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| https://sites.google.com/site/ biblewomentruehollywoodstory/queen-esther |
This past week all Israel celebrated the festival of Purim, which commemorates the events recorded in the Book of Esther. Some 2500 years ago the Persian King Xerxes 1, identified in the English Bible as Ahasuerus, decreed the extermination of the Jews in all his Empire, which stretched from India to Ethiopia, after one of his close advisors, Haman the Agagite, plotted against them. The Jews were saved by the exposure of the plot by Queen Esther (Hadassah), herself a Jew, the niece of the Benjaminite, Mordecai. Unable to revoke his decree, Ahasuerus made another decree allowing the Jews to take up arms to defend themselves, and thus they were saved. Haman on the other hand was hung on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai the Jew.
It had been very risky for Ester to speak to the King about Haman's plot. It could have cost her her life but her uncle, Mordecai, spoke to her saying:
Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
Esther 4: 13-14.
Esther was in the right place at the right time. Imagine her position. She was a young Jewish exile in Babylon, orphaned at an early age and brought up by her Uncle Mordecai, and then she had been taken away from him to a harem where she was forced to become a concubine, and later the wife, of the King. She must have sometimes wondered what she a mere, Jewish exile was doing in the royal palace. She may well have been very lonely and unhappy there. However it would appear that God had brought her there 'for just such a time as this' and would use her to rescue the entire Jewish nation from certain extermination, thus thwarting the Enemy's plan to derail God's planned redemption of the world through the Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus).
There have been many such times throughout history that Satan has attempted to destroy and annihilate the ancient Israelite lineage in order to block God's plans. Each time he has failed- Hallelujah. Today we stand yet again at another such crucial point in history. Satan once more is trying to destroy Israel and, interestingly, he is using the Persian Empire (modern Iran) and its leader (Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameni) to do so. Hardly a day passes that Khameni or the Prime Minister, Rouhani, do not promise to totally destroy Israel. At the same time, he is moving his forces closer and closer to our borders, arming and training the Syrians and Hezbollah, financing Hamas in Gaza, and other terror organizations, all determined to annihilate the 'Jewish entity', Israel. War is imminent and Israel faces a terrifying enemy. It could break out any day.
We here have been concerned about the Iranian threat for many years but that threat has never been more immediate nor menacing than it is today. Although there is no direct evidence that Teheran is about to launch a war against Israel in the near future, it is clear that it is making preparations to be able to do so. Backed by Russia and China, Iran already has a massive military presence in Syria, just a stone's throw from our borders. It is estimated that there are some 20,000 Iranian military personnel in Syria and these have been joined by Iraqi, Hezbollah and Lebanese militias and mercenaries from Pakistan and Afghanistan (1).This week the New York Times published a map of long-term Iranian military bases and positions in Syria today (see below). It does not show the many temporary installations. One of the questions being raised in Israel at this time is whether we should wait until they build up their forces and arsenal to the point they attack Israel or should we attack pre-emptively. Either option would lead to a massive regional war and great loss of life on all sides, but especially here in Israel. Please pray for great wisdom for our leaders.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/19/world/middleeast/iran-syria-israel.html
As tensions rise on our northern border so they are also rising on our southern border with Gaza. About two weeks ago four Israeli soldiers were wounded, two seriously and two moderately, when an explosive device detonated near the border fence. The IDF retaliated by bombing Hamas targets in Gaza. Hamas returned fire and a rocket landed on the roof of a family home in a town near the border. The family was home but no one was hurt because the rocket failed to detonate (hallelujah) (2).
I don't know where you are who read this, but wherever you are, God has brought you to that place, just as he did to Esther, for just such a time as this. We are living in momentous times and we all have a role to play. Perhaps we feel small and insignificant. What can we do? We can all fast and pray for the 'relief and deliverance' of Israel, and when opportunity arises we can open our mouths to expose the plot of the Enemy to destroy Israel and block God's redemption plan. None of us knows the eternal significance of our actions - who knows, my prayer or yours may just turn the tide in the spiritual battle. We should never underestimate the power of prayer.
Before she ventured to approach the King, Esther called for all the Jews in the capital, Shushan, to fast and pray with her and her maids for three days and nights. Today observant Jews fast for the day before the Festival of Purim. On the first night of Purim the entire book of Esther is read in the Synagogues, with the children shouting and making noises every time the evil name of Haman is read.
It is interesting to note the Haman was the son of Hammedatha the Agagite (Esther 3:1) and Agag was a descendant of Amalek one of the sons of Esau. From the womb Esau struggled against his brother, Jacob, from whom were descended the people of Israel. Esau's descendants have continued to stand against Israel ever since. During the time of the Exodus of Israel from Egypt the Amalekites ambushed the Israelites from the rear:
Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you were coming out of Egypt, how he met you on the way and attacked your rear ranks, all the stragglers at your rear, when you were tired and weary; and he did not fear God. Therefore it shall be, when the Lord your God has given you rest from your enemies all around, in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance, that you will blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. You shall not forget.
