Cherub Nicholls

God and Allies:

Apt Lessons from the Kingdoms of

Israel and Judah for Israel's New Leadership

And it will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a stone of great weight for all the peoples; all those who take it up will be badly wounded; and all the nations of the earth will come together against it.

Bible in Basic English, << Zechariah 12:3 >>,

http://bible.cc/zechariah/12-3.htm

Israeli prime minister-designate

Benjamin Netanyahu

www.topnews.in

On Tuesday, February 10, Israelis went to the polls to elect a new Parliament and Prime Minister. The results were inconclusive, but Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, together with other right-wing parties, commanded a small majority in the new Parliament, and so, ten days later, on Friday, February 20, the President of Israel, Shimon Peres, asked Netanyahu to form the government. Netanyahu is currently engaged in negotiations with members of other political parties, so he can form that government. This process admittedly can be very challenging, especially when political parties do not share fundamental tenets on basic issues, such as peace and security for the State of Israel. For example, in an article in the Jerusalem Post on Friday, February 27, the following was noted:

Friday's meeting between Prime Minister-designate Binyamin Netanyahu and Kadima leader Tzipi Livni, billed as a last-ditch attempt to form a national unity government, ended without a breakthrough, with Livni insisting that she was heading for the opposition.

Livni said that a unity government would have been possible provided it included plans for a two-state solution, changes to the electoral system and other Interior Ministry reforms, lamenting, however, that Netanyahu was not committed on those subjects, and pledging to be "a responsible opposition."¹

Given the geopolitical tensions in the Middle East today, lots of foreign nations take it upon themselves to promote peace on their terms as a panacea for a resolution of the conflict. So when Netanyahu was designated to establish the government, many external parties expressed disquiet and dismay. These leaders have voiced opinions which are tantamount to interference in Israel's internal affairs. The Jerusalem Post cites the views of a number of European leaders, following the news of Netanyahu's likelihood to be the next Israeli Prime Minister.

"Prime Minister-designate Binyamin Netanyahu may still be a long way from forming a government coalition, but some European leaders and many influential voices in the Arab world are already full of gloom-and-doom predictions.

For instance, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said he was worried Netanyahu's talks with other right-wing parties to form a coalition could halt peace talks with Palestinians. Sweden is scheduled to assume the rotating presidency of the EU on July 1^st."

Czech Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Vondra, whose country currently holds the EU presidency, said he expects a rough start once a new Israeli government takes office,

warning that the chances of a two-state peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians were narrowing, now that Netanyahu was likely to form a government.

There is concern in Europe that a narrow right-wing government headed by Netanyahu may seek to scuttle a two-state vision, but Franco Frattini, Italy's foreign minister, said it was "not possible" for Netanyahu to ditch the idea of giving the Palestinians their own state.²

The Jerusalem Post continues, "Meanwhile, the prospect of a Netanyahu-led government is sounding alarm bells for Arabs around the world."

"Netanyahu's positions torpedo the peace process," read a Monday headline from the Jordanian Al-Dustour newspaper.

"Netanyahu Comes, and We Can't Stop Chasing the Mirage" was the headline of a Sunday article from the Arab-American newspaper Watan.

"Netanyahu, a daunting task," read the headline of a column Monday in the pan-Arab Web site al-Arab On-line.

"They are not optimistic concerning the prospects of Netanyahu," said Gamal Abdel Gawad, head of the international relations unit at the Cairo-based Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies. "³

The bellicose response to Netanyahu stems from the fact that he is no newcomer to governing Israel. He first served as Prime Minister of Israel back in 1996-1999. Netanyahu then mostly demonstrated that Israel was a sovereign nation – to the chagrin of his contemporaries, including then United States President Bill Clinton.

