August 2 , 2006

What Does This War Mean?

Tonight the hills around Metulla lit up with dozens of artillery rounds.  Israeli artillery batteries poured round after round into one hillside known as a Hezbollah base.  The concussions could easily be felt a half mile away and the sound reverberated throughout the night air.  In the distance, the thud of more artillery rounds punctured the evening of August 2. 

It's the beginning of Tish B'Av, the time synonymous with disaster and the Jewish people.  It's the time when the First and Second Temples were destroyed and many other calamitous events in Jewish history.  But this time many Jews are praying for victory instead of disaster. 

This is an extraordinary time in history.  While this looks like a conventional war, it is not.  Israel has made it clear it is not fighting the Lebanese government or its people.  It has no claims on Lebanese territory.  It is not facing a nation in the traditional sense.  Instead, it is fighting a radical Islamic group, Hezbollah, dedicated to the destruction of Israel and in its place establish an Islamic state.  It is fighting the ideology of radical Islam.  

IDF Spokesman Lt. Col. Olivia Rafowitz described this as a clash of civilizations between radical Islam and the Judeo-Christian West.  The battle scenes we see, the explosions we hear and the cries of the wounded, the bereaved and the homeless are the outward expressions of that clash. 

We talked with Rafowitz in the pastoral setting of Metulla as the sounds of war echoed around us.  Here's his perspective:  "This fight", he said, "is part of global Islam radicalism against the West.  Here that's why for us it is existential.  But for the West, for the Western Judeo-Christian civilization it is also existential."  In other words, Israel's battle is the West's battle. 

Michael Oren of the Shalem Center in Jerusalem believes Israel's current military situation is precarious and feels if this war is stopped before Israel achieves its military goals, it could prove disastrous with regional and even global implications: 

The terrorists and their Syrian and Iranian backers stand to win a stunning victory. Such a conclusion will not only compromise Israel's security for years to come, but also threaten moderate states throughout the region by emboldening their Islamist opponents. A triumphant Iran will be empowered to extend its influence into Lebanon and the Gulf, and to pitch Iraq into a full-scale civil war. Tehran, together with its allies in Damascus, can establish its primacy from the Arabian Sea to the Mediterranean. With such power at its disposal, even the threat of international sanctions is unlikely to deter Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Israel, the Middle East, and the international community cannot afford such a calamitous outcome to the crisis.

Another official we talked to today compared this to the Spanish Civil War preceding World War II or the Balkan crisis before World War I.  At this critical time in history, we are all on the front lines, particularly the Body of Christ.  It is a time to pray.  CBN is mobilizing prayer as well as other ministries are mobilizing prayer.  We need prayers that move Heaven, shake earth and change history.

 

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