Israel's Stability: The Key to Peace
Barack Obama is unique in that he is the first African-American president of the United States of America. He is not unique in another regard, however. The moment Barack Obama stepped into the Oval Office he inherited a crisis in the Middle East. Indeed, many things change in America and in our world as new presidents take the helm every four or eight years, but a turbulent situation between Israel and any number of Arab nations is one thing that has not.
What is the source of the conflict between the Israelis and Arabs? Many would point to the legendary biblical saga of Ishmael and Isaac, the progenitors of the two groups found in Genesis 16–21. Abraham (or Abram), a Mesopotamian, was told by God that he and his wife Sarah (or Sarai) would have a child. The two thought this was humorous because Abraham was
nearly a century old and Sarah was a nonagenarian. Sarah improvised, thrusting Hagar, her Egyptian domestic, on Abraham as her surrogate. Abraham complied.
It is at this point that the rivalry between the two powerful ethnic groups began—even before they were born. This is the Bible’s first example of “baby momma drama.” Hagar quickly became pregnant and concurrently appreciated her maid status no longer. The Bible says that Hagar “despised” Sarah.
After Hagar’s pregnancy Sarah treated her so badly that she ran away. An angel appeared to the runaway, naming the child, predicting his adversarial nature (“he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him” Genesis 16:12), and advising her to go back to her employers. Hagar returned to Abraham’s household and gave birth to a son, calling him Ishmael.
God spoke with Abraham several times in the next decade and a half, telling him that although he had a son now, he was not the covenant son. Human improvisation never disrupts the plans of God. Abraham and Sarah still thought this comical, but Sarah did indeed give birth to a son, Isaac. Abraham threw a big party for Isaac, and the rivalry between the two brothers emerged. The Bible says that Ishmael mocked or teased Isaac during the festivities. Is this the normal banter that goes on between older brother and kid brother? Or is it what we would call in today’s parlance, haterade?
Sarah saw Ishmael making fun of her son and immediately began manipulating Abraham to expel both the troublesome boy and his troublesome mother. Haterade is a two-way street. Abraham was tortured over the situation, but the Lord spoke to him, telling him to do what Sarah urged and that He would make a nation out of Ishmael. So the next day with decisive dispatch, Abraham sent Hagar and Ishmael on their way—being stingy with the provisions.
Mother and son wandered in the desert, and in a pitiful scene we see Hagar run out of water and in despair tuck her child under a bush so that she would not have to watch him die. God was not as cold as Abraham, however, nor as hot as Sarah. He sent, perhaps, the same angel that had appeared to Hagar earlier, and the angel promised again that God would make Ishmael a “great nation.” Then the angel either led her to an oasis or created one. “And God was with the lad [Ishmael]; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer” (Genesis 21:20).
With such a beginning it’s not hard to see why Isaac and Ishmael are still at war. But let’s establish a few things. First, Abraham was the father of both Isaac and Ishmael. Second, God promised to make both boys great nations. Third, in both of their lives and histories we see the hand of God moving mightily. A word should also be said about race. Our modern racial categories are not applicable to the people in this ancient drama. We do know, however, that all involved were people of color and that they all were a part of the same family; therefore any race distinctions we could impose would be artificial and false. Finally, modern Israelis and Arabs are racially not at all what they used to be; like every other ethnic group they have miscegenated and intermarried.
What is the key to peace between groups that have been at war for millennia? To try to answer such a question in this article would be presumptuous. But several Bible truths should be noted. First, the Scriptures do not promise national peace to any nation in the last days. Jesus stated: “Nation shall rise against nation” (Matthew 24:7). Countries can certainly enjoy peace between each other, but this is not ensured anywhere in God’s Word.
Many Christians are intently focused on the state of Israel and believe that God has an enduring covenant with it, believing that its victory and peace will be the paramount sign indicating the end of the world, as we know it. In truth, the Bible teaches that every nation has been blessed by God, and He has a covenant history with each. Observe what Amos says to Israel, a nation that believed God especially favored them: “Are ye not as children of the Ethiopians unto me, O children of Israel? saith the Lord. Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt? and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?” (Amos 9:7).
When Jesus Christ died there were no more covenants with any particular nation, but to all—any who would believe in Him. Believers in Jesus became spiritual Israel, those whom His new covenant was with. Paul writes: “If ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29). It is the sacrifice of Jesus that makes us at peace with God—and this is the only peace that matters.
BENJAMIN J. BAKER is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in history at Howard University in Washington, D.C.
|
