Turmoil in Israel Part 1 — The Deep Roots

The current (2023-2025) fighting in and against Israel is dominating the news. Pundits provide a great variety of causes, solutions, and analyses. Looking at the fighting one is dismayed at the loss of life and suffering on all sides. Christian apologists and secular political and historical experts provide a wide range of views. I am not one of these and I will not try to compete with their analysis. However, Scripture provides some insights that even the wisest can miss. In the next several posts, I will briefly trace the history of Israel as it relates to the present turmoil. Finally, I will look at what Scripture tells of the outcome of the present turmoil.

To find the true root cause of this turmoil and other conflicts we need to go back to the beginning, all the way to the very beginning, to see what we can learn about the current state of the world. I believe it is impossible to understand the confusing condition of the world, and not just the present conflict in Israel, without recognizing the significance of the original failure of our parents in the Garden of Eden.

God placed our first parents in Eden. A delightful environment that could truly be called a “garden of God.” Everything was done to convince them of the unrestrained goodness and benevolence of the sovereign Creator. Yet, at the instigation of Satan, the Great Deceiver, (Gen. 3:1–7) they allowed doubts of this goodness to prevail and by their actions showed their distrust of the goodness of God. This resulted in “The Fall”—their moral and spiritual ruin.

What is essential here is to see that this “fall” was rooted in the temptation “you shall be as God.” This was not only an act of direct opposition to the expressed will of God, it was the assertion of independence from God—to take the place of God. But, independence from God is to be separated from the One who the New Testament tells us is “Love” (1 Jn 4:7–10) and “Light” (1 Jn. 1:5). This sent them and all mankind down a path of independence from all that is good, beneficial, and true. Thus, a profound moral and spiritual darkness perverts human thinking. So, the very first act of violence was essentially done against God by our first parents. A horrible pattern will emerge.¹ 

The result is soon manifested within Adam and Eve’s own family when the older brother kills his younger sibling. (Gen. 4:8) But, what does this mean? What prompted this act of violence? Abel simply acted to honor God according to the knowledge he had that death was the consequence of sin (Gen. 3:16–17) and that the only hope was the birth of a Victor. (Gen. 3:14–15) But, this was diametrically opposed to the temptation “You shall be as God.” Thus, the animosity was aroused which continues today in a million (or, more) different ways. All of man’s thinking and efforts are tainted by this rebellion against the one true, good God–the God of light and love.  

Significantly, Cain was the firstborn. He represents the corruption of sin flowing through the human race from then until now. Everywhere Scripture affirms the choice of the second over the first. (E.g., Gen. 25:23, 48:13–14; Rom. 9:8, 10–12; etc.) This reflects the necessity of there being a “Second Man” who alone would also be the “Last Adam” as the one who alone could be Head of the redeemed race. (1 Cor. 15:45–49)

Israel as a nation is certainly not a witness representing God in the world today. They are still “lo-ammi” (Hosea 1:9) according to their own prophets and they are not acting for or like God. Their rejection of their “Messiah” is well documented. (Mk. 15:14; Lk. 19:14; Matt. 27:25; Acts 2:22–23) But, as Scripture shows (Rom. 11:1–6, 28–29), they are still regarded as “God’s people.” More importantly, Satan knows that only through them can true blessing come to this world as the prophets foretell (Hosea 2:23; etc.). So, all those who resent God’s sovereign work of goodness will stand opposed—will be intolerant of—any good that God will bring to mankind by whatever means. Like Herod, all who want their own will will “kill” those who represent in any way the sovereignty of God. They follow Satan’s lie, “You shall be as God.” It is not only atheists that would make themselves “god”. Every religion outside of true faith in Jesus as the Christ makes man the center by seeking to achieve a relationship with god (of whatever kind) by good works.  Only by eradicating any true followers of God can followers of Cain satisfy their passion.

Violence in Israel and the world will not cease until God’s goodness (salvation) in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ is received. For the world in general this will be through God’s grace to the nation of Israel as promised in the prophets. We will, God willing, have the opportunity to explore some aspects of this deliverance in future blogs.

Resources 

He That Keeps Israels (שֹׁומֵר יִשְׂרָאֵֽל)

Lennox, John C., Big Lie, https://youtu.be/6p2MvsGiE3w?si=AAmTv3aM4G0OkggU  (Accessed 1/21/2025).

Endnotes

1.  I cannot delay here to consider “free will”, responsibility, etc.. that is too large a topic for this post.