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Every morning, my walk takes me through a magnificent grove of stately gum trees. As I walked by yesterday, a cheery voice called out: “Beautiful morning, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it certainly is!” I replied. “And aren’t these trees magnificent?”

Her face fell. She told me they were reportedly 300 years old, but they were all infested with termites. The termites could not be seen, hiding deep within the trunks of the trees. On close inspection, I could see the trees were ‘weeping’. There were rivers of sap coming down from high up where the termite nest was.

I started thinking about how easy it was to miss the impending destruction. If left untreated, these magnificent trees will die. The beautiful sanctuary will be lost, together with the profusion of bird life.

Sobering Parallel

Before long, my mind was drawing an analogy to what is happening in our world today. It is as if termites have invaded many aspects of society. They are eating away at the very fabric of our democracy, freedoms, morality and peace.

There are termites in our government. Advisors feed biased and carefully selected information to our political leaders. These leaders have political persuasions that soak up this doctored information, which is spat out at the media, eager to satiate its own biases.

The response to the tragic death of aid workers in Gaza has highlighted this termite infestation. Our Prime Minister calls it an “outrage”. I have yet to hear him say the behaviour of Hamas is an outrage. The slaughter of 1200 innocent civilians on October 7 is soon forgotten as the world scrutinises Israel’s response.

Hang on a minute — what about the taking of innocent civilian hostages who are being kept in the most appalling conditions and being used as a bribe for the release of Palestinian terrorists?

Why isn’t our government demanding Hamas release the hostages and placing that demand front and centre, rather than an ‘add-on’ to their constant criticism of Israel?

Let’s think for a moment of the conditions under which Israel is attempting to rid its nation of the existential threat from termite terrorists. These terrorists make no secret of the fact they will repeat the October 7 massacre at the first opportunity. It is patently obvious Hamas is using civilians as human shields – placing them in the way of Israeli soldiers with the sole objective of making Israel look bad in the eyes of the world.

Rot

Since there are termites in the media, who have no interest in a truthful or balanced view of events, Hamas’ lies and deception are generally not even mentioned. Am I missing something here?

Why isn’t Hamas being held accountable for its failure to ensure the civilian population of Gaza receives the millions of tons of humanitarian aid that is flooding in?

Why is the whole world demanding Israel cease trying to exterminate these terrorist termites who operate from tunnels under Gaza — the very territory they were elected to protect and develop economically?

How desperately wicked that political leaders would sacrifice justice, morality and their allies to shore up their local power base. President Biden on the one hand seeks to placate his Muslim voters by demanding a ceasefire, and on the other hand confirms Israel has a right to defend itself.

With Friends Like These…

Both Albanese and Biden call out Israel for the death of the aid workers, refusing to accept it was a mistake, resulting from misinformation, in the context of a debilitating war. They demand ‘transparency and accountability’, discounting Israel’s explanation. In the context of a war, are they suggesting independent observers make public Israel’s military intelligence?

Hamas is making it difficult to distribute aid to its civilians, stealing it and selling it in the markets to the displaced population. Why aren’t these termites being held accountable for their actions?

Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East, where free speech and freedom to worship is accorded to all citizens. Before October 7, it was a flourishing nation, contributing beyond its weight in areas of agriculture, medicine, technology, innovation, and so much more. Now, their economy is being decimated as hundreds of thousands of citizens are either in the army or displaced.

Where are Israel’s friends when they desperately need them? All we hear is criticism, undermining of their sovereignty and covert support for their enemies.

To the pure, all things are pure,
but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure.
In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. ~ Titus 1:15

Preventing Termites

One way to prevent invasion is to create a barrier to keep the termites out. That is precisely what Israel did following incessant threats from Gaza over many years. This barrier was breached, and the termites attacked unsuspecting Israel on October 7 2023.

An additional treatment is to inject the victims to protect them against invasion. Israel’s way of injecting its people against the constant threat from termite terrorists is to train its citizens in compulsory military service. Every school leaver is recruited. These young valiant men and women are forming the backbone of Israel’s army today.

In addition, the Jewish lifestyle, faith, families and communities encourage moral strength and resilience. Essentially, Israel has been on a war footing since the re-creation of the State of Israel in 1948. This has injected alertness, intentionality and courage into the populace in a way we can only dream about.

Ways to Deal with Termites

How can we, individually and as a nation, protect ourselves from the insidious invasion of termites in our government, media and other aspects of our society?

We must create a barrier to misinformation, lies and deception. We must be alert and take responsibility for what we absorb, allow ourselves to be exposed to, and indulge in.

We must inject ourselves with God’s Holy Word. The Bible provides guidance, advice and wisdom for every aspect of our lives. A daily injection of God’s Word is an invaluable protection against termite attack, when it is applied with a sincere faith.

Surrounding ourselves with wise counsellors, not afraid to speak the truth in love, helps keep the termites at bay.

Come on, Australia! Let’s get rid of these termites and claim back our beautiful country for goodness, truth, morality and faithfulness in the Name of Jesus.

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Photo by Jimmy Chan.