Israel’s Heroes: Past and Present

Twenty-five hundred years ago, a Persian viceroy arranged for the total annihilation of all the Jews in the 120 provinces under the king’s authority. What had these thousands of people done to him? Absolutely nothing.

Truth be told, only one Jewish man had been in a position to personally offend Haman. He refused to kneel down to pay homage to Haman, because Mordecai believed such an act would disobey the Almighty God. His refusal gave the wicked Haman the perfect opportunity to solicit the King’s approval to destroy all of the Jewish People. The situation looked hopeless.

The exciting account has been recorded in the Old Testament Book of Esther. Esther, also known as Hadassah, had been raised by her older cousin, Mordacai, following the death of her parents.

Through an incredible set of circumstances, the young Jewish maiden became Queen Esther, and favored by the king above his other wives. Esther had been set in just the right position to save her people, if only she’d break the Persian law and go to the King without first being called.

Naturally, knowing the king could as easily order her death as grant her permission to speak, Esther hesitated to approach him. Her patronly cousin convinced her with these well-known words from Esther 4:13-14.

“Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

Zipping over to the end of the story: For three days, Esther and all of the Jewish people fasted and prayed for the Lord’s deliverance. The following day, the young queen risked everything and the king responded favorably.

The Jewish people were saved; the king was so angry with Haman that he had him hanged on the very gallows he’d erected for Mordecai’s execution. Shouts, cheers and applause accompany the smiling people out of the theatre, right? Indeed, but it’s not fiction; it really happened just that way.

Today, 2015, another wicked Persian seeks the total annihilation of the Jewish people. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini, a modern-day tyrant, tweets, not in his native language but in the international language–English, that Israel must be destroyed. Why? What have those millions of innocent people done to him? It’s not just that their country borders his, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reminded us in his speech last Tuesday.

“For those who believe that Iran threatens the Jewish state, but not the Jewish people, listen to Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, Iran’s chief terrorist proxy. He said: If all the Jews gather in Israel, it will save us the trouble of chasing them down around the world.”

What have these people done? Nothing at all; being Jewish is enough for the enemies of the Almighty God. As committed Christians, we are seen in the same light where Islam is concerned. Don’t fool yourself into thinking we’ll be exempt from the torturous hand of Islam, if it serves their purpose to dominate the world.

Our God gives opportunity for us to not be caught offguard, if only we’ll listen. In Amos 3:7, we read “Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.”

Standing before Congress and all the millions of viewers over the various media outlets, God brought His warning to us through the mouth of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. I believe the timing had more to do with the Jewish celebration of Purim (the commemoration of the Esther story mentioned above), than the upcoming vote on the Iranian deal or the Israeli election later this month. I believe that God did it this way, in His own perfect timing, to underscore the importance of this moment in time and to bring the truth concerning the enemies of Israel and all who call Him Lord.

If we will listen God will always warn us. John 14:29 “I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.”

In spite of the weeks of negative press surrounding the address of Prime Minister Netanyahu, he came, standing confidently before the cameras and gathered assembly of leaders. He spoke the truth, offering the warning to encourage our leaders to not give in to the bullying.

My heart burned with pride for this Israeli leader’s courage and honesty. He’d presented the situation and the consequences of making a bad deal with such excellence, it would be impossible not to understand. Then, his conclusion had me on my feet, cheering. This is what he said, in case you missed it:

“And I wish I could promise you, Elie (referring to a Holocaust survivor present in the chamber), that the lessons of history have been learned. I can only urge the leaders of the world not to repeat the mistakes of the past. Not to sacrifice the future for the present; not to ignore aggression in the hopes of gaining an illusory peace.

“But I can guarantee you this, the days when the Jewish people remained passive in the face of genocidal enemies, those days are over. We are no longer scattered among the nations, powerless to defend ourselves. We restored our sovereignty in our ancient home. And the soldiers who defend our home have boundless courage. For the first time in 100 generations, we, the Jewish people, can defend ourselves.

“This is why, as a prime minister of Israel, I can promise you one more thing: Even if Israel has to stand alone, Israel will stand.”

The Prime Minister had a few additional remarks before bringing the address to a close. Then with the eyes of the assembly riveted on Netanyahu, he looked to the area above and before him.

Around the chamber are the profiles of leaders of all nationalities, spanning many years. Only the central figure is not in profile. Pointing to the one face that is in full-view (eyes sculpted to stare directly at the one behind the microphone), Netanyahu offered this recognition of the man who gave Jews and Christians alike God’s inspired Torah:

“Facing me right up there in the gallery, overlooking all of us in this chamber is the image of Moses. Moses led our people from slavery to the gates of the Promised Land.And before the people of Israel entered the land of Israel, Moses gave us a message that has steeled our resolve for thousands of years. I leave you with his message today, Be strong and resolute, neither fear nor dread them.”

Take heed: It’s not just a Jewish problem. The Gentiles of today may be tempted to see the war Islam wages against the Jews as having nothing to do with their own family. The rhetoric of the Muslim clerics, who are staying loyal to the words of the Koran, proves otherwise.

Islam wants to squash the Jews first, because it is the Jews who are keeping the bullies at bay, away from the rest of us. The Muslims insist that once the nation of Israel is conquered, it will be a small matter to take the rest of the world.

My question is this: When the Muslims are unable to take Israel, what happens to those who refused to stand with Israel? For truly, the God of Israel will stand to defend her. He always has; He always will.