Turning the other cheek is neither biblical nor practical. King David never turned his cheek and he was called the “Beloved”. Shimshon (Samson) was the strongest man in all the land and he used that strength to fight, destroy, and kill while the spirit of the Lord was upon him. Avram (Abram) who was considered a friend of God went to war with enemy kings to take back Lot and his property who had been captured.

In 1Samuel 15:3, God commanded King Shaul (Saul), “Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.”

Here God has commanded King Shaul to kill all of Amalek- man, woman, child, and even beast. In addition to the other examples I cited above- can anyone say that God advocates “turning the other cheek”? Not one of the Prophets taught “turning the other cheek” as many churches do today. Nor is there any evidence that the men of the bible ever applied this principle in their lives. Neither is there any evidence of the disciples of Yeshua (Jesus) turning their other cheek in the bible. The Lord himself never turned his other cheek.

In Malachi 3:6, God says, “For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” This is the same God that commanded an “eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”, as recorded in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy. Has God changed His ways? If anyone says yes then how do they explain what of Malachi 3:6 where God says he is not changed? For anyone say no- then why is the confession of those who believe on this God of Israel so vastly different from what God has commanded of us? Why are we so quick to twist the writings of the New Testament into something that runs contrary to what has been from the beginning and commanded by Adonai who has never changed.

In Luke 22:36 Yeshua says, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.” The Lord commands his disciples to go and buy swords. Swords in those days were used for battle and self defense- buying swords is not an act of pacifism- that is turning the other cheek.

Today we are fighting Muslim terrorists who want to convert people to their religion by the sword. In reality- if you have anything to do with being Jewish or living in Israel- they just prefer you die. These people are not just our enemies, but they are enemies of God for their desire to wipeout Israel and God’s people. We are fighting the enemies of God. These people who sacrifice their children with bombs to kill innocents, and lop off the heads of anyone who disagree with them- they are the personification of evil and sin. They hate for the sake of hate, they love no one, and they care for no one- not even themselves.

If we do not live by the commandments of the God of Avraham, Yitzhak, and Ya’akov- the very God of Israel; then America will perish and be reduced to ash for all the enemies of God to trample on. We need to rise up and defeat and eliminate evil from our land and out shores- we need to go after the very roots evil from where it started. For the sake of our children and the Kingdom of God we must prevail against this scourge of terrorism in the name of Allah.

Shalom,

Rabbi Isaac Levy