The story of modern Israel reads like a tale of bitter irony. Despite remarkable military achievements – from precision strikes decimating Hezbollah leadership to significant victories in Gaza – Israel finds itself capitulating to a devastating hostage deal, releasing hordes of terrorists with blood on their hands in exchange for a handful of hostages. Even with unprecedented support from the most pro-Israel U.S. administration in history, we watch as self-hating Jews like Senator Chuck Schumer betray Israel yet again, recently leading Senate Democrats to block sanctions on the antisemitic International Criminal Court that targets Israel. Why does Israel repeatedly seem to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory?
The Bible presents us with a striking parallel in the contrasting leadership styles of two great kings: Saul and David. Both were warriors. Both fought for their people. Both achieved military victories. Yet their legacies could not be more different.
King Saul, despite his initial successes, met a tragic end on Mount Gilboa, falling with his three sons before the Philistines. King David, in contrast, not only established a lasting kingdom but utterly destroyed the Philistine threat, as recorded in II Samuel 21, leaving a legacy of strength that would define Jewish sovereignty for generations. What made the difference? Why did one king’s victories evaporate while the other’s endured?
When the evil Bilaam tried to curse Israel, instead he uttered these words of prophecy:
Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin (1816-1893), in his commentary HaEmek Davar, illuminates the crucial difference between these two kings: “Regarding King Saul it is written ‘and wherever he turned he caused trouble/acted wickedly,’ while regarding King David it is written ‘and David was successful in all his ways.’ In both cases, the meaning is that they were successful in their wars. However, the practical difference between them is that there is one who prevails in war but does not subjugate his opponent under him, and only causes them to fall and weakens them… And there is one who prevails and subjugates under him.”
This distinction speaks directly to Israel’s current predicament. Saul’s approach – merely weakening enemies without decisively ending threats – mirrors Israel’s current defensive posture. David’s approach – achieving complete victory and establishing lasting peace through strength – offers a different model entirely.
Consider how Saul dealt with the Amalekites. God commanded him through Samuel to completely destroy Amalek, leaving nothing alive (I Samuel 15:3). Instead, Saul compromised. He spared their king Agag and the best of their livestock, claiming he would use them for sacrifices to God. Samuel’s response was unequivocal:
Saul’s half-measures and compromises cost him his kingdom.
David, in contrast, understood that evil must be completely uprooted. When facing the Philistines, he didn’t seek ceasefires or temporary accommodations. He pursued them relentlessly “from Geba as far as Gezer” (II Samuel 5:25). When confronting the Moabites, he didn’t engage in diplomatic negotiations but instead “made them lie down on the ground and measured them off with a length of cord” (II Samuel 8:2). He established garrisons throughout Edom, ensuring complete military control (II Samuel 8:14). This was not cruelty but clarity – the understanding that true peace comes only through decisive victory.
The biblical account of David’s success is crystal clear: “The Lord gave David victory everywhere he went” (II Samuel 8:6). Why? Because he didn’t fight defensive wars or seek to merely deter his enemies. He fought to win, to establish lasting peace through absolute victory. He understood what our current leaders seem to have forgotten: that deterrence is not victory, that ceasefires are not peace, and that compromising with evil only ensures its eventual return.
We see the catastrophic results of Saul’s mindset in Israel’s modern military doctrine. For years, Israel has pursued a strategy of “mowing the grass” in Gaza – periodically weakening Hamas without destroying it completely. Like Saul sparing Agag, this approach of containment rather than victory has allowed our enemies to rebuild, rearm, and return stronger than before. Each operation ends with a ceasefire that gives Hamas time to prepare for the next round of violence. Just as Saul’s mercy toward Agag brought disaster upon his people, Israel’s refusal to pursue complete victory in Gaza led directly to the horrors of October 7th.
This paralysis of will isn’t new to Jewish history. Just as we face self-hating Jews like Schumer today, Moses confronted the ten spies who discouraged the conquest of Canaan. These leaders, princes of their tribes, spread fear and defeatism among the people, claiming “we cannot attack that people, for it is stronger than we” (Numbers 13:31). Today’s Jewish leaders who oppose decisive action against our enemies parrot these same faithless words. When David prepared to fight Goliath, his own brother Eliab tried to discourage him, accusing him of arrogance and recklessness (I Samuel 17:28). Yet history proved David right, just as it will vindicate those who today call for decisive action.
The prophets of Israel consistently foretold this ultimate victory over our enemies. Isaiah proclaimed:
Ezekiel foresaw the time when Israel would no longer face constant threats:
The prophet Obadiah declared that the house of Jacob would become a fire, and the house of Esau stubble, to be consumed completely (Obadiah 1:18). These aren’t mere promises of survival or temporary victories – they are prophecies of complete triumph over those who seek our destruction.
True peace does not mean endless cycles of defense against terrorist attacks. It means shifting from defense to offense, from merely responding to threats to eliminating them entirely. This requires both military strength and moral clarity.
Speaking about self-hating American Jews who undermine Israel – people like Senator Chuck Schumer – Melanie Phillips powerfully articulated: “They have to be called out. Jews have to say to these Jews, ‘enough of this.’ You are doing enormous damage. You may not care about the future of the Jewish people but we do, and we are calling you out for what you are doing.” She continues, “you’ve got to start sticking it to them. You’ve got to start going onto the offense. You got to start telling people ‘you are doing this damage, you are doing this harm, this is your fault, we are calling you out.'”
For 3,000 years, we have prayed like David, whispering the beautiful words of Psalms through our darkest days. But now we must also learn to fight like him. David did not sit back and wait for God to act, for an earthquake to swallow up his enemies. He understood that the people of Israel must partner with God in carrying out His will.
The path forward demands bold action. It’s time to take a page from President Trump’s playbook – and go on offense. It’s time to go after Schumer and end his political career. It’s time for the Israel Defense Forces to become the Israel Victory Forces, to destroy Iran’s nuclear reactors, and to pursue and kill Islamic terrorists wherever they hide – whether in Gaza, Lebanon, Qatar, Turkey, or Iran. As the verse commands us, we must “devour enemy nations and crush their bones.” The time for half-measures is over. The time for victory has come.
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