Walking Humbly
What Does the Lord Require of You?
To do Justice, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly Before Your God Micah 6:8
The search for justice in Palestine/Israel has been a central theme in the mission of Sabeel and FOSNA, and other Christian organizations . The seminal work of our founder Rev. Naim Ateek is the book Justice and Only Justice: A Palestinian Theology of Liberation. FOSNA has never hesitated to speak out and act on issues of apartheid, discrimination, genocide, and injustice. We firmly believe that any resolution and peaceful outcome requires that justice be front and center. We tirelessly advocate for the most vulnerable, and we are willing to stand in the face of the powerful. We expose false myths perpetrated by those in power, educate and advocate, lead campaigns, direct actions, mobilize, and challenge ourselves and others in the quest for justice.
But, doing justice alone is not enough. We are commanded also to love mercy. That means, I suspect, we need to have empathy and concern also for the oppressors and their supporters. In the current nightmare playing out in Israel and Gaza, our souls ache for the millions of Palestinians being bombed and deprived of their homes, having their whole society including whole families destroyed, and facing starvation and horrifying deprivation. In light of this, working for justice for Palestinians is absolutely essential, but it is also not enough. We have a duty to also take into account the hurt and the needs of Israeli Jews and their supporters. Not only must we feel the pain and agony of the hostages and those who have vacated their homes near the borders, as well as those who were traumatized by the events of October 7 and the subsequent loss of a sense of security it entailed, but we must also consider the emotional and spiritual situation in which most Israelis find themselves.
We must have mercy on those who have been traumatized as well as those who have been brainwashed into thinking violence and only more violence can provide them with the security they seek; on those who are no longer able to believe in the prospect of peaceful coexistence and who believe the lie that massively punishing the Palestinians will establish deterrence and grant them security; on those who have given up on international law and international organizations and who think their enemy only understands the language of force; on those who have succumbed to the language and practice of dehumanizing their enemies while failing to look into the mirror to see their ugly self as the rest of the world is seeing them; on those who are living in the bubble provided them by their enablers in the US and the West and who are drunk with power and arrogance and feel they can act with impunity; and on those who are so full of their own needs and their own success that they are unable to see the needs of others.
This is a difficult commandment, as we tend to think only of their power and arrogance, and our heart is automatically with their victims. Loving mercy requires us to look behind the arrogance and brutality to the wounded spirits who have submitted to the desire for revenge and who dehumanize their victims to justify their own brutality. Yet, if there is ever to be peace and justice, we must somehow have mercy on and include the oppressors as well, seeking for them the healing and security they desire—not as an excuse to continue on their destructive path but out of genuine caring. Mercy, in this respect, is given to those who do not deserve it or merit it, but as an act of grace from a loving God.
And finally, what does “walking humbly before our God” mean? I believe it is a reminder for us of the sovereignty of God and of our own weakness and inability to ultimately change things. We are called to obedience and faithfulness, not to success or accomplishments. In the affairs of people, God is ultimately in control. This is not about fatalistically accepting whatever may happen, but it is a call for action upon a different foundation. We are commanded to walk the walk, to do justice and love mercy, but never to become arrogant ourselves and dismissive of others, nor to become dogmatic about our own preferred solutions or our own righteousness, or to despair when it looks like overwhelming odds are stacked against us, or to compromise our ideals in order to be viewed as “relevant,” “acceptable,” and “realistic.” We are required to be brave enough to take prophetic positions that are unpopular, not “politically expedient” or even if they are “unlikely to change the situation.” We tend to focus on success and want to see immediate results. I think of this commandment every time I am asked how many Palestinians or Israelis are willing to follow this path, whether what we are envisioning is “realistic,” or “where is the leader (Palestinian, Israeli, or American) who is willing to do what is needed for a just peace?”. How many battalions indeed does the Pope command (as Napoleon reportedly once said). It is difficult to answer these questions unless we are willing to be humble enough to recognize that things do not totally depend on us.
I personally remember what a relief it was for me many years ago when I finally realized that I was not responsible for liberating Palestine or bringing about a just peace. That is God’s job. My job is only to do everything I can towards that goal, and trust God for the outcome.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Kuttab