Something is troubling me these days. As I peruse social media I am seeing that, at least in my circles, many people seem to be praying for the safety of the Israelis, but very few seem to be praying for the safety of the Palestinians. This surely must grieve the heart of God.
I know that God meant business when He said “I will bless those who bless you, and curse them that curse you” (Genesis 12:3) and “he who touches you touches the apple of His eye” (Zechariah 2:8) and “let not the apple of your eye cease” (Lamentations 2:18). I know that Israel is at the center of God’s plan, and that God’s purposes for Israel must be accomplished, and that Gentile Christians have been grafted into the vine of Israel, and that our Savior is the Jewish Messiah, and that the God we serve is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and that Jesus will return as a Jewish king over a Jewish kingdom that will be centered in Jerusalem. I am not questioning any of this good theology, but I am questioning our response. Do we dare shed tears only for the innocent civilians of Israel, and not also for the innocent civilians of Palestine? Do we dare allow the horrors of war as experienced by the Israelis to touch our hearts, but not also the horrors of war as experienced by the Palestinians? Do we dare grieve only when an Israeli family has a family member who was lost in the war and is never coming home, but not grieve also when the same thing happens to a Palestinian family? War is war, heartbreak is heartbreak, suffering is suffering, pain is pain, sorrow is sorrow, whether it happens in Israel or in Palestine. God’s heart is grieved whenever there is suffering in the world, and our hearts must grieve as well. God is sovereign, and His purposes will be accomplished. God’s plans and purposes cannot be thwarted. Our response must be one of compassion for all, not compassion for some. Surely we can learn how to support the purposes of God for Israel in a way that does not turn a blind eye to the suffering of the Palestinians. Surely we can learn how to support the purposes of God for Israel in a way that does not assume that everything that Israel does is good, and that everything that Palestine does is bad. Surely we can learn how to support the purposes of God for Israel in a way that does not turn everyone into “good guys” or “bad guys” depending on their ethnicity. We must seek the heart of God on these matters. We must learn to grieve with all who grieve, whether they be Israelis or Palestinians, for God takes no delight in the suffering of anyone, whether they be Israelis or Palestinians. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted…. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God”.
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