KADESH BARNEA

The Holy Place of Desert Wandering

 Numbers 13 and 14

 

Here I am back from my holy place of desert wandering. I have just returned from a 4 day personal retreat down in the northern Sinai. I stayed in a settlement called Ezuz, near the border with Egypt. This settlement is probably one of the most remote in Israel, some 15 km off road 211 which leads to the  Nitzana border crossing into Egypt. I stayed in a B&B called the Zimmerbus, which is a Zimmer (Yiddish for B&B) made out of converted retired Egged buses. Sound a bit quirky? It sure was, but the artistically designed interiors, the mud built exteriors with the palm leaf roofs made for a comfortable and enjoyable stay - the airconditioning and the pool also helped.

 

Inside the Zimmerbus

From the outside 

I discovered that just a few kilometers down the road lay Kadesh Barnea, which is now a modern  kibbutz farm called Sade Sinai. Although there is a lot of controversy about the actual location of Kadesh Barnea, I feel this is the most likely site as it lies on the watershed dividing Wadi Paran from Wadi Zin, the two largest wadis in the area, and both of which are named in the Bible as being associated with Kadesh Barnea. Kadesh Barnea is the place where the people of Israel camped and sent out the twelve spies into the Promised Land. When the spies returned with reports of the great strength of the inhabitants of the  Promised Land, the people of Israel murmured against God and gave in to fear. Fear is the antithesis of Faith. Their lack of faith doomed them to 40 years of fruitless wandering in the wilderness.

 

 

I felt this was a timely reminder for me personally as I had gone down to the wilderness to seek God's direction for my future precipitated by my fears relating to my job situation. I felt God calling me to faith and trust, and to walk in the peace that passes all understanding. I don't want to walk in the wilderness of wandering because of my fear and anxieties.

I have just this evening discovered to my surprise that the weekly parasha read in the Synagogues for this week includes the passage of Numbers 13 and 14,  which is about the rebellion at Kadesh Barnea.  How amazing is that!

 

 

The wilderness of Kadesh Barnea

 

 

One day while down there I took an early morning walk in the desert just as the morning fog was rolling back. I saw a white bush shimmering near the track and went to investigate. I thought of Moses' burning bush but this bush was not burning but shining white light. When I drew near I saw it was a tamarisk bush (Eshel in Hebrew) and the cause of the shimmering was droplets of dew clinging to every leaflet and twig. I tasted a droplet and discovered it to be extremely bitter and salty.



Dew drops on the Tamarisk

The tamarisk is famous for its ability to grow in extremely salty soils, in places that for other plants would be toxic. The tamarisk grows long tap roots that draw water up from the deep desert aquifers. This water is often very salty and would kill any other plant, however the tamarisk has special glands on its leaflets that secrete the excess salt onto their surface. At night the dew collects on these salt crystals, dissolves the salt and washes it away as the droplets fall. 

I felt that the Lord was telling me that though he had put me in a somewhat toxic workplace for now, he had given me the resources and abilities to survive, if I was willing to persevere.  This was very encouraging.

Although I feel these things were God's personal words for me I am sharing them with you. Perhaps you too are living in a somewhat 'toxic' situation. We do not need to be afraid but to walk in the peace that derives from faith. God will see us through.

I had another experience while down there that also spoke to me.  One morning I drove up to a hilltop lookout and spent and hour or two in the shade of a shelter that had been erected there. Not long after I had settled a bold little bird came along and we spent quite a while together. It was a female black-eared wheatear ( I think - please correct me if I am wrong). She had a nest of young birds nearby (I could hear them) and she had come to warn me off. She exhibited no fear and stood her ground even in the face of this huge monster (me) that had dared to enter her territory.  Are there any monsters in your territory? There are a few in mine. But she reminded me that no matter how small and insignificant I may feel I do have a right to stand my ground and possess that which is mine, even in face of enormous odds.  She also reminded me of the sparrows of  Matthew 10. God is our provider. Just as he provides all the needs of his little birds in the harsh desert, he can and will provide for me and you, if we trust him.

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. ²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. ³⁰ But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 

Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Matthew 10: 28-31.

 

Get off my territory !

