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.

LIFE ON THE EDGE

Looking out over  Maktesh Ramon  (The Ramon Crater) at sunset

 

 

Life in Jerusalem is very intense and those of us who live here find the need to escape the pressures from time to time. Last weekend I decided to do just that and set off in my little car for Maktesh Ramon in the Negev Desert. As I left the lush pine and cedar forests of Jerusalem, passed through the rolling steppes north of Beersheva, at this time of year green from the crops of winter wheat that flourish there, and then  travelled on southwards into the true desert I was reminded of another trip I made years ago. On that occasion I visited a friend in Eilat and as I left her she prayed that the Lord would give me some revelation as I journeyed north. I was a bit skeptical when she prayed in that way, and I don't know what prompted her to do so, but as I travelled I did indeed receive a  revelation.  As I travelled northwards I was powerfully struck by the way the summer sere, brown desert quite suddenly gave way to the outskirts of Tel Aviv. I had not realized before just how close the desert was to the very heartland of Israel, and how tenuous is our existence here.

 

If you look at a satellite image of the Earth you will see the great Saharan Desert stretching across North Africa blending into Arabian Desert to the east. Right on the edge of this huge band of desert lies tiny Israel. If the desert were to move just a few kilometers further north Israel would be engulfed. We are truly living on the edge.



 

Have you ever wondered why God chose this Land for the Israelite people? Why didn't he take Abraham further north into bounteous, well-watered Europe? Why did they have to live here where broiling summer temperatures bake the land for 8 months of the year giving way to cold, wet winters only briefly. Why did they have to scratch out a few acres of powdery soil from among the stones just to grow a few grains of wheat?

 

When God came down to rescue the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, he promised to bring them out  to a spacious land flowing with milk and honey.

 

And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. ⁸ So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey...

 

Exodus 3: 7-8

Surely, after wandering 40 years in the howling wastes of the Sinai and Negev, the land we now call Israel must have looked like paradise, green and lush in comparison the desert lands.  Yet the phrase 'milk and honey' does not refer to well-watered fertile soils but rather to marginal lands suitable only for the grazing of cattle (milk) in pastures of wildflowers (honey).

Meadowland in the Judean Hills in spring

So why did God bring us here, to a place where life is hard and tenuous? Do we not all wonder at times why our lives are so difficult? I do not have the whole answer but I can see at least part of the answer exemplified in the modern miracle of Israel. Difficulty is the mother of invention. Against all the odds, an arid marginal land with few natural resources, constant war and terror, Israel today is a successful modern nation which leads the world in many technological innovations, such as water engineering for irrigation and recycling, and the construction of desalination plants. Israel is also second only to the USA, and fast overtaking it, in the development of new hi-tech applications, computer software and medical apparatus. We have exported these technologies all over the world blessing many people - just as God promised Abraham our father so long ago:

And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

 

Genesis 12: 3

In our housegroup we have lately been studying the book of Hebrews and one of the recurring themes is that of the need for perseverance.

And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end,  that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself,  saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.”^[ 

And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

 

Hebrews 6: 11-15

In the letters to the seven churches, in the book of Revelation, it is  'he who overcomes  ... to the end' who will receive the prize (Revelation 2 and 3). One day last weekend when I was down in the desert I went on a solo hike. At one point I found myself in a narrow ravine picking my way through huge fallen boulders, with others just waiting to fall teetering above my head. It felt very threatening and I almost gave in to my fear and turned back, but then I saw ahead of me something I took to be the caves marked on my map, which indicated I was nearing the end of that section of the hike. That gave me the courage to keep on walking and soon I found myself out of that dangerous section and into a beautifully eroded chasm of white limestone worn smooth into beautiful swirling shapes. There I also found the caves I sought, and I had an amazing encounter with a flock of Arabian babblers ( a kind of bird), and got some wonderful photos.  Had I given into my fear I would have missed that amazing experience, and not only that, I would have been left with the bitter taste of failure in my mouth. Instead I finished my hike with a warm glow of accomplishment and great pleasure.



