Apples of Gold Sep/Oct 2014
There is continuous shedding of blood in the Middle East. This is the blood of hate and vengeance, not like the blood of love that our Savior shed for our salvation.
Now, because the world has rejected Him, there is shedding of blood everywhere. But as more blood is shed, there is more bitterness and hatred. It is an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
No one considers where all this fighting will eventually lead. If only people would recognize that the blood of our Lord can bring peace, then things would be different.
It grieves me deeply to see all this spilling of blood. As a citizen of Israel, I must obey orders and be a good example as a soldier. Otherwise people would say that I am trying to get out of military service because I believe in Christ, and my actions would only justify what the enemies say about those of us who believe in the Lord according to the Bible.
Recently I had to carry a wounded guard to be treated by our medical personnel. I was splattered all over with blood. I prayed for this poor boy, and I also prayed for myself because at any moment I could be injured or killed.
I asked the Lord to be with my family who is living in constant fear that something might happen to me.
Recently I asked one of our officers, “How long will all this go on? How long will it be before all this spilling of blood is over?”
”Only God knows!” he replied.
“Now that you mentioned God,” I said, “why don’t you believe in Him?” He looked at me and asked, “Why do you believe in Him?”
I told him, “I believe in God because I believe in Jesus who died for my sins. If everyone believed in Him, we would all have peace. He taught us to love one another.”
The officer replied, “What difference would it make what I believe? There would still be millions killing and hurting one another.”
I told him, “It is our responsibility to accept Him personally and then to make Him known among other people. That is the only way to overcome the world.” It is written, “This is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 Jn. 5:4).
He listened attentively. “Yes, I agree with you,” he said. “But peace seems to be such a long way off, and who knows when the world will accept the day of Jesus? In the meantime, wars will go on and on without end. I am afraid there is not going to be any peace, and another round of wars like last June [1967 Six-Day War] will soon come again.”
Since then, I have been called up into the army again. There is much work on the front for me, as the Arabs have sown many mines and are adding to them at night. I must defuse these mines, and it is a most dangerous work.
Of the 30 who worked in our group, only three are left. The Lord has spared me so that I am still alive. The men who work with me respect me greatly. I am their instructor and teach them how to disarm the mines.
I visit my students in the hospitals or at their graves. If they are wounded, I give them my testimony and try to comfort them as best as I can. This war for our land is not over, and we shall have to make many more sacrifices.
Some of my friends have asked me, “How can you, a Christian, fight a war? Doesn’t Jesus say if your enemies smite you on the cheek, give them the other?”
I told them, “First of all, you should remember that I am here as a citizen, called up by the government to defend my country. The war is not my choice.” I also told them the Lord said, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Mt. 22:21).
As a citizen, I must fulfill my obligations. So I try to make my life and service a testimony, forgetting myself, and helping others, even at the risk of my own life. I think this is what God would like me to do. Please pray for me, as we pray for you.
by Zvi Kalisher in Jerusalem,
from The Friends of Israel Archives, 1968
