Where is God?

Support for Israel in Modern Times

I have written previously on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but while reading a chapter in Robert Fisk's "The Great War for Civilisation" I had one of those "aha" moments. It's one of these ideas that pops into your head that probably isn't unique, but it's the first time I have ever thought about it, so I decided to write a blog once again on this subject. Comments are obviously welcome.

In the title of this article I ask, where is God? Does he dwell in our churches? Is he found in sacred sites scattered throughout the world? According to the New Testament he is found in the hearts of believers. A church does not house God in the sense that the temple or the Arc of the Covenant housed God. God is not found in a physical dwelling. He is not intrinsically bound to tangible objects. He is. Given this, I come to the premise of this writing. And here is a dangerous question to ask in the American church: what is so special about the "promised land?" I realize, in ancient times a certain significance was attributed to places. You had sacred objects and the "holy of holies" and rites and rituals were to be performed. All of this has been done away with the New Covenant. The Holy Spirit was sent to us so that God could dwell in us, not in a building. We no longer have to use priests as a conduit to God, but we could seek God ourselves. Why, I ask, in these modern times are people still fighting and dying over something with no eternal significance? Why are the Palestinians and Israelis fighting to this day over the control of Jerusalem, more to the point, why are many American Christians supporting Israel in this fight? If God lives in the believer, if God no longer seeks refuge in holy places, what possibly could be the reasoning in fighting for a long forgotten promised land? What is so holy about a small track of land that has been raped by the Ottomans, the British, the Palestinians, the Lebanese, the Jordanians, the Syrians, and the Jews? Why would God condone the fighting over a piece of land that is no more valuable that the land found in Africa, in Australia, or in Canada? When conversing with the fundamentally minded about this topic I am barraged with claims to Jewish special status with God, that is was their land first and they want it back. OK. How about we look at a different situation thousands of miles away from the land of milk and honey?

I am a descendant of the Cherokee Indians (Native Americans for the politically correct). What if I were to lay claim to all of Appalachia because it is (rightfully) the land of my forefathers and although I no longer have Cherokee "blood" pumping in my veins I happen to remember stories of better times before the Europeans came and raped my ancestors and brutalized my people and stole their land? This parallel to East European Jewry along with the rest of the Jewish Diaspora is rather significant. What right do Poles, Germans, Russians, etc. have coming to Palestine and claiming it as their own? Because ancient texts said it was theirs? I am not downplaying the significance of the Bible nor am I forgetting the atrocities committed during the Holocaust but when do two wrongs make a right? I ask for the readers' comments on this topic. Is there a holy significance to Israel, to Jerusalem? Does the New Covenant mean anything? is the Holy Spirit relevant when speaking of this conflict?

Written by: Tyler York