A war that started in the womb - Israel and Palestine; Esau and Jacob still wage war 3000 years on and this is what it means to us
Great tragedy, great miracles and great upheavals... 70 years on after the creation of the state of Israel, feelings are confounding and uplifting, a mix of fulfilled prophecy and profound pain. Any one who understands the God of the Bible will understand that the so-called Nation of Israel (the return of the tribe of Judah specifically and not necessarily all the tribes of Israel) to their land is miraculous. And likewise, they will understand the tragedy suffered by the Palestinians, people who have lived and tilled their land for hundreds years before.
I've written elsewhere about how many of the regions people's are really Jewish and Israelites, people of whom it is told "you are not God's people" (see Hos 1:10; Ps 87) end up actually being Israelites and people of the birthright, genetically speaking. (It's only with today's technology could we have discovered this and the surprising thing is that the many enemies of the State of Israel, both from within and without, are all children of Israel!).
But here's another wrench in the machine of war and our neat but false ideologies. The rivalry between many of the Palestinians of today and Israel is one between two twin brothers of Biblical ages, Esau and Jacob. Could this be?
Firstly, check out the story if you're not familiar with in Genesis 25 (click here). Basically, Esau was the firstborn of Isaac, who was the heir of Abraham, Esau knew the promises of God to Abraham and they were passed to him by his father. Though Esau knew it, he regarded his birthright very lightly. People in the Middle East, you'd be surprised how casually they say things, both positive and negative. Words have little meaning and depth, from absurdly dark cursing to over the stars flattery - both are words cheaply spoken.
So when one day Esau comes home from the hunt with ravaging hunger and smells's his younger twin brother's delicious stew brewing, "Oh forget my birthright brother take it and give me soup cuz I'm starving to death!" Words said in jest maybe, but it reveals a deeper betrayal that somehow had taken root in Esau.
Did Esau regret his decision? Very much so, but he only realized this when Jacob (with his mother's help) deceptively stole Isaac's blessings! (I really am at a loss to explain this on various levels... indeed, Isaac's family wasn't whole to say the least, number one, and number two, how can someone steal a blessing? why is there a limited amount of blessing? things to ponder...)
Today, many of the Palestinians are heirs of Esau (along with Jordanians btw). It's true that many Palestinians and Israeli Arabs are indeed of Jewish and Israelite origins as you can see in the links to my other articles above. There is no doubt to this today. But I think most Palestinians are ancestors of Esau and then Arabians (descendants of Ishmael proper, who dwelt in the deserts of the Arabian peninsula and following the conquest of the land by Islamic tribes of Arabia mixed with the ancestors of Palestinians as they converted to Islam).
Could it be that Palestinians still suffer from the regret of their forefather?
I do not know, but the fact that Palestinians have lost the promised land and for 70 years have been incapable either of moving or constructively fighting to regain it speaks volumes. Palestinians in my opinion have been on the bitter end of two swords - the Israeli sword of occupation, doubtless but secondly, an even more powerful sword, the sword of generational regret, self-victimization and hatred. They are prisoners of these generational curses and for 70 years have been trapped unable to either fight a morally superior battle to the occupation and unable to invest in the future of their people.
So what are we to do?
I've written elsewhere about how many of the regions people's are really Jewish and Israelites, people of whom it is told "you are not God's people" (see Hos 1:10; Ps 87) end up actually being Israelites and people of the birthright, genetically speaking. (It's only with today's technology could we have discovered this and the surprising thing is that the many enemies of the State of Israel, both from within and without, are all children of Israel!).
But here's another wrench in the machine of war and our neat but false ideologies. The rivalry between many of the Palestinians of today and Israel is one between two twin brothers of Biblical ages, Esau and Jacob. Could this be?
Firstly, check out the story if you're not familiar with in Genesis 25 (click here). Basically, Esau was the firstborn of Isaac, who was the heir of Abraham, Esau knew the promises of God to Abraham and they were passed to him by his father. Though Esau knew it, he regarded his birthright very lightly. People in the Middle East, you'd be surprised how casually they say things, both positive and negative. Words have little meaning and depth, from absurdly dark cursing to over the stars flattery - both are words cheaply spoken.
