GO BACK TO THE DESERT

Therefore I am now going to allure her;
    I will lead her into the wilderness
    and speak tenderly to her.

Hosea 2:14

Maktesh Ramon, Negev Desert, Israel

Here in Israel we have just finished celebrating the Feast of Succot (Tabernacles) in which we remember Israel's wanderings in the desert following the exodus from Egypt. You may ask, why did Israel have to wander in the desert for  40 years, or for that matter why did they have to go to Egypt and become slaves in the first place?  Of course the Bible tells us that the 40 years of wandering were caused by Israel's lack of faith at Kadesh Barnea, when they refused to enter the promised land because of their fear of the strength of its inhabitants,  but was there another reason too? 

Many years ago someone said to me that the God of Israel is a God of the desert. Those words stuck in my mind and have resonated throughout my life. When I want to hear from God or have a deep need of communion with Him, I go out into the desert (or wilderness*). 

If you read the Bible you will know that many of the great men and women of God, met Him and heard from Him in the desert  -  for example, Abraham, Moses, Jonah, Elijah, John the Baptist and even Yeshua (Jesus) himself (Matthew 4:1, Luke 5:16). It is interesting to note that the Hebrew word for desert is midbar (מדבר) comes from the same root as the word for 'speak', mdaber (מדבר).  It is also the same root as the word for 'word' (דבר).  And who is the Word? God.

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:1

The desert is a place where we can draw near to God and hear his voice more clearly, but it is also a place where survival depends upon the barest necessities, water, shelter and food. All the modern conveniences, noise, bustle and our busyness are stripped away and we stand 'naked' before God. It is a place of vulnerability and danger. We are thrown into the hands of God for our very survival. We all need from time to time to 'go back to the desert' to remind ourselves of how desperately we depend upon the hand of God for every thing. 

Prior to the Babylonian Exile, God spoke to the prophet Hosea and told him to take a harlot and adulteress for a wife. This was to be an object lesson for the people of Israel, who had rejected the true God, her husband, in favor her lovers, the Baals, the false gods of the surrounding peoples.

She said, ‘I will go after my lovers,

    who give me my food and my water,

    my wool and my linen, my olive oil and my drink.

Hosea 2: 5

But God blocked Israel's way and she did not catch up with her lovers,  and He took away all her sustenance, the grain, the wine, the wool and linen, and all her cause for celebration. Therefore, disappointed by her lovers, she said, 

"I will go back to my husband as at first,

    for then I was better off than now."

Hosea 2: 7

Then God drew her into the desert places or wilderness and spoke tenderly to her, so that he could restore to her all that had been lost. 

Therefore I am now going to allure her;

    I will lead her into the wilderness

    and speak tenderly to her.

15 

There I will give her back her vineyards,

    and will make the Valley of Achor ** a door of hope.

There she will respond as in the days of her youth,

    as in the day she came up out of Egypt.

Hosea 2: 14-15

Just like Israel, we all sometimes forget who is our true husband, protector and provider. We go our own way for a while, but God, who loves us, will sooner or later draw us back to the desert, to speak tenderly to us, to restore us to himself. This is true for us as individuals and also true for the nations, especially Israel.  Disillusioned with the emptiness of rabbinic Judaism, many in Israel today have turned their back on the God of Israel and are running after false gods, the gods of the far east, Hinduism and Buddhism, the gods of New Age, the gods of witchcraft and sorcery, or the gods of hedonism and materialism. Sooner or later these gods will disappoint, for they are empty. They cannot satisfy.  

Hosea's prophecy related to his time, but was only partly fulfilled at that time. Complete fulfillment will only occur at the end of the age. The phrase 'in that day' of Hosea 2:16 is an indicator that what follows relates to the times of the end. In the times of the end Israel must pass through another wilderness experience, the time of Jacob's trouble (Jeremiah 30:7), such as she has never known until now, but when all is lost, and she has come to the end of her own strength, disillusioned with her false gods, then God will  gently woo her back and she will return to her true husband, the God of Israel, God of the desert.  Sadly Israel, like all of us, must pass through the desert to reach the Promised Land. 

This last weekend our congregation spent three days together in the desert, at Maktesh Ramon in the Negev. We sought to 'go back to the desert' both as individuals and as a congregation in order to stand 'naked' before God and to hear his voice. The desert is also a place, where in spite of all the arid barrenness around, there are springs of living water. In the days of the Temple, during the Feast of Tabernacles the priests would go down to the Spring of Siloam each morning, draw water, and take it up the hill to the Temple where they would pour it over the altar (1).  It was on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, that Jesus proclaimed these words,

 “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.

