Holding Fast for God & Country…by Pastor Jared Deckerfor God & Country

This post is written to address one key issue in our President’s speech before the UN yesterday…his dangerous statements about the nation of Israel. I will not go into detail in this post about how dumbfounded I am that someone with this view of Israel has the unmitigated GALL to supposedly claim to be a “Christian”. I’ll deal with that issue in a post very soon; however, I do want to give a little bit of a commentary, from a Biblical view, on President Obama’s statements about the nation Israel and where America will stand on issues about them.

Let me begin by reminding you of what the Word of God says reguarding a nations relationship with the nation of Israel. In Genesis 12:3, the Bible says, “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” The Bible also tells us in Genesis 22:18 that Israel is the source by which “all the nations of the earth” would be blessed. A GENUINE, Bible believing Christian knows the value of the nation of Israel.

The following excerpts are taken from the second point of President Obama’s speech. I am going to break it into six individual statements, so that I can comment effectively on the dangers of each of them.

Statement #1:
[And in countries ravaged by violence from Haiti to Congo to East Timor, we will work with the U.N. and other partners to support an enduring peace. I will also continue to seek a just and lasting peace [in] Israel, Palestine and the Arab world. We will continue to work on that issue.]

The problem with this statement is wrapped up in the four words, “just and lasting peace”. How is it “just”to continue to demand more and more out of Israel and demand nothing out of those who wish for them to be destroyed? (ie. “Palestine and the Arab world”) Israel has consistently met demands placed upon them by intruding nations meddling with their land, people, and safety. The Palestinians have yet to meet any demands placed upon them. They can’t even go a day without lobbing rockets…even during peace talks. Come on, Really! A treaty only works when both signing nations abide by the conditions of the treaty. The only thing the Palestinians (as well those pouring in from the Arab world) have been consistent in doing is increasing their violence against Israeli civilians while Israel is meeting the conditions of moving their borders back again and again. There cannot be “lasting peace” when the Palestinians won’t be peaceable. Plus, the Bible makes it clear throughout the books of Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and the Revelation that there will not be “lasting peace” until the Prince of Peace places His feet on the Mount of Olives. Sorry, Mr. President, but contrary to popular media/liberal opinion, you are NOT HIM! My point? There is no reason for us to molest the sovereignty of the nation of Israel to “continue to work on that issue”, seeing that it is impossible.

Statement #2:
[Yesterday, I had a constructive meeting with Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu and President [Mahmoud] Abbas. We have made some progress. Palestinians have strengthened their efforts on security. Israelis have facilitated greater freedom of movement for the Palestinians. As a result of these efforts on both sides, the economy in the West Bank has begun to grow, but more progress is needed.]

I also notice a couple of troublesome items in this statement. I noticed that our President did acknowledge that the “Palestinians have strengthened their…security”, while the “Israelis have facilitated greater freedom…for the Palestinians.” Did anybody else catch what I caught in that statement? The Palestinians are working for themselves, and Israel is working…for the Palestinians too. Who is helping Israel? Who is strengthening the security of Israel? Why do we praise a nation for giving “greater freedom of movement” to their violent enemies within their vulnerable borders? Something is wrong here! Why are we not encouraging Israel to strengthen “their efforts on security” and demanding that the Palestinians also facilitate “greater freedom of movement” for the Israelis within their borders? Am I the only one who sees a one-sided deal here? WHO IS ON ISRAEL’S SIDE? Mr. President, if you believe the Bible, you should know that America better be on Israel’s side! If we are going to take someone’s side, why are we taking the side of the people who won’t play by the rules? We are playing to the largely Muslim, Israel-hating crowd of the UN? WHO NEEDS THEM? We pay most of their bills and do most of their fighting. We put up with their inactive apathy and then take the heat when we do something about the injustices of cruel and ruthless dictators. If they don’t like us, let’s see how they do without us! It’s time for us to do right toward the nation of Israel, because that is “just”.

Statement #3:
[We continue to call on Palestinians to end incitement against Israel. And we continue to emphasize that America does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements. The time ...The time has come -- the time has come to relaunch negotiations without preconditions that address the permanent status issues, security for Israelis and Palestinians, borders, refugees and Jerusalem. The goal is clear: Two states living side by side in peace and security; a Jewish state of Israel with true security for all Israelis and a viable, independent Palestinian state with contiguous territory that ends the occupation that began in 1967 and realizes the potential of the Palestinian people.]

Firstly, let us define the word “incitement” and see if that is really an adequate description of what the Palestinians are doing against Israel. Incitement means “to provoke and urge on”. Let me see…are the Palestinians provoking and urging Israel to do something or are they besieging and attacking Israel to do them harm? Someone not only needs to give the President a history lesson but also a grammar lesson. The word, “incitement”, doesn’t touch the hem of the garment in describing the atrocities that the Palestinians have gotten away with while trying to remove Israel from the face of the earth. Secondly, I am greatly disturbed by the President’s assertion that “America does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements.” Israel in not continuing to settle anywhere…they are resettling and rebuilding the areas that the Palestinians have BLOWN UP! Thirdly, I wish to enlighten my readers as to what President Obama is alluding to when he mentions the “permanent status issues” involving “Jerusalem”. I believe, from researching his previous speeches and comments, that our President believes that Jerusalem should be divided into a Muslim half and a Jewish half. This would include the discussions about the rights over the Temple Mount. Be very careful here, Mr. President. And to those who doubted what I contended before the election regarding (then) Senator Obama’s view on the Palestinian state, our President affirmed that “the goal is clear“, and that goal is “Two states living side by side…a Jewish state…and a viable, independent Palestinian state”. Lastly for this statement, I want to point out the most arrogant, hostile, and ignorant statement made against the nation of Israel in this speech. That is that the establishment of a Palestinian state would end “the occupation that began in 1967″ by the nation of Israel. President Obama, who are you to call the nation of Israel an occupying force? Why did you not make that bold of a statement against Russia when they invaded and attempted to “occupy” the independent nation of Georgia earlier this year? Why are you not concerned with the possibility of Russia attacking and “occupying” our European allies (ie. Poland)? The best thing you could do before you make this statement in another speech is actually read what happened around 1967. Israel was the defending nation fighting against a barbaric hord of Arab nations bent on their absolute annihilation. With the hand of God on their side, they simply moved the massive Arab armies back to where they came from and claimed masses of land that was their right by the rules of war. Any nation attacked by another has the right to fight and secure the land of the aggressing nation in order to ensure their future security. Just think of what the status of Israel would be had they not added to their land mass after that war. Since everyone is always forcing them to give up another piece of their land to the Palestinians, they wouldn’t have two square yards of Israel left after the UN was done. Leave them and THEIR land alone!

Statement #4:
[Now, as we pursue this goal, we will also pursue peace between Israel and Lebanon, Israel and Syria, and a broader peace between Israel and its many neighbors. In pursuit of that goal, we will develop regional initiatives with multilateral participation alongside bilateral negotiations.]

Wait just a cotton-pickin’ minute! What was that?! Those are a lot of big words to cover up something that is an absolutely absurd idea. Has anyone else been listening to what the leaders of the nations of Lebanon, Syria, and Iran (Israel’s “many neighbors”) have been saying about their goals for Israel? They want Israel annihilated! They don’t want peace with Israel…they just want another PIECE of Israel. They would prefer Israel in little pieces. I seem to remember someone recently saying that you can’t negotiate with terrorists. Could it be that it is the same with the leaders of nations that train and harbor terrorist? Duh! Just so you know…bilateral negotiations include the agreement of two (bi) sides. These extremist whack-jobs don’t want negotiations; They want detonations! Get over it and move on! GO ISRAEL!

Statement #5:
[Now, I am not naive. I know this will be difficult. But all of us -- not just the Israelis and the Palestinians -- but all of us must decide whether we are serious about peace or whether we will only lend it lip service. To break the old patterns, to break the cycle of insecurity and despair, all of us must say publicly what we would acknowledge in private. The United States does Israel no favors when we fail to couple an unwavering commitment to its security with an insistence that Israel respect the legitimate claims and rights of the Palestinians. And nations within this body do the Palestinians no favors when they choose vitriolic attacks against Israel over constructive willingness to recognize Israel's legitimacy and its right to exist in peace and security.]

I would beg to differ with the first statement, but it is not my intention to seem disrespectful to the position of the President of the United States. I would like to ask our President how he would know how difficult it would be to do what he’s asking. He’s never had to duck a mortar. He’s never had to go over escape routes with his two little girls, because someday soon, some rag-head might bust in their house determined to kill them. He’s never had to pick up his loved ones, piece by piece, out of the street because the missiles just came in range when some politician told Israel to give away a few more acres to have peace. Nobody but “the Israelis and the Palestinians” know the difficulties of their situation. Why is it, when the world gets serious about peace, that Israel is always demonized, vilified, and dissected? How is it that we are doing Israel a favour by telling them to “respect the legitimate claims and rights of the Palestinians“, when doing so means more violence toward Israel’s civilian population? Every time Israel gives more land away, the Palestinians use the addition as a military advancement. I will give the President credit for making it known that we do not approve of other Arab nations supporting Palestinian aggression. However, what good does it do to dissaprove when we are assisting by lowering Israel’s security every time we force them into another “peace accord”? If the Palestinians would stop their aggression, the Israelis would have no reason to counter with aggression. We are asking the abused child to give the abusive parent another chance. “They’re sorry. It was a mistake. They won’t do it again.” Whatever! Slap on the cuffs and put ‘em away! Let the child live a normal, joyful life. And the same goes for Israel.

Statement #6:
[We must remember that the greatest price of this conflict is not paid by us. It's not paid by politicians. It's paid by the Israeli girl in Sderot who closes her eyes in fear that a rocket will take her life in the middle of the night. It's paid for by the Palestinian boy in Gaza who has no clean water and no country to call his own. These are all God's children. And, after all the politics and all the posturing, this is about the right of every human being to live with dignity and security. That is a lesson embedded in the three great faiths that call one small slice of Earth the Holy Land. And that is why -- even though there will be setbacks, and false starts, and tough days -- I will not waiver in my pursuit of peace.]

If we truly understand that the “price of this conflict is not paid by us”, then why are we continuing to bind the hands of those paying the price of the conflict? Did you hear what you said, Mr. President? The price is “not paid by POLITICIANS”! We sure should have learned our lesson from the Vietnam War about that! Politicians…in other words, UN…stay out of it! As a born again Christian, I must disagree with the President’s statement that, “These are all God’s children”. We are all God’s special creation, but no one is God’s child until they have forsaken faith in anything but “Jesus Christ and Him crucified”. Only those who put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ and His shed blood are “God’s children”. And although most of the Jewish people do not believe in Jesus as the Messiah, they are a billion times closer to being called “God’s children” (the nation of Israel is called, by God in His Word, the “children of the Living God”) than a nation of Muslims who don’t even believe in the same “God”  you claim that you believe in, Mr. President. I am not saying that Muslims cannot be saved or that Jews are automatically saved. I am saying that no one is God’s child until they are saved by faith in Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Also, as a Bible Believing Christian, there is only ONE GREAT FAITH! All other “faiths” are empty, vain, and false! Sadly, the “setbacks, and false starts, and tough days” that are ahead of the nation of Israel will be on the hands of those who, through ignorant, foolish, and reckless policies, are arrogant enough to say “I will not waiver in my pursuit of peace.”

In conclusion,I would like to challenge you, the reader, to pray for the PEACE of Jerusalem and pray against the PIECING of Jerusalem. I would encourage you to call your Representatives, Senators, and even the White House, and insist that America stand with the nation of Israel. We have been standing BEHIND them for many years, but we have stood there pushing them in a direction that is only leading them to further destruction. WAKE UP AMERICA! If our country turns its back on Israel, you can mark it down that the hand of God will come against our nations. If we “curse” Israel, God will “curse” us. I think we’ve got enough trouble as it is…we don’t need more. America, stand by Israel! And I cannot say this loud enough because of this speech; MR. PRESIDENT, STAND BY ISRAEL!!!