Day 368 Swords of Iron – “Oct 7 – A year of War”
Chaim starts the video by saying it’s October 7th 2024 and he rhetorically asks how one can even put into words all the horrors that the last year has seen. He lists some of those horrors, highlighting the taking of hostages by Hamas. He asks his viewers to keep praying for the return of the hostages. He also asks for continued prayers for the safety of people under fire and the soldiers in combat, as well as for wisdom for the leaders who have to make decisions.
Chaim mentions the heavy combat IDF troops are engaged in all over Gaza and southern Lebanon. He also mentions the continued rocket fire into Israel, and he rhetorically asks how we can deal with it all.
In this context, he quotes Psalms 18:37; I have pursued my enemies and overtaken them; neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed.
Chaim says this is one of many places where God’s word encourages us, and there certainly have been encouraging successes in the past year. He lists some of them including the rapid recovery of the people and the IDF following the attacks on October 7th, rapidly reducing the threats from Hezbollah, repelling the Iranian attacks. The IDF, Shin Bet and Border Police have also managed to forestall a third intifada in Judea and Samaria, and many other things.
But there have also been some significant failures, including the prolonged evacuation of residents from northern communities, as well as not managing to retrieve all the hostages kidnapped into Gaza on October 7th.
There has also been a failure to find someone to administer Gaza when the IDF finally withdraws after destroying Hamas. There’s been strained relations with allies, including the US. This has been exacerbated by populist anger against Israel on college campuses and elsewhere all over the Western world.
This makes a lot of things more difficult than they need to be.
But above all else, Chaim wants to thank the supporters of the Aliyah Return Center, which has put everything it has at the disposal of the war effort, taking care of internally displaced refugees, soldiers, families in financial distress and of course new immigrants.
Chaim says that through it all, he knows God will never allow His people to be destroyed. In this context he quotes Psalms 29:11;The Lord will give strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.
