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News The Fate of Sharon - God, Ariel Sharon and Pat Robertson
News The Fate of Sharon - God, Ariel Sharon and Pat Robertson | The Fate of Sharon - God, Ariel Sharon and Pat Robertson |
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 Jamie Cowen, UMJC President Pat Robertson's diatribe regarding Ariel Sharon's fate comes as a bit of a surprise.
by Jamie Cowen (from Richmond.com - Tuesday, January 10, 2006)
As Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon hovers between life and death, Christian leader Pat Robertson pronounced the prime minister's fate was the judgment of God due to Sharon's orchestrating the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank. According to Robertson, Sharon's actions violated the Biblical prohibition of dividing the land. Despite the deserved outcry against Robertson's declaration, Robertson has been a consistent supporter of the modern state of Israel, and a friend of numerous Israeli politicians, including Sharon. So, Robertson's diatribe comes as a bit of a surprise. But Robertson is not the only religious leader to make outrageous
statements against Israeli leaders or political positions. The Gaza
withdrawal precipitated a number of "curses" from both right-wing
Jewish and Christian leaders. And the Bible is cited as the source of
their authority. It's been said that one can prove anything from the
Bible. That's true if Biblical passages are stripped of their context.
But in context, Biblical themes are remarkably consistent. In this particular instance, the Prophet Joel is cited:
Consequently, according to Robertson, because Prime
Minister Sharon divided the land God gave to the Jewish people, he is
now being judged. This interpretation of Scripture leaves much to be desired. Robertson is assuming that this passage, written probably sometime between 500-400 BCE, is applicable to today. To most secularists today, applying Biblical pronouncements to the modern world is preposterous. But when comparing numerous Biblical statements about the restoration of the Jewish people to the land of Israel to actual events occurring in the past 60 years, it does seem remarkably accurate. (See, e.g., Isaiah 11 and 66, Jeremiah 16 and 23, Ezekiel 36-38 and Amos 9.) Hence, it is possible that the passage could be applicable to modern events. However, in its context, this passage cannot apply to an Israeli leader. Rather, it applies to nations that attack Israel, scatter her inhabitants around the world, and then divide and conquer the land for themselves, an all-too-often occurrence throughout Jewish history, whether applying it to ancient Israel or to the subjugation and terrorization of the Jewish people at large. In fact, if such a Biblical passage is applicable to the modern world, then other nations, including the president of Iran, ought to beware its warnings. Interestingly, in keeping with the dictates of the above passage, one could argue that the outcomes of numerous Arab/Israeli wars over the past 50-plus years are a fulfillment of the words spoken by the prophet. No, I believe there's another more appropriate passage for Prime Minister Sharon: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be known as the children of God" (Matthew 5:9). Jamie Cowen is the Rabbi of Tikvat Israel Congregation in Richmond. |
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