 

I really thought I was going to be able to write a post this time without mentioning terror attacks but sadly, tragically it is not to be. This morning a 13 year old Israeli girl, Hallel Yaffe Ariel, was brutally stabbed while sleeping in her bed in her home in Kiryat Arba, near Hebron. She sustained multiple stab wounds to her upper body and later died of her injuries. Security forces were alerted when surveillance systems spotted the terrorist crossing the settlement's fence and one of the security guards shot and killed the terrorist. The guard sustained serious wounds to his upper body and legs.  The terrorist was Mohammed Taraireh (aged 17) from the village of Bani Na'im, near Kiryat Arba.

Hallel Yaffe Ariel
http://2xkcvt35vyxycuy7x23e0em1a5g.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Hillel-Yafa-Ariel-was-killed-when-a-terrorist-stabbed-her-in-her-bed.jpg



The scene of the attack
https://twitter.com/IDFSpokesperson/status/748423446862925825/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

At the funeral today, Rena Ariel, Hallel Yaffe’s mother said : "Hallel, look, everyone has gathered to see you. How do you eulogize a 13-and a half-year-old girl? Your mom and dad are here. Tell me what should I say? Tell me the words you use to eulogize a flower.”

“I ask you, the Muslim Arab mother who sent her daughter to stab someone. I taught my daughter to love and you, Arab Muslims teach hatred. Take a look at yourselves. We are here, Israel is eternal. God gave us the strength to continue to settle this mountain, and the Muslims shall not win.”

http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.728190

This incident also provides an example of how the Press often subtly molds public opinion against Israel.  Compare these two headlines  " Israeli Girl Dies From Wounds After Being Stabbed at Home in West Bank"   - Haaretz (an Israeli daily newspaper) vs 
"Palestinian kills teen in Israeli settlement, then shot dead: army"   - Reuters. Note that  the subject of the Reuters' headline is the Palestinian terrorist. The innocent teenage girl who was killed barely gets a mention.

In my last post I mentioned how Israelis are prohibited from entering areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority. In the news today is an incident that illustrates why.  Last night 9 Israelis, left wing activists, entered Ramallah in order to celebrate the nightly breaking of the Muslim Ramadan fast with the local Arabs. This expression of support for the Palestinian people was cut short when they came under attack by these same local Arabs who threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at them setting one of their cars on fire.  The Israelis had to be rescued by Israeli security forces and escaped without injury. It could have ended much differently.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/214285#.V3T3zNjylWE

As I am writing reports are coming in of another stabbing attack this time in Netanya. A man aged 40 and a 62 year old woman sustained wounds to their upper bodies.  The attacker, an Arab from a town near Tulkarem was shot dead. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4822678,00.html

There are still 'giants' in the Promised Land, enemies bent on our destruction, but their days are numbered and  in the end God's people will possess the land just as his Word has promised. 

Then the Lord said: “I have pardoned, according to your word;  but truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord—  because all these men who have seen My glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice,   they certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it.   But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it.

 

Numbers 14:20-24

JERUSALEM 50 YEARS ON

 

 

The longest day is still a few days away but summer has definitely arrived in Jerusalem.  The summer anticyclone has settled over the Middle East where it will stay until winds from the north disturb it in the Fall, three months from now.  Daily temperatures will hover around 32 degrees C but, thanks to our altitude, temperatures at night can drop to a pleasant 18 degrees, even necessitating a light jacket or sweater  out of doors, even in mid-summer.  No rain falls at all during this period and the monotony of the hot, sunny days is broken only by the arrival of the even-hotter sharavs, hot dry winds from the deserts to the east and south, which can push the temperature up to 40 degrees, drop the humidity to almost zero, and bring choking dust storms. Fortunately these are rare. One of the things I like about living in Israel is the predictability of the climate. It makes it easy to plan outings and activities without having to have "Plan B" in case of rain.

 

 Summer in Jerusalem is party time. Israeli school children are on vacation from the end of June until September, and shopping malls and watering holes are generally full of happy children and stressed-out mothers. Outdoor concerts, festivals and activities abound for the whole family. There is never a shortage of things to do. During the day however it is too hot to feel like doing much more than swimming or lounging about at the pool, but at night Jerusalem comes alive. Street cafes and restaurants fill up as we  go out to eat and drink with our friends, or just to stroll around the streets. Jerusalem abounds in great restaurants.  

 

As we Jerusalemites embark on the 50th year since Jerusalem's reunification in 1967 I cannot but marvel at what has been accomplished in that time. Gone are the barbed wire barriers and the minefields that once divided the city.  East and West Jerusalem are united and  both Jews and Arabs can travel around freely, at least theoretically.

