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Israeli Conflicts, Māḡēn, And The Espionage Act

Israeli Conflicts, Māḡēn, And The Espionage Act

Last updated on: September 11, 2024 at 12:50 pm by Martin Thomas Johnson

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Israeli Conflicts, Māḡēn, And The Espionage Act 2024-09-11T12:50:28-04:00 Martin Thomas Johnson

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This week there have been a lot of discussions between Israel’s new defense minister and the United States over the Israel conflict in the Middle East. The defense of Israel has been mired in controversy since last October.

Benny Gantz

Image by Wikipedia Commons

Even the original defense minister resigned in protest to how Prime Minister Netanyahu has handled Israel’s response to the despicable attacks against God’s people. Justified or not, Netanyahu has been hell-bent on revenge and the world sees it.

Relentless attacks
Endangering innocent civilians
Neglecting the safety of the hostages in Gaza

I will be the first to say that Israel has a right to defend itself against Hamas, Hezbollah, or any nation that attacks Israel and God’s promise to them.

However, Israel must not forget who they are and who they belong to or God’s purpose for them on the earth (Deuteronomy 7:1-6.) God has always intended for Israel to be different from the fallen world that hates them.

That is why God miraculously protected and delivered Israel from Egypt as He miraculously led them through the waters of the Red Sea to new life in the Promised Land where they are today. Israel needs to remember that God is the ultimate Defender!

Defend

Defend is defined as, “Resist an attack, keep Safe, or to Cover.” Most people fail to realize the difference between protection and defense. A good defense isn’t passive, but proactive. Athletes understand that the best defense is a strong offense.

Soccer Defense

Image by Pixabay

When God promised to defend His people, He covers us and goes after our enemies. We see this as Israel crossed the Red Sea and God vanquished Pharaoh and his armies (Exodus 14:13-14.)

Through Jesus, God promises to defend His people. God is all the defense we need, no political party or politician can match or surpass God (2 Samuel: 22:3, Psalm 121:1-8, Romans 16:20, 1 Corinthians 10:1-33, Galatians 3:19-24, Philippians 4:6-7.)

The Apostle Paul remembered his fundamental Jewish education about God being His people’s shield.

Māḡēn

Ancient Israel constantly relied on God to defend them from other nations. The most common word for defend in the Old Testament is gānan and depending on the context it was used in a can mean, “To cover or surround.

In ancient times shields were often used as a weapon to attack an enemy and to cover oneself from harm. God is known as the shield of Israel.

Israel cherishes a derivative of gānan, māḡēn which also means, “defend, ruler, armed, scales, or shield.” The Magen is also known as the “Star of David,” because he constantly identified God as his shield (2 Samuel 22:3, Psalm 18:2;30:5; 84:11 91:4; 119:114.)

Legend has it the six-pointed star was found on the shield of David. The Star of David is loaded with symbolism for the people of God. The six points and center symbolize the seven Jewish virtues.

Kindness
Severity
Harmony
Perseverance
Splendor
Foundation
Loyalty

Star of David

Image by Pixabay

When Jesus arrived, He fulfilled the prophecy of David’s heir being on the throne to defend the nation of Israel (2 Samuel 7:16, Psalm 89:34-37.) God is always for the little guy.

In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, He reminded His followers how God defends and comforts the least of this world. God is the shield for the weak against the corrupt powers of this world.

The New Testament writers understood the importance of God’s oath to protect and shield His people from all harm.

That is why the Apostle Paul reminded the early church to be covered in the armor of God and to carry the shield of the faith (Ephesians 6:10-18.) The corrupt and powerful of this world are the enemies of God (Ephesians 6:12, James 4:4.

The Espionage Act

For the last year, there has been a lot of discussion about the Espionage Act. Originally, The Defense Secret Act of 1911 criminalized the collection of information from military installations and facilities and sharing them with those who lacked the proper credentials to see them was passed to protect American assets and defense secrets from getting into the wrong hands.

Espionage Act

Image by Wikipedia Commons

This week the case against the already convicted felon Trump took stage as prosecutors and the judge addressed concerns about the findings in the case. The former president’s mishandling of top-secret documents put our military and nation in peril.

It’s obvious why criminal Trump refused to return the classified documents he illegally shared with others at Mar-Largo. We can clearly see the motives behind criminal Trump and his political party.

Deception
Corruption
Selfish gain

Mr. Trump has disrespected our nation’s laws and attacked its foundation, the Constitution. True conservatives know no man or political party can save America because God is our only māḡēn!

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