Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because you have uttered falsehood and envisioned lies, I am against you, says the Lord God. My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations; they shall not be in the council of my people nor be enrolled in the register of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter the land of Israel, and you shall know that I am the Lord God.
Because, in truth, because they have misled my people, saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace, and because, when the people build a flimsy wall, these prophets smear whitewash on it.
Ezekiel 13: 8-10 NRSVue
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Matthew 5: 9 NRSVue
When President Trump of the United States established his Board of Peace in January of this year I imagine a lot of us rolled our eyes. The goals of the board were vague although establishing peace in Gaza was one of them. The notion that Trump would be Chairman-for-Life and that each participating nation would be required to pony up a billion US dollars prompted a "thanks, but no thanks" from Western nations who are members of the United Nations. Some observers have claimed that all the nations that signed the Charter are human rights abusers.
Just the same, figures such as Hillary Clinton and Condaleeza Rice have commended the president for attempting to negotiate a ceasefire and a peace deal for Gaza The United Nations sees the recent 15-point plan as worthwhile. A few days ago Trump claimed that the deal was nigh and that Hamas, the terrorist organization which rules in Gaza, was willing to disarm.
This certainly sounded like significant progress but Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has quickly rejected the proposal. Why am I not surprised? Israel's right-wing government seems to regard military aggression as the only solution for conflicts with Iran, Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank. America continues to finance this although there is growing resistance within the US. Netanyahu insists that Hamas must disarm totally and immediately, not in stages.
What does it mean to establish peace in relationships, including international diplomacy? It seems that the human race has lost its way when it comes to "waging peace", choosing enmity and bloodshed instead. As I've said before, this may be our original sin. The Genesis story of Cain and Abel may be a myth but it seems to be true.
Children amidst the rubble in Gaza
I will begrudgingly give Trump credit for his efforts but there are a lot of false prophets our there. Little wonder that there are a number of bible verses warning against "peace-washing".
We can't claim peace when it is inauthentic and trust is fragile or non-existent. Jesus may have sounded naive when he claimed "blessed are the peacemakers" in the Sermon on the Mount but how are the alternatives working for us?
After I wrote this blog yesterday I read the psalm from the lectionary and it contained this verse. How is this for providential!:
Do not drag me away with the wicked,
with those who are workers of evil,
who speak peace with their neighbors
while mischief is in their hearts.
Psalm 28:3 NRSVue
1 comment:
It was hard to get past the picture, which is heartbreaking. What do the children make of this? Where are their other family members?
As for the Board of Peace, I can't support a body that is attempting to undermine the United Nations. KB
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