Recently someone asked me if I was praying for Israel at this time. Their reason for asking was that the Bible says we must “pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” My response was, “I’m praying for the aliens in their midst.” As a Christian I was taught that I need to pray for Israel and be ‘pro-Israel’, but I confess, I cannot be pro-Israel if it means being anti-something else. The Palestinians are a people made in the image of God. Israel was once alienated and living in strange lands and the ancient scriptures are full of warnings to Israel about the proper treatment of aliens in their lands.
“Do not oppress an alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be aliens, because you were aliens in Egypt,” (Ex. 23:9).
I can’t help but wonder about the implications of such scripture in Israel’s relationships today.
News is often skewed and biased. No surprise. For perspective that news outlets in the West won’t give you check out Al Jazeera. Here’s a report I read today.
A college friend of mine spent some time in Gaza and recently wrote this post. It’s definitely worth a read.
Grace and peace to you this new year.
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