Fallen rocks



The limestone chasm

Hardship builds strength of character and makes us tough and strong. We often fear it but we should not. God allows it into our lives to make us into better people. I find those who have suffered little in their lives shallow and often not very empathetic towards others. On the other hand I have a number of friends who have gone through, and are still going through, great traumas in their lives and they exhibit a tremendous depth of compassion, understanding of others, and strong faith.  These are the overcomers.  So too the nation of Israel, which has suffered many such traumas, and still does, but I find here in her midst great faith, great strength and great hope. We can find encouragement to go on even in the midst of the 'valley of the shadow of death' by contemplating these things. It has been my experience too that God will often send us some signpost of encouragement along the way, just when we most need it.

Some of the things the nation is going through right now threaten to tear her apart. Last month an IDF soldier Sgt. Azor Azaria was convicted for manslaughter because he shot and killed an already neutralized (wounded) Palestinian terrorist, who had stabbed and wounded another soldier. This has been a very controversial court case as many believe our soldiers should have our unequivocal support since they daily put their lives on line for us all. It is also feared that this verdict might cause other soldiers to hesitate before shooting terrorists and this could cost lives.  On the other hand many think it is important that we maintain the moral quality of our army and  soldiers that disobey standing orders, and commit immoral and illegal  acts should be punished.  Azaria is due to be sentenced later this month. Whatever your position this case demonstrates the moral and ethical standards maintained by the Israeli army and our courts.

This week the Jewish settlement of Amona in the Benjamin Region of the West Bank, near Ramallah, was evacuated after the High Court ruled that this settlement built on privately owned Palestinian land was illegal. This settlement  was established in 1995 and was the home of some 50 families numbering around 200 people.

Amona

By יעקב - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26170124

As unarmed police officers arrived to dismantle the settlement, some 1000 Israeli settlers confronted them and scuffles broke out in which some 13 police were injured.

Some see this evacuation as a victory for the Palestinians but, just hours before, the government had approved the building of some 3000  new housing units in the West Bank Jewish settlements, bringing the total approved to 6000 since US President Trump was inaugurated. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jan/31/israel-west-bank-settlement-homes. Today right wing, Education Minister, Naftali Bennet claimed that the Amona evacuation will eventually lead to the annexation of the West Bank. On Monday new legislation will go to  a final vote in the Knesset (Israel's Parliament) which will end the court-led actions in the West Bank and "retroactively legalize some 4,000 settler homes built on what the courts have ruled is private Palestinian property in Area C of the West Bank". http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Bennett-Amona-evacuation-will-lead-to-Israeli-annexations-in-West-Bank-480223


There is growing distance between the extreme right and left wings of Israeli society. Alarmed by the increasing boldness of the extreme right following Trumps appointment, left wing activists are becoming more vocal. Last night there was a march and a rally of around 4000 people in Tel Aviv. Protestors, "including Jews and Arabs, called for an end to incitement and racism" and for “Jews and Arabs to cease being enemies.” http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4917537,00.html
 Another issue that is hitting the headlines here is the possibility that Trump will bring the American Embassy to Jerusalem, as he has promised. I don't think anyone can foresee the implications of such a move, but for sure it will ignite passions among  both Jews  and Arabs, not to mention the international community.

As you can see there are many things 'on the boil' here and any one of them could 'overflow the pot' at any moment.  It is hard to know how to pray for these matters. The issues are so complex and the moral and ethical issues confusing, not to mention the spiritual ones.  Please pray that God's Will will be done here on Earth as it is in heaven, and that our government will make righteous decisions. It is comforting to know that God is in control but he is looking for intercessors who will stand with him in the spiritual battle in which we are all embroiled, wherever we might live in this world. As we pray we must let the Holy Spirit lead us and intercede for us with groaning. Words are not always necessary.

Finally here are some of my photos from Machtesh Ramon. These photos are copyrighted and please do not use them without my permission.

Nubian ibex - the patriarch

A porcupine enjoying the sun

Fat sand rats

The floor of the Maktesh

The Maktesh from the rim

Nubian ibex grazing at the spring

 Ibex watching me from a safe height

A female wheatear checking me out

Arabian babbler