If there was no other evidence that humankind has a depraved and sinful nature, the atrocities committed in Israel by Hamas over the last week or two would be sufficient. No matter how wronged people believe themselves to be, no wrong suffered could justify the beheading of even one poor, defenseless little baby. Murder, rape, disfigurement, mutilation of the dead, and hostage taking are beyond vile barbarism. They are not worthy to be called human behavior. Therefore, we call them inhuman. Mere words cannot, however, adequately convey the disgust we feel.
Are these brutalities really inhuman, though? If they are done by human beings, are they not human behavior? True, it is human behavior of the worst kind, but unless we are willing to dehumanize the depraved, we must acknowledge what the behavior is - human.
Carefully now. If we dehumanize any human being, no matter how sickening their actions are, do we not dehumanize ourselves as well? We are all cut from the same cloth, are we not? In our fallen, sinful nature haven’t we all done some reprehensible things? So, is it a matter of degree then? The Bible points out that there is no degree to sin, and all sin eventually leads to death. (James 1:13-15, James 2:10-11)
God will forgive any sin, except rejecting Jesus. If we believe in Jesus Christ we will not perish, and if we repent, and confess our sins to God, He will forgive us. Believers, however, must not continue in a sinful style of living. (John 3:16, 1John 1:8-10, 1John 5:16-18)
Some believe that the Palestinians are the aggrieved party in the conflict with Israel. Others believe that Israel has the “moral high ground.” The streets are full of them, waving flags and carrying signs. To their shame, there are those who would turn a blind eye to the war crimes Hamas committed. To reiterate, however, nothing can justify what Hamas did – nothing.
Yet, no matter how hard it is
to accept, God’s love is so great that even these fiends can be
forgiven. Please join me in prayer for
the people of Israel, the victims and their families, that God will comfort
them in their loss and protect them from future harm. Please pray with me, also, that the perpetrators
of these horrible atrocities will realize the total depravity of what they have
done, repent, and come to saving faith in Jesus Christ.
