Implications on the Importance of Gaza

For the past two weeks, we cast our gaze upon the history of the stretch of land in the Mediterranean known as the Gaza Strip. The Strip has been controlled by Britain, Egypt, Palestine, Israel, and again by Palestine in the last 100 years. Today, we want to turn our attention to what the Bible says about the area (you did know that Gaza is mentioned in the Bible). We also want to draw some conclusions about the importance of Gaza today.

Biblical References

The history recorded in the Bible is ancient and Gaza is one of the earliest cities mentioned in the Bible. Genesis 10 notes that after the flood, Noah’s grandson Canaan (son of Ham) was the father of the Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, and other Canaanite clans. It tells us that the borders of Canaan reached from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza (Genesis 10:19). The Bible also tells us that Ham offended Noah and was cursed by his father (Genesis 9:22-27).

If you go back far enough, you will find that the Israelis and the Palestinians are related.

Gaza was part of the Promised Land that God promised to the Israelites after their exodus from Egypt. However, Israel did not drive the Canaanites from the land and were unable to capture the region. The Scripture says, “But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live” (Numbers 33:55).

During the time of Joshua (the next generation after Moses), Gaza was captured by the tribe of Judah, but the Philistines were not driven from the land and eventually regained control of the area. While the Israelites fought the Philistines throughout the Old Testament (David and Goliath, Samson), by New Testament times, political powers like Greece and Rome, assured that the peoples lived in relative peace.

Because of the terrible sins of the Philistines, at least four of the Old Testament prophets (Jeremiah, Amos, Zephaniah, and Zechariah) prophesied judgment upon Gaza. Zephaniah predicted that Gaza would be abandoned and left in ruins (Zephaniah 2:4).

Prophetic Importance of Gaza

The questions immediately arise: Have those prophecies already been fulfilled, are they being fulfilled right now, or are they still to be fulfilled?

At least two times in history, the words of Zephaniah came true. The Babylonians destroyed the entire area, including what we know as Gaza and Israel, and either killed or captured everyone and took them to Babylon to become slaves. When Rome destroyed Jerusalem in 70AD, the destruction of the area was just as severe, but the people were driven from the area to scatter throughout the Mediterranean region. Some students of the Bible believe those prophecies were fulfilled then and have little meaning today.

There were other times throughout history when battles were fought in the area, including the current war situation. These students of the Bible believe that many of the Old Testament prophecies have fulfillments that continue throughout time. The Palestinians and Israelites certainly have fought with one another throughout history. A variety of efforts to secure peace in the region failed.

Other biblical students firmly believe that a conflict between the two people will usher in the end of time. Both Old and New Testament prophecies speak to a restoration of Israel and God’s final judgment of all people. They are concerned with current events because they wonder if these times could unveil the end of it all.

Reasonable Importance of Gaza

Are there lessons for people today to learn from the conflicts in this area? Can someone be interested in these events without becoming a religious fanatic? Here are a couple of observations.

First, the conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis is rooted in thousands of years of history. It will not be “settled” by a conversation bartered by outsiders stationed around a bargaining table. Whether you consider yourself religious or not, statements delivered by godly people in the Bible tend to be proven true over time. These people will always have a dislike for each other.

Second, clearly the area of Gaza has significance throughout the Bible. The stories of conflict in the Old Testament at least help explain the severity of the conflict today. Could these battles result in the end of time? Perhaps. What we observe from life is that everything that has a beginning eventually has an ending. Any efforts to bring about peace at least can stabilize the relationships between people for the moment.