The healing of Naaman - hope for the Middle East?
Proper 9 ; 2 Kings 5:1-14 It feels like the most dangerous time for the people of the Middle East. Israel is said to be considering a 60 day ceasefire in Gaza: but the atrocities of October 7 th 2023, carried out by Hamas, are still brutally alive in many Israeli people’s memories. Meanwhile Palestinians in Gaza may well feel that after so many hundreds of people being killed trying to get aid, as well as the recent attack on a beach-front café in Gaza, the most they can hope for is a gap in the hostilities, rather than true lasting peace. Against this back-drop, President Trump has ended US sanctions against Syria; and supported Israeli attacks against nuclear facilities in Iran. These are dangerous times – and so it feels like a difficult time to read the Old Testament, as it documents some of the ancient battles between these warring enemies. These are the Hebrew Scriptures, the foundational stories of Judaism: some would argue...