We who call ourselves Christians, if we want to be true to our faith as God intends, are expected to love and cherish Israel as do our Jewish brethren who worship the same God as we. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is our God and we are told that those who bless Israel, as quoted in the passage from Genesis above, will also be blessed, but those who curse it, will themselves be cursed by God. It's important to understand this since the New Testament without the Old doesn't tell the whole story that we Christians are expected to believe and listen to. The Old provides the Law as the Foundation of our faith and the New adds the Good News of Forgiveness and Salvation with the coming of Jesus Christ. And so, knowing this, I was struck with deep impact by an article I read this morning in Breitbart News. Written by Joel Pollak, Senior Editor-at-Large for the news organization, a Harvard Law graduate and a devout Jew himself, it was worthy of notice and it's why I talk about it today.
Pollak wrote in his short article about how the American Embassy seal received a shot of sunshine as the opening ceremony took place. Apparently the tent providing shade to the distinguished guests had a small gap in it and then the sun, when shining through, was at the exact angle necessary to shine directly upon that seal, pictured above. Not only that, but when Ivanka Trump, the President's daughter unveiled the seal across the doorway, it beamed in the light shining brightly on it as well. Was it a message from God or just coincidence? Well, we can't read God's mind but it is also a fact that after many previous American chief executives saying they would move the Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, only President Trump followed through on the pledge to do so, much to the objection of the United Nations and others who have no right to dictate to Israel what she does on her sovereign ground. The President also received much opposition, as sadly so many provide no matter what he does, but he stayed the course and, like the Good Book says in the verse that opened this blog, He rewards those with blessings who bless and honor Israel.
Since then, and for our own self-interest as well as the interest of all who seek to end the bloodshed and evil that has plagued the Middle East, the President responded to an attack on our embassy in Baghdad. By taking out the most prominent proponent and leader of terrorist operations in the Middle East, General Qaseem Soleimani of Iraq in a surgical strike, the man with the responsibility for perpetrating untold terror, is now dead. And as of this writing, the impact has received only a visual display of missiles being launched against American military locations with no major damages or death inflicted. Additionally, with the recent missile strike on a Ukrainian flag civilian jetliner by the Iranian government, mistake or not, the good people of Iran, of which there are millions, are again in the streets chanting that the Ayatollah must go. Do the two actions, one in relocating the embassy and the other the situational change in Iran, have anything to do with one another? Only God has the answer to that but, in any event, it is, at least for now, a blessing for the United States and thank you, Mr. President, for taking firm action when needed. Decisiveness in response to terror is always more appropriate than mere words for force is the only thing that those perpetrating evil understand. God bless both America and Israel, and may both nations remain steadfast in these trying days. And may peace also come to all those valleys in that troubled area known as the Middle East as well as the entire world.