Israel, Palestine and Hobab

For several years, I was a frequent contributor to Testimony (nee: The Pentecostal Testimony).^[1] I would like to think that at least some of my contributions stretched the viewpoints of the readership in helpful ways. Probably my most controversial contribution was a piece I wrote during the height of the war in Afghanistan/Iraq entitled “Just War and the Burden of Proof.” In the article I pointed out the early position of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC) on war.  

In 1939 the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada issued the following resolution:

"WHEREAS, We have accepted the Word of God as our rule of conduct and purpose to be governed by its Divine principles, and as our Assemblies for the past twelve years or more have always accepted and interpreted the New Testament teaching and principles as prohibiting Christians from shedding blood or taking human life.

RESOLVED, That in time of persecution or ill-treatment at the hands of the enemy, we should not "avenge ourselves," (bold mine) but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." (Rom, 12:19; Deut. 32.35) Neither shall (we) take up any weapon of destruction to slay another, whether in our own defense or in defense of others, for it is written, "Do no violence to no man." (See Luke 3:14; Matt. 26:52; John 18:36; 15-18,19). We should rather suffer wrong than do wrong.

RESOLVED, that all civil magistrates are ordained of God for peace, safety and for the welfare of the people (Romans 13:1-10). Therefore, it is our duty to be in obedience to all requirements of the Law that are not contrary to the Word of God. It is our duty to honor them, pay tribute, or such taxation as may be required without murmuring (Matthew 17:24-27) and show respect to them in all lawful requirements of the Civil Government."

The resolution stopped short of our American counterparts in the Assemblies of God (AoG) who two decades earlier had declared, "… we cannot conscientiously participate in war and armed resistance which involves the actual destruction of human life."

I then pointed out how times have changed. Today, neither the PAOC or the AoG endorse those earlier resolutions.

I concluded the article somewhat rhetorically wondering,

“Do we believe our Pentecostal distinctive makes a difference? Can the Spirit of God

enable us to live as agents of change capable of being a peculiar people (1 Pet. 2:9) that actively pursues peace in imaginative ways even amid hostilities without

engaging last Resort measures? How much creativity do we accord God's Spirit? War always involves two sides, While the question of instigation may be hotly debated, in the end as the late Jewish philosopher Abraham Heschel stated some are guilty, but all are responsible.”

I guess until I reach that state of being where I can justly throw the first stone and enthusiastically support "Just War," I am left with my fistful of questions searching for an alternative way.”

As a writer, I was typically shielded from reader responses. However, in this case the editor informed me that because of my article at least one church returned their copies of that edition of Testimony, and I was also informed by an associate pastor of another church that his lead pastor shielded his staff from reading said article.  Presumably, the offence was either publicizing the historic pacifist positions of the PAOC and AoG. In that case I was just the reporter. Or it may have been my suggestion that in war “some are guilty, but all are responsible.”

Again, unfortunately today war is part of our daily conversation.  In Sudan it is a civil war between rival tribes, the Sudanese Armed force and Rapid Support forces as they fight for power and control. The ongoing fight has left hundreds of thousands dead in killing and famine. Then there is the ongoing land war between Russia and Ukraine as Russia seeks to recreate the glory days of the Soviet Union. It could be argued war is the inevitable part of the ongoing human project of pursuing economic advantage and Kingdom building. Sadly as Plato fatefully observed “only the dead have seen an end to war.”

Before I go any farther, I recognise as a Canadian living as I have these last 68 years, in Canada I am blessed. I have never feared military conscription; I have never been threatened with hunger or war. And I cannot think of any freedoms that have been denied me. I remember living in Montreal and seeing soldiers walking on our streets in 1971 when Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau enacted the War Measures Act to counter the actions of the separatist FLQ but no I cannot say I felt threatened. I was more titillated that on my newspaper route at the home of someone of note I had to give their paper to the armed soldier standing outside their home.

Which brings me to the ongoing war between Palestine and Israel – a war of ancient history and now survival. Again, at the risk of wading into a domain which betrays my lack of experience here are some thoughts as a follower of Jesus.

