How important is national repentance before engaging an enemy? Is the prospect of zero fatalities in the defence of a righteous cause a realistic hope, in this or any other war of attrition, seeing as such blessed cases of national deliverance were exceptions in Israel’s past, Egypt and Persia included? The wars of Israel, the ‘fundamental’ ancient people, on acceptance of whose God and Saviour, and calling as the rod and lot of YHWH’s inheritance, world peace depends (Deut 32:8,9; Is 44:7; Jer 10:10-16), raise these and many other questions.
The reality that the sin of one is a sin against all (just as “changing the ordinance,” which condones sin, is defiling and ruining Creation for us all), which is extremely prejudicial to the perfection of the firstborn nation of the House of the Jacob, called to exemplify holiness (Ex 4:22,23; 19:5-8; Lk 1:33; 1 Peter 1:2,13-17,22; 2:9,10), is burned into the collective consciousness of “the people of inheritance,” and is the impulse behind the majestic liturgy of Judaism so steeped in the doctrine of purity and holiness, in the knowledge that YHWH “is a consuming fire, even a jealous God” (Deut 4:10,13,14,20,24,29-31; Is 24:3-6).
In many ways, it is due to the CONCENTRATION of SCRIPTURES MAGNIFYING SANCTIFICATION, found throughout Hebrew worship (Ps 138:2; Is 42:21), that pious Jews know more about holiness than most Christians claim to know about the Messiah Whom they profess, because for the most part, the church has either openly repudiated the law, or at least implied that there is no need for “the righteousness of the law to be fulfilled in them,” as it was in Yeshua, thereby setting up an impossible contradiction between the “call to glory and virtue,” to be a spotless bride (Col 1:21-23,28,29; Rev 3:2-6); and a stupefying theory of grace which has dispensed with the need to be “accounted worthy” of the high calling, as if the promise of eternal life is UNCONDITIONAL (Lk 10:25-28; 13:23-30; 14:26-35; 20:35; Rom 8:4-14; Eph 1:4,5; 11-14,23,24; 5:26,27; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 2 Peter 1:1-13).
The calling- and purpose-in-election of Israel, by grace, to ultimately be impeccable, like their Master (Phil 2:15; Heb 7:26), under the impetus of the rule of COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY AND GUILT (Lev 4; Is 60-62; Zeph 3:7-20; Zech 9-14; Matt 5:48; Lk 6:40), cannot be over-emphasized.
In the interim, no excuse can be gleaned from the Scriptures for resisting the Holy Spirit, as Israel’s ancestors did due to uncircumcised ears and hearts (Jer 6:10,19; Acts 7:51,53). So while we know all too well that “without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins,” there’s no doubt that the will to repent, exercised in all sincerity in the light which they have, by those who have not yet received the grace of salvation from sins, will not go unnoticed because Israel’s salvation is ‘in the works’ (Rom 11).
Those of us who, knowing YHWH’s love for the fathers which gave rise to the nation of Israel as His special treasure (Ex 19:5-8; Deut 4:37-40; 7:6-12; 9:4-6), SHARE HIS ANGUISH over the loss and injury of their sons, could be tempted into overlooking Israel’s unique constitutive purpose as His witnesses to the wisdom of accountability to Instruction in the ways of the One and only God (Deut 4:5-14; 6:;4,5; 7:11,12; 30:1-6; Is 43:1-11; 44:1-8), and evaluate the material and human cost of war within the IMMEDIATE CONTEXT of the conflict, whereas war itself, like Exile, is the outcome of “discontinuing from their heritage” by “NOT HEARING” (Jer 13:11; 17:1,4; Jn 7:19; Acts 7:51,53).
Israel’s spiritual covering in war and thereby, their safety and mortality rate, has FAR MORE TO DO with the degree of Israel’s general consecration to Torah, which on account of unanimous blood-covenanted consent given by the nation at its founding at Sinai, and confirmed in Moab (Ex 19:5-8; 24:7,8; Deut 29:1-15), became binding upon every Israelite thenceforth as their Constitution, comprising the yoke of heaven’s commandments (kabbalat ol mitzvot) under the yoke of Sovereignty of the Kingship of heaven (kabbalat ol malkhut) as YAH’s vision of Zion as the perfection of beauty of holiness (Ps 50:2,5,23), THAN IT DOES with the principle of the righteousness of defence of the covenanted homeland, which can never be in dispute.
In other words, the mere fact that one is fighting for an aim which is wholly defensible (against objections by those who hate Zion) because of the need for truth and righteousness to be vindicated, is not an argument for expectation of few or negligible losses, because even a righteous war is not the sole factor determining the operation of the curse, which is never undiscriminating (Prov 26:2; 28:7-9), and to which ANY unrepented sin can have devastating results.
Indeed, a DEFILED individual fighting a RIGHTEOUS war is an absurd contradiction: a tragic oxymoron, which Israel’s Creator has been anxious to eliminate ever since the call of “Abram the Hebrew” to minister Torah to his household and their seed, to have servants trained IN RIGHTEOUSNESS, not just in TAKING UP ARMS in defence of the household of YaH (Gen 14:13-16; 18:18,19; 26:5).
Clearly, the promises are conditional upon respect for the covenant (Deut 28). We can’t and shouldn’t want to avoid responsibility to point that out, notwithstanding the existence of gray areas where fallen, injured and maimed soldiers can’t be neatly attributed to categories of fidelity to covenant and definitions of holiness, since wars of persecution which the election of Israel as the apple of YaH’s eye were bound to precipitate, will produce martyrs across the board.
Considering the forces ranged against Jacob, and Israel’s deficiencies (no less than in Yeshua’s Day, culminating in the Temple’s destruction) when measured against YHWH’s sweeping spiritual benchmarks (Jn 7:19), the fatalities and injuries in the war-to-date have been miraculously low, for which sacrifices of thanksgiving and joy are due, to the covenant-keeping God.
Again, we must not fail to always pay attention first, to the ongoing obligation Israel has, to live Torah at home and be YaH’s Torah light to the world (Is 2:2-4; 49:5-8), because any deferment of everlasting salvation due to their “hardening in part” to the testimony of Yeshua (Rom 11), is irrelevant to that obligation, as we can see in Deut 30 where the reversal of Second Exile was made dependent upon a revival of Judaism in the nations.
Returning to Shul and Shabbat is posited as a NECESSARY PRELUDE to returning wholly to YHWH for sanctification for eternal life through the New Covenant, because THEIR knowledge of sin, through Instruction received out of the law (Deut 30; Ps 94:12,13; Rom 2:17-26; 3:20b,31), is going to be Israel’s greatest contribution to the repair of the world, by the repair of the staggering universal breach of covenant which has plagued the church and betrayed the nations whose discipleship in all the will of God (Matt 28:18-20) depends equally upon ‘Torah evangelism,’ for sanctification (Rom 3:31; 1 Thess 5:23) as the sequel to justication by faith (Jer 16:19; Heb 5:9; 12:14,28; 1 Jn 2:3-6,17,28,29).
Salvation of a remnant of Israel will bring with it, by the Spirit, the fruit of understanding of Torah ‘filled to the full’ by Yeshua, which will be “like life from the dead” BECAUSE THEY ALREADY HAVE THE BENEFIT OF THE TORAH FOUNDATION (albeit not entirely pure due to admixtures) WHICH IS HIS FOUNDATION (“rock,” fem.), AS THEIR HERITAGE (Deut 33:2,4; Mal 4:1,2; Matt 5:17-19; 7:25-27; 23:1; Jn 5:45-47; Acts 21:20).
