G-d`s Plan for peace in Azah By my Rebbie, Barney Kasdan The Enigma of Gaza by Rabbi Barney Kasdan It was certainly an eventful summer in Israel….a little too eventful. Since the 2007 takeover of Gaza by radical Hamas (from their own Arab brothers Fatah!), there has been three wars directed at the State of Israel. And evidently the world has forgotten that all this has transpired after Israel handed over Gaza to the Palestinian Authority in 2005 after abandoning Jewish settlements and thriving green houses. From the Arab side we were assured that the rocket attacks would stop once Israel ceased “the occupation” of Gaza. Sadly, this summer confirmed (with nealy 4000 rockets at Israel) that the issue is not “the occupation” but any Jewish presence in the Middle East. We are thankful for the extended truce but many are still concerned on how long this will last. Probably until Hamas has been allowed to reload for the next war. While the political and military situation continues to be volatile, many people are wondering if there is any solution to this ongoing conflict. The politicians and talking heads of the news channels have their opinions but it would be a good time to look outside the box for some possible answers: namely in the Holy Scriptures, the Bible. Gaza holds a prominent place in the Scriptures as well as Jewish and Arab history. “Azah”, as it is called in Hebrew, comes from the word “oz/stronghold” which reflects its strategic place in the Middle East. It started out as a vital military base for Egypt under the Pharoahs and was designated as part of the inheritance for the tribe of Judah (Judges 1:18). It later became one of the five Philistine cities in southern Israel and was a constant source of conflict. It was at Gaza that Samson famously brought down the pagan temple and eventually the town submitted to the rulership of King David (Judges 13; II Samuel 5). From there Gaza continued as an important agricultural resource and military outpost for various occupiers. Assyria, Egypt, Greece, Rome, Byzantine: all these were part of the history of the area. It should be noted that through all these changes, there was always a strong Jewish presence in Gaza. Archaeology testifies to this with the discovery of several synagogues dating from the Biblical time period all the way until the final Jews were driven out by Arab riots in 1929, only to return after the 6-day War of 1967. Of special note to Messianic Jews and Christians is the reference to Gaza as the place of the mikveh/ritual immersion of the Ethiopian Jewish leader (Acts 8:26f). In short, Gaza has had an amazing history and many eras of blessing and prosperity. In the right conditions it is actually a wonderful beach community! Check out the recent group that even brought surfboards from Israel to donate to aspiring surfers of Gaza (on the movie “Promised Land” available on i-tunes). Too often these blessings have not been realized because of spiritual opposition to God and his covenant people. In the days of the prophets, Amos speaks out: “Thus says Adonai, ‘For three transgressions of Gaza and for four I will not revoke its punishment, because they deported an entire population to deliver it up to Edom. So I will send fire upon the wall of Gaza and it will consume her citadels” (Amos 1:6-7). Hamas continues to make a big mistake and should take heed to this ancient warning. Yet, with every warning of judgment from God, there is also a way of deliverance. Isaiah predicts a day when there will be acceptance, cooperation and true shalom between Gaza and Israel: “In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrians will come into Egypt and the Egyptians into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians. In that day Israel will be the third party with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying, ‘Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance” (Isaiah 19:23-25). This beautiful prophetic word predicts the restoration of the famous Via Maris/Highway of the Sea that connected all three countries during the biblical period. This Highway of Shalom will be opened once again when all the parties receive the word of Adonai and reconciled to each other in the days of Messiah. The Via Maris runs right through Gaza so from the perspective of the Tenach, bright days are ahead. The television news and commentators seem rather pessimistic but for Bible believers there is a bright ray of hope on the horizon. For now, we pray and work for peace among all peoples. Yet the ultimate hope will be the shalom of Yeshua as the coming Mashiach. We look forward to that day!
Posted on: Tue, 02 Sep 2014 17:39:13 +0000