January 7, 2009
Middle East Conflict
I have been struggling to understand the recent Middle East conflict as well as the war between Israel and Palestine. This led me to Google it.
This is what I have discovered. This conflict has its basis in biblical times. The time of Abraham, his barren wife Sarah, and her maidservant Hagar.
Short version … Hagar becomes pregnant with Ishmael and becomes proud and rude to Sarah who sends Hagar away. An angel tells Hagar to return, which she does, subsequently behaving politely toward Sarah.
Next, Sarah becomes pregnant with Isaac.
God promises that both boys would be leaders of nations.
The descendants of Hagar’s children are today’s Muslims. Ishmael’s children became the Bedouin tribes that were to be the seedbed for Islam when Muhammad came upon the world scene 600 years after the life of Jesus of Nazareth
Isaac, the son of Abraham and Sarah is Abraham’s second born son. It is through Isaac and his son, Jacob and all their descendants that the covenant with the Jewish people will unfold throughout history.
We need to recognize that Christians, Jews and Muslims all trace their heritage to Abraham. The Torah, Koran, and Bible all have this same story. Fascinating, isn’t it?
And so, centuries of hate have fueled this conflict and it is far more complicated than Portland Firefly has laid out before you, but I have done so in an attempt to vastly simplify and understand the events.
