Israel

My pastor said something the other day that set off some alarm bells in my head. He asked the congregation, "Do you pray for our country?" Many of us answered in the affirmative. "Do you pray for our president?" Not so many in agreement on that question. He went on to say that President Obama had done something that caused him alarm; that he was afraid that it would invite calamity to fall upon the U.S. He went on to reiterate the president's stance on a peace plan for the Middle East and that Israel should honor the borders to which they agreed in 1967 at the end of the Six Day War. Somehow this was not only unacceptable, but horrific. He reminded us that the people of Israel were still God's chosen people. This is a position that a lot of conservative Christians ascribe to: that we should give our allegiance and support to Israel blindly and unconditionally. That they can do no wrong and we should be behind them 100%.

The last time I looked through my Bible, I didn't read anywhere that the Israelites were infallible. There are also plenty of instances where they displeased God sufficiently that he allowed them to be taken into captivity and slavery, allowed calamity to visit them. In fact, there are probably more instances of them being forsaken and punished as a nation than being delivered and/or restored as a nation.

I do not believe that God prevaricates on what is right and what is wrong, especially when one is aware of the difference. I will not believe that God supports Israel breaking treaties, invading land that they relinquished, acting like the terrorists that they decry their enemies to be. I don't think that God would want Christians to support these actions either. I certainly don't.

Israel is the chosen nation of God. That is not in dispute. But does that mean we should blindly and unquestioningly support their actions? ...especially when we know that their actions are wrong? Absolutely not. It's all part and parcel of the whole free will package: if God really required blind, absolute devotion (not only to Him, but to his chosen people as well) then there would be no choice; we'd be bound to do it by the force of His will like the sun in bound to rise in the East every morning. If Israel were capable of doing no wrong they would not have spent centuries in captivity and under subjugation to other nations throughout its history. I cannot believe that God would want us to blindly support wrong doing by any of His children, not even His favorite ones.

- M