ISRAEL UPDATEFebruary 9, 2003 – During Israel’s 1948 Partition and War of Independence, the Jewish state lost a total of 5,682 men – a staggering amount for a nation of only 600,000 people.
The 1956 Sinai Campaign cost was 190 dead and 900 wounded. The 1967 Six Day War losses were 980 dead and 4500 wounded. The 1973 Day of Atonement War (Yom Kippur) totals were 2,800 dead and 8,300 wounded. During the first three years of the war in Lebanon, 650 were killed, or one per each 1,700 of the Jewish population per year.
The 1948 war lasted approximately 14 months, the 1956 war roughly ten days, the 1967 war was six days, and the 1973 war went on for three weeks – which brings me to my point…
There have been many Israelis killed or wounded in this latest war of attrition (Intifadah) - that has gone on since September 29, 2000. At the time of this writing, Israel has lost 506 civilians and 218 IDF troops, for a total of 724 dead, while the wounded count is 3,593 civilians and 1,469 IDF, for a total of 5,062 casualties… a devastating amount by any measure.
And the losses are being accumulated not on the desert sands of the Sinai, or the rugged Golan escarpment… but on the streets of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
Not in bunkers or trenches, but rather restaurants, schools, walkways, and homes during religious observances and holidays… not during wartime, but occurring while there is supposedly a peace initiative.
With losses higher on the Palestinian side and both Israel and Palestine suffering horrible financial losses as well, one can only conclude that Mr. Arafat does not want peace – so the future will only bring more war.
February 9, 2003 – The Christian’s walk with G-d can seem to be a never ending battle of flesh versus spirit – a carnal nature vs. a spirit filled life of bearing fruit.
But there are few examples of people who learned to live victoriously, for instance, the Apostle Peter – who went on to become a shining example of G-d’s faithfulness, manifested through a faithful life.
That very principle is what Peter wrote to encourage us on how to accomplish this lifestyle in II Peter 1:4-7. “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience G-dliness; and to G-dliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.”
The building blocks are in place. The believer who is truly disciplined and seeks these G-dly attributes will continually add them as they look to G-d to reveal more of Himself. As believers immerse themselves more and more into G-d, it becomes more natural to be spiritual, and less natural to be carnal.
When we allow G-d to add these characteristics to our lives, it empowers us to walk in the nurture and admonition of the L-rd.
Peter’s exhortation guarantees us the satisfaction of knowing that as our faith increases, G-d blesses our lives with spiritual growth and abundance.
It may be harder to live this life at times, but it does become easier as we see G-d’s hand guiding us from glory to glory…
To be continued…