A Call To Prayer for a Divided Israel
Published on: 27.7.2023
By: Dr. Jürgen Bühler, ICEJ President
“And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again.” (Ezekiel 37:22)
As we all saw over the past week, Israel is currently in one of its worst crises since the nation’s rebirth in 1948. The previous dire threats which Israel faced all came from the outside – such as the War of Independence, the Six-Day War, and the Yom Kippur War. However, the present conflict over judicial reforms is an internal threat. It is a crisis of brother set against brother. Some say it is the secular state of Tel Aviv versus the religious state of Jerusalem. But it is not that simple. In many ways, it is a question of whether a nationalist and religious governing coalition can impose its views on the entire public. This concerns not only secular Jews but also traditional Jews, as well as the Arab Christian and Muslim minorities, and even the local Messianic Jewish community.
On both sides the lines are not as clear cut as they seem. Everyone knows there is a need for some measure of judicial reforms. Yet even among the more conservative and religious Jewish sectors, many feel that the State still needs a strong judiciary to provide checks and balances on government decisions, especially in a country where extremes exist in both camps.
This week, an Israeli political cartoon played off the biblical story of Solomon counselling to divide a baby being fought over by two women, in order to determine the true mother. The cartoon showed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not just proposing but actually dividing the baby in half, which was meant to represent the nation of Israel. It appeared in the leftist newspaper Ha’aretz, which is known for its disdain for Netanyahu. In truth, I sense that both sides in this dispute are unwilling to compromise and both are threatening to divide the nation. While Israeli President Isaac Herzog showed great statesmanship in offering a pathway to a workable compromise, both sides walked away from those talks, and the Opposition did so first.
This week also marked Tisha B’Av, the Jewish day of mourning over the destructions of the Temples in Jerusalem. The Talmudic sages claim that the reason for the sacking of the Second Temple and the resulting exile was sinat chinnam, or “baseless hatred”. Israel was too internally divided, and God judged them.
A recent opinion article also compared the current situation with the Yom Kippur War exactly 50 years ago, when modern Israel faced its greatest existential threat. The columnist, however, noted the difference this time is that it is not a sudden, surprise attack but that both sides are walking into a disaster with their eyes wide open.
This current crisis is indeed a real threat to the unity and social fabric of the nation. Yet I remain optimistic – not because I trust politicians but because the Bible clearly states that God has brought His people back “never to be uprooted again” (Amos 9:15). On the contrary, He vows that Israel’s return will result in them becoming “one nation” (Ezekiel 37:22), and it will end in a glorious spiritual restoration; for surely, “I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it.” (Ezekiel 36:24-36).
Amid the dispute over judicial reforms, remember that the Lord promises: “I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city. Zion shall be redeemed with justice, and her penitents with righteousness.” (Isaiah 1:26-27)
Let us pray for a God-given unity in Israel, and for leaders with wisdom and humble hearts to bring peace to the nation. I know God will answer our prayers because that is what He already promised to do in His word.
呼籲為分裂的以色列禱告
發佈於：2023年7月27日
作者：尤根布勒博士，ICEJ 總裁
“我要使他們在這地，在以色列羣山上成為一國，必有一王作他們全體的王。他們不再成為二國，絕不再分為二國。” （以西結書 37:22）
正如我們在過去一周所看到的，以色列目前正處於自1948年國家重生以來最嚴重的危機之一。以色列之前面臨的可怕威脅都來自外部——例如獨立戰爭、六日戰爭 ，以及贖罪日戰爭。 然而，目前圍繞司法改革的衝突是一個內部威脅。 這是一場兄弟對抗兄弟的危機。 有人說這是特拉維夫的世俗國家與耶路撒冷的宗教國家。 但事情並沒有那麼簡單。 從很多方面來說，這是一個民族主義和宗教統治聯盟能否將其觀點強加於全體公眾的問題。 這不僅涉及世俗猶太人，還涉及傳統猶太人，以及阿拉伯基督教和穆斯林少數群體，甚至當地的彌賽亞猶太社區。
兩邊的線條並不像看起來那麼清晰。 每個人都知道需要進行某種程度的司法改革。 然而，即使在較為保守和宗教的猶太群體中，許多人也認為國家仍然需要強大的司法機構來對政府決策進行制衡，特別是在一個兩個陣營都存在極端現象的國家。
本週，一部以色列政治漫畫講述了所羅門在兩名婦女爭奪的嬰兒中勸說分開的聖經故事，以確定真正的母親。 漫畫顯示，以色列總理內塔尼亞胡不僅提議，而且實際上將嬰兒分成兩半，這是代表以色列國。 它出現在以蔑視內塔尼亞胡而聞名的左翼報紙《國土報》上。 事實上，我感覺到這場爭端的雙方都不願意妥協，並且都威脅要分裂國家。 儘管以色列總統艾薩克·赫爾佐格展現了偉大的政治家風範，提出了一條可行的妥協之路，但雙方都退出了這些談判，而反對派首先退出了談判。
本周也是猶太人為耶路撒冷聖殿被毀而哀悼的 Tisha B’Av 日。 塔木德聖賢聲稱，第二聖殿被洗劫並導致流亡的原因是“sinat chinnam”，即“毫無根據的仇恨”。 以色列內部分裂嚴重，神審判了他們。
最近的一篇評論文章還將當前局勢與 50 年前的贖罪日戰爭進行了比較，當時現代以色列面臨著最大的生存威脅。 不過，專欄作家指出，這次的不同之處在於，這不是一次突然的、突然的襲擊，而是雙方都睜大了眼睛走進了一場災難。
當前的這場危機確實對國家的團結和社會結構構成了真正的威脅。 然而我仍然保持樂觀——不是因為我相信政客，而是因為聖經明確指出，神已經將他的子民帶回來，“不再被拔除”（阿摩司書 9:15）。 相反，祂發誓以色列的回歸將使他們成為“一個國家”（以西結書37:22），並且最終會帶來榮耀的屬靈復興； 因為確實如此：“我是耶和華； 我已經說了，我也會做到。” （以西結書 36:24-36）。
在有關司法改革的爭論中，請記住主應許：“我必回復你的審判官，像起初一樣，回復你的謀士，如起先一般。然後，你必稱為公義之城，忠信之邑。」錫安必因公平得蒙救贖，其中歸正的人必因公義得蒙救贖。” （以賽亞書 1:26-27）
讓我們祈求上帝賦予以色列的團結，祈求擁有智慧和謙卑之心的領導人為國家帶來和平。 我知道上帝會回應我們的祈禱，因為這是祂在祂的話語中已經應許要做的事情。