Even on a short break in England’s stunning Lake District, I have been reminded once more of the ancient truth that if you bless the seed of Abraham, a blessing will return on your own heads (Genesis 12:3).
In effect, it all comes down to whether you’re on the side of young David and his sling, or the armies of Goliath, the giant champion of the Philistines who lived in Gaza.
The young Jewish state, just 76 years old, is once more fighting an implacable enemy, and one of its defence weapons is known as ‘David’s sling’.
But as nations abandon Israel to her fate, there is a noticeable sense of Christians taking their stand with David, and even of the new atheism giving way to a rising hunger for a return to faith in Christ, who offers the only real hope amid a civilization collapsing in chaos.
Back at the church retreat to which I referred earlier, Steve Lancaster, who has led many tours of Israel over the years, told how he was trapped with a tour party in Bethlehem on October 7th when the Gaza war broke out in response to the massacre of Jews near the border. It was a frightening experience watching the vapour trails doing U-turns in the sky and wondering how he was going to get his people to safety.
But his reference to Bethlehem was to emphasize the point of all the sessions he was leading – that the world will know we are Christ’s disciples when they see how we love one another (John 13:34f).
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