ICEJ Reports / Opinion
Weak and Contemptible Men in High Places – Cain & Abel and the Battle against Antisemitism
By: David R. Parsons, ICEJ Vice President & Senior Spokesman

In the wake of the brutal Hamas massacre of 1,200 Israelis on October 7, it is startling and very, very chilling to see major world leaders spouting the most brazen antisemitic tropes even at weighty international forums.

At a hearing this week before the International Court of Justice in The Hague, representatives of South Africa insisted that Israel’s policies toward the Palestinians are “a more extreme form of apartheid” than what blacks suffered under the real apartheid regime. This comes on the heels of their earlier false accusation before the same Court that Israel is committing “genocide” in its war of self-defense in Gaza.

United Nations official Francesca Albanese insisted just last week that “the victims of 7/10 were not killed because of their Judaism but in response to Israel’s oppression.” Another senior UN official, Martin Griffiths, later decreed that “Hamas is not a terrorist group for us… It’s a political movement.”

To top it all off, Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva told a press conference at a summit of the African Union this week that “what’s happening in the Gaza Strip isn’t a war, it’s a genocide… It’s a war between a highly prepared army and women and children. What’s happening in the Gaza Strip with the Palestinian people hasn’t happened at any other moment in history. Actually, it has happened: when Hitler decided to kill the Jews.”

Despite facing criticism over his outrageous antisemitic remarks, Lula da Silva received backing from fellow leftist presidents in Bolivia and Colombia, who both agreed that Lula was “only telling the truth.”

So, here are professional UN bureaucrats and holders of high office, who could only have achieved such positions of responsibility and power by maintaining a considerable measure of self-discipline, and yet suddenly they cannot seem to hold back from spewing hateful and odious statements against the Jewish nation and people.

How can we account for these outbursts of antisemitic and anti-Israel vitriol? Indeed, it is mystifying how antisemitism – the world’s oldest hatred – has persisted for so long, and how it is drawing together radical Islamists and radical Marxists today.

Ever since the Hamas terror militia carried out its savage pogrom last October, we have been focusing our attention and prayers on combatting the Spirit of Amalek, which we have identified as the root cause of much antisemitism down through history, and also as lurking behind the incessant Palestinian hatred and violence against the Jewish state of Israel today. So what is the Spirit of Amalek?

Amalek was a grandson of Esau, who lost both his birthright and blessing as the first-born to his younger twin brother Jacob. And even though Esau eventually reconciled with Jacob (Genesis 33:4), his grandson Amalek never accepted the loss of his family’s inheritance. This burning envy later drove his Amalekite descendants to attack the Israelites at Rephidim (Exodus 17), and again under Saul (1 Samuel 15), and David’s camp at Ziklag (1 Samuel 30), and finally the exiled Jews of Persia through Haman in the book of Esther.

This Spirit of Amalek arose out of a classic case of sibling rivalry, which some philosophers have identified as the root cause of all violence. Indeed, sibling rivalries and the frictions they cause are a major theme running throughout the Book of Genesis. The Hebrew Patriarch Abraham had two rival sons, Isaac and Ishmael; their mothers Sarah and Hagar clashed as well. There were tensions between Jacob and Esau, and between Joseph and his eleven brothers, along with the dueling sisters Rachel and Leah. Yet, the biblical narrative indicates that in most cases the brothers eventually reconciled, leaving us with a hopeful message that even sharp family divisions can be overcome.

But Amalek was an exception, which we see in the way all his later generations harbored a festering jealousy and hatred of their Israelite cousins. Alas, the Bible even says: “the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” (Exodus 17:16)

Now the very first sibling rivalry found in the Book of Genesis also ended in tragedy, when Cain slew his brother Abel. This is a story short in the telling but rich in meaning, and ultimately it is a lesson in why Hamas so viciously attacked Israelis on October 7.

In Gensis chapter four, we find that Adam and Eve birthed two sons. The older son Cain became a tiller of the ground, while the younger Abel was a shepherd. In due time, they both offered sacrifices to God. Cain presented an “offering of the fruit of the ground” to the Lord, while Abel sacrificed “the firstborn of his flock and of their fat.” And “the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.” (Genesis 4:3-5)

Noticing Cain’s agitated state, the Lord approached him and warned that he not let the burning envy towards his brother Abel get the best of him. “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” (Genesis 4:7)

The message here is good advice for any of us about pleasing God and eschewing sin. There was no need for Cain to stay angry. He could have bartered some of his crops for a sheep and offered an acceptable blood sacrifice to the Lord, which is the only way to truly atone for sin (Hebrews 9:22). Cain should have already learned that lesson from his parents, who tried to cover their nakedness and shame with fig leaves before the Lord shed the blood of an animal Himself to make loin cloths of animal skins for them (Genesis 3:7, 21).

The Lord added that if Cain continued to stew in his anger, then sin (offense) was crouching around the corner ready to pounce on him. When He warned that sin “desires” you, the original Hebrew word actually means it lusts or craves for us, to trip us up and get us in trouble with God. So, best to get control of yourself and resist temptation.

The story of Cain and Abel is actually the first religious war in human history. Cain struck his brother dead because Abel had worshipped God in the right way and gained His attention and favor. Different religions all believe they offer the right path to God. But the Lord revealed to the Jewish people His chosen path to right standing before Him. The birthright and blessing to steward this incredible revelation went from Abraham to Isaac to Jacob and down to his twelve sons. This created jealousies along the way among other family members, who felt the inheritance should have been theirs, eventually giving rise to the cruel legacy of the Spirit of Amalek.

This burning religious jealousy later attached itself to Christianity, producing generations of Gentile believers who were convinced they had replaced Israel as God’s favored sons. The tragic legacy of Christian antisemitism haunts the Church to this day. Yet thankfully, many Christians today have been freed from that spirit of envy and are confident in God’s election over us while also accepting His enduring, irrevocable election over Israel as well (Romans 11:29).

Sadly, the Spirit of Amalek also attached itself to Islam from its inception, and today it is producing radical Muslim terrorists around the world who are rising up in jealous anger to eradicate the Jews instead of finding a better way to worship the one true God. To accomplish that end, they are willing to join hands with radical socialists and Marxists even though most are avowed atheists.

Truthfully, Marxism has become its own religion and it has sought to eradicate those with faith in God. The Communist revolutions and purges in Russia, China and elsewhere tried to wipe out religious beliefs and forcefully impose atheism, murdering tens of millions along the way.

Somehow, radical Islam and radical Marxists are now uniting around their antisemitic hatred and envy of the Jewish people. Rather than do the right thing, they would rather eliminate Abel.

As Christians, we have a moral duty to confront this unholy alliance and defend the Jewish nation and people from its destructive agenda. This is a spiritual battle, and yet also one that must be waged against weak and contemptible men in high places.

ICEJ 報告/意見
身居高位的軟弱而可鄙的人——該隱和亞伯與反猶太主義的鬥爭
作者：David R. Parsons，ICEJ 副總裁兼資深發言人

10 月 7 日哈馬斯殘酷屠殺 1,200 名以色列人後，看到世界主要領導人甚至在重要的國際論壇上大肆宣揚最厚顏無恥的反猶太主義言論，令人震驚且非常令人不寒而慄。

本週在海牙國際法院舉行的聽證會上，南非代表堅稱，以色列對巴勒斯坦人的政策是「比黑人在真正的種族隔離政權下所遭受的更極端的種族隔離形式」。 在此之前，他們早些時候向同一法院錯誤指控以色列在加薩自衛戰中實施「種族滅絕」。

聯合國官員弗朗西斯卡·阿爾巴內斯上週堅稱，“7/10事件的受害者不是因為猶太教而被殺，而是為了回應以色列的壓迫。” 另一位聯合國高級官員馬丁·格里菲斯後來宣布，“哈馬斯對我們來說不是恐怖組織……這是一場政治運動。”

最重要的是，巴西總統路易斯·伊納西奧·盧拉·達席爾瓦本週在非洲聯盟峰會上的新聞發布會上表示，「加薩地帶發生的不是一場戰爭，而是一場種族滅絕……這是一場高度武裝分子之間的戰爭」。準備好了軍隊和婦女兒童。 加薩地帶巴勒斯坦人民所經歷的事情在歷史上從未發生過。 事實上，這件事已經發生了：當希特勒決定屠殺猶太人時。”

儘管盧拉·達席爾瓦因其令人憤慨的反猶太主義言論而受到批評，但他得到了玻利維亞和哥倫比亞左翼總統的支持，他們都同意盧拉「只是說實話」。

因此，這些專業的聯合國官僚和高級職位持有者，他們只有通過保持相當程度的自律才能獲得如此責任和權力的職位，但突然之間，他們似乎無法克制地對聯合國發表仇恨和令人厭惡的言論。猶太民族和人民。

我們如何解釋這些反猶太主義和反以色列尖酸刻薄的言論？ 事實上，令人費解的是，反猶太主義——世界上最古老的仇恨——如何持續如此之久，以及今天它如何將激進的伊斯蘭主義者和激進的馬克思主義者聚集在一起。

自從去年10 月哈馬斯恐怖民兵實施野蠻屠殺以來，我們一直將注意力和祈禱集中在打擊阿瑪力精神上，我們認為阿瑪力精神是歷史上許多反猶太主義的根源，也是潛伏在反猶太主義背後的原因。今天，巴勒斯坦人對猶太國家以色列持續不斷的仇恨和暴力。 那什麼是亞瑪力的靈呢？

亞瑪力是以掃的孫子，他失去了與生俱來的權利，也失去了身為孿生弟弟雅各的長子的祝福。 儘管以掃最終與雅各和解（創 33:4），但他的孫子亞瑪力從未接受失去家族繼承權的事實。 這種強烈的嫉妒後來驅使他的亞瑪力後裔攻擊利非訂的以色列人（出埃及記17 章），並再次攻擊掃羅統治下的以色列人（撒母耳記上15 章）和大衛在洗革拉的營地（撒母耳記上30 章），最後透過哈曼攻擊被流放的波斯猶太人。以斯帖記。

