be breathtakingly obvious– I mean, they took hostages, didn’t they!!?? But not just that, they use their own people as shields!

If Hamas stepped out from the civilian population in Gaza and fought a straight-up fight with the Israeli Defense Forces, this conflict would already be over. They know that, so… they don’t fight “fair.” They fight in a way to maximize civilian deaths and international pressure on Israel.

The allegation that Israel is pursuing a policy of genocide is absurd. If genocide is what they wanted, they would clear all their troops out of Gaza and carpet-bomb the entire region to oblivion. Then bulldoze the bodies and the rubble aside and start rebuilding. They are NOT doing this, however, and that should tell you something.

Please don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying I like what’s happening in the Middle East. One civilian death is one too many. I truly want peace to come…yesterday! But exaggerated and slanderous accusations won’t help anything. We have to look at this with sober minds.

And here’s another sobering reality…

Over the past year, we’ve seen a disturbing resurgence of antisemitic rhetoric, not just in the Middle East but across the world, including in the West. Protests that begin as critiques of Israeli policy often devolve into outright hostility toward Jewish people. This is not a new phenomenon, but it’s one that seems to be growing stronger, and it should concern all of us.

Why is it that Israel, a small nation surrounded by enemies, draws such disproportionate anger? Why does criticism of Israel so often cross the line into hatred of Jews?

May I submit that what Paul says about spiritual warfare in Ephesians has something to do with it? I believe Satan and his demonic forces are real, and I believe they hate the Jewish people. They also hate Christians. Anything God loves, they hate.

The Bible tells us that the Jewish people are deeply significant in God’s plan, and history shows us that they have faced persecution and oppression for centuries. Unfortunately, this age-old prejudice is rearing its ugly head once again, sometimes under the guise of political critique, but often revealing itself as something much darker.

We as Christians need to be clear: there is no justification for terrorism or murder.

The attacks that took place one year ago were acts of terror, plain and simple. No amount of grievance or perceived injustice can justify the deliberate killing of innocents. Terrorism, by its very nature, seeks to instill fear and chaos, and it is an affront to both human dignity and the values we hold dear as followers of Christ.

At the same time, I know that the suffering of Palestinians is real. Many live in desperate conditions, and their cries of pain should not be ignored. But the immediate political solution to this war is for Hamas to surrender and the people of Gaza to fully renounce Hamas and any design or aim to eradicate Israel. At the conclusion of the war, Israel needs to take a look at its settlement policies and whether more can be done for the people of Palestine.

I pray for the peace of Jerusalem (as commanded in Scripture) and I pray for a relief of suffering for all people. I pray that everyone living in the Middle East can enjoy peace, even though I know true peace won’t come until Jesus returns. Nevertheless, while we’re here, we should be peacemakers to the extent that we can. We should seek peace and pursue it (Psalm 34:14).

As Christians, we must stand against terrorism in all its forms, defend the dignity of life, and reject the rising tide of antisemitism. And we must also seek to be peacemakers in a world that desperately needs hope.

God bless you!

To help those suffering and displaced by the conflict…

• Send Relief: Israel-Hamas War

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect those of the members of the church I serve, although I certainly hope everyone at Olney Baptist Church is praying for peace and an end to terrorism.