The thing about false Israel was, he had demons. And for the longest time, I didn’t know what to call him, and I’m still not sure, because Israel was a liar, a thief and a murderer.
I first met him when he interrupted my preaching on the book of Jonah. He wanted to argue that Jonah didn’t hate Nineveh (Jonah hated Nineveh), but that Jonah was just tired of prophesying.
You see, Israel was tired of prophesying too. I found out later that some people on the streets called him preacher.
When I showed him from the Bible that Jonah was angry and hated Nineveh, he slumped away and let me preach. A few days later, I saw him and another guy getting people high on fentanyl.
And then Israel saw me seeing him.
I was sitting on a sidewalk, and he walked over and stood above me. “You know why I’m here?” he asked.
“Nope.”
I thought he meant why he walked over, but he meant why he first went homeless and on the run. Either way, I had no idea why he was there.
“I killed a man,” he said.
We looked at each other. I had no idea what I was looking for, though. Then he walked away.
One sunny morning, I’m out in front of the mission with a skateboard to give to a woman who would then give to a skater kid she knew, but it turns out even homeless women take forever to get ready in the morning. While I wait, this Afghani guy I know shows up, and he’s hungry. He’s hungover, maybe still drunk. Dude has luggage, too. A huge black thing on wheels.
“Is breakfast here?” he asks me, looking like a refugee of war.
“All gone, my friend. Maybe there’s some old stuff up there.”
He leaves his luggage near me and checks up front for food.
I watch him check inside a box, then he turns and holds up half of a stale baguette like he just found a gold bar.
I applaud for him.
Then Israel shows up, and he’s hungry too.
When Israel catches sight of the bread, he goes after it like a hungry lion, and my friend takes off like hungover gazelle, while I yell, “Drop the bread! Don’t get beat down for it!”
He dies run for a while, but he’s too exhausted to escape. Finally, he throws the bread to the lion, who eats.
After his meal, Israel comes over to us. He has other business to conduct with my friend.
“Where’s the meth, thief? I saw you.”
Other people had called my friend a thief too. Come to find out my Afghani friend’s actually a klepto and his bag is full of stolen stuff.
Israel leans over and pulls the bag onto its side, then unzips it and starts going through the pockets. “Where’s my meth, thief?”
He’s throwing stuff all over, and then he heaves up the whole bag over his head and throws it, so it flips in the air.
Afterward, it looks like a yard sale exploded, and no meth anywhere.
Going to more extreme measures, Israel picks up my skateboard, and then he hauls off to swing it at ME. Twice.
What’s up with THAT? Swing at the preacher because you can’t find meth. That’s appropriate.
Like a petulant child, Israel drops the skateboard and walks away all mad, and who knows if there was any meth to steal in the first place. Big baby.
I was in the courtyard days later when Israel approached me. If I wanted to talk, I needed to follow him into this alley. He turned and walked, and I followed him into the alley.
When we had privacy, he turned back to face me. He looked scared.
“I don’t know why I do what I do,” he confessed.
“That’s because you’re getting used by evil spirits.”
“Yes, I know that.”
“What’s your name?”
“Never mind that.”
“I want to know so we can pray.”
“Israel.”
I prayed for Israel, that he would turn to Jesus and be saved, because that’s the only way to cast out demons and keep them out forever. As I spoke, I heard another voice speaking from Israel’s mouth. He was named Pastor John, and he had a lot to say against me. Pastor John was speaking in an effort to cancel my prayers for Israel, and by the time I said Amen, Israel was ready to walk away from me again – and so he did, leaving me in that alley.
Those were the names spoken by that man, and not made up by me. I do understand the significance of the names Israel and Pastor John (Hagee, maybe).
In the season when Angel was trying to disrupt my preaching, and things were different with Israel.
As Angel was accusing me of denying blessings for people, again, Israel stepped in and countered that I’m a true Bible preacher, and that Angel needed to shut it. Of course, they threatened to beat each other up. Neither threw fists, but Angel shut it that day.
Last time I saw Israel, he was getting loaded into a squad car, with about 10 officers present.