Tag: War

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Israel is still relevant to God’s story.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

For in that day,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will break the yoke from their necks and snap their chains. Foreigners will no longer be their masters. For my people will serve the Lord their God and their king descended from David— the king I will raise up for them. “So do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant; do not be dismayed, Israel,” says the Lord. “For I will bring you home again from distant lands, and your children will return from their exile. Israel will return to a life of peace and quiet, and no one will terrorize them. For I am with you and will save you,” says the Lord. “I will completely destroy the nations where I have scattered you, but I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you, but with justice; I cannot let you go unpunished. ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭30‬:‭8‬-‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I say it ALL THE TIME – God’s stories are very long!

Whether I read an ancient text like this one in Jeremiah, written almost 3000 years ago, or I read the promises made to Abraham close to 5000 years ago – it does not matter. God stories are long stories. Yet time has no bearing on His promises, they are always fulfilled.

When God, apocalyptically tells Jeremiah the future, it can have immediate results as well as future applications at the same time. God did bring them back then and God will bring them back again! Jeremiah was writing to a rebellious, yet broken nation. Today, Jeremiah still speaks to a stubborn, yet broken nation.

What is it about Israel that makes it so controversial, so complicated? Is it truly because God declare the country to be His? And Jerusalem to be the object lesson of God’s faithfulness? Israel is such a small country, with 8,630 sq. miles and a population of about 9 million people. On the topic of ownership, the Israeli state was declared in 1948. Not only did God gift Abraham the land, but also bought the portions of the land legally and legitimately. There are several ancient transactions recorded in Genesis 13:15-17, and David’s purchase of the temple mount in 2 Samuel 24:18-25. Plus, the entire area known now as Israel was barren and almost worthless when Israel took it over in 1948, It is no secret that the Jewish people turned the dessert into a paradise! The Jewish people even resurrected a dead language that hadn’t been spoken for 2,000 years – Hebrew!

Israel’s GDP was $522.03B in 2022. They are the top in the field of agriculture, health, science, medical advancement, military weaponry and technology. Many of the best and brightest minds in the world are Israelites! The very long story has still yet to be fulfilled.

The Jewish people will one day recognize Jesus as their messiah! And God promises, through passages just like this one, that He will bring all His people back their land. They have been scattered all over the world, but they will return. They have been reviled, tortured and killed, but God still has His eye on His people and the promises made to ancient desert fathers, like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will be fulfilled in modern times. Israel is still in the news because Israel is still waiting for the completion of all things, the end of days!

Prayer

Dad,
It is so heartbreaking to see the violence of war perpetrated on the folks in Israel and the Palestinian people. It is gut wrenching to watch the innocent be caught up in the mayhem and destruction of life, homes, businesses, schools and hospitals. We are a violent people at heart, especially when we wander from you and seek our own way. The struggle and deep seated hatred and anger is too complex for me to even understand. But, I know in all of this terror, you are at work to fulfill your promises, even extending life and freedom to those who behave as enemies towards you, if they would turn their heart towards you.

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The gift of God’s liberator.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

I, the Lord, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness. I will take you by the hand and guard you, and I will give you to my people, Israel, as a symbol of my covenant with them. And you will be a light to guide the nations. You will open the eyes of the blind. You will free the captives from prison, releasing those who sit in dark dungeons. ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭42‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Story of God has always been about making promises and His ability to keep them. From the very beginning, God promised that He would personally repair and restore the breach that humans made and He has consistently done that ever since creation began.

Isaiah is filled with future-casting the Messiah, the savior, the liberator for humankind. These particular prophetic-promises come into view at two very popular holiday seasons: Christmas and Easter, winter and spring. This spring, 2024, our world is experiencing enormous chaos. We have a two global conflicts or wars simultaneously happening. One in the Ukraine, the other in Israel. Russia, wanting to reclaim Ukraine, invaded the country in February, 2022 and it continues on today. Hamas, a terrorist organization, invaded Israel in October 2023 and it also continues on today. Plus, the always struggling nation of Haiti has recently been taken over by Haitian Gangs, who closed the entire country! On top of all that, the U.S. is heading towards yet another highly divided presidential election in just a few months and we are still trying to climb out of the effects of the 2020 pandemic. Nothing is the same and no one has any idea what the future holds for our world in crisis.

