Summary: After her recent appearances on Patterns+ and our podcasts, Melissa Briggs grapples with how to understand the troubling and horrific events going on in Israel.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
“May they be secure who love you!– Psalm 122:6 (ESV)
Should Current Events Shake One’s Faith
A nightmare has unfolded in the Holy Land, the likes of which have not been seen in this Generation.
These recent horrors perpetrated against Israel by Hamas terrorists, including the brutal massacre of innocent children, are heart-breaking. The barbaric actions of Hamas are more extreme than even ISIS.
I lived in Jerusalem. I know and love many people across Israel. My thoughts and prayers are with them as they simultaneously mourn and defend themselves.
If I’m honest, the current situation has felt uncomfortably hard to correlate with my belief that the Lord is watching over His Chosen People in Israel.
Where was God on the 7th of October 2023?
I have wrestled with this question through tears. Why would God allow a destructive war? As a Christian, I have been taking these difficult issues to the Lord, and pouring over the Scriptures. My heart is heavy as I grieve with my friends in Israel, and pray for God to have mercy.
Shamar is the Hebrew verb meaning to “keep, watch, preserve or guard”. The active participle form of this verb is shomer, meaning “one who keeps or watches over, a watchman, a guardian”.
These words are found in Psalm 121, a passage that has brought me comfort during many difficult seasons of life:
He will not let your foot slip—
He who watches (shamar) over you will not slumber;
indeed, He who is the Guardian (Shomer) of Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD watches (shamar) over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand….
The LORD will keep you from all harm—
He will watch over your life;
the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore. (Psalm 121:3-8)
Is this true?
And how does it correlate with another poetic Hebrew passage from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8?:
“There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh….
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.”
Why does God sometimes permit evil to befall innocent people?
First, we must be completely clear on this: the atrocities committed by Hamas are evil to the core. They are clear expressions of a demonic, violent spirit of anti-Semitism. All of Hell is set against God – His plan, His people, His promises. God has made many promises to do with Israel’s past, present, and future. Satan knows that God has promised the Jewish People will continue to be a Nation before Him (see Jeremiah 31, Genesis 15, Amos 9, and many other passages). If the Jewish People no longer exist, then God did not keep His Word. For millennia Satan has been attempting to destroy the Jewish People in order to prove God a liar (see Psalm 83:4, Esther 3:13). But despite Satan’s most despicable attempts, God will never renege on His promises.
This war is not merely a physical war—men fighting other men. It is a full-on spiritual battle. Good versus evil.
Have no doubt – the actions of Hamas anger God, and He will deal with them.
Gaining Insight From the Scriptures
So why doesn’t God deal with evil more quickly or more severely?
2 Peter 3:8-13 sheds some light onto the reasoning for God’s “timing”, and to where our focus should be:
“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire… But in keeping with His promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells”.
The fact that our hearts long for a world without war points us toward the reality that we are not meant for this fallen world. Someday all wars will cease, and Jesus the Messiah will reign in shalom as King in Jerusalem. Someday God will redeem all that is broken with a New Heaven and a New Earth: “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)
When tragedy hits, I think it is important to remind ourselves that death came as a consequence for mankind’s sinful choices.
God had created Adam and Eve to be in perfect fellowship with Him. But He also gave them free will, which they exercised in disobedience to God’s clear instructions. At that moment they died spiritually, and began to die physically too.
These Scriptures give us some insight into God’s view of death:
“For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so, turn and live.” (Ezekiel 18:32)
“Say to them, ‘As I live’, declares the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?’” (Ezekiel 33:11)
“[He is God] Who desires ALL people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4)
God does take wickedness seriously and will judge it, but takes no pleasure in needing to punish the unrepentant. Recompense belongs to Him. ‘Vengeance is mine’, says the Lord. He is the God who will restore justice and righteousness on this earth:
“He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; He will remove His people’s disgrace from all the earth. The LORD has spoken. In that day they will say, “Surely this is our God; we trusted in Him, and He saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in Him; let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.” – Isaiah 25:8-9
God agrees with our deep intuition that war, death and destruction are not good. The Lord assures us that the glorious eternal future will be one without war: “He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:4)
God is deeply grieved over the brokenness of humankind and the state of the world He created. He will punish Satan for eternity in the lake of burning sulfur for the havoc he has reeked. God is not idle or uncaring. He is deeply compassionate, and carefully outworking His redemptive plans. In fact, He has already set in motion a plan to remedy the brokenness of sin and death.
