The Future of Gaza
Today Gaza and the people of Gaza is a controversial subject, that started on October 7th 2023 when Hamas terror organization showed their true colours of evil as they violated the borders of Israel, killed and abducted innocent people. The mentioned unprovoked action started a war of defence by Israel in order to free the hostages, prevent a re-occurrence of 7th October and achieve peace.
We must not be ignorant concerning what is happening, apart from the fact that Hamas is a designated terror organization they became an instrument in the hand of the enemy of God. Antisemitism is directed to Israel because the enemy of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob cannot direct his anger against God, therefor he comes against the people God chose for Himself. God chose the Jews, Israel to bless the whole world through Jesus Christ.
An interesting fact is that the world media plays into the hand of the enemy in the sense that they, like the enemy of God always use the one element of human nature – the emotion of compassion. Clouding our judgement through emotion he misleads us concerning the truth.
Antisemitism, racism and humanism is being used very effectively in the enemy’s hands to distract us from the truth. Antisemitism and racism is used to mobilise the enemy’s forces against Israel, this is seen in the handbooks used by UNWRA to teach the children. As soon as Israel retaliate in defence, the enemy uses humanism to mobilise the world behind them. This is clearly seen in the way Hamas hides behind the Gazans, pretending that they are the target of Israel. There is only one problem, we do not consider God and His righteous judgement, for God do not judge on account of human emotions He judges based on His perfect Word.
In God’s Law, God commanded in Exodus 20:17 “You shall not covet your neighbour’s house; you shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbour’s.
The reason God commanded us not to covet our neighbour’s things or land is based on the simple principle that we all have been blessed by God, and if I covet the neighbour’s things I cannot appreciate nor understand the blessing I received. In order to understand the meaning of this principle I would like to relate the following story. “There was a woman who stayed on a hill with a river from where she gets her water. Every day she would go to the river carrying her two clay jars on a stick over her shoulder’s, at the river she would fill them to the brim and walk back home. As she reached her home she would pour the water into a bigger container. The one clay jar however had a few cracks and the water would leak through. So one day the clay jar that had the cracks asked the woman why she continues to use him, since he leaks the water to the ground as she walks back from the river. She then took the clay jar to the outside showing him the road she would walk every day from the river. There she ask him to look at the road on the left side where she would carry the clay jar with the cracks, and asked him what he saw. The clay jar said he can see nothing but the road, the she ask him to look at the side she carries him on the way from the river. He saw beautiful flowers he said, and the woman replied, saying, even though you are cracked, it is through those cracks that you water the flowers.”
Each one of us can be fruitful if we start to realize our wealth and input we can give within this world. The people of Gaza can be a blessing, if they start looking at what they received rather than coveting what was promised to Israel.
In today’s world there are many opinions and ideologies concerning right and wrong. But the one opinion that is the most important and by far the most consistent when it comes to right and wrong, is the Word of God. As already mentioned, God gave us a law that said we must not covet our neighbour’s things, in the past when the people disobeyed God He would always give them grace by sending a prophet to tell them of their wrong and the consequences if they do not repent.
In 700-650BC the Lord sent two of His prophets to bring a warning against Gaza, and these warnings might be again in this time relevant to Gaza, but also a warning to all of us who come against God’s Word and His promises. The first prophet is Amos who brought this warning against Gaza in Amos 1:6-7 “For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they took captive the whole captivity To deliver them up to Edom. But I will send a fire upon the wall of Gaza, Which shall devour its palaces.” Although some people suggest that the reference of taking captives as in verse 6 might have something to do with an event described in 2 Chronicles 21:16-17, in which the Philistines invaded Judah and took members of the royal household as captives. The mentioned event is very similar as to the unlawful invasion of Israel by Hamas on the 7th October 2023, killing innocent people and taking captive people.
One thing about God and His Word, is that His promises will come to pass but it is not bound by time. Let’s consider Isaiah 66:8 “Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion was in labour, She gave birth to her children.” God promised that He will re-establish Israel as a land, and He did it in1948 at a time when people thought that Israel is only a spiritual place, but Isaiah spoke these words in 600BC.
Then we find another prophecy concerning Gaza in Zephaniah 2:4 saying that Gaza will be forsaken.
One thing we know when it comes to the future, it is not in our hand, but God’s. We do not know if it is going to happen or how it is going to happen, God gave the people of Nineve a second chance after they repented. God can give Gaza a second chance if they will turn to God. If not, their fate is in God’s hand, but know for sure that God is a righteous judge.
Let us continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and for the people of Gaza to turn away from evil and darkness and to come into God’s light.