Divided Jerusalem - pre 1967

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mynBAqcNj0E/VUDf5UfpjmI/AAAAAAAAAQw/jzVf910zVlM/s1600/divided%2B1.jpg 

 The barbed wire is gone now but divisions still exist. There are parts of the city I dare not enter, the Arab villages of East Jerusalem,  and should I mistakenly stray, I would be at risk of being stoned, sexually molested or even killed.  Arabs on the other hand can freely come to West Jerusalem and in fact many work and play alongside the Jewish population quite happily. 

Frequently we hear voices raised claiming that, because of the ongoing unrest and terrorism, it is time to once more divide the city. However it would be impossible, both for East and West Jerusalem.  In the 49 years since reunification we have become interdependent. In West Jerusalem (the Jewish side), 69% of construction workers, 55% of transportation, storage and postal workers, and 42% of management and support, 40% of hospitality and dining and 34% of commerce workers are Arabs from East Jerusalem. In contrast only 5% of East Jerusalem workers find employment in the Palestinian Authority areas http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4813255,00.html.

And that is the bottom line, we need them and they need us.  Not only that, most of the time we get along just fine. Most Palestinian Arabs want nothing more than to raise a family in peace and work with honor. The terrorists represent only a small fraction of the population. In spite of Hamas' and ISIS' calls for a popular uprising (Intifada) against Israel in recent months, it has not happened. Most Palestinian Arabs do not want terror and unrest any more than we do.

We also hear a lot about the Separation Wall, which was built towards the end of the Second Intifada around parts of the city to protect residents from terror attacks originating in Palestinian controlled areas.  This wall prevents the free movement of Arabs in the West Bank into Jerusalem although they can receive permits to enter for work, study or health reasons. Crossing the checkpoints however can take hours and causes great distress for those who must cross them to work each day.




Palestinian workers queuing at the Checkpoint from Bethlehem
https://nearthejordanvalley.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/dsc04133.jpg
 

 Even so, the wall is not complete and West Bank Palestinians often illegally cross  into Israel either through the gaps or, as can be seen in the photo below, by other means.



Map of the Separation Wall showing the existing wall in red.
http://www.poica.org/upload/images/2005/1124965889.jpg

 

Palestinians crossing "The Wall" into Israel
http://static1.972mag.com/wp-content/uploads//2013/07/wall.jpg

Israeli citizens and residents however are forbidden to enter Palestinian areas by law. If I was to go into Bethlehem, for example, which lies just 1.5 km from my home, I would have to sign a paper absolving the Israeli government of any responsibility for my welfare or rescue. That is not a risk I am willing to take. We hear a lot about the restrictions and hardships caused to the Palestinians by the separation, but few seem to realize that Israelis are even more restricted. There are many places on the West Bank I would love to visit but cannot.  

 



Sign warning Israelis not to enter a forbidden area
http://www.thelibertybeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Psychological-Warfare.jpg

 In spite of these grim and sad realities Jerusalem is still a vibrant, amazing city. It is perhaps one of the most beautiful cities in the world with its stunning panoramic views and golden hued-light.  However as you look out across Jerusalem from one of its many vantage points you see much more than just a beautiful city.  You see before  you written in stone and geography, a record of human history.  As Benjamin Disraeli once said,

 " The view of Jerusalem is the history of the world; it is more, it is the history of earth and of heaven."
  http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/b/benjamindi401171.html

 

 

And that history is still being written. Far from being a dead archaeological site, it is a living, breathing city in which around 800,000 residents, Jews, Arabs and others, live, work and play.  Our city fathers have done much in recent times to make this a beautiful city in which to live. It is full of wonderful parks, green spaces, gardens and fascinating architecture. 

 



A cool shady spot in the Mt Scopus Botanical Garden

Life however is not always so tranquil. I had hoped to write a post without mention of terrorism but sadly it is not to be - not yet anyway. Although the situation has calmed considerably, terror continues.  This week four Molotov cocktails were thrown at a house in my neighborhood from the neighboring village of Jebel Mukaber. One scorched the house and the others set the garden on fire. No one was injured. Police blocked off the main entry points to the village and searched for the perpetrators. Four Palestinians from Hebron, who were illegally living in the village, were arrested. Earlier in the week a bus was stoned causing injuries to some of the passengers.

