Walking In Peace Amidst Turmoil :: By Bill Wilson

There was a time when pageant contestants, in their interview portion, seemed to end with the goal of “world peace.” People want to say it, but do they really want to live it?

Everywhere we look today, there is no peace. If people don’t get their way, they throw tantrums, burn buildings, shoot people, start wars, whatever, then blame it on the ones who are attacked. How many times have you been accused of something out of nowhere, and doing such a deed had never entered your mind? But the person accusing you is doing that very thing?

There is so much division in the world today that it’s very difficult to find peace. Like Jeremiah declaring, they say, “Peace, peace when there is no peace.” But there can be.

In the weekly reading of Torah, called the parashah, Chapters 4-7 of Numbers go into great detail about how the Israelite camp is to be set up, the interaction of the priests, requirements for restitution of sin, the necessities of the Nazarite, even how a woman causing her husband to be jealous was to be handled. All these things seem to be unrelated, but spelling them out has deep meaning and purpose. In the midst of these details, the priestly blessing is given in Numbers 6:23-27,

“May Adonai bless you and keep you. May Adonai make his face shine on you and show you his favor. May Adonai lift up his face toward you and give you peace.”

Some question why this blessing is given after these detailed instructions.

In his commentary on this parashah titled Naso (Take), Rabbi Jonathan Sacks says,

“The answer lies in the last word of the priestly blessing: shalom, peace… shalom does not mean simply the absence of war or strife. It means completeness, perfection, the harmonious completion of a complex system, a state in which everything is in its proper place and all is at one with the physical and ethical laws of governing the universe.”

Consider that God brought order out of chaos when he created the world, and with all the creation, it was good, and there was peace. God was showing the Israelites what was expected of them and how to have order among themselves. And in that order, there would be peace. It is no coincidence that Naso includes the priestly blessing—a prayer for peace.

In fulfilling the Isaiah 9:5 prophecy as Prince of Peace, Christ brought true shalom to all of His people, Jew and Gentile, as is written in Ephesians 2:14-18,

“For He Himself is our peace, having made both one and having broken down the barrier of the partition of hostility, by destroying in His flesh the enmity caused by the law of commandments and decrees. He did this to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace and reconciling both of them to God in one body through the cross, by which He extinguished their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.”

Christ IS our shalom. Through him and by him, we can walk in that day by day, moment by moment, no matter what the world does. Shalom!

Posted in The Daily Jot

The Drums of War :: By Bill Wilson

The Biden Administration’s foreign policy, like the Obama Administration’s, has made the world a much more dangerous place.

Sending “humanitarian” aid to Hamas, the Palestinian Authority, and the Houthis, knowing full well that this aid is used for weapons and unfreezing billions of dollars for Iran, has resulted in a terrorist uprising and horrible war against Israel. It has, like the Obama Administration, destabilized the Middle East and undermined peace initiatives of the Trump Administration.

Moreover, Biden’s recent action giving Ukraine permission to use US-provided weapons against Russian forces has escalated an already bad situation in the Ukraine-Russian war. Iran is reportedly also close to having nukes.

Reuters reported on May 31,

“Biden administration officials say the latest decision, which went into effect on Thursday, was narrowly tailored to the battle in the Kharkiv region. U.S. officials say it allows Kyiv to use U.S.-supplied weapons to fire back against Russian forces “attacking them or preparing to attack them” from across the border. That gives Ukrainians on the frontlines a green light to fire over the border at Russian forces using U.S.-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launchers armed with Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) missiles and other weaponry, experts say.”

In fact, Ukraine also received permission from Germany to use its weapons against Russia, with The Netherlands, Finland, and Poland also expressing support.

The Russian news agency Tass reported on June 3,

Moscow is warning Washington against ill-considered steps, the consequences of which could be fatal, said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, commenting on Kyiv’s permission to strike Russia with American weapons. “I would like to warn American officials against miscalculations that could have fatal consequences. For some unknown reason, they underestimate the seriousness of the rebuff they could receive,” Ryabkov said.

Even Pro-Ukraine Republican Hawks take issue with how Biden went about giving Ukraine permission to use US weapons against Russia.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner (R-OH), Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL), and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Mike McCaul (R-TX) said in a joint statement,

“By leaking to the press that the policy reversal only applies to certain U.S.-provided weapons in a limited area within Russia, the administration has telegraphed to Russia exactly how to effectively adapt to this change in policy, thereby decreasing the military effectiveness of the decision.”

Proverbs 14:16 says, “A wise man fears and turns from evil, but a fool is careless and reckless.”

The drums of war are beating around fires on many fronts. And Biden is wobbling with a bucket of kerosene to pour on burning embers.

Sources:

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-warns-us-against-fatal-miscalculation-ukraine-2024-06-03/

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2024/06/03/moscow-u-s-faces-fatal-consequences-for-letting-ukraine-use-u-s-weapons-to-target-russia/

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/05/31/pro-ukraine-republicans-call-biden-allowing-ukraine-hit-russia-u-s-weapons-half-measure/