這種亞瑪力精神源自於兄弟姊妹競爭的經典案例，一些哲學家認為這是所有暴力的根源。 事實上，兄弟姊妹之間的競爭及其造成的摩擦是貫穿《創世記》的一個主題。 希伯來族長亞伯拉罕有兩個相互競爭的兒子，以撒和以實瑪利。 他們的母親撒拉和夏甲也發生了衝突。 雅各和以掃之間、約瑟和他的十一個兄弟之間以及決鬥的姐妹拉結和利亞之間關係緊張。 然而，聖經的敘述表明，在大多數情況下，兄弟倆最終和解了，給我們留下了一個充滿希望的信息：即使是尖銳的家庭分歧也是可以克服的。

但亞瑪力人是個例外，我們可以從他的後代對以色列表親懷有日益加深的嫉妒和仇恨中看到這一點。 唉，聖經甚至說：“耶和華必世世代代與亞瑪力人爭戰。” （出 17:16）

現在，《創世記》中發現的第一個兄弟姐妹競爭也以悲劇告終，該隱殺死了他的兄弟亞伯。 這是一個故事簡短但意義豐富的故事，最終它是一個教訓，說明哈馬斯為何在 10 月 7 日如此惡毒地襲擊以色列人。

在創世記第四章，我們發現亞當和夏娃生了兩個兒子。 大兒子該隱成為耕地者，而小兒子亞伯則成為牧羊人。 在適當的時候，他們都向上帝獻祭。該隱向耶和華獻上了「地裡的出產為祭」，而亞伯則獻上了「羊群中頭生的和羊的脂油」。 「耶和華看中了亞伯和他的供物，卻看不中該隱和他的供物。 該隱非常生氣，臉色沉了下來。」（創 4:3-5）

主注意到該隱焦躁不安的狀態，就走近他，警告他不要讓對弟弟亞伯的強烈嫉妒控制住他。「你若做得對，豈不仰起頭來嗎？你若做得不對，罪就伏在門前。它想要控制你，你卻要制伏它。」 （創世記4:7）

這裡的信息對我們任何人來說都是關於取悅上帝和遠離罪惡的好建議。該隱沒有必要繼續生氣。 他可以用自己的一些莊稼換取一隻羊，並向主獻上可接受的血祭，這是真正贖罪的唯一方法（希伯來書9:22）。 該隱應該已經從他的父母那裡學到了這個教訓，在主親自流動物的血，用獸皮為他們製作腰布之前，他們試圖用無花果樹的葉子遮蓋他們的赤身露體和羞恥（創世記3:7, 21）。

耶和華補充說，如果該隱繼續怒氣沖衝，那麼罪（冒犯）就蹲在轉角處，準備向他撲來。當祂警告罪「渴望」你時，希伯來原文的意思其實是它對我們的慾望或渴望，絆倒我們，讓我們與上帝發生麻煩。 所以，最好控制住自己，抵抗誘惑。

該隱和亞伯的故事其實是人類歷史上第一次宗教戰爭。該隱殺死了他的兄弟，因為亞伯以正確的方式敬拜了上帝，並得到了上帝的關注和青睞。不同的宗教都相信它們提供了通往上帝的正確道路。 但耶和華向猶太人揭示了祂所選擇的正確站在祂面前的道路。管理這令人難以置信的啟示的與生俱來的權利和祝福從亞伯拉罕到以撒，到雅各，一直到他的十二個兒子。這引起了其他家庭成員的嫉妒，他們認為繼承權應該是他們的，最終導致了亞瑪力的靈的殘酷遺產。

這種強烈的宗教嫉妒後來與基督教聯繫在一起，產生了一代又一代的外邦信徒，他們相信自己已經取代以色列成為上帝最寵愛的兒子。 基督教反猶太主義的悲慘遺產至今仍困擾著教會。然而值得慶幸的是，今天許多基督徒已經擺脫了嫉妒的精神，對神對我們的揀選充滿信心，同時也接受他對以色列的持久、不可撤銷的揀選（羅馬書11:29）。

可悲的是，亞瑪力的靈從一開始就依附於伊斯蘭教，今天，它正在世界各地產生激進的穆斯林恐怖分子，他們在嫉妒的憤怒中奮起剷除猶太人，而不是尋找更好的方式來崇拜獨一的真神。為了實現這一目標，他們願意與激進的社會主義者和馬克思主義者攜手合作，儘管大多數人都是公開的無神論者。

事實上，馬克思主義已經成為它自己的宗教，它試圖消滅那些信仰上帝的人。俄羅斯、中國和其他地方的共產主義革命和清洗試圖消滅宗教信仰並強行推行無神論，一路上殺害了數千萬人。

不知何故，激進的伊斯蘭教和激進的馬克思主義者現在圍繞著他們對猶太人的反猶太主義仇恨和嫉妒而團結起來。他們寧願消滅亞伯，也不願做正確的事。

身為基督徒，我們有道德責任對抗這個邪惡的聯盟，並保護猶太民族和人民免受其破壞性議程的侵害。 這是一場屬靈的戰鬥，但也是一場必須針對軟弱和可鄙的高層人士的戰鬥。