Following this prophetic line of thought, it is imperative, since YHWH has declared “the battle is Mine…,” that apart from praying fervently for superior arms, military intelligence, operational wisdom along with courage, strength, rest and sustenance, praying for this war should rest on the two great redemptive pillars which are, pleas for salvation by grace AND for full restoration of Torah (firstly Torah as taught by tradition, for backslidden Jewry to return to Judaism if that be YaH’s will for them, for now; then by Torah expounded by inspiration of the Spirit by Yeshua, for Messianic converts to master the full counsel), which will cover both phases of the Plan of Redemption yet to be completed by GRACE AND LAW RECONCILED, to maximize REPENTANCE (Rom 2:13; 3:20b; 1 Tim 1:8-11), for MAXIMUM PROTECTION of the seed of Jacob engaged in Israel’s defence, wherever they happen to find themselves on the trajectory to the “everlasting salvation” which has come out of Zion (Is 45:17-25).
In the great unfolding drama of vindication of the authenticity of the Hebrew Scriptures; Abram’s’ all important identity as a Hebrew (Gen 14:13), for Israel’s birthright to be vouchsafed to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob for the House of Jacob’s call as chief of nations in their Land (Ps 105:8-11; Jer 31:7,10,17,31-36; Rom 15:8); and of YHWH’s Sovereignty as God of the Hebrews, we’re in a race between REPENTANCE and CATASTROPHE, thrown into sharp relief by the IDF’s critical need for rightstanding with YHWH as the Defensive Arm of a HOLY nation, if we are to rejoice in reduction of mortality to a bare minimum.
There is an undeniable relationship between collective responsibility for advancing the vision of Zion as “the righteous nation which keepeth the Truth” (Is 26:1-3), and the death toll of war.
Fulfilling the vision of Zion (Jerusalem perfected and Israel exalted to chief of nations through their New Covenant), which is the Almighty’s chief righteous cause which the world is being seduced by the occult, to disparage (Is 60-62; Jer 31:7,10,17,31-36; Micah 4:11-13), depends upon the strength of the fundamental correlation which exists between repentance; cleaving to God; and being preserved alive (to continue in His ways – Ps 119:17,18,77), a proven chain which is a matter of historical record. For example:
“But ye that did CLEAVE unto the LORD (impossible without repentance) your God, are ALIVE, every one of you, this day” (Deut 4:1,2,4).
So we infer as causality, from this correlation, that Israel’s God is always the bastion of faithfulness to those who put their trust in Him and prove loyal to the righteous requirements of His covenant (Deut 7:6-12).
The church in the nations which has yet to grasp that it belongs to the House of Jacob (to “the same body” as the “one fold” and “one new man” of Jn 10:16; Eph 2:11,12,15; 3:6) as Israel’s inheritance (Is 54:3; 56:1-8; Lk 1:33; Rom 11), must come to terms with the fact that for REPENTANCE TO BE COMPLETE for the full measure of the blessing of the Gospel to be realized, it is co-responsible as adopted co-heirs of Israel, to abide in the Vine in the “one faith” and “one law” (Ex 12:49; Jn 15:3-15; Eph 4:5; James 1:22-25; 2:8-26) through instruction out of which we are to jointly minister the wisdom of Torah to the nations, with Israel (Matt 28:20; Rom 3:31), so that YHWH’s Torah ideals can be translated into reality for there to be hope for an enduring civilization of “everlasting righteousness,” “world without end” as the ultimate fruit of the “everlasting salvation” which has come out of Zion (Is 45:17-25; Dan 9:24).
We’ll know when that goal is within reach, when the world begins to respond in earnest, in awe of YHWH, to Israel’s witness in its fullness, as described in Deut 4:5-8; Rom 11:11-15,23-29, to bring Acts 15:14-17; 17:26-31 (heaven’s ultimatum to the nations to repent AND keep the Way of YHWH), to fulfillment.
As the House of Jacob UNIFIES IN REPENTANCE by choosing life and blessing by magnifying Torah for the sake of the righteousness of their God (Deut 30; Ps 133:1-3; 138:2; Is 42:21; Matt 5:19), the world will deeply regret having touched the apple of YaH’s eye (Gen 12:2,3; Is 60:12; Zech 14; Rev 20:6-10)
HalleluYaH.
