Turkey Anyone?
American Thanksgiving will be celebrated November 28 in 2019. Turkey (the bird) will be on many tables. Turkey (the country) likely will be in the news.
When we moved to Israel in the fall of 1980, Lori and I were pleasantly surprised to learn we could purchase a turkey from the shouk. (We didn’t yet have a supermarket in our neighborhood, so Lori bargained with vendors in the open market.)
We were just beginning to learn Modern Hebrew. I was surprised when told that “turkey” is called tarnagol Hodu. Tarnagol is “rooster.” Hodu is India. In Hebrew, a turkey is an “Indian rooster.”
With American Thanksgiving approaching, I had a flash of insight. Wow! Eliezer ben Yehudah[1] had connected the turkey with American Indians. How clever!
And how wrong was my conclusion. Turns out, our quintessential “American bird,” the turkey, gets its English name from . . . the country of Turkey.
Turkeys are not native to Turkey. The Turks historically were world-class traders. Among their imports to Europe were guinea fowl from the West Coast of Africa. The British dubbed them “Turkey-cocks.”[2]
The Turks got much of their merchandise, especially spices, from India. Guinea fowl were from Africa, but the Turks called them “hindi.” This came into French as “dinde,” shortened from “d’Inde” (from India). And thus into Hebrew as “rooster from India.”[3]
All right . . . so much for turkey on the Thanksgiving table. What about Turkey in the news?
Though the glory days of the Assyrian and Ottoman Empires have long faded, Turkey remains a major player in the Middle East. Simply by virtue of location, Turkey matters.
Since 2005 the European Union has been slow walking Turkey’s application for membership. It is a push-pull relationship, especially given the Moorish invasion of the Iberian Peninsula in 711 AD.[4]
In the first decade of this century Turkey had warming relations with Israel – unusual for an Islamic country. Some of our Israeli friends were among many thousands who vacationed in Turkey in the early 2000s. But in 2010 Erdogan did a major pivot, backing the “Gaza flotilla” which sought to break Israel’s blockade of Gazan ports. Ten Israeli sailors were wounded and relations with Turkey dramatically soured.
Today Russia actively is courting Turkey, seeking to counter American interests. Turkey’s recent purchase of the Russian S 400 air defense system put a damper on its relationship with Western powers.[5]
In October of this year Turkey’s rocket attacks and military incursion in northern Syria to attack Kurdish strongholds did not sit well with Allies who were helped by the Kurds in the fight against ISIS. In addition to the scores who were killed, more than 300,000 Kurds were displaced, adding to the chaos and sorrows of the troubled Middle East.
But the US and Europe can ill afford to write off Turkey, knowing Russia and Iran are eager to partner with this key Islamic state. The US airbase at Incirlik is a strategic military asset from which many military actions have been launched.
So, on November 13, 2019 Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was welcomed by President Donald Trump to the White House. Immediately following, Senator Lindsey Graham blocked the Armenian Genocide[6] Resolution, which at long last would hold Turkey accountable for that historic World War I horror.
Believers with their eyes on the Middle East have much for which to pray. Iran continues to export terror and move toward nuclear weaponry. Lebanon’s government collapsed last month with charges of official corruption amidst economic collapse. Baghdad is erupting with demonstrations as Iraq struggles to find stability in the wake of the defeat of ISIS. The Russian bear props up a Syrian dictator who gases his own people. And Turkey remains an unpredictable wild card.
In Israel, months after the second national election held this year, no party has been able to form a coalition government. November has seen the latest onslaught of rockets launched from Gaza following the assassination of an Islamic Jihad commander.
Amidst troublous times, God is at work. We’re hearing amazing stories of the advance of the gospel in the Muslim world. And the message of Messiah is finding receptivity in the hearts of Jewish people in Israel and elsewhere.
As an American, I have much for which to be grateful this Thanksgiving. This “Turkey Day” I will thank the Lord for the abundance of food on the holiday table. And I will also remember to pray – for Turkey, Israel, and the millions in the Middle East who don’t yet have “the peace that passes understanding” to come to know the Prince of Peace.
Written by Wes Taber, LIFE Global Ambassador
Do you follow world events in the news? Seeing nations in turmoil and the suffering of people can be a great “prayer prompter.”
God often uses adverse circumstances to prepare hearts to receive the gospel. Pray for those ministering to displaced persons and those in fear of their lives – including those in southern Israel who repeatedly have been prompted to seek shelter from recurring rocket attacks.
Ezekiel 38-39 describes an end-time alignment of countries such as Russia, Iran and Turkey as adversaries of Israel. With no intention of feeding speculation, we do well to be reminded that God’s clock is ticking down to ultimate judgment. Let’s make the most of today’s opportunities to demonstrate God’s love and present the message of salvation.
Footnotes:
[1] Ben Yehudah (d. 1922) worked to revive Hebrew as a spoken language – the only time in history that has happened for a nation.
[2] Guinea fowl are not “American turkeys.” Our birds were introduced to Europe by Spanish explorers who exported the birds . . . from Mexico. The fowl resembled each other sufficiently that “turkey” became the English name for both. Discerning minds discovered the African origin of the “original turkeys” and so “guinea fowl” became their proper name. But the non-Turkish turkey never got renamed to “Mexican fowl,” which more aptly represents their original provenance.
[3] For more fascinating facts on this subject, view the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=He-wNRtBuRM.
[4] Islamic rule in Spain and Portugal ended in 1492.
[5] The US will no longer offer the sophisticated F35 fighter jet to Turkey in light of their S 400 purchase.
[6] The word “genocide” was coined to describe Turkey’s systematic efforts to wipe out the Armenians, a people group with a long-enduring connection to Christianity.
