LAST OF THE SUMMER WINE
This week our school opened its doors for the 2016-17 school year, and this coming week most Israeli schools will open their doors. The long summer vacation is over and this seems to herald the end of the summer even though it is still just as hot as ever. Last week there was a very unusual event here in Israel- rain fell along the coast and not just a few drops but a real rain shower. In more than 35 years in Israel I can only remember one other occasion when significant rain fell in August. However as the days begin to draw in and September approaches soon we will be looking with eager anticipation for the true first rains of the winter. They can begin as early as September or as late as December. They bring with them relief from the heat and the building humidity, and we look forward to them as they bring refreshment, cleansing and renewed life to the dry and dusty land.
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| Rain on the coastal plain http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/29870/Default.aspx |
It has been a relatively quiet summer here in Israel, and this has been a relief for us all. Children have enjoyed their summer camps, visits to the beach and water parks, and the myriad of other activities and events available over the summer. Although there have been no wars and no major terror attacks this summer the war clouds continue to hover just over the horizon and one cannot help but wonder if this is just the lull before the storm. Nevertheless we are all grateful to have had this period of relative calm.
This week's Torah portion, Ekev, ( Deuteronomy 7:12 - 11:25) includes the first 9 verses of Deuteronomy 8:
“Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers. 2 And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. 3 So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. 4 Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. 5 You should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the Lord your God chastens you.
6 “Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him. 7 For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills; 8 a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; 9 a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing; a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig copper. 10 When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.
As I read this passage in which God is instructing the people of Israel in preparation for their entry into the Promised Land, I was struck by the way this passage parallels my life, and the lives of all who believe. God's dealings with Israel very often are a foreshadowing or 'type' of a deeper spiritual reality. Here the people of Israel have been brought out of the bondage of slavery in Egypt, have completed a journey of 40 years in the howling wilderness, and now they stand on the doorstep of the Promised Land.
God warns the people to keep his commandments (teachings and principles) so that they may inherit the goodness of the Land. He tells them to remember their wanderings in the wilderness, where God allowed them to hunger and suffer trials, in order to humble them and test them, but even in the midst of that he fed and clothed them, and even watched over the health of their feet. There was a purpose to their sufferings and God did not abandon them in the midst of their trials, and now before them lies the wonder, the bounty and the beauty of the Promised Land.
So too, we as believers, have been set free from the bondage of slavery to sin - our Egypt, but now find ourselves are wandering in the wilderness of this fallen world. We encounter many trials and sufferings along the way, but it is for a purpose, to humble and test us, but even so, we know the provision and the protection of our Father God. If we hold fast to God and the hope that lies before us, we will prevail and come through stronger and better people as a result. And eventually we will come to the Promised Land, Heaven, that is the new heavens and the new Earth, and the new Jerusalem (see Revelation 21-22).
We don't talk much about heaven these days. Perhaps it just seems too fanciful and utopian for our cynical and materialistic culture. I don't remember ever hearing a sermon or teaching about heaven. Most of us seem to have a rather fuzzy idea about it. However, now at the end of the summer of my life, but I find it very encouraging to think upon that which is to come after my death. Although heaven is something so far beyond our human experience we can never comprehend it in this life, the Bible does tell us quite a lot about it. I would recommend a book I recently read called quite simply "Heaven", written by Randy Alcorn (it is available on Kindle in both a long and a shorter version).
In the Deuteronomy passage above, Israel is described as a "good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills; 8 a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; 9 a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing; a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig copper" (verses 7-9). And those of you have visited Israel will know that it is so. It is a beautiful and good land, with many springs and fountains, and even today bountiful in wheat and barley, grapevines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey (sometimes translated as dates). In Jewish tradition these 7 species have much symbolic and spiritual significance, but in ancient times these seven species were the very foundation of sustenance, health and healing, and even today they form a significant part of our lives.
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| The seven species https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/%D7%A9%D7%91%D7%A2%D7%AA_%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%9D.jpg |
"And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him." Revelation 22:1-3
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Today the nations are truly in much need of healing. We look over our fence to the East and see the nation of Syria torn and bleeding. Turkey to the north is reeling from internal strife, violence and terror. Closer to home the Palestinian territories on the West Bank are facing political and social fragmentation. In 2007 the fundamentalist terror organization, Hamas, violently wrested control of the Gaza Strip from the Palestinian Authority (the PLO or Fatah) thus dividing the Palestinian territories. Now with municipal elections soon to begin (on October 8), it appears that Hamas is set to win in most of the major towns and cities of the West Bank. This could lead to the cantonization of the Palestinian areas leading to social and political disintegration and chaos, or just to the situation where Hamas takes total control as it did in Gaza. Either way, I believe it would be a disaster for the Palestinians and pose a severe security concern to Israel. Not only would we have Hamas on our southern border but also all along the eastern border. Both Israel and the Palestinian Authority were caught out with the sudden turnaround by Hamas and their decision to stand in the elections, and now both are scrambling to control the damage. I fear it will be too little, too late. The PA will pay the price of its corruption and social neglect, and Israel will be left with no hope of a partner for peaceful coexistence. You can read more on :
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4844196,00.html
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| The future of the Palestinian people? http://www.israellycool.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/hamas-family.jpg |
Another area of concern is the growing influence of Russia in the Middle East. On 16 August long range Russian bombers flew out of the Hamadan base in western Iran to attack targets in Syria. This is the first time that Iran has permitted any foreign power to use its air bases since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, and is indicative of the strengthening of relations between Russia and Iran. This should concern us all. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/08/16/russian-bombers-launch-syria-strikes-from-iran/
Iran is growing more and more arrogant and confident since the deal made with the US and the other six world powers the last year. This week tensions in the Persian Gulf mounted as there were several incidents of boats belonging to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard corps provocatively harassing American navy vessels. In one incident four Iranian boats, ignoring warnings, approached within 300 yards (about 300 meters) of the American destroyer before turning back. In another incident one boat came directly at a destroyer, approaching within 200 yards, and only turned back when the Americans fired warning shots over its bow http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/iran-us-destroyer-ship-persian-gulf-navy-pentagon-a7209966.html . As Iran gets bolder and bolder such incidents could easily trigger an escalation of tension and lead to an all out war. Iran has made no secret of its desire to destroy the US (the "Big Satan" as they call it) and Israel (the "Little Satan").
As the world around us seems to grow darker and darker it becomes more and more important to keep before us the hope of heaven. This gives us strength to go on. We also know that God allows these trials for a purpose but as he has promised Israel, he also promise all who worship him, that he will always keep them and provide for their needs.
Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ
1 Peter 1: 13