The Kingdoms of Israel & Judah: Reflections of Bible Governance

The nation of Israel was created by God, to be governed by God as a prototype for all other nations. However, when the people asked the prophet Samuel for a king, this was God's response:

"And the Lord said to Samuel, 'Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should reign over them.' " (1 Samuel 8: 7). God's response to the people's demands shows He was virtually involved in governing the nation of Israel. We will look for instances of God's involvement in the affairs of these two kingdoms.

In the Book of I Kings 12, we read the story of the kingdom splitting in two after the death of King Solomon, the son of King David. This split resulted in two kingdoms: the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah. Following this new development, Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, reigned as king of Judah (he had two tribes follow him), while Jeroboam served as king of the Kingdom of Israel (10 tribes).

It must be noted that in these two kingdoms the seat of power rested in Jerusalem and Samaria – the very areas today's Arabs now claim for their brethren, whom they call "Palestinians."

Here is an account of the Kingdom of Israel's first victory over Syria. Then Ben-Hadad was king of Syria and Ahab king of Israel. Ben-Hadad sent messengers to tell Ahab he will invade Israel. The king of Syria gave the command to his army: "Get ready." And they got ready to attack the city (I Kings 20: 12 [b]). The Scriptures note:

Suddenly a prophet approached Ahab, king of Israel, saying, "Thus says the Lord: 'Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand today, and you shall know that I am the Lord.'" (I Kings 20: 13).

Of course, just as it was intended by God, Israel routed its enemy. However, Ben-Hadad did not learn his lesson. He returned in the spring of that same year to fight Israel, and again the Lord was involved in the outcome of this battle.

"Then a man of God came and spoke to the king of Israel and said, 'Thus says the Lord: Because the Syrians have said, The Lord is God of the hills, but He is not God of the valleys, therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.'" (I Kings 20: 28).

Three years later, the king of Judah, Jehoshaphat, traveled to Israel to visit with his counterpart Ahab. During the visit, the two kings discussed matters pertaining to territory Ben-Hadad had seized during the earlier conflict. Ahab considered fighting the Syrians, so the king of Judah asked, "Is there not still a prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of him?"

Later the Scriptures noted the following concerning Jehoshaphat:

22:43 And he walked in all the ways of Asa his father; he turned not aside from it, doing [that which was] right in the eyes of the LORD: nevertheless the high places were not taken away; [for] the people offered and burnt incense yet in the high places.⁵

22:45 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might that he shewed, and how he warred, [are] they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?⁶

Now we have come to Judah, Sennacherib, king of Assyria comes up against all the fortified cities of Judah and takes them. (II Kings 18:13). Later, he taunts the people of Judah with his arrogance, and he even mocks the sovereignty of God Almighty. He asks: "Has any of the gods of the nations at all delivered its land from the hand of the king of Assyria?" (II Kings 18:33).

Hezekiah, king of Judah, tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord (II Kings 19:1). He prayed and said: "Now therefore, O Lord our God, I pray, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord God, You alone." (II Kings 19:19).

Conclusion

Prime Minister Netanyahu will do well to follow in the footsteps of his forefathers who walked according to the principles laid down in the Torah, and, by so doing, he would undoubtedly do what is pleasing in the sight of the Lord.

Israel has been challenged and besieged throughout history, and because she is surrounded by enemies who threaten her continued existence, Israel is encouraged to seek after God. God alone has your interest. He will keep you, guard you and protect you – just so He can show His power and might to all the nations of the earth. So why lean on allies?

Sources

¹The Jerusalem Post, Netanyahu-Livni meeting unfruitful, JPost.com Staff and Gil Hoffman, Feb 27, 2009, http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1235410730954&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

²The Jerusalem Post, EU worried over Bibi's Peace Plan, International.Jpost.com, Gil Hoffman, Brenda Gazzar and Herb Keinon, February 23, 2009, http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?apage=2&cid=1233304856357&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

³Ibid

⁵Bible Explore.com, 1Kings 22: 43 & 45, King James Version, http://www.godrules.net/library/kjv/kjv1kin22.htm

⁶Ibid

Cherub A. Nicholls

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