Bible TimePsalm 7: Israel Focuses on Gaza-Egypt Tunnels
The Gaza-Israel war continued with sudden focus on the smuggling tunnels providing outside access for Palestinians through Egypt. Israel set out to stop all traffic through those tunnels.
Psalm 7
Theoretical Time:
- 12999-13-20 15:2:18 AA
- 2009-01-11 08:13:25 TMMT
- 2009-01-11 05:52:31 GMT
- 2009-01-11 00:52:31 EST
Psalms 7
1Yahvah my god, in you I put my trust; save me; from all those who persecute me, deliver me,
2lest my soul be torn as by a lion, and there is no one to save me and to deliver me.
3Yahvah my god, if I have done this thing and if there be iniquity in my hands,
4if I have been vengeful to him who has done me evil, and if I have oppressed my enemies without a cause;
5let the enemy pursue me and overtake me, yes, let him tread down my life on the land and lay my honor in the dust.
6Arise, Yahvah, in your anger, lift yourself up over the neck of my enemies; and make me alert in the judgment that you have commanded.
7Let the congregation of the peoples circle about you; and for their sakes, therefore return on high.
8Yahvah will judge the people; judge me, Yahvah, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me.
9Let the evil of the wicked come to an end; and establish the righteous, searcher of hearts and souls.
10God who saves the upright in heart, righteous god, help me.
11God is a righteous judge; yes, he is not angry every day.
12If he does not turn from his anger, he will sharpen his sword and bend his bow and make it ready.
13He has also prepared for himself the instruments of wrath; he pointed his arrows against the persecutor.
14Because the wicked has become corrupt and has conceived mischief and brought forth falsehood,
15he has made a well, and deepened it, and is fallen into the pit which he made.
16His mischief will return on his own head, and his iniquity on his own pate.
17I will praise Yahvah according to my righteousness; and I will sing praise to the name of Yahvah most high.
Focus On Tunnels
The most distinguishing feature of the Psalm is the "pit" reference near the end and the "pit" in the Gaza war is the set of tunnels between Gaza and Egypt. By late Sunday there were reports that Israel had turned its attention to those tunnels, those pits. The military objective is to cut off smuggling of weapons into Gaza from Iran.
Israel estimates that about 150 tunnels had been blocked, but that another 150 still remained. This remains a key target in this war.
Reservists Called
Israel continued to increase the headcount deployed to the fight for Gaza. There was a report by Debka that indicated the IDF had called up a considerable number of reservists. These fighters would also relieve the soldiers involved in the initial wave.
The BBC also reported that Israel was calling up reservists in order to increase the pressure on Hamas to unconditionally surrender. The same report indicated that Israel had dropped leaflets warning of a new phase in the fighting.
Hamas Leadership Disarray
On Saturday, the 10th of January, 2009, the Hamas delegation in Cairo was about to sign an unconditional cease fire. The Hamas leadership in Damascas, who had not been on the ground in Gaza, would not agree to such a cease fire. This caused the Gaza delegation to depart for Damascus on Sunday the 11th, the key prophetic date. They were expected to return with an answer by Monday, the 12th, along with Tony Blair's arrival in Cairo.
This move plays to the thought of fighting without cause. The Gaza contingent not wanting further fighting, but those farther away continuing to press for more blood.
Mote
The Jerusalem Post reported that discussions of digging a mote along the Egyptian border were again being discussed. The mote would be 100 meters across, 25 meters deep and 14 kilometers long. Presumably water infused into the ground below the mote would prevent tunneling. This is a more remote reference to the "pit" found in the Psalm.
Pirates drown after ransom delivered
One of the more curious headlines from the rest of the world was a report from the coast of Kenya involving a Super Tanker. The boat is huge, holding 1/3 of the daily output of oil from Saudi Arabia. It had been captured by pirates who demanded $16M, but who eventually settled for $3M. The sum was delivered by parachute to the deck of the ship. The pirates returned to their own boat with the money, but then apparently began to squabble over the sum. A wave struck the boat and 5 of the 7 on board were drowned. 1 swam to safety, the other remains missing. The iniquity was brought back upon their own heads.