Deuteronomy 25: 17-19
So it was that God commanded King Saul to kill all the Amalekites for what they had done to Israel during the Exodus, but Saul spared the life of Agag in disobedience to God's command. For this reason God rejected Saul from being King over the Israel. The prophet Samuel therefore killed Agag, king of the Amalekites. However it would appear that at least some of Agag's descendants survived and one of those was the evil enemy of the Jews, Haman. Just like we do not know the consequences of our prayers, we also do not know the long-term consequences of our sin or disobedience.
Now for some good news. Recently the English language newspaper "The Jerusalem Post" published an article which ran the headline:
with the byline: "Perhaps the government of Israel should start viewing Messianic Jews as diplomatic assets rather than a religious threat."
It would behoove the Israeli government to recognize that the small Messianic Jewish community in Israel, which apparently numbers less than 20,000 people, has become, since the election of Donald Trump, disproportionately influential and important to Israel’s security and diplomatic standing. Unfortunately, it appears that neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, nor anyone in his Cabinet, fully understands this new reality...
In view of the deep relationship between Evangelical Christians and the Messianic community, perhaps the government of Israel should start viewing Messianic Jews as diplomatic assets rather than a religious threat.(3)
Since I first arrived in Israel, in 1979, I have seen a slow but undeniable increase in the acceptance of Messianic Jews as a legitimate part of the State of Israel, as we have served the nation we live in, established families and businesses, and become an integral part of society. Many have excelled in military service, risking their lives for the survival of the nation. We have in every way proven ourselves loyal citizens. We still have a long way to go to find full acceptance, but one day when Jerusalem is ready to bless those who come in Yeshua's name, then Messiah will return as Yeshua himself prophesied:
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’
(1) https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5122994,00.html
(2) https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5118625,00.html
(3) http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Evangelicals-and-Israel-542875
Now for some good news. Recently the English language newspaper "The Jerusalem Post" published an article which ran the headline:
EVANGELICALS AND ISRAEL
It went on to say:
The support of the Evangelical Christian community has always been helpful to Israel. During the intifada years, when tourism was at its lowest, the Evangelical tour buses kept Israel’s tourism economy alive. They have literally donated billions of dollars over the past decade to social and humanitarian projects, through organizations such as the International Christian Embassy and the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. There is no question that the socioeconomic resilience of the State of Israel would be quite weaker without its faithful Christian friends...Not surprisingly, the strongest allies and best friends of Evangelical Christians in Israel are Israel’s Messianic Jews – Jews who, contrary to popular opinion, insist that one can believe in Jesus and still remain Jewish. In fact, these two communities are virtually inseparable. It would be quite challenging to find any significant business or NGO in Israel that is funded by Christians, which does not have local Messianic Jews in its executive leadership. This would include Christian television networks such as TBN, CBN and GodTV, which broadcast content from Israel every day to billions of viewers worldwide. Go to any large gathering of Evangelical tourists in Israel, and you are likely to find Israeli Messianic Jews both on stage and in the crowd...
It would behoove the Israeli government to recognize that the small Messianic Jewish community in Israel, which apparently numbers less than 20,000 people, has become, since the election of Donald Trump, disproportionately influential and important to Israel’s security and diplomatic standing. Unfortunately, it appears that neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, nor anyone in his Cabinet, fully understands this new reality...
In view of the deep relationship between Evangelical Christians and the Messianic community, perhaps the government of Israel should start viewing Messianic Jews as diplomatic assets rather than a religious threat.(3)
Since I first arrived in Israel, in 1979, I have seen a slow but undeniable increase in the acceptance of Messianic Jews as a legitimate part of the State of Israel, as we have served the nation we live in, established families and businesses, and become an integral part of society. Many have excelled in military service, risking their lives for the survival of the nation. We have in every way proven ourselves loyal citizens. We still have a long way to go to find full acceptance, but one day when Jerusalem is ready to bless those who come in Yeshua's name, then Messiah will return as Yeshua himself prophesied:
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’
Matthew 23: 37-39
Now to finish with some photos of the Purim Celebrations in my town, the 70th since the founding of the State,
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| A 70th birthday cake for Israel |
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| Snow white and the seven dwarfs |
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| A dance school |
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| Almost the whole town came to watch the parade |
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| Dancing the hora |
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| Its the only way to travel |
References:
(1) https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5122994,00.html
(2) https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5118625,00.html
(3) http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Evangelicals-and-Israel-542875
