It was on this day in 1939 that Reinhard Heydrich met with aids in Berlin to discuss the so-called “Final Solution” for the “Jewish problem.” In the minds of people like Heydrich, Goebbels, Göring and of course, Hitler, Jews were considered to be mongrels, criminals and less than human and thus worthy of extermination. This “Final Solution” would lead to what the world now knows as the Holocaust, carried out in places such as Bergen-Belsen, Auschwitz, Treblinka, and other infamous places.
It is true that there have been Jews who have done dishonorable things that and have given people ammunition to launch accusations at them. But it is also true that there are dishonorable and dishonest people among every ethnicity and every race of people. It’s not exclusive to Jews. So then, why the hatred? It must be something more than just a few bad apples. What is this “Jewish problem” according to these kind of people? Could it be that the “Jewish problem” was simply that the people in question were Jewish? It would seem that the Bible tells us what the real issue is, in Psalm 83:1-5:
“Do not keep silent, O God! Do not hold Your peace and do not be still, O God! For behold, Your enemies make a tumult; and those who hate You have lifted up their head.They have taken crafty counsel against Your people and consulted together against Your sheltered ones. They have said, ‘Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation that the name of Israel may be remembered no more.’For they have consulted together with one consent; they form a confederacy against You.”
This Scripture tells us that, though people may attack God’s people in an effort to destroy them, the real issue is that they hate the God of Israel. Those who wish to eradicate the people of God, in reality, wish to eradicate the God of Israel. Perhaps their disdain for Him is fueled by the fact that if there is a sovereign, all-powerful God, then His laws and instructions are the standard by which mankind is to live. Consequently, if people don’t wish to be governed by standards established by a Supreme Being, to live in a manner that suffers no eternal consequence would require them to get rid of the Source of those offending laws and instructions.
As believers, it is important that we understand the disdain the world displays toward Israel is not limited to Jews – they hate us too. Yet, those who raise their hand against God’s people should take note: though may enjoy limited success in their war against us, eventually, they will come to an unsavory end. Reinhard Heyrich was assassinated in 1942. Goebbels, Göring, Heimmler and Hitler all committed suicide when they realized their problem was not the Jews but the consequences of their wickedness. All of those who concocted this “Final Solution” are all gone. However, today, there is a nation and a people called Israel. In Hebrew, we sing, Am Yisrael Chai which is “The people of Israel live.” And here’s why – because the God of Israel lives!
Shalom.
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