ISRAEL UPDATENovember 11, 2001 – How quickly are we seeing man-made ideas coming to naught and showing that they are at best shallow and futile as we attempt to find a peaceful resolution and combat terrorism at the same time.
Prime Minister Tony Blair and President Bush are already facing eminent problems with their shaky partnerships in the Middle East. Blair’s recent attempt at shuttle diplomacy did not bear the fruit he anticipated as the governments of Saudi Arabia (moderate) and Syria (extreme) both are not just unhappy with western policy in Afghanistan, but have strongly protested it as well. The prophet Amos asked if two could walk together unless they were in agreement, Amos 3:3, and we are told not to be unequally yoked by the Apostle Paul in 2 Cor. 6:14.
Biblically, the plans for peace and destruction of terrorism are both doomed to fail as we try to alter G-d’s plan with man’s wisdom. Britain and America are both entertaining the enemies of Israel trying to make peace and then also plan with many of these same enemies to rid the world of Osama bin Laden.
If the enemy of my friend is my enemy and the friend of my enemy is my enemy according to Arab philosophy, just how far can Britain and America go before having to put the squeeze on Israel to conform to world opinion?
November 11, 2001 – This past week the Arizona Diamondbacks did the one thing few teams in history have been able to do, that is to beat the New York Yankees in the World Series. I suppose it is good for the City of Phoenix to gather some 450,000 strong and show their support for their heroes of the diamond as they paraded through the city streets, to help relieve some of the stress of these past two months.
Now there are people who have felt like my lack of support for the World Series is because of my bad attitude toward the Diamondbacks owner, Jerry Colangelo. But I can’t help but remember an old episode from the T.V. series M.A.S.H. where the entire camp of the 4077th was ecstatic about a possible peace treaty including Hawkeye and Pierce, the hopeless pessimist, who was caught up in the fever. Yet, B.J. Honeycutt could only walk through the camp, shoulders stooped by the weight of knowing that peace would not come and the dead and wounded would continue to come in.
In the end peace was cancelled and the camp, devastated emotionally, had to return to the harsh reality of war, which is how I have felt these past two months. Jeremiah 4:19 states how I have felt, “My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me, I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, o my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.”
Yankee fan - no, anti Colangelo - no, burdened for Israel and the U.S. - absolutely!
To be continued…