Scorch marks on the house

Police block the roads out of Jebel Mukaber
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4817077,00.html

Last week two Palestinians dressed in smart business suits entered the popular Max Brenner chocolate restaurant in the Sarona Market in Tel Aviv. No one paid them any attention until they suddenly pulled out guns and began shooting, killing 4 and injuring 16.  One of the terrorists was shot and detained at the scene but the other fled down the street.http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4813930,00.html 

In a bizarre sequel, a local family fleeing the restaurant  inadvertently invited the fleeing terrorist into their home, thinking he was also an innocent civilian fleeing the scene. The husband, a policeman, grabbed his gun and cap, and ran back to the restaurant to help and only then realized that the detained terrorist was wearing exactly the same clothes as the man hiding in his home with his family. Then the penny dropped - his family were sheltering the second terrorist!  Fearing for their safety he rushed back in time to arrest the terrorist and save his family. http://www.timesofisrael.com/cops-wife-explains-how-they-sheltered-shaking-tel-aviv-terrorist/ The wife of the policeman had this to say of the incident, “I do my best to remember the great miracle we experienced”.

It was not the only miracle that night. One family of tourists from Australia had an uncomfortable feeling in the restaurant moments before the attack and left, probably saving them from injury or death. The son of another family, personally known to me, also had a bad feeling and they left the restaurant just minutes before the attack. Praise God for these miracles. How important it is that we stay tuned into God and listen to these promptings of the Spirit! 

As always the international press reported the news of this attack in a biased way. CNN put terrorist into quotation marks as if there were some question whether this was a terrorist attack or not. The BBC shied away from using the word 'terror' or 'terrorist' altogether and just called it a 'shopping center attack' and a 'shooting incident', while Sky News reported a 'mass shooting'. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4813964,00.html 
Let's call a spade a spade and a terror attack a terror attack!  I am sure if a similar attack occurred in the UK or the USA they would have no qualms about using the word 'terror'. Why should it be different for Israel?

As tempers rise with the temperature, and Ramadan reaches its climax, please pray for quiet this summer - quiet within our cities and also on our volatile borders.
 
I am off now for a few days in the desert and I will be back soon to update the blog.

I wish the northerners a great summer, and the southerners a mild and pleasant winter.

JERUSALEM DAY 

and the 

 YEAR OF JUBILEE

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who love you.
 Peace be within your walls,
Prosperity within your palaces.”
 For the sake of my brethren and companions,
I will now say, “Peace be within you.”
 Because of the house of the Lord our God
I will seek your good.

Psalm 122: 6-9

Jerusalem Day 2016  begins this evening and marks the completion of 49 years since the reunification of Jerusalem and the beginning of the 50th year, the Year of Jubilee.

Under the UN Partition Plan of 1947 the land of Israel was to be partitioned between the Jews and the Arabs and, Jerusalem and Bethlehem were to be international cities.

The Partition Plan
By Zero0000A/RES/181(II) - m0103_1b.gif on PLAN OF PARTITION is from UNGA Resolution 181 (27 Nov 1947). Overdrawn UNSCOP boundary is from United Nations Special Committee on Palestine, Report to the General Assembly, 3 Sep 1947, Volume II, A/364, Add. 1., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27649381

On 14 May 1948 Israel was declared an independent state according to the plan but the following day Israel was attacked by a confederation of Arab states. The 10 month war resulted in victory for Israel in that it not only kept its allotted territory but it also captured around 50% of the land allotted to the Arabs.  Jordan (then Transjordan) occupied the West Bank and the eastern part of Jerusalem, dividing the city, and Egypt occupied the Gaza Strip.  Its interesting that those who cry out against Israel's occupation of these areas have little to say about this earlier occupation of land that was supposed to be under the rule of the local Arab population.  



Jordan remained in control of East Jerusalem, including the Old City and the Temple Mount until the Six Day War in 1967.  Jerusalem was divided by a barbed wire barrier and minefields during this time and Jews were not permitted to pray at the Western Wall nor go up onto the Temple Mount.

In 1967 Israel launched a preemptive strike against Egypt and the five neighboring Arab states and their allies, which were planning a massive invasion of Israel. This brief war  resulted in a decisive victory for Israel and it captured all of the West Bank from Jordan, the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt and the Golan Heights from Syria.  

After the Six Day War

By User:Ling.Nutderivative work: Rafy - Six_Day_War_Terrritories.png, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16891593

 The capture of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount occurred on the 7 June 1967, bringing Jerusalem under Jewish control for the first time since the Roman conquest 2000 years earlier.  Listen to the historic radio announcement of the  capture of the Old City and the Western Wall - its in Hebrew but the translation is given on the site. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/1967lib.html

Commander Motta Gur speaking to his brigade upon their capture of the Old City and the Temple Mount, said this:

“For some two thousand years the Temple Mount was forbidden to the Jews. Until you came — you, the paratroopers — and returned it to the bosom of the nation. The Western Wall, for which every heart beats, is ours once again. Many Jews have taken their lives into their hands throughout our long history, in order to reach Jerusalem and live here. Endless words of longing have expressed the deep yearning for Jerusalem that beats within the Jewish heart..You have been given the great privilege of completing the circle, of returning to the nation its capital and its holy center...Jerusalem is yours forever.”

This is the speech made by General Shlomo Goren , the IDF Chief Rabbi, to the victorious Israeli soldiers:

“I am speaking to you from the plaza of the Western Wall, the remnant of our Holy Temple. ‘Comfort my people, comfort them, says the Lord your God.’ This is the day we have hoped for, let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation. The vision of all generations is being realized before our eyes: The city of God, the site of the Temple, the Temple Mount and the Western Wall, the symbol of the nation’s redemption, have been redeemed today by you, heroes of the Israel Defense Forces. By doing so you have fulfilled the oath of generations, ‘If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its cunning.’ Indeed, we have not forgotten you, Jerusalem, our holy city, our glory. In the name of the entire Jewish people in Israel and the Diaspora, I hereby recite with supreme joy, Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who has kept us in life, who has preserved us, and enabled us to reach this day. This year in Jerusalem – rebuilt! “
–General Shlomo Goren, Chaplain of the Israeli Defense Forces, at the Western Wall

Within weeks the barriers and minefields were removed and Jews, Moslem Arabs and Christians could freely visit the Temple Mount and pray at their holy sites. Israel pledged to preserve the religious freedom for all faiths in Jerusalem. The then Minister of Defense, Moshe Dayan, made this statement: 

 

To our Arab neighbors we extend, especially at this hour, the hand of peace. To members of the other religions, Christians and Muslims, I hereby promise faithfully that their full freedom and all their religious rights will be preserved. We did not come to Jerusalem to conquer the Holy Places of others.

http://www.sixdaywar.org/content/ReunificationJerusalem.asp

Soldiers dancing after the capture of the Western Wall

The shofar is blown



Soldiers praying and kissing the Wall after its capture
http://images1.ynet.co.il/PicServer4/2015/06/03/6089607/608957812922390183103no.jpg

http://media.cmgdigital.com/shared/lt/lt_cache/thumbnail/960/img/photos/2014/01/09/ef/c2/paratroopers.jpg

Jerusalem Day today is marked by the Parade of Flags which winds through the streets and in to the Old City culminating at the Western Wall. Other celebrations take place around the city.

Jerusalem Day on the Western Wall Plaza with the restored Jewish Quarter of the Old City in the background
http://bokertov.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451bc4a69e20168eba13a93970c-800wi

http://israelstreet.org/?p=11057
 

How precious it is to live in this place. Sometimes I find myself taking it for granted in the midst of the busy round of life. However to be able to walk freely in this beautiful city and to pray at its holy sites is a great privilege. How many songs, great works of art and prayers of longing have been poured out for this city - the city God chose for his holy dwelling place.  What does it mean that we are now entering the Year of Jubilee for this rebuilt, thriving restored Jerusalem? I do not know but I think it must have great significance in the holy realm.

I am reminded of the lament of Yeshua (Jesus), that touched my heart and brought me here so many years ago.

“O Jerusalem, O Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!   Behold, your house is forsaken and desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord'.

Matthew 23:37

Yeshua knew as he cried these words, with such pain and longing in his heart, that soon he would die and then Jerusalem would be destroyed and her people exiled. Now 2000 years later the remnant of the exiles are being physically gathered from the nations and Jerusalem is once more in Jewish hands. Perhaps this year of Jubilee will signal a new moving of the Spirit heralding the spiritual restoration of Israel? There are signs of this beginning to happen (see my previous post). Please pray for the spiritual restoration of the people of Israel. Yeshua said he will not return to Jerusalem until the people say " Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord".

THE KING IS COMING !!

http://www.restoringisrael.org/files/Yeshua_Returns_to_Destroy_Armies.jpg

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4809642,00.html