With the Middle East on fire, how should we be praying and acting?
Hi, I’m Rex Rogers and this is episode #173 of Discerning What Is Best, a podcast applying unchanging biblical principles in a rapidly changing world, and a Christian worldview to current issues and everyday life.
It’s been one year since the surprise 10/7 Hamas massacre of innocent Israeli citizens just across the border with the Gaza Strip, and the Middle East now stands on the brink of regional war.
You will recall 1,139 people were killed. “About 250 Israeli civilians and soldiers were taken as hostages to the Gaza Strip, alive or dead, and including 30 children, with the stated goal to force Israel to exchange them for imprisoned Palestinians, including women and children.”
In the history of man’s inhumanity to man, the massacre was notable for its soulless brutality, sexual assault as an act of war, and premeditated terror, like filming atrocities with GoPro cameras.
Since this time, “during a ceasefire at the end of November, Hamas released 105 hostages. In return, Israel released 240 Palestinian prisoners.” Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he believes about 50 of the remaining roughly 100 hostages held are still alive.
War in Gaza has now killed tens of thousands of Palestinians with some Hamas still active. In the West Bank some terror attacks have occurred and sporadic fighting results. Iran’s proxies in Iraq, Syria, and Houthi rebels in Yemen are launching missile and drone attacks on Israel, and Israel has responded against the Houthis. From Lebanon, Hezbollah has fired thousands of rockets at Israel, forcing 60,000 Israelis near the border to leave their homes.
Israel pulled off high-precision targeted assassinations using weaponized pagers and walkie-talkies, killing the Hezbollah men using them, with, as inevitable, some civilians nearby dying as collateral damage. Israel then surgically destroyed Hezbollah’s central headquarters in downtown Beirut, killing several top leaders. Iran then fired about 180 ballistic missiles into Israel, most of which were destroyed by Israel’s air defenses.
Israel has now moved militarily into southern Lebanon seeking to destroy Hezbollah’s capability to launch an invasion like Hamas did 10/7. Meanwhile, some one million Lebanese citizens in southern Lebanon have been displaced from their homes.
How are Christians processing 10/7 and the year since?
Have we demonstrated moral clarity on this issue, or are we reacting based upon emotion and maybe limited information? Or are we aligning with “our side,” people we think we should back, e.g., Israel, and then expressing indifference in the face of legitimate moral concerns for suffering people on what we call the “other side,” e.g., Gazans or Palestinians?
Here are a few different Christian perspectives:
- Some have drawn a direct line from Middle East conflict to end of the world scenarios to the Second Coming of Christ. I am not a theologian, but I do know the Bible warns us against choosing times we think the Lord is coming. It is unwise to jump from media pronouncements to prophecy conclusions. That said, are we in the End Times? Perhaps. Only God knows. But our responsibility is still to live as unto the Lord.
- Some Christians have rushed to equate biblical teaching that Jews are God’s chosen people with the reality of Israel as a modern nation-state. A fraction of these believers embrace Christian Zionism, but most have probably never heard the term. This can get one in trouble several ways. Certainly, the Bible indicates God works through the Jewish people. And we are commanded to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Ps 122:6). But we should remember Israel is a secular government working with realpolitik, national interest approaches to decision-making, all of which may or should be critiqued from a moral point of view. It is not ipso facto antisemitic to question or criticize Israel’s actions as warranted any more than it is anti-American or anti-patriotism to critique our own modern nation-state and its leaders. In fact, it is our Christian stewardship to critique political ideas and actions.
- Some Christians have said they are “concerned by the large number of people who lean toward peace-forward options for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. That 88 percent believe that lasting peace requires a mutually agreed-upon solution is commendable but out of touch with reality when Hamas is dedicated to the destruction of Israel.” That’s Israel’s conundrum. If it lays down its arms in response to incessant calls for an immediate ceasefire, what happens next do you think? Will its enemies take their weapons and go home? If surrounded by armed aggressors, is laying down arms an act of peacemaking or suicide?
- Some argue, horrible though 10/7 was, Israel is ultimately responsible because it has “occupied” the Gaza Strip since the Six-Day War in June 1967. They brush by the fact that in 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew its troops and settlers from Gaza, effectively ending its direct occupation of the territory. And in 2006, Gazans elected Hamas to leadership. It is true though, while Israel no longer has a physical presence in Gaza, it maintains control over its borders, airspace, and maritime access, leading to ongoing tensions and conflict in the region. This is considered minimal for Israel security, and 10/7 seems to suggest this is correct. Meanwhile, many Westerners still accuse Israel of being an apartheid state. But this is a mischaracterization. “In Israel there are non-Jewish judges, teachers, professors, even members of Knesset, as well as others holding high positions in all professions and occupations. In apartheid South Africa, non-whites were systematically banned from all such opportunities. They were deprived of the right to vote and choose their own leaders. Israeli citizens, both Jews and Palestinians, have these civil rights in full.” But Palestinians, or Gazans if you will, are still caught in the middle. Jordan remains one of the few Middle East nations to grant Palestinians citizenship. Other nations have greatly restricted their access. But for us as believers, trying to think beyond politics, it is worth considering that if Palestine is not a legitimate state, and though Hamas terrorists have dominated them, are Palestinians not legitimate people with real hurts and fears? God loves them too. So how do we help the hurting and helpless and harassed among them?
- This comes into play when we consider how we balance Israel’s right to self-defense with Palestinians’ right to self-determination. Many Western politicians and religious leaders regularly speak of a “Two-State Solution,” meaning Israelis get to live here and Palestinians get to live there, happily ever after. This idea dates to about 1938, but the problem is, it is a Western idea. Middle Easterners for the most part have never supported it, especially Palestinian leadership and certainly terrorist groups like Hamas. “From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free” is a rallying cry for terrorist groups and their sympathizers.” So how do you arrive at a peaceful co-existence when one side—Hamas—does not believe the other side—Israel—has the right to even exist?
- Some among us pray for Christians in Lebanon, as in Gaza earlier, who are caught in the crossfire. We know Scripture commands us to weep with those who weep (Rom 12:15), to lament over pain and suffering, and many innocent, Christian noncombatants have been in danger in Gaza and are now in danger in Lebanon, as well as Israel.
- Loving and praying for our enemies (Matt 5:43-44) is another biblical command. Recently, my international colleagues with SAT-7 in Lebanon reflected in their devotional time on the question, “are we happy when our enemies die?” This is a thought-provoking question and goes to the core of our faith. “Ezekiel 33:11 states, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live.’ God is not even happy even when an evil person dies. As Christians, we should reflect the mourning and love of our Lord, who grieves the loss of lives on both sides of the conflict.”
“The Israel-Hamas conflict is a deeply complex and tragic issue with no easy solutions, but our call as Christians is to have a response rooted in love, empathy and prayer. Even in the darkest of times, hope and compassion can prevail.”
We can ask our Sovereign God to work through this violence to open doors for both just and lasting peace, and open doors for the development of free, democratic nations that protect human life and religious liberty.
Well, we’ll see you again soon. This podcast is about Discerning What Is Best. If you find this thought-provoking and helpful, follow us on your favorite podcast platform. Download an episode for your friends. For more Christian commentary, check my website, r-e-x-m as in Martin, that’s rexmrogers.com. Or check my YouTube channel @DrRexRogers for more podcasts and video.
And remember, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm.
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