                                                           John 7: 37-38 

And what are these rivers of living water? They are the indwelling Holy Spirit which was to come after Jesus was glorified (v39). We as a congregation considered how we would draw from the well of living water in order to bring it up to Jerusalem.  Our congregation meets right in the heart of modern Jerusalem. We ask, how can we bring the Holy Spirit, the living water, to our so very thirsty city and land? Perhaps first we need to go back to the desert and draw deeply of the wells of living water we will find there. 

Streams of living water in the desert - Ein Ovdat, Negev Desert 

Now for some news:
Tension in the north
On Saturday, the 21st, at 5AM sirens sounded in several Golan Heights towns and people ran into their shelters as five mortar shells fired from Syrian territory landed in Israel, causing no damage to people or property.  Shortly afterward Israel attacked and destroyed the artillery cannons from which the missiles were fired. Just three days earlier, on Thursday, the IDF attacked a Syrian outpost at Quneitra after an errant shell landed in Israel.  These incidents are but the latest of a whole series of 'spillovers' from the Syrian civil war, but there has recently been an upsurge in such incidents as Syrian government forces attempt to retake the Syrian Golan from the rebel groups (2). 

Police sapper with piece of mortar shell fired into Israeli territory on Saturday
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5031606,00.html

Another worrying escalation also occurred earlier the same week. For some time now Israeli Air Force planes have been carrying out reconnaissance missions over Lebanon monitoring the transport of arms, especially missiles, from Iran to the terror group, Hezbollah, via Syria. For the first time, Syrian army forces launched a ground-to-air missile towards the Israeli jets and Israeli forces responded by destroying the Syrian battery's fire-control radar installation. In spite of Syrian claims all Israeli planes returned safely to base (3).

This all serves to warn us that the tension in the north could very easily escalate to out-and-out war, as Assad's Syrian government forces, backed by Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, regain control of the rebel-held territories.  There is great concern about the influx of advanced missiles from Iran into Hezbollah's hands. Israel has made it clear it will not tolerate such shipments and has in the past destroyed a number. Hezbollah grows bolder and bolder in its boasting that it now has enough missiles to totally destroy every Israeli city. 

Terror in Israel

The period of the High Holy Days is normally a time we expect an upsurge in terror attacks in Israel. This year however we had  25% fewer attacks in September than the average over the last five years. That said we had ONLY(!) 103 terror attacks in September, resulting in the deaths of three Israelis (4).

Jerusalem March

Jerusalem March 2017 (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5027168,00.html

On the 6th day of Succot tens of thousands of people from all over the world took part in the annual Jerusalem March. This March has taken place now for 60  years but this year was special as it marked the 50th anniversary of Jerusalem's reunification in 1967 (5). 

Ultra-Orthodox Anti-Draft Protests
Traffic flow around the city, and elsewhere around the country, has repeatedly been seriously affected this month by ultra-orthodox men protesting the compulsory draft into the IDF. Although they usually receive an exemption from having to serve, the law requires them to register at the draft offices. Over the past weeks a large number have been arrested for failing to do so prompting large-scale protests. Major arterial roads and the light rail trains have been blocked causing massive traffic disruption and outbreaks of violence.  

On Monday I was twice caught up in these traffic problems as I tried to negotiate my way around the city, but was forced to take long detours and sit for long periods in tail-backs (traffic jams). On the way home from the city later that night, I noticed a terrible stench in the area of the Strings Bridge at the main entrance to the city. I later learned that police had for the first time used this 'odor cannon' to disperse the protestors. It smelled like silage or the effluent from a refet (indoor cow sheds). It stank!!!  I think it is probably an effective measure but I did feel sorry for the people who live in the area. 

These actions are not only alienating the ultra-orthodox even more from mainstream Israeli society but are causing a deep rift within the ultra-orthodox community itself. Most do not identify with the protest and it is only one stream, the Jerusalem Faction,  that is involved. Members of the Jerusalem Faction do not recognize the legitimacy of the Israeli state and therefore refuse to follow the law and will not take part in the IDF(6).  I see this as hypocrisy in its most extreme as they enjoy the safety and protection of the State of Israel, but none of the responsibilities of a citizen. 

http://www.tabletmag.com/wp-content/files_mf/rally620.jpg

UN Boycott
Next month the UN Human Rights Council plans to publish a list of some 150 or more companies accused of violating human rights. The names of the affected companies have not yet been announced but some have been leaked to the Press. Last Thursday the national newspaper, Yediot Aharonot, published the names of 25 Israeli companies believed to be on the list. Those names are Amisragas, Angel Bakeries, Arison Investments, Ashdar, Café Café, Clal Industries, Cellcom, Danya Cebus, Dor Alon, Electra, Hewlett Packard, HOT, Israel Aerospace Industries, Matrix Systems, Nesher, Partner, PAZ Gas, Rami Levy, Remax, Shikun & Binui, Shufersal, Bank Leumi and Sonol. If you are familiar with Israel you know that these are all large, well-known companies in Israel which operate all over the country and in the West Bank. Israel and the US are working behind the scenes to try and stop the UN from publishing this blacklist. As Efrat Council head and chief foreign envoy of the Yesha Council, Oded Revivi, pointed out,

 ...instead of boycotting the companies on the blacklist the UN should hand them Nobel Peace Prizes. 

“These companies are the ones that employ and support thousands of Palestinian families... 

“Jews and Arabs are brought closer together in their factories where they work in the same building. Those who want to boycott these companies only distance coexistence, good neighbor relations and joint economic growth."

The nations may plot harm to Israel but God will have the last word, as it is prophesied,

 Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.

Daniel 7: 27

 * Note: the Hebrew word, midbar, usually translated into English as 'desert' is more correctly translated 'wilderness', meaning simply a region outside of towns or cultivated areas, so is not always, strictly speaking, true desert. In Israel however most of the region lying outside of human settlement is either very arid steppe country or true desert. The Greek word 'eremos' also means an unpopulated, uncultivated area.

** Valley of Achor - an actual geographical location east of Jericho, but also literally translates as the Valley of Trouble.

References:

(1) http://www.chabad.org/holidays/JewishNewYear/template_cdo/aid/1971019/jewish/The-Joyous-Water-Drawing-Ceremony.htm 

(2) https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5031505,00.html

(3) https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5029195,00.html

(4) htttyp://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/September-terror-attacks-against-Israelis-dip-to-five-year-low-507992

(5) https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5027168,00.html

(6) http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/WATCH-Haredim-block-traffic-in-mass-protest-over-draft-law-507824

http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Haredi-protestors-shut-down-Jerusalem-roads-for-the-second-week-in-a-row-508213

(6) http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Companies-targeted-by-UNHRC-settler-blacklist-reject-wrongdoing-charges-508574

* Note: the Hebrew word, midbar, usually translated into English as 'desert' is more correctly translated 'wilderness', meaning simply a region outside of towns or cultivated areas, so is not always, strictly speaking, true desert. In Israel however most of the region lying outside of human settlement is either very arid steppe country or true desert. The Greek word 'eremos' also means an unpopulated, uncultivated area.

** Valley of Achor - an actual geographical location east of Jericho, but also literally translates as the Valley of Trouble.

FEAST OF TABERNACLES

It is the sixth day of the Feast of Tabernacles, Succot, the last of the annual cycle of appointed feasts in the Bible. This feast is intended to remind us of how God took us out of slavery in Egypt and led us for 40 years in the desert until we came into the Promised Land. It is a feast of solemn rejoicing before the Lord. That is not a contradiction in terms, it is a feast of joy but also a recognition of the pain of our rebellion which leads to suffering along the journey of life. This is a feast not only for those descendants of the People of Israel who came out of Egypt but for all the peoples of the nations who have been saved through Yeshua (Jesus). We have all been rescued by the sovereign act of God and we all have to go through the 'desert' of life, in this world, before we will finally reach the promised land.  In the desert, we have to rely totally on the Lord for his provision and to remind us of this, we dwell in succot (booths) during this Feast. This year our congregation will literally go down to the desert on a retreat this coming weekend. We see it as a call to 'go back to the desert', not as a regression to the past,  but as a reminder of from whence we have come, and of the necessity of our total dependence on God in this life, something we easily forget in our comfortable modern lives.

A typical booth (succa) in Israel
https://www.ou.org/holidays/files/Sukkah-4.jpg

Like all the Biblical Feasts, Succot is linked to the agricultural calendar and falls at the time of the end of the summer harvest. 

So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the Lord for seven days; the first day is a day of sabbath rest, and the eighth day also is a day of sabbath rest.

Leviticus 23:39

It is also the time when traditionally we begin to pray for the arrival of the winter rains. This year our prayers have been answered. Yesterday most of the country received its first rain - the yoreh. As always many of us, myself included, were caught out unprepared. I was in town and got soaked in my summer clothes and sandals. It is always a shock to rediscover how cold and uncomfortable rain can be - we tend to forget that during our 8 month-long rainless summer period. This year, as usual too, many streets flooded, and sadly some homes as well, because the drains get blocked with debris as the streets get their first wash. There is usually a spate of car accidents too as the rain turns the greasy, oily streets into a 'skating rink'. It is, for all that, a joyful time and many will run out onto the streets to dance and revel in the rain.  Plentiful winter rain means survival in this arid part of the world. 

Floods in Nahariya (Photo: Bentzi Beniashvili)https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5026325,00.html

It is traditional to decorate succot with tinsel and other decorations. This year one of the Muslim Arab bus drivers even decorated his bus to look like a succa.  This heartwarming act of goodwill stands starkly in contrast to the image of Jerusalem so often perpetrated in the media. Although there is often tension and violence in this city, the fact is that most of the time the Jewish, Arab and gentile inhabitants manage to cohabit quite happily. 

The festive Sukkot bus (Photo: Amit Shabi)
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5026839,00.html

In my last blog update I mentioned that I had attended a worship gathering called Panei el Adonai (my face to my LORD), a quote from Daniel 9. This gathering included Jewish, Arab and Gentiles from all over Israel and as we worship God together all barriers of nationality, identity, language and culture are transcended.  You can read more about this gathering, and get a preview of the new CD that will soon be released if you go to this link: 
http://kehilanews.com/2017/10/06/messianic-concert-draws-believers-and-nonbelievers-from-around-israel/

Sometimes when one reads the news all appears so terrible and hopeless. How can we ever find peace and reconciliation? This week I saw a glimmer of hope. Dozens of Syrians wrote letters to the IDF and Israel expressing their gratitude for the help they had received in Israeli field hospitals since the outbreak of civil war in their country. With the breakdown of medical services in Syria the only place those injured or ill could seek help was from their 'enemy' Israel. Israeli field hospitals were set up near the border and Israeli soldiers, often at great risk to themselves, helped the wounded and sick to cross the border for treatment. Many have been treated in Israeli hospitals at our expense.Yeshua (Jesus) taught us to pray for our enemies and love them. That is the only way to break down animosity. It works. 
One man, who had had to have his hand amputated, wrote, "We, the nation of Syria, want peace with the State of Israel because it provided us with many services during this troubled period. To all Syrians who say Israel is the enemy, I say that you are liars. Peace to Syria and to Israel". https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5014499,00.html?utm_source=Taboola_internal&utm_medium=organic

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you

Matthew 5: 43-44

Tomorrow the annual Feast of Tabernacles, organized by the  International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ), will conclude with a closing prayer meeting "Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem". According to Bat-el Leonard of "Kehila News", 
The event, according to Israel’s Ministry of Tourism, is the largest annual event in Israel, drawing some 5,000 “Christian pilgrims” from roughly 100 countries to Jerusalem each fall, an activity which ICEJ claims brings between $15 to 18 million into Israel’s economy each year.
This year some 6,000 people attended, the largest number ever in the 38 year history of the celebration.  
http://kehilanews.com/2017/10/08/icej-kicks-off-feast-tabernacles-celebration-jerusalem/

During the Succot Week  Israeli school children have a vacation. This year a disturbing new phenomenon has hit our streets. Some teenagers are dressing as creepy and scary clowns and arming themselves with knives, clubs and irons, which they brandish to frighten younger children. They film and post their antics on the social media. As a result, many other children are afraid to go out on the streets and are arming themselves with weapons to protect themselves. Police have confiscated baseball bats, knives, slingshots and other dangerous weapons.  It is only a matter of time before this activity escalates to violence with potentially deadly results. Those 'clowns' apprehended by police claim they are doing it out of boredom. It is tragic that this generation, which has more entertainment options available than any other, cannot find healthier ways to amuse themselves.  I hope that once schools reopen next week this 'clown epidemic' will fade away.
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5026555,00.html

Yesterday high-level talks began in Cairo between the two ruling Palestinian organizations, Hamas which controls the Gaza Strip and Fatah which controls the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. In 2007 Hamas violently ousted Fatah from the Gaza Strip, resulting in a division of Palestinian territories, but three weeks ago Hamas announced that it wished to hand the government of the Gaza Strip over to the Palestinian Authority, currently controlled by Fatah. http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Palestinian-rivals-Hamas-Fatah-start-unity-talks-in-Cairo-507132

What has caused this reversal of policy by Hamas? In a nutshell, I suspect that Hamas is tired of trying to govern the Strip, and is ready to admit defeat as the humanitarian situation there is approaching boiling point. Hamas is essentially a terror organization more interested in destroying Israel than the day-to-day running of a country. Another possibility is that Hamas is intending to become a legitimate player in West Bank politics so that it can eventually take control there as well?  Whatever the motivation, can there be reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas? It seems doubtful, given that Hamas is based on an extremist Muslim ideology focussed on the concept of a military defeat of Israel, while the Fatah organization is more secular and is determined to prevent Hamas having any military presence in the Palestinian areas.  The situation is very complex and if you are interested you can read this article which I think gives a balanced analysis:
https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2017/1009/Palestinian-reconciliation-What-s-driving-Hamas-and-Fatah-this-time

It is late now and I want to finish with this thought:

Be silent in the presence of the Lord God;
For the day of the Lord is at hand...

The great day of the Lord is near;
It is near and hastens quickly.
The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter;
There the mighty men shall cry out.

That day is a day of wrath,
A day of trouble and distress,
A day of devastation and desolation,
A day of darkness and gloominess,
A day of clouds and thick darkness,
 A day of trumpet and alarm
Against the fortified cities
And against the high towers.

Zephaniah 1: 7, 14-16