Like Nehemiah’s wall: Why Israel’s missile defense is a modern-day shield of protection

God called Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem after it was ransacked and the people were taken into exile. The work was important; the work was defensive.

“Then I said to them, ‘You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.’ And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me.

So they said, ‘Let us rise up and build.’ Then they set their hands to this good work.” Nehemiah 2:17–18

Today, as Israel enters a new war with Iran, the work is defensive and important. Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.

We have seen over and over again how Iran has acted. It is the world’s sponsor of terror, providing groups like Hamas with rockets—Hamas, which committed the worst terror attack on Israeli soil. Hezbollah has taken over parts of Lebanon, creating a state within a state, and has been supplied with rockets. Iran has also provided weapons to the Houthis.

This is not a nation that can be trusted.

We know that if Iran had a nuclear weapon, Israel would be one of the first on the list to receive it. Perhaps the “Big Satan,” America, would get the first one, and then the “Little Satan,” Israel. Who knows the mind of a terrorist?

The reality is that this would be a disaster for the whole world.

Palestinians may cheer when Iran fires its ballistic missiles, but if a nuclear weapon hits, then we are all in trouble.

As Nehemiah prepared for the future by restoring Jerusalem’s defenses, so Israel has also been preparing for what is taking place today.

Israel did not just wake up and receive the Iron Dome and David’s Sling. They had to be developed. Technology had to be designed and tested to reach where it is today—the defense of the nation and, in many ways, the defense of the world.

We must thank God for the Iron Dome and David’s Sling. This was Israel, like Nehemiah in days of old, preparing for the future. Can you imagine what Israel would be like today with ballistic and cruise missiles raining down on the nation without the means to defend herself? It would be an absolute disaster. The Iron Dome and David’s Sling protect lives.

They are currently protecting the lives of Israelis and Palestinians. They protect the lives of Jews, Muslims, and (this one is especially for Tucker) Christians. Yes, even Christians are protected.

God called Nehemiah to defend, and God called brilliant minds to design and build a defense system that is not just defending Israel. Even the USA has purchased two batteries to protect its forces.

So today, even as we mourn the loss of casualties due to rocket hits, let us be thankful that the Iron Dome is estimated to be 85% to 97% successful, and that people had the foresight to protect our great nation, standing in the footsteps of Nehemiah of old.

And let us also be thankful that we have a secret weapon too: Almighty God.

He who keeps Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps.