What has been the transcendent unifier for most of the Arab World over the past 76 years?
The desire to destroy the Jews.
Last week, May 11, marked the 76th anniversary of Israel becoming a member of the United Nations. Many of the Arabs hated the Jews that year. They literally wanted to wipe them off the face of the Earth.
Too many do today as well.
Not all Arabs. For example, Anwar Sadat of Egypt was a great example of a leader who was willing to acknowledge (and accept) the existence of the Jews. But many, if not most, want to destroy the Jews and claim the land in the Middle East belonging to Israel.
This reality presents the world with a big problem. A shared hatred of the Jews provides unity in the Arab world. In other words, at any point when there is a situation of division within the Arab community, Arabs often find common ground in their hatred for the Jews.
You have heard the chant from the Palestinian-supporting protestors, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” It is a call to wipe out Israel and all the Jews with it. Hidden factors and motives drive this chant. As I wrote last week, Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said, the sultan of Oman, said that “for years, Arab leaders had deliberately stoked the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians to deflect attention from their own domestic shortcomings and to rally popular support…I feel badly for the Palestinian people; they carry with them the burden of the Muslim world.” Motivating people with hatred, bitterness, the desire for revenge, and envy is easier. These are the foundational attitudes that drive the Anti-Semitic forces. And as we have noted over the past few weeks, much of the Palestinian suffering has come as a consequence of these sins of the heart. It is no coincidence that readers of the New Testament can spot these forces in Paul’s list of works of the flesh.
Legendary Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir once said, “Peace will come when the Arabs love their children more than they hate us.” True that. Hostile forces drive many of the policies and activities of the Middle East. This should provide a dire warning to the American Church. The carnal embers are present in America’s tribal politics. More and more members from both political parties are allowing sinful motivations to drive them. Hatred, enmity, rage, and strife are seeping into the rank and file.
Let us beware. We will not live spiritually fulfilling lives—and indeed, we will not find peace—if we love hatred more than we do our children.
Here, according to the apostle Paul, are the identifying marks of The Evil One and his disciples: “19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:19-21 NIV.)
According to the apostle Paul, here are the identifying marks of The Holy Spirit as manifested in Jesus’ disciples: “22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Gal. 5:22-23 NIV.)
American society has never needed the Church to show the fruit of the Spirit more than now.
I’m Mark Edge. Thanks for reading.
Buy Mark’s new book Holy Chaos How To Walk with God in a Frenzied World here: