Escalation in the Middle East according to the law of old

For a year now, the news agencies have been reporting the same news from the Middle East over and over again: Palestinians attack Israel, Israel retaliates and strikes back, Hezbollah from Lebanon fires rockets at Israel, Israel takes revenge and drops its bombs on Lebanon.

And then there are the Hutti militias from Yemen and the Mullah regime in Iran. Aggression follows aggression, missile after missile, drone after drone. And innocent people, civilians, women and children die again and again. And the end of the violence is hardly in sight. Conversely, the violent response of the hostile nations, which was intended to intimidate, only triggers the next strike.

The question is therefore urgent - what sense does the law of retaliation make in areas of tension around the world? Are more missiles and bombs really an effective means of bringing the enemy to its senses? After all, this is the way people have acted since ancient times. Even the Old Testament states:

“If further damage has been done, then you must give: Life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, weal for weal.” (Ex 21:24-25).

This correctly describes the principle of retribution: Life must be repaid with life. Revenge should be taken to the same extent as the guilt was incurred. However, the rule is not only intended to bring about equality between the injured party and the perpetrator, but also to protect people from possible escalation. After all, once appropriate reparation has been made, all is well. Retribution is limited to a single act in order to prevent a series of violent acts.

Is this Old Testament principle applied in the areas of tension today? And would even God legitimise it in His Holy Scriptures?

By no means. Because what is being carried out today by the opposing parties is strategic warfare to gain power. The principle of retribution is only being used as an excuse. After all, it is not one tooth for a lost tooth, but many teeth for one, not one life for one life, but thousands. Justifying the spiral of retribution, as is often attempted in the Middle East with the law of God, is anything but appropriate. The Old Testament demands restitution for the victims according to the extent of the harm done, leaving vengeance to God [1].

 

A Christian recommendation

Jesus took a firm stand on Moses’ law of retribution. In Matthew 5:39 we read:

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth’. But I say to you, do not resist the one who harms you, but if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”

And Paul, as quoted above, agrees with Jesus and points out that the point here is not to overlook the evil deed, but to leave it to God. Vengeance and retribution is God’s. People who follow Jesus should not build up false security through retaliation but should strive for peace.

This does not rule out restitution or even punishment, but it takes the dangerous edge off any escalation of violence.

The inclusion of God in the resolution of the tension is, in my opinion, the decisive moment here. In fact, the exclusion of God from our lives inevitably leads to an escalation of violence. James writes in his letter:

“Whence cometh strife, whence war among you? Is it not because of your lusts, which war in your members? You covet and do not get; you murder and envy and gain nothing; you quarrel and fight; you have nothing because you do not ask; you ask and do not receive because you ask with evil intent, that you may waste it on your lusts.” (James 4:1-3)

Wars bring nothing but suffering, destruction and despair. Why? The answer of the Holy Scriptures: “Because you do not ask”.

Wars, he states, are the result of human selfishness. Here, one person puts their personal interests, their personal ambitions and their desire for profit above the well-being and even the lives of others. People want to reshape the world according to their own ideas.

Just as the Americans have done for decades in their foreign and security policy. Only recently, leading US intellectuals such as Professors Mearsheimer and Sachs stated in a highly regarded panel discussion that their country's policy is fundamentally driven by the vision of shaping the world according to the American model. And if nothing else is possible, then with direct or indirect military force.

And Putin and his regime in Moscow are not much different. Or the power ambitions of the Chinese, to name just a few. Wars are always an expression of a sick desire for power.

But our Bible text goes one step further. It shows the futility of war and conflict. Wars bring nothing but suffering, destruction and despair. And why? The answer of the Holy Scriptures: “Because you do not ask”.

This refers to God, to whom the petition should be addressed. People do not turn to God, but to their own means of asserting themselves. They take their fate into their own hands. Even more, they reject any involvement of God in shaping their lives. Self-centeredness is therefore godless, and a godless society is quickly on the verge of getting into trouble.

Godlessness always results in a wrong mind among people who do as they please without His authority and as a result find themselves in the midst of self-made disasters (see Rom. 1:18ff).

And thirdly, the text states that even if they ask God, they only do it for their own satisfaction, “to distort it in their own desires.” Here, too, pure selfishness reigns.

Religion and faith for self-gratification do not pacify the world, but make it stagger more. This is one of the possible reasons why people in the world can do less and less with the church and their faith. The distance between their own selfish feelings and those of the pious in the Church is too small. The light that shines within does not illuminate the darkness of the world and the salt that has lost its strength, as Jesus says, is good for nothing (Mt 5:13-15).

The world in which we live today is reeling - is there still hope? Yes, answers the apostle Paul - “Jesus Christ is our hope” (1 Tim. 1:1). He has reconciled the world with God (2Cor. 5:18).Through him it can overcome all the forces that destroy it.

Religion and faith for self-gratification do not pacify the world, but make it stagger more

And He shows how this works in the church of His followers. Prof. Paul Zulehner speaks here of the Jesus movement, which is finding its way back to its true nature and mission [2].  This refers to Christians who have laid aside their old selfish nature and have become a new creature in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17).

Jesus calls them His church, His church called out of the world, ekklesia, which is to take responsibility for the world.  They are the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Mt 5:13-15) [3]. And they are sent to all the peoples of the earth to transform their culture and living space in the spirit of the kingdom of God and thus make disciples.

God has given them the ministry of reconciliation so that they can call on people in the world to be reconciled with God, with themselves, with others and even with the whole of creation. Reconciliation is at home in this community of Jesus. Hope lives in it - hope for the world.

I would like to address these words not only to the Christian community, but also to the hostile parties of this world. Also, and especially, in the Middle East. There is hope for peace. But it does not lie in a strategy of retaliation, but in a return to the table of negotiation. We Christians, who know the God of peace and are his ambassadors of peace in the world, should convey this emphatically to the rulers in areas of tension. And this as a word from God, who ultimately holds the real power in the world.

 

God reigns!

On the evening of December 9, 1968, the eve of his death, the Swiss theologian Karl Barth (1886-1968) spoke on the phone with his friend Eduard Thurneysen (1888-1974). They both discussed the world situation at the time. Barth is said to have said the following:

“Yes, the world is dark. But don’t let your ears drop! Never! Because there is government, not just in Moscow or Washington or Beijing, but there is government here on earth, but from above, from heaven! God is in control! That is why I am not afraid. Let us remain confident even in the darkest moments! Let us not lose hope, hope for all people, for the whole world of nations! God will not let us fall, not one of us and not all of us together! - It is reigned!”

Barth’s words clearly point us in the right direction. In a world full of conflict, it is still He who has the last word. We Christians would do well to remind ourselves and the world of this.

No, that is not naive. Those who cry out for more bombs and missiles, who believe they can bring about justice in the world by their own efforts, have excluded God from their considerations and are ultimately fighting a losing battle.

This path of war has been paved with the corpses of innocents since time immemorial. And it does not bring peace. Rather, it lays bitter roots of hatred that shape generations. Soon the next outbreak of violence is certain. Nowhere can we observe this regularity better than in the Middle East. The choice is between peace negotiations and war with suffering without end. And, as always, the decision lies with us humans.

Johannes Reimer, professor of Mission Studies at the University of South Africa (UNISA)