Readers of this blog know that I usually avoid political subjects on here, but since this one crosses directly into the realm of theology, I feel compelled to write about it. We need to be respectful of our political leaders, even though so many of them lie to us repeatedly (this includes a large number of politicians of all stripes).
On Wednesday, November 30, President Obama told a Jewish audience at a fund raiser, “I try not to pat myself too much on the back, but this administration has done more for the security of the state of Israel than any previous administration.” This is a bald-faced lie.
First of all, a politician claiming that he or she doesn’t try to pat themselves on the back is absurd, since they regularly boast about their record (while often lying about it). That’s par for the course in politics today, since you need to tell people why you are the right candidate to choose.
Second, and most importantly, President Obama has a terrible record concerning the safety of Israel. Let’s take a look at some of the things he has said or done concerning Israel.
A few weeks ago (November 8), it was reported that French President Sarkozy and President Obama exchanged a few brief words about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Apparently, they thought their mics were turned off. They weren’t. Sarkozy is reported to have said, “Netanyahu, I can’t stand him. He’s a liar.” To which President Obama replied, “You are sick of him, but I have to work with him every day.”
While this incident was not an attack on the safety of Israel, it demonstrates the president’s disdain for our greatest ally in the Middle East. This is the same man who disrespected Prime Minister Netanyahu during a meeting at the White House earlier in the year. He has demanded that Israel stop building settlements in East Jerusalem. The Prime Minister replied, “Jerusalem is not a settlement. It’s our capital.” Can you imagine how we would respond if a foreign leader told us where we could and could not build, especially in our own capital?
In May, President Obama called for Israel to give up some of its land and return to pre-1967 boundaries. He also mentioned his desire to see a “contiguous” Palestinian state. This would mean that Israel would have give up the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and land in between the two so that they would connect. This would leave Israel virtually indefensible as it would be cut into a northern half and a southern half with a terrorist state in the middle.
I heard someone jokingly state after this that Prime Minister Netanyahu called for the United States to return to pre-1959 borders. This would mean Hawaii would no longer be a state, and since the president’s certificate of live birth gives his birth place as Hawaii, he would no longer be eligible for the presidency.
So how exactly do these things make President Obama the president who has done more for Israel’s safety? They don’t! He has done more to undermine Israel’s safety than any administration. Add to these the fact that these actions have emboldened the nations and terrorist groups that hate Israel and refuse to recognize her right to exist as a nation.
Has he done anything to help Israel? Perhaps indirectly. Under his administration, Osama bin Laden and other anti-Israeli terrorists have either been captured or killed.
So what does this have to do with the apple of God’s eye. Zechariah 2:8 states, “For thus says the LORD of hosts: “He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye.” In this passage God states that Israel (“Zion” in v. 7) is the apple of His eye.
One need only to read through the rest of Zechariah to see how God feels about those who attack Israel. The final three chapters describe the events in and around Jerusalem at the time of Christ’s Second Coming. The armies of the world will attack Israel, but they will not be able to finish their assault. Zechariah 14:3–4 states, “Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west…”
Notice where His feet will stand on that day? The Mount of Olives. And He will go out and fight against the nations and for Israel. By the way, when Jesus ascended into heaven, He left from the Mount of Olives, and the disciples were told that Jesus would return in like manner (meaning that He would return to that spot in fulfillment of Zechariah 14).
Take some time to read through Zechariah 12–14; Revelation 19–20; and Jeremiah 33 to see what God has said about the Jewish people and the future of Israel. Those who stand against Israel take a stand against what God has promised. We can come up with many good reasons why we should support Israel in the Middle East, but none are as important as this one.
