Zvi Jun/Jul 1992
In Isaiah 11:6 it is written, “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid.” One day recently I prayed before leaving my home to go out and witness about the Lord Jesus Christ, but I had no specific destination in mind as I boarded the bus for Jerusalem. I got off the bus in the center of the new city and began to walk down the street. As I stopped at a corner, I looked around and was surprised when I realized where I was—in front of the headquarters of the Yad Le ‘Ahim. This group is almost like a commando team, and they fight against those of us who believe in Christ.
I stood there, just looking at the sign for a few seconds, and then I thought, Well, here I am, and it was to places just like this that our Lord said, “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves; be ye, therefore, wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” (Mt. 10:16). This verse gave me special courage, and, without an invitation, I found myself inside the office of this anti-missionary organization. A man approached me and asked what I wanted and if he could be of help. I replied, “I saw the large sign outside proclaiming ‘Yad Le ‘Ahim!’ [Hand to a Brother!], and so I came in to learn how you can help me, your brother.”
The man was very kind and invited me to have a seat. He then explained the purpose of the organization. “We extend our hands to rescue our brothers who have fallen into the trap of the apostates, people who want to poison them and capture their souls. Such people are very dangerous, and we must stand guard day and night against their heresy and apostasy. This is our holy duty! Now you know about the important service we render to God and our country.”
Then it was my turn to speak. “I didn’t know that people could die from the poison you mentioned. I have never read in the newspaper that someone died from reading the Bible.” When they heard this, everyone in the office turned around to look at me, and the gentleman to whom I was speaking asked, in an unpleasant tone of voice, “How do you know that those apostates believe in the Bible? Are you one of them?” “I am!” I replied. “I am one who actively serves God and my country by telling people how to come to God, our Savior, and be faithful to Him according to the Law rather than according to the word of commandoes, who themselves are walking in the darkness and cannot find the light. They want others to follow them into the darkness, but I believe what is written in Leviticus 19:14, ‘Thou shalt not … put a stumbling block before the blind.’ This is what you are doing—trapping the blind in darkness!”
By now all of the office staff had gathered around me, and when I finished speaking they whispered to each other for a short time, and then the man to whom I was speaking said, “We have listened very carefully to you, and we have arrived at the conclusion that you are one of those dangerous ones who are bringing spiritual poison to the new immigrants from Russia. You are one of the ones we are fighting so hard and about whom we warn these new citizens. How can you have the chutzpah [impertinence] to come in here and try to brainwash us also? You are insolent!”
I replied, “I only want to show you that you don’t have to work so hard. We are not dangerous, and we are not trying to brainwash the Russian immigrants. You go to them with your many books of commentary, but they have never heard of them or the men who wrote them, and so they are not interested in them. Why don’t you do as I do—bring them the books of the Law [Genesis to Deuteronomy], which God gave to the people of Israel through Moses on Mount Sinai? Even though they are not as familiar with the Law as we are, having come from an atheistic society, they have heard of the Law because it was passed down through many generations. Now they want to know what it says. I show them the book of books, the Bible, because in it is written everything they need to know. Through this book they can learn who their God is, who their Savior is, and how they can prepare themselves to meet Him some day.”
The man could no longer listen quietly and said in a loud, agitated voice, “Do you tell them they must believe in this man Jesus? Do you tell them that by believing in Him they will be saved?” “There, you have said it yourself. And you must know what you are talking about because it is in the Bible, which you have studied very carefully. I did not write the Bible, you know. It was written by the prophets under divine inspiration. Your saying that in the Bible people can read about Jesus is a great blessing to my heart, because I have known and believed this to be true for many years.”
When I made that statement, it was as if I had ignited a big fire. “How can you say that? Aren’t you ashamed?” he shouted. “No, my dear,” I replied. “Stop calling me ‘my dear.’ We are not your dears!” In response to his remark I read Isaiah 50:7, “For the Lord Gᴏᴅ will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded; therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.” “I know in whom I have believed, and I am not ashamed,” I told him.
“Do you also kneel before this man?” he asked. “Yes, of course. Daniel knelt three times a day and prayed to God. King David said in Psalm 95:6, ‘Oh, come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lᴏʀᴅ our maker.’ Can I do any less than our great ancestors? You see, I am not like you, going to people with warnings. Instead, I go to them with the love of God. And so again I call you ‘my dear.’ I know that you hate me, but I want you to know that I love you because the Lord instructed us, ‘by love serve one another’ (Gal. 5:13). The most popular commandment in the Law is found in Leviticus 19:18, ‘thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.’ You are my neighbor, and so I love you.”
Shortly thereafter, our conversation ended, and I left these people to ponder the things I had related to them. I hope to have further contact with them. Please pray with me that one day they will see the light that is found in the Lord Jesus Christ, and we can break this endless chain of the blind leading the blind.