Celebrating Resurrection Sunday this year in the United States, means doing so with a massive exodus of those who have left the Church because of “church hurts,” or “deconstruction” of their faith. God knew there would be cycles of darkness and deep disturbances in human affairs. When the promise of the Messiah arrived at the turn of the calendar from B.C. (Before Christ) to A.D. (Anno Domini), it was very tumultuous. And, by the time Jesus became of age to officially become a Rabbi in the Jewish faith, Rome had bullied their way into what the citizens considered to be peace (Pax Romana).

The cost for peace was enormous and the social, religious experiment of a pan-theistic belief system was constantly on the brink of revolt. The Jews were itching for a champion, a warrior like King David to reclaim their country and God-given right to their own land and way of life. Even the early church, completely believed in Jesus’ resurrection, but persecution and mayhem was so horrific they also believed He was returning soon!

Our world has gone through many cycles of desperate despair to the exhilaration of hope that the end has come! We are in another cycle right now! Yet, with each plunge into apparent chaos, there is simultaneously a search for God, for meaning, even for eternity. That time is now! The story of God’s liberation and promise-keeping ability gives us hope. We may all be in a perpetual, even cyclical Good Friday, but God always has a glorious resurrection Sunday coming. Behold God comes… always… to make all things new!

Prayer

Dad.
Our lives may be filled with trauma-troughs, ruts and pits of pain, sin and suffering, but even then You are with us. And, in each and every dark moment, or sunless season, you bring peace and comfort to our hearts. Thou art with me! Even in those down-cycles of fear and the unknown, you can lift me out of the depressions of what is seen all around me to the vistas of your view, your perspective and your plans. Thank you God, for you are my refuge and my hope.

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Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Reading Time: < 1 minute

“Remember your promise to me; it is my only hope. Your promise revives me; it comforts me in all my troubles.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭119‬:‭49‬-‭50‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Coming home to a devastated land. Painstakingly rebuilding the second temple in ancient Jerusalem. The Second Temple served as the central place of Jewish worship, ritual sacrifice, and communal gathering for Jews. At the dedication of the temple Ezra reads from the law as the people rebuild their hope in God. This brief verse in Psalm 119, written by Ezra is a reminder that God makes and keeps His word. Today, even while Israel is at war, I must remember that God is still at work. Every time something of this magnitude takes place in Israel, every believer in Jesus knows we are watching signs of the end times happening. Psalm 122:6 instructs us “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you be secure.” And so, we pray!

Prayer

Dad,
War is never good. The loss of innocence lives, sacrificed to years of deep anger and hatred towards each other. Lies and revenge race through the streets like a plague. You told us this would happen. You warned us that wars would escalate and consume us in these end times. Now it is here. Now our eyes and ears are seeing the fulfillment of prophetic words. Even still our hope is in you, and your promises are true. God bring peace in Jerusalem!

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The slanderous snake returns.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Matthew jumps over a few years in Jesus’ life, taking us from three to thirty and quickly introduces John the Baptist who in turn introduces Jesus. We leave the ancestry and Christmas story to a thunderous annunciation – “And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.””

Matthew then quickly thrusts us into a battle in the desert. The place where Jesus fasted and prayed – this was no longer eden and the landscape of the earth and the human condition were no longer paradise. John Mark Comer reminds us that this battle did not take place with physical weapons, like swords, knives or clubs. It took place with words – just words. Of course, that’s all it took to bring the first couple down in the beginning, they were just words; one of them a question in fact. With Eve the liar asked, “Did God say?” Here in the anti-Eden, the slithering slanderer planted a more subtle challenge… “if you are the Son of God.” Thinking Jesus might need proof at this point in his life? “Turn stones to bread,” the smooth talker said. Take control Jesus. It’s yours to command, if you’d like. If you are as they say, “really God.” Interesting that later on Jesus would replicate a few fish and some barley loafs into food for thousands who were hungry. The stones show up again when Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem riding on a donkey. Luke writes Jesus’ words, “If humans won’t praise, even the stones themselves will cry out!”

Two more temptations would come and Jesus wisely used God’s word, his own sword of the Spirit to fend off the little blood-sucking flea. The last temptation would come just before a betrayal and an ambush in another garden. Would Jesus drink the cup of suffering? The desert, the garden, the war and the win was all for us! Hebrews says it poetically perfect, “So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭4‬:‭14‬-‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬. The second Adam made everything right between us and God.

Prayer

Dad,
Jesus was tempted and passed. His only defense and weaponry was Your Word – the most powerful force in all creation. I am daily tempted, tested and faced with subtle questions as well as accusations and lies. I MUST hide your Word in my heart, not only so I do NOT sin, but also so I can win the battles within my own heart and mind. What lies do I want to believe to get my own way instead of submitting to your way? What God-Words can I store and retrieve to help fight these lies? Thank you for leading, guiding and protecting me as I learn to depend on your Word.

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Wrong war, wrong enemy

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“Do not be afraid of them,” the Lord said to Joshua, “for I have given you victory over them. Not a single one of them will be able to stand up to you.” Joshua‬ ‭10:8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

​These war stories, although gory and brutal, are not the focus of the grand story God is telling in the Old Testament, but they are critical. Here’s a few things I noticed.

One: there really IS a war going on, not “wars” but a war of good verses evil. A war of Satan using men like pawns, promising them great riches and power. And all these up and coming men of worldly positions had to do was be ruthless, hungry and destroy everything that got in their way. They existed then, they still exist today. There still is A war, and men and women want to play the same game and cause as much death and amass as much control over humans as possible. These stories are not stories of patriarchal power by the way, they are about rebellion, of which men and women both clamor for.

Two: It is difficult to wade through these ancient stories where we have no comprehension or understanding of the culture at that time. We have no real sense of the brute force and unmerciful actions of these kings nor their kingdoms. And each one of these cities mentioned have their own intricate culture, a bloodthirsty DNA so to speak. The leaders created and maintained these deep cultures that ran through several generations of children, who’s little boys and girls would naturally turn into mean, nasty men and women. A couple of highlights to note: King Adoni-zedek made the first move and sent word out to all the other Amorite kings. Hoham of Hebron, Piram of Jarmuth, Japhia of Lachish, and Debir of Eglon. “Come and help me destroy Gibeon,” he urged them.

Three: God spoke to Joshua promising a win. Joshua asked God for an extraordinary miracle – more daylight to get the job done! “On the day the Lord gave the Israelites victory over the Amorites, Joshua prayed to the Lord in front of all the people of Israel. He said, “Let the sun stand still over Gibeon, and the moon over the valley of Aijalon.” The five kings fled their cities and met up to hide in the caves, “During the battle the five kings escaped and hid in a cave at Makkedah.” Joshua had men block the cave entrance until he had complete control over the cities. Then he returned and brought the five kings out for a public trial and punishment. “So they brought the five kings out of the cave—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon. When they brought them out, Joshua told the commanders of his army, “Come and put your feet on the kings’ necks.” And they did as they were told.” Joshua promised that this is what God would allow them to do to all their enemies.

Four: Right here there is a picture, an object lesson that is repeated throughout both Old and New Testament. “THE” enemy of God and all creation, THE rebellious one, THE liar and deceiver will find his neck under the foot of one meek, humble, innocent person far into the future – when that enemy convinced humans to crucify the messiah thinking it would crush God’s plan to finally end the war and rebellion over the entire Earth. (Gen 3:15, Ps 47:3, 1 Cor. 15:25, Eph. 1:22). Then Joshua had them spiked and displayed for all to see and later buried in the cave they had hidden in.

Five: There will be a final day of justice and there will be an end to brutality. When we see our society struggle with inequalities and misappropriated power, we want to blame men, or political systems, or even an entire race. Look deeper, follow the promises and lies behind those powers – you’ll find a puppet-master of sorts, pulling the strings of hatred, chaos and mayhem. Just make sure you know the real enemy and the very real war.

PRAYER

Dad,
One of the things I can’t stand the most, speaking as an enneagram nine, is the misplaced blame of judgment on the wrong people for the wrong problem. People are people. We are weak and imperfect. We makes mistakes and listen to lies and worse, believe liars. Help us get the story straight. Help us understand the real war and the real enemy here. It’s not each other at all. I can’t wait for your justice to be finally and forever delivered.