Ignorance is the preferred agent to fuel the conflict, which confidently precedes the regretful wringing of the hands and mournful lamentations.

It is said that Abraham, the father of all the contenders in the fight for Jerusalem, met a mysterious figure, named Melchizedek in the region of Moriah. This man was said to be the King of Salem, which means king of peace. It is understood then from this account, that Salem or Jerusalem is the possession of peace.

The status of Mount Zion in regard to ownership, should by no means be a “stone of contention”. Information is widely available for all to know the truth concerning this place that has been turned into a paradox.  The Possession of Peace is also known as the place of unrest.

Approximately one thousand years later, King Solomon son of David, Israel’s most celebrated king, built a temple on one of the mountains of Moriah, called Zion. At the dedication of this house, Solomon invited the God of his father Abraham to take residence there, but not before addressing some key issues.

Solomon alluded to knowing that this God does not dwell in houses that humans construct, thus the invitation extended to Him to dwell in this human effort needs a second look.

In his prayer of dedication, Solomon presented a petition concerning the rebellion of His people. “If your people are driven away from the land as punishment for their disobedience, and should they turn their faces to this place from wherever they might find themselves…”. Here we see reference made to “this place”, but which place is Solomon speaking of ? The God of Abraham said yes to his petition and some five hundred years later, the prophet Daniel set his face towards “this place” from his captivity in Babylon. Here we understand what Solomon meant since there was then no temple for Daniel to look towards. What was left for him to face after the destruction of the temple, was Zion without structures. 

Let us now examine another petition that Solomon made at the dedication. “If people from other nations find themselves in trouble and turn their faces toward this place seeking help from You, please afford them that help”. Abraham’s God said yes to this also.

Established here in Solomon’s petition to his father’s God, is the everlasting ‘Order of Zion’. “This place is established a house of prayer for all the nations “. We hear it echoed through the prophet Isaiah,  “for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all the peoples of the earth”. Finally, in the very eventful visit of Jesus to the said place, those present heard him to say, ” this is my father’s house, and it’s a place for all the peoples of the earth to pray”.

It has been heralded that Mount Zion is the place that help comes from. King David requested help from Zion in Psalms 20, but he died without seeing a temple structure on the mountain. Here again we see that the residence of the God of Zion is not summoned by the presence of a temple but inversely so.

World War 2 turned the face of Jacob towards “this place” and as He promised Solomon at the time of the dedication, the God of Zion brought Israel home. He made a promise and kept it but there is also great benefit for all the nations in this unusually swift action.  Remember the promise as it pertains to the nations; if the peoples of the earth find themselves in trouble and seek help from You, with their hearts facing this place , then send them that help.

Let us examine closely, the conflict that ensues about Mount Zion. There are those who are called zionist yet only one who is aligned with the “Order Of Zion” can be considered zionist. Zion is the place where all nations of the earth are invited to come when in need of help. On the other hand, there are the other children of Abraham who want to be the only ones to pray on Zion. This position is also not in agreement with the “Order of Zion”.

Who is the custodian of Zion? It is clearly written in Deuteronomy 32:9 that Jacob is the appointed custodian of The Most High’s inheritance, and to appoint another caretaker would be contending with the wishes and dictates of the God of Zion.

The prophet Zachariah announced that the nations of the earth would, at a given time, be called upon to judge matters concerning Jerusalem. They are warned, however, not to engage this “troublesome stone”, lest they severely injure themselves.

The matter of Jerusalem is not difficult to judge, since all the information necessary to do so is available. Abraham gave Isaac an inheritance that was passed on to Jacob also called Israel. All of Abraham’s other children have been blessed by Abraham’s God and given vast wealth and territory. Why then the conflict over territory when there is no shortage of space to accommodate all?

This nit-picking among relatives threatens to draw the whole world into an unnecessary conflict. Individual nations should carefully examine matters concerning Israel and Jerusalem before adding support to actions against that nation. There is no reward or award that a meddler will appreciate.

Remember, ignorance, is the fuel of conflict. Since Zion has been given to all the nations as a place of prayer, the fight for what is already in the possession of the contenders serves no purpose but to dispossess all who have embraced and cherished this unspeakable privilege.

“A wise ruler searches out a matter”; the United Nations and the ICJ will do well to follow this council of Solomon, in matters concerning Israel and Jerusalem.

For the nations will yet pray towards Zion,  the God of Zion will still answer and send help to them from his “Holy Hill”, and Salem will not be denied her peace.

Alister