At first we were taught that the Old Testament is a good read but slightly out-dated and should not be applied to our daily modern lifestyles. Then wars broke out, people began reading their Bibles again and opinions started changing again. This time however, people emphasized certain parts of the Bible to justify picking sides in a battle that everyone seemed to want to be a part of. It was at this point what I first heard that we as believers should align with Israel and pray for the Jews. It was at this point that I learned to be thankful that God closed their eyes and planted me (the wild olive branch) into the original olive tree. I made peace with the fact that I, a gentile, beloved by God, am described and referred to as a dog by Jesus himself and that I truly am thankful for the crumbs off the table.
I came to the conclusion that the Jews were still God’s chosen people, still the blessed nation, still the important nation because they are God’s nation. Of course this is the part where I start quoting long lists of scripture to prove my point but to what extent? Why do we follow this idea? Do we pray for Jerusalem because Psalms 122 says we should so that we could be blessed or do we pray for the Jews because God is good and we want the whole world to hear the good news?
After a lengthy conversation with a Jewish gentleman I came to this realisation: I know nothing…
With that in mind then I crossed the ‘border’ into another world where I could see first-hand what this belief has led to. Where walls are erected to keep people isolated and contained, to keep them suppressed: to ensure that “they” don’t mix with “us”. Does that sound familiar? I don’t think this wall is called the ‘wall of apartheid’ for nothing….
At what point in time did we start seeing people as quantities instead of entities? When did the quality of life start out weighing the value of life? When did we start standing so far back that it is justified to kill a nation to preserve another? Back in the day Solomon proved this doesn’t work: half a baby plus half a baby doesn’t make one full baby. It just makes two devastated mothers. So why do we apply this to life? We are all made in God’s image. Therefore harming another person or committing murder is a direct attack on God’s image. ‘To violate you would be to violate God’. We can never rejoice in the hurt we bring to another person….
So where does that leave me? Do I stand with a nation so that I may be blessed? Or do I stand back and judge from a safe, ‘moral high ground’ distance?
I know one thing……
God is love. He does not have favourites. He loves all His children and He told me to do the same. He keeps pursuing us to restore the sensitivity of our hearts, to change our hearts. That is what causes us to think and react differently.
This is where the difference between law and relationship comes in. We have been freed from the law so that we can live in relationship with God, yet we as people seem to rather want the law. It justifies our actions against each other without considering the implications on our own lives. Relationship on the other hand is all about God and all about love: for God and one another. ‘We don’t fight to destroy our enemy; we fight to win our enemy, with love…’
So here I am, the gentile, not sure what to do other than love ‘the least of these’ and to know that I too am a beloved daughter of God….
I don't know what the right answer is but I trust God and I trust His process, so I will just continue following His lead.
Just some thoughts….
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