Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him and strip kings of their robes, to open doors before him— and the gates shall not be closed:” vs. 1
Isaiah 45:1-4
Talk about the ironies and the vagaries of history in the Middle East! Back in the days of Israel’s captivity in Babylon, the prophet wrote that Cyrus, the king of Persia, was the Lord’s anointed, and that Cyrus would be the Lord’s right hand in setting Israel free and in bringing them back to their homeland. Fast forward to the present and we find Iran (modern day Persia) vowing to leave no stone unturned in driving Israel into the sea. It’s a reminder that in reality no nation can make a claim to be God’s favorite–and while the policies of any one nation or people have enormous effect on their neighbors for good or for evil, ultimately all people are under God. And while there is little doubt about the immediate cause of the war between Gaza and Israel, it is also true that the root causes go back for many hundreds of years. Our role as the followers of Jesus is to pray for an end to the violence and to reach out to those who are suffering, both Jews and Palestinians. We pray that a new anointed one would be raised up and that one day out of the pain there would emerge healing and restoration.
Thought for the Day: What can I do in this moment of crisis?
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