Walk with Israel, but what about God?

June 2nd, 2010

This past weekend I went on the Walk with Israel sponsored by the UJA (United Jewish Appeal). I was at the opening ceremonies with a number of speakers, the most celebrated of whom was Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel. It was the first time that an Israeli Prime Minister spoke to a crowd in Toronto since Menachem Begin did in 1978.

There were many speakers, all of them well spoken, but none was as erudite as the Israeli Prime Minister. Mr. Netanyahu spoke about the common bonds between Israel and Canada: a regard for rule of law, freedom and pluralism. (He didn’t mention that pluralism does not extend to those Jews who believe in Jesus, but I didn’t expect that he would.)

He also spoke about Israel’s accomplishments. He talked about the fact that Israel’s regard for the Land came from the bible and he mentioned the promises of the prophets. But there was one thing missing in his speech. In fact throughout the long ceremony with its many speakers, one issue was ignored and left unmentioned. No one talked about God.

I have always believed that the will of God is the vital reason that Israel exists and has survived the past 62 years. It is also my belief that what makes Jews different from the rest of the world is the fact that we are the only nation of people who have a special relationship with God.

Here was a Jewish event in which God was given the cold shoulder. You can talk about Jews and you can talk about Judaism, but you can’t talk about God. To those who regard the first two and ignore the last, I direct you to these Scriptures (which talks about God a lot): Jeremiah 5:20-31.

Idolatry comes in many forms. God is the only refuge of the righteous.

Contributed by Daniel Muller, General Director of New Covenant Forum.

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