August 13
Jeremiah 31:15-40, 49:34-51:14
The ancient Philistines, who originally migrated to the land of Canaan from the island of Crete, and were frequently in conflict with the kings of Israel, eventually ceased to exist during biblical times. In 135 AD, well after the temple was destroyed in 70 AD, there was one more Jewish rebellion against Rome led by Bar Kokhba. When he was defeated, the Romans, to insult the Jewish people before being dispersed renamed the land Palestina, named for their former enemies, who no longer really existed. Centuries passed and many empires controlled this area of real estate, the final empire before the last transfer was the British Empire who gave the land back to the Jewish people after the atrocities of the holocaust, and on May 14, 1948, the nation of Israel was reborn. Incredible in that after nearly 1900 years, the Jewish people retained their identity, their religion, and their language. Understand that current Israel is only a fraction of the land mass given to the people of Israel by God by covenant in Deuteronomy 30:1-10. The current Palestinian people have nothing to do with the ancient Philistines. They are displaced Arabs from surrounding nations such as Jordan and Egypt. They have no claim to this land. When one looks at a map of the Middle East, how vast it is, it is amazing that any find it unfair that the Jewish people do not deserve a land mass the size of New Jersey. We live in odd times. What happened on October 7th was not a military maneuver. It was pure evil. That many in our nation and in the media fail to see it this way should shed some light on how the holocaust occurred decades ago. This is not a border dispute. We need to stop being politically correct and understand history and understand evil. We read in Ephesians 6:12, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."
With this backdrop I have multiple conversations with my patients about these current events. Many will not acknowledge labeling anything as evil. This is a time when eyes must turn back to God, the God of the Bible. He is sovereign, always has been and always will be. History will continue to unfold according to His timetable. Interestingly, many of my Jewish patients fail to see it as such. Some have stated they are angry with God. But God allows free will, and sadly this free will, when not centered on God, will at times result in evil. One of my patients said that her rabbi stated that it is a time to increase their good deeds and to pray. We read in Jeremiah 50:6, "My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray; They have turned them away on the mountains. They have gone from mountain to hill; They have forgotten their resting place." God does not ask for good deeds, He wants their hearts. After telling the people that he did not desire their sacrifices, we read in Jeremiah 7:23, what God desires, "But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.’" Yes, turn back to God. Many will generically tell the people to pray. But prayer can often be amiss (James 4:1-3). Yes, pray that the senseless slaughter of the Jewish people ends, pray for those who have been directly affected, pray for so many who live in the land and who have loved ones in the land, but pray that eyes and hearts will turn to God like never before, that people would learn to place their hope and trust fully in God and nothing else and no one else.
It is time that we purify our stance. The world will pull us in other directions, but we must beware even if it sounds good. We read in Titus 1:15-16, "To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work." The world, the media will pollute our purity. The world seeps in on our cell phones, from our television sets, etc. If we want peace, if we want our minds directed correctly, God shows us how in Philippians 4:8-9, "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you." May we be God centered and stand with the Jewish people in every way. May they see the love of their God through us as we serve as His ambassadors during these very dark times.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: