The Battle For Jerusalem

Many cities around the world are dearly loved by those who live in them. But few, if any, raise the kind of passion as does Jerusalem. The Jerusalem Covenant, drafted on the 25th Anniversary of the city's reunification says it well: We love you, O Jerusalem, with eternal love, with unbounded love, under siege and when liberated from the yoke of oppressors. We have been martyred for you, we have yearned for you, we have clung to you. Our faithfulness to you we shall bequeath to our children after us. Forever more our home shall be within you. 

Never has a people group, except the Jews, been separated from their homeland and then miraculously returned to live within those ancient borders once again. For thousands of years, the cry of Jewish people in all the nations has been, "Next Year In Jerusalem." Generation after generation wept as they read the words, "If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her skill! If I do not remember you, let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth - if I do not exalt Jerusalem above my chief joy." Psalm 137:5-6.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu declared recently, "We are in the midst of a terrorist assault focused on Jerusalem. During morning prayers last November, as they were wrapped in prayer shawls and tefillin, four Rabbis were slaughtered. We will not tolerate this reality; we will fight terrorism and we will defeat it. We will restore law, order and security to the streets of Jerusalem. We are in a battle for Jerusalem, our eternal capital."

The final status of the city is a major point of contention in peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. The Palestinians claim that the presence of two of their holy sites gives them legitimate  rights to half of Jerusalem. What matters is that the God of the Universe has promised to restore His people to the City of The Great King, never to be uprooted again. His word makes it clear it is His City and a very fitting capital for the people who are the apple of His eye. "You (Jerusalem) shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of The Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God." Isaiah 62:3.

May The Lord Bless You And Keep You This Day And Each Day,

Frank