So when one day Esau comes home from the hunt with ravaging hunger and smells's his younger twin brother's delicious stew brewing, "Oh forget my birthright brother take it and give me soup cuz I'm starving to death!" Words said in jest maybe, but it reveals a deeper betrayal that somehow had taken root in Esau.
Did Esau regret his decision? Very much so, but he only realized this when Jacob (with his mother's help) deceptively stole Isaac's blessings! (I really am at a loss to explain this on various levels... indeed, Isaac's family wasn't whole to say the least, number one, and number two, how can someone steal a blessing? why is there a limited amount of blessing? things to ponder...)
Today, many of the Palestinians are heirs of Esau (along with Jordanians btw). It's true that many Palestinians and Israeli Arabs are indeed of Jewish and Israelite origins as you can see in the links to my other articles above. There is no doubt to this today. But I think most Palestinians are ancestors of Esau and then Arabians (descendants of Ishmael proper, who dwelt in the deserts of the Arabian peninsula and following the conquest of the land by Islamic tribes of Arabia mixed with the ancestors of Palestinians as they converted to Islam).
Could it be that Palestinians still suffer from the regret of their forefather?
I do not know, but the fact that Palestinians have lost the promised land and for 70 years have been incapable either of moving or constructively fighting to regain it speaks volumes. Palestinians in my opinion have been on the bitter end of two swords - the Israeli sword of occupation, doubtless but secondly, an even more powerful sword, the sword of generational regret, self-victimization and hatred. They are prisoners of these generational curses and for 70 years have been trapped unable to either fight a morally superior battle to the occupation and unable to invest in the future of their people.
So what are we to do?
1. There is a great spiritual significance in this story
That significance is that as born again children of the Living God, as followers of Jesus, know your ultimate birthright. The birthright of who you are - a son and daughter of the Living God (Hos 1:10) and your ultimate inheritance... the Holy Spirit. And then treasure it! Don't consider it cheap or not worth your time and effort to discover it. I start this blog five years ago precisely to explore the vast land of our inheritance and I doubt I'm even a fraction of the way there even after 329 articles!
2. If you're a follower of Jesus and Jewish or Israeli...
Ask yourself if you are capable of understanding your history and able to really own it? Ask yourself if keeping a nation of 4 million individuals in the world's largest prison (Gaza and to a lesser extent the West Bank) is a right and justifiable in any way even considering the horror of the Holocaust? Ask yourself if keeping Arabs as second class citizens in some way is right in your country? Ask yourselves if it is right to fail to compensate the refugees of 1948 and 1967? Ask yourself if seeing God's promises fulfilled at the expense of your moral and spiritual compass makes any sense? Ask yourself why aren't the blessed peacemakers exalted enough?
These tough questions and those who answer them in Truth will begin to experience healing like never before.
3. If you're a follower of Jesus and Palestinian...
Ask yourself if you really trust God? Can you see God as your rewarder? Do you really trust in Him? Than if you do, begin to align your actions with your identity in God and wonderful things will happen. God has told us to fight darkness with light, not with darkness. In you, you have the capacity to love, to forgive, and to be victorious in a way that will confound the world.
This is the world's most profound conflict. And I say it can be solved. One of it's key's to this peace is that the people's of the region are brothers in the closest degree. The Children of Israel are in Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, and even Syria. They are all the tribes of Israel and they are all fighting each other. This is no accident of history and if you've ever wondered about the Holocaust, anti-semitism and the perpetual blood shed of the Promised Land and its wars in Israel, Lebanon, Syria... the answer lies in the fact that the real enemy of humanity - Satan - is doing everything he can to destroy God's Kingdom and Reputation. He's desperately trying to keep the land flooded in blood and drenched in the darkness of hatred and violence. Realizing this and awakening the peacemaker and royal priesthood of every believer is the key to reversing the enemy's works!
For more readings on this subject click here.
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