The manna ceased on the day they ate the produce of the land, and the Israelites no longer had manna; they ate the crops of the land of Canaan that year.” vs. 12
Joshua 5:9-12
It’s hard to read these accounts of the Hebrew invasion of the land of Canaan without thinking about the current struggle for land in what are known as the Palestinian territories. The place where Joshua and his army made their camp is in what we now know as the West Bank. We can travel there today and see the rich irrigated fields between the Jordan River and the mostly barren interior mountains.
People have lived in this area for 11,000 years and all ate the produce of the land! And once more there is a fierce struggle for control. Palestinians currently live in the area – they’ve been there for thousands of years. But an active militant minority of the Israeli population is gradually taking back the land through the expansion of illegal settlements. They mean to get it all back and would love to simply expel the Palestinians. The settlers claim that this is their land because God gave it to them. It’s what humans always say when they cross boundaries and take what belongs to another. “God is giving us this land, and we’re going to keep it.”
Granted, there is no easy answer to the current crisis, but people of faith, both Jews and Christians are coming to the support of the Palestinians – even if it is the politically incorrect thing to do!
Thought for the Day: What is antisemitism?
0 Comments