"I  SHALL  COMPLETELY BLOT OUT THE REMEMBRANCE OF AMALEK FROM UNDER HEAVEN!" (Exodus 17:14)

Who is Amalek?

Amalek^a was the grandson of Esau, who had sold his birthright for a pot of lentils to his brother Jacob. When Esau also lost his inheritance to Jacob, Esau hated Jacob and vowed to kill him. Esau therefore taught his grandson, Amalek, to hate and pursue Jacob and his descendants, the  Israelites.

Amalek attacked the Israelites (Jacob's descendants) while Moses was leading them  out of Egypt into the Promised Land. The battle was fierce, and while Moses held up the staff of G-d on top of the hill, Israel prevailed over the Amalekites. But when Moses' hands became tired and let down the staff of G-d, the Amalekites prevailed over Israel. Only after Aaron (the priest and brother of Moses) and Hur made Moses sit down and supported his hands, did  Joshua destroy the Amalekites with the sword^b.

Then G-d said, "I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven!", and commanded Israel, "Remember what the Amalekites did to you on the way when you came out of Egypt. When you were weary and worn-out they met you on your journey and cut off all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God. When the Lord your G-d gives you rest from all the enemies around you in the land He is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. DO NOT FORGET!"^c

Hence - THE L-RD WILL HAVE WAR WITH AMALEK FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION until Israel has done what the L-RD commanded.

King Saul failed to utterly destroy Amalek as he had been commanded^d, and as a consequence lost his kingship, his peace and soul, and was slain by an Amalekite^e. Ever since, each generation of the Jewish people has had war with an "Amalek": Haman ; Hitler;  Nasser, and now the Palestinian entity with Arafat at its head.

G-d ousted "Amalek" from the land to make room for His people returning from a two millennia exile. But, not wanting these people to suffer the loss of everything, Israel invited them back in.

Ever since, this "Amalek" has been a thorn in Israel's flesh, a poisonous asp in her side, for Israel sinned  as King Saul had: being small in her own eyes she did NOT REMEMBER to carry out G-d's oath, but had mercy on a people G-d wanted removed from the Land.

As announced by the prophet Balaam, G-d proclaims that in the end, "Amalek shall come to total destruction."^f

Hence, whoever spares "Amalek" at the expense of Israel must bear  the
fierce wrath of the Holy One of Israel.

VOLUME 5                    NEWSLETTER                    MARCH 29, 1988

A Scriptural and historical Guide
to a better understanding of
the Arab-Israeli "Conflict".

Dear "Or Tzion" Family,

Grace to you and Peace from G-d the Father and our Lord Yeshua HaMashiach, Who gave Himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our G-d and Father; to Whom be the glory for ever and ever.  Amen.  He is the Father of mercies and G-d of all comfort, Who comforts us in our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by G-d¹.

Yes, "comfort, comfort my people," says your G-d^2, "for just as you were once disobedient to G-d but now have obtained mercy through their disobedience, so they also now are being disobedient (when you are receiving mercy), that they in turn may one day share the mercy which has been shown to you. Thus through the mercy you are enjoying, they may now also receive mercy. For G-d has consigned all men to disobedience, only that He may have mercy on them all alike."³ Indeed, were His Presence not our refuge and His Word and good promises to the House of Israel not our trust, we would be without comfort. For once again we are alone, with but One to turn to for help, strength and comfort, namely the Holy One of Israel, the Father of mercies. And we desire, with all the might of our hearts, to comfort our people in these days of deep affliction with that comfort which flows from G-d alone and His Mashiach Yeshua. When we see our people engulfed with that sense of isolation, forsakeness and hopelesness, desperately trying to make some sense out of the world's hostility, and find again enough strength and joy to face the next day and see purpose in it, we want to pour ourselves out for them in order that they may finally see the Hope of Israel, Yeshua, and be encouraged and comforted in Him.

Dearest friends, to write this newsletter is difficult this time. For although the Lord's Care and Presence is our shelter and peace in the midst of a turbulent sea of troubles, how can I rejoice in that peace, while facing its absence in our people’s daily lives? Rather, like Jeremiah my heart is seized with anguish⁴ and I simply cannot keep silent!
 

Years ago G-d said that He had set me to identify with the nation: whatever happened to her would be as if it happened to me personally. Her pain and affliction would become my own, and through the strong labour of my soul I would give birth to the fruit of G-d's Word conceived in the womb of my spirit⁵. And I see now that He really meant it! For no matter how much I try to distance myself, I am smitten right in my heart⁶.  The experience on a national level becomes my own on a personal one.

And memories arise of long forgotten pains. As a child my mother, grandmother and I were relocated to South Bavaria. There, anti-semitic children attacked me shamelessly - they stalked me, they beat me, they scattered the contents of my school bag, they insulted me and slandered my mother. There was no one to come to my aid – no father, no brother. I was helpless and forsaken, while people stood idly by. When I did kick and scratch in self- defense, they called me “the devil” and slandered me and my mother once again. I was condemned for defending myself and defeating my aggressors.

This is the anti-semitic experience of almost 2000 years, and of Israel in particular for now 54 years. What I experienced personally on a small scale, Israel is experiencing internationally on a grand scale, and probably will continue until that day, when G-d will cry out like a woman in travail, and will gasp and pant, bringing judgment upon the nations and salvation to His people, after He had held His peace for so long a time and kept still and restrained Himself⁷.

Living in Israel for me is like being in the heart of G-d and in His eye and this experience is so profound it eclipses all things formerly deemed weighty. Here I have encountered the revelation of G-d's bared heart, which like a fire consumes all previous revelations. It fills the heart with a fire as from the altar of G-d, a fire which constantly calls out to G-d, its voice never silent. The fire of G-d's love burns, and burns, and burns, unquenchable, for my people. A flame from G-d's heart kindled this fire in me, as it is written: "The flashes of this love are flashes of fire, a most vehement flame. Many waters (of affliction) cannot quench this love, neither can floods (of evil and troubles) drown it, and all the pleasures and treasures of this life become as stubble in its flames."⁸ Is there any power to stop this fire? If there were, then G-d would not be Love⁹.
 
 

a Genesis36:12

b Exodus 17:8-13

c NIV Deut. 25:17-19

d Ex 7:16; Deut. 25:17-19; 1 Sa 28:18

e 2 Samuel 1:10,16

f Numbers 24:20

1 Gal. 1:3-4; 2 Cor. 1:3-4	2 Isaiah 40:l	3 Roman 11:30-32, TAB
4 Jeremiah 4:19	5 Micah 5:3	6 Jer 8:18,21-22
7 Isaiah 42:14-16	8 Canticles 8:6-7	9 1 John 4:7-8