Biblical Instruction to Prepare and Encourage Hearts
Yet, we must not be ignorant of the fact the Bible warns us that wars will come. It is understandable to be shocked by a surprise attack, but it should not unravel our faith in the goodness and power of God. One of the Biblical Names of God is the “Lord of the Armies/Hosts” (see 1 Samuel 17:45). God did not promise our lives on this fallen earth would be free of war or tragedy. In fact, He warned us: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
Do we read our Bibles as if they are the most relevant source for understanding the world around us? Does our Christianity have no category or room for war? The current events in the Middle East are a wake-up call for all Believers to take more seriously the reading of our whole Bibles. Do we have an un-Biblical view of the future, that a good God wouldn’t allow hardship or suffering? The existence of evil does not negate the goodness of God.
It is critical we set this reality firmly in our minds, so our faith in God is not shaken when we see these things: “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen…. Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of Me…but the ones who stands firm to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 24:6, 9, 13)
Over the last 80 years many people have said, “How could there be a God if there is an Auschwitz?” But my response visiting that shockingly horrible place as a twenty-year-old was the opposite: “There must be a God. If humans are capable of the Holocaust, then all the goodness in the world must not be attributable to men. There must be a God saving us From ourselves.” We can see God’s hand of restraint, holding evil back in both miraculous ways, and through the divine order He put into place. May we be ready and available to do our part to stand firmly for God, and His purposes for Israel and the Nations.
We must not pridefully think we know better than God as to what God can allow or not. Read through the book of Zechariah, or any of the Biblical prophets, and you will be reminded that war is a reality in this fallen world.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)
This does not mean that we are casual or heartless about war and destruction? Certainly not! On the contrary, we should read the recent reports of bloodshed in Israel (and other countries) with great sadness, anguish and empathy – mirroring the heart of God and His attitude towards suffering and injustice.
“The LORD guards/keeps/watches over (shomer) all those who love Him, but He destroys all the wicked.” – Psalm 145:20
Should we do everything we can, empowered by the Holy Spirit, to promote shalom? Absolutely. Should we attempt to compromise with evil, or doubt God’s character when evil rears its ugly head in this present age? Certainly not. We must cling to Him even more dearly, knowing that this earth and its suffering and evil shall pass away. He shall have the final say and He will always keep His promises.
We will never know this side of eternity, all that the Lord has quietly done to preserve Israel as a nation, and to preserve the Body of Messiah too. Why did the Lord not stop all of the acts of terror and brutality? I do not dare to give a simple answer. I grieve with those who grieve, and ask the Lord to give His comfort as only He can.
I do believe Satan intended to do much more harm on Oct. 7th than what God allowed him to do. God’s hand of protection was and is upon His Land. “For the Lord your God is He who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.” (Deuteronomy 20:4)
Conclusion
God is watching as a Shomer – He sees and will hold everyone accountable for their actions. He also calls Believers, to be “Guardians/Watchmen” for Israel: “I have set watchmen (the plural of “shomer”) upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, they shall never hold their peace day nor night: “You that are the LORD’S remembrancers, take ye no rest, And give Him no rest, till He establish, and till He make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.” (Isaiah 62:6-7)
Open your Bible and read through it, from Genesis to Revelation. It is all relevant. Bring your tough questions to Him. Take hold of the promises. Believe the truths. Obey the instructions.
Let’s hold fast to the Lord and be faithful in prayer during these harrowing times.
“Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the earth: say to the daughter of Zion: ‘Behold, your salvation comes; behold, His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him.’” (Isaiah 62:11)
