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

 A DOLL FOR CHRISTMAS?

What are you buying your children, or grandchildren, for Christmas or Hannuka this year? A doll perhaps? How about one of these?

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/images/article_images/temp_images/20151209_TerroristDolls.jpg


This week Israeli customs officials confiscated a shipment of 4,000 Palestinian terrorist dolls, made in the United Arab Emirates, and bound for the West Bank. The kefiyah clad dolls are clutching a rock in their raised right hands, and bear a picture of the El-Aksa Mosque on the Temple Mount, with a caption that translated reads "O Jerusalem we are coming" and "Jerusalem is for us".
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/22728-israel-confiscates-4000-palestinian-puppets

For whom were these dolls intended? Children? If so, then surely this must be the lowest and most despicable act of incitement I can imagine. But for all that, it doesn't surprise me. A people that brainwashes their children to hatred and violence from the cradle, that encourages their children to go out and commit murder, and rejoices when they are killed as a result, has surely sunk to the lowest depths of humanity. How I cry out for these children. What chance do they have of a decent and worthwhile life? How can they ever grow up to build a nation and lead their people in the path of peace with their neighbors - us?

Yet this week New Zealand put forth yet another draft proposal for bringing about peace between Israel and the Palestinians, calling for the Security Council of the UN to mandate a course of action for the two parties to prepare for talks in "a realistic but early timeframe".http://bigstory.ap.org/article/b99accfddab140d88fff2d5c9df12028/new-zealand-circulates-un-resolution-israel-Palestinians
The fact that the Russian Ambassador to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, stated that his country supported the new draft resolution saying "We have always claimed that the UN should be more involved," perhaps says it all. http://www.jerusalemonline.com/news/world-news/the-israeli-connection/russian-supports-new-zealand-on-israeli-palestinian-peace-talks-16824 Putin's Russia continues to strengthen its influence and power in the Middle East by supporting and arming Israel's enemies, Iran and Syria. They are hardly neutral observers.

I think most Israelis would be in favor of a two state solution if the terms of its establishment were to ensure lasting peace. Most would be quite happy to live beside the Palestinians and even have them live and work amongst us, if they could be trusted not to attack us with knives and bombs.

Actually Jews and Arabs are cousins- they have similar languages and cultures. Israelis love to eat Arab food and shop in Arab souks (markets). Many of us work and shop together quite happily. Sadly however, there have been a number of instances when a Palestinian who has worked alongside Jews in Israel suddenly one day pulls a knife or a gun and kills his workmates, even though they may have eaten together in their homes and even invited each other to their family weddings. Such treachery has eroded all trust. 

The Palestinian Authority still does not even recognize Israel's right to exist and is doing everything it can to incite violence against Israelis. The only path to peace is negotiation and compromise, but at this juncture there is no one to talk to, and the intervention of the UN would only make things worse. Israel has a deep distrust of the UN that is seen as heavily biased against Israel. What the NZ proposal and the Western world in general does not seem to recognize is that it 'takes two to tango". Israel is willing to negotiate and compromise but that there is no one to talk to. Westerners think all people want nothing more than peace, but here in the Middle East, that is simply not so.  there is no way to negotiate peace if the other part does not want peace. How many more 9/11s and the type of attacks that occurred in Paris recently will it take for the world to wake up? There is a huge movement of Islamic fundamentalism that is quite open about its one and only goal, to overcome the whole world and destroy anyone who is not Muslim. This is Jihad. They want war not peace and sadly, the Palestinians are but a pawn in their game. It suits them to 'keep the pot boiling' by incitement and accusation against Israel. The greatest threat to the Palestinians is not Israel but Islamic fundamentalism.

Imagine if tomorrow Israel took all its settlements and all its soldiers out of the West Bank and turned it all over to the Palestinian Authority. What would happen?  Its not hard to guess. Just look at the Gaza Strip. That's what we did there - we took out all our soldiers and all our settlements. Did the Palestinians raise up a viable state with schools, and hospitals and all the infrastructure needed for a decent standard of living for their people? Did they stop shelling our communities in the south? No, Hamas took over from the Palestinian Authority and turned Gaza into something not far short of Hell.  It also happened in the Sinai, and the same thing would almost certainly happen in the West Bank. The PA is weak and crumbling. Hamas is stronger and is supported by