（利18）在 你 们 以 先 的 国 民 (Leviticus 18) The nations before you
(ChatGPT translation from Chinese, edited by Mijiale, 中文在后面）
Leviticus 18:26-28 says, “You must therefore keep my decrees and my laws. You must not commit any of these detestable practices—neither your native-born nor the foreigners residing among you. For the people of the land, who were before you, have committed all these detestable practices, and the land has become defiled. So if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you.”
We see that at that time, the indigenous people of the land that the Israelites were about to conquer committed all sorts of detestable practices, including incest, adultery, and homosexuality, as mentioned earlier in the passage (Leviticus 18:22 prohibits homosexual acts).
Relating to the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the following are some of my personal suggestions and thoughts. These may be very immature reflections, and the related biblical verse references are limited to my personal understanding:
Some Christians may believe that Israel has the right to expel or even exterminate Palestinians because the land was promised to the Israelites in the Bible, and in the Bible, the Israelites occupied the land of Canaan by driving out or destroying the indigenous people. However, Deuteronomy 9:5 says, “It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the Lord your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” The indigenous people at that time were more wicked than the Israelites, and their expulsion from the land was according to the clear will of the Creator. However, modern Israel does not have a prophet like Moses conveying the clear will of the Creator to expel or exterminate the Palestinians. Moreover, the evil of modern Israelis is no less than that of their enemies. For example, homosexuality, which was condemned in Leviticus, is punishable by death in Iran https://outrightinternational.org/our-work/middle-east-and-north-africa/iran, but in modern Israel, there is a city that was chosen as the best city for gay men by a gay website for a certain year https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Israel.
Although the Creator remembers the promise to the ancestors of the Israelites, and the Bible predicts that the Israelites will eventually completely possess the promised land, according to the viewpoint of the New Testament, this should happen after the return of Christ and the repentance of the entire house of Israel to the Lord. Modern Israel does not have the moral or religious qualification to imitate the conquests in the Bible, expelling or exterminating the Palestinians by force. Now, Israelis can imitate Abraham (Genesis 23:16), Jacob (Genesis 33:19), and David (1 Chronicles 21:22) by purchasing the promised land in a lawful manner. Perhaps this is what Jews living outside Israel should do, that is, sell their residences abroad, buy the dwellings of Palestinians, return to the promised land, and strive to fulfill the prophecy of the return of the Israelites from the nations mentioned in the Bible.
Of course, the return of the dispersed Israelites mentioned in the Bible should be led by the Lord Himself. Christians, as the body of Christ on earth, should play a significant role. The current problem is that due to differences in religious beliefs and educational levels, no country is willing to accept Palestinian immigrants. Christians should strengthen evangelism among Palestinians, teach them about the ownership of the land revealed in the Bible, and help them get enough education and training to immigrate abroad to find better jobs and lives. Christian countries like the United States and Canada, which have missionary traditions and a spacious and good living environment, should actively advocate for evangelism and assistance to the Palestinian people and encourage and accept their immigration. This is preparing for the Lord’s coming because only when the Gentiles are saved will the Jews believe in Christ, and only when the gospel is preached to the whole world will Christ come again.
（利18）在 你 们 以 先 的 国 民
利未记18:26-28说，“故 此 ， 你 们 要 守 我 的 律 例 典 章 。 这 一 切 可 憎 恶 的 事 ， 无 论 是 本 地 人 ， 是 寄 居 在 你 们 中 间 的 外 人 ， 都 不 可 行 ，（ 在 你 们 以 先 居 住 那 地 的 人 行 了 这 一 切 可 憎 恶 的 事 ， 地 就 玷 污 了 ， ）免 得 你 们 玷 污 那 地 的 时 候 ， 地 就 把 你 们 吐 出 ， 像 吐 出 在 你 们 以 先 的 国 民 一 样 。”
我们看到，当时，以色列人将要征服的土地上的原住民行了一切可憎恶的事，包括经文前面所提到的乱伦，奸淫，和男同性恋，例如利未记18:22说，“不 可 与 男 人 苟 合 ， 像 与 女 人 一 样 ， 这 本 是 可 憎 恶 的。”
联系到当今的以巴冲突， 以下是一些我的个人建议和想法，这些可能是很不成熟的思考，有关的圣经经节引用也仅限于个人理解：
有些基督徒可能认为以色列人有权利赶走甚至消灭巴勒斯坦人，因为那地是圣经应许给以色列人的，而圣经里以色利人就通过驱赶或消灭原住民的方式占领了迦南地。但是申命记9:5说，“你 进 去 得 他 们 的 地 ， 并 不 是 因 你 的 义 ， 也 不 是 因 你 心 里 正 直 ， 乃 是 因 这 些 国 民 的 恶 ， 耶 和 华 你 的 神 将 他 们 从 你 面 前 赶 出 去 ， 又 因 耶 和 华 要 坚 定 他 向 你 列 祖 亚 伯 拉 罕 ， 以 撒 ， 雅 各 起 誓 所 应 许 的 话 。” 当时的原住民比以色利人恶，而且当时赶走他们占有那地，是有造物主明确的旨意的。而现代以色列国则没有像摩西那样的先知传达造物主的明确旨意赶走或消灭巴勒斯坦人。并且，现代以色利国民的恶，并不比他们的敌国国民的恶小。就说刚才利未记所反对的同性恋吧，在伊朗是被禁止的罪，最高可判死刑，参见https://outrightinternational.org/our-work/middle-east-and-north-africa/iran
但在现代以色利国，他们有一个城市竟然被同性恋网站选作某一年度的男同性恋最佳城市。参见https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Israel
虽然造物主记念对以色列人先祖的应许，圣经预言以色列人最终一定会完全占有应许之地，但按照新约的观点，那应该是基督再来以后，以色列全家悔改归主以后发生的事情。现代以色列国还没有道德上或信仰上的资格模仿圣经里的征服，以武力赶走或消灭巴勒斯坦人。 现在的以色列人可以模仿亚伯拉罕（创23:16）、雅各（创33:19）与大卫（代上21:22），用合法的方式购买应许之地。也许这应该是现在散居在以色列国外的犹太人所做的事，就是卖掉自己国外的住处，购买巴勒斯坦人的居处，回应许之地去住，争取实现圣经里以色列人从列国回归的预言。
当然，圣经里散居列国的以色列人的回归，应该是主亲自带领的事。基督徒作为主在地上的身体，应该起重大作用。现在的问题是，因为宗教信仰与教育水平的差别，没有国家愿意接受巴勒斯坦人的移民。基督徒应该加强对巴勒斯坦人传福音，教导他们圣经所启示的那块土地的归属，并帮助他们得到足够的教育与训练，能够移民到外地找到更好的工作和更好的生活。美国加拿大这些有宣教传统又有广阔美好生活环境的基督教国家，应该积极倡导对巴勒斯坦人民的宣教与帮助，并鼓励、接纳他们移民。这就是在迎接主，因为只有外邦得救的人满了，犹太人才会相信基督， 只有福音传遍了全世界，基督才会再来。