I start with what I think everyone can agree with.

Every child deserves to have a home, food and be loved. Every person is created in God’s image. To this end the ancient rabbis commented that had Adam been struck down, none of his descendants would ever have been born. A whole world would have been lost. Conversely saving Adam’s life meant saving all his descendants. The rabbis concluded anyone who destroys even one life has in effect destroyed an entire world. And anyone who saves a single life, it is as if they have saved an entire world.

What that means is that war is evil, it is destructive, there is never a winner if one life is lost in its wake. (As a side, I find it troubling that many in North America are vocally pro-life about abortion but are virtually mute about war).

Second, while I cannot speak for their intent, I suspect Hamas was not thinking of the Palestinian people when they brutally killed 1,200 Israelis’ and took another 250 hostages. The Hamas are thugs. On the other hand, Israel’s retaliatory carnage of killing 60,000 plus Palestinians is undoubtedly the best recruiting tool imaginable for Hamas. This is not a “war” Israel can win.  It is a reversal of the Goliath against David story. In this case now however, Goliath is Israel and Gaza is the poor little shepherd boy.

In the annals of war vengeance is never justice, and it only leads to an endless circle of retaliation. Yes, the holocaust was an unspeakable evil in modern times. Yes, Israel is right to remember the holocaust and defend itself. But as Moses reminded the people of Israel who escaped Egypt and found itself in the wilderness. Remembering what it was like as a slave means not committing the same crimes that were inflicted upon you as a people.

“Circumcise your heart, do not be stubborn any longer…love the stranger, providing them food and clothing, for you were strangers in the Land of Egypt.” (Deut. 10:12-22) In contemporary terms, Israel love the Palestinians for you were once a nation without a home, facing genocide.

In my reading of the New Testament, the arrival of Jesus and the inauguration of the Kingdom of God opened the door to the unlearning of war. But the West has not made it easy for Israel, with its distorted Dispensational theology which tends to give Israel a free pass on whatever it wants to do as a perpetual victim and never as a victimiser. Dispensationalism was not born out of love for Israel. It is an interpretation of history which includes the country of Israel only as the final sign of the end of the world as we know it and a prelude to the return of Jesus. This time however, according to Dispensationalism Jesus is returning with vengeance on his mind – a claim that betrays the very essence of the gospel.^[2]

All, however, is never lost, I have some hope in an Old Testament story of Moses and his father-in law Hobab. As Moses was leading the people of Israel through the “wilderness” to the land where Israel is today, he realized he needed help. To that end, he sought out his father-in-law Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite. (Numbers 10:29ff) Only the Midianites were among the chief enemies of Israel. When Hobab tells Moses he is returning to Midian, Moses pleads with Hobab “come with us and we will treat you well; for the Lord has promised good to Israel.” In other words, come with us and we will share our wealth in God.

However, Moses has more than just compassion on his mind. Moses implores Hobab not to leave “for you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you will serve as eyes for us.”

Two things of note. This new land of wealth is to be a shared reality. God blesses Israel so they have room for the stranger/the alien and can bless them in return. Two, the only way they were going to find the path to the promised land was by engaging the “stranger” who knows the way. May I offer my conviction that the only way through this Israel/Palestine conflict is for a “Hobab”, likely a Palestinian leader (not Hamas) who can show the way. It will not come from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or from the President of the United States whose agendas is exploitation^[3] if not genocide not peace. Israel needs a guide, a Hobab whose agenda is nonviolence and has the gifting necessary and the respect among both Jews and Palestinians to find a path of peace so that all peoples in that land can reap the benefits of God’s blessing.  

---

^[1]  Beginning in the 1920s the Pentecostal Testimony was the official organ of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. My own contributions beginning in 2007 were in the area of faith and culture.

^[2] In limited space I cannot give a proper rebuttal of dispensationalism. But I would argue its hold on North American theology is Western theologies biggest stain.

^[3] The team of Donald Trump and Netanyahu are now looking to remove Palestinians from Gaza city to rebuild the city as a resort center for the elite. What could possibly go wrong?