The Arab-Israeli Conflict

Bad blood in the Mideast flows from generation to generation like an ancient river of oil and water. From the days of Abram to our own breaking news, there seems to be no end to the fatal rivalry of Ishmael and Isaac.

The conflict that began with patriarchs of the Arab and Jewish people affects all of us. It costs us at the gas pump. It divides us at church. Some of us think our faith leads us to be pro-Israel. Some think a good Samaritan theology favors the Palestinians.

An Inclination to Side with Israel

My pattern has been to side with those who are sympathetic to the Jewish struggle for a homeland because:

• we remember that the God of the Bible gave the “promised land” to Israel.
• we are embarrassed by the anti-Semitism of our church fathers and want to disassociate ourselves from any hint of the hatred seen in Haman or Hitler.
• we believe the events of the Holocaust show the Jewish people’s need for a homeland.
• we see in Israel’s rebirth not only evidence for the God of the Bible but for our view of prophecy as well.
• most important, we hear God saying to Abram, “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3).

A Tendency to Forget Arab Interests

It’s easy to forget that:

• as people of the gospel we are to bless all and to curse no one (Romans 12:14); and
• while supporting Israel’s need for a homeland, we need to remember the non-Jewish families whose ancestors have lived in the Holy Land for centuries.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to betray the trust of our Jewish friends. I just deeply regret that I have heard the cries of Sarah and Isaac while being blind to the tears of Hagar and Ishmael. I haven’t done well in distinguishing between what God is doing in Israel and what Israel herself is doing without God.

The Unequal Legacy of Ishmael

From the beginning, Ishmael seemed to be the son of a bad idea. Although he was born into the home of Abram and Sarah, Ishmael was conceived as a result of his father’s relationship with an Egyptian woman named Hagar.

At Sarah’s suggestion, Abram had a child by her live-in housekeeper. But the solution itself gave birth to trouble. Later, when Sarah miraculously conceived a son of her own, the stage was set for conflict between the two boys and their mothers. At Sarah’s urging, Abram put Hagar and Ishmael out of the house.

According to Genesis 21:17-20, heaven responded tenderly to the tears of Hagar. The angel of the Lord gave her son a name which means “God will hear” (Genesis 16:11). God Himself was with Ishmael (Genesis 21:20) and promised to make him into a great nation (Genesis 17:20).

In the process of befriending Hagar and Ishmael, however, God seems to warn of the painful consequences that will result from Abram’s actions. Of the child he and his wife threw into the wilderness, God said, “He shall be a wild man [literally wild donkey]. His hand shall be against every man, and every man’s hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren” (Genesis 16:12). Ishmael seemed destined to show us that hurt people hurt people. Being thrown out of the house probably contributed not only to his own approach to life but to a survival attitude that became a part of his legacy.

The Need for Balance and Fairness

Several factors can help to balance our understanding of what God was doing with Isaac and Ishmael:

• God’s choice of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as the “line of promise” was intended to be for the good of everyone, not just their own children. From the beginning God made it clear that He was choosing one nation for the sake of all (Genesis 12:1-3).
• Although Ishmael was predicted to be a “wild donkey,” there were equally unflattering names and predictions in the Jewish legacy. Jacob, father of the twelve tribes of Israel, was given a birth name that meant “betrayer, or deceiver.” Later the prophets of Israel described their own nation as a “lusty donkey,” as a “prostitute” (Jeremiah 2), and as a community that made Sodom and Gomorrah look good by comparison (Ezekiel 16:48-52).
• The legacy of the chosen people was a heavy burden. They were chosen not only to show the whole world the power and goodness of the one true God, but also to show all the nations of the earth what happens when people ignore and wander from the love and wisdom of their Creator (Deuteronomy 28-30).
• Even if God’s hand can be seen in Israel’s presence in the land, we need to remember her spiritual condition. Israel today mirrors what the prophet Ezekiel foresaw in his vision of the dry bones. Hundreds of years before Christ, God predicted that in the last days Israel would come together physically before being reborn spiritually (Ezekiel 37:1-4).
• Israel’s efforts to secure her borders are like Abram’s and Sarah’s attempts to have a son by Hagar. History is repeating itself. Human solutions once again are multiplying into human problems and pain.

And how are we to respond? We can respond with awe, because what God has chosen to do and to allow is unfolding before our eyes. We can respond with discernment, because there is a difference between what God is doing in Israel and what Israel herself is doing without God. And we can respond with goodwill, because the God who has promised to take care of us has asked us in turn to bless all and to curse no one (Romans 12:14).

Father in heaven, I have been so slow to see that my love tends not only to be self-serving but full of prejudice as well. Help me not only to hear the cries of Sarah and Isaac but to see the tears of Hagar and Ishmael. Please help us to see that the conflict between Arabs and Israelis is a picture of how much we all need the grace and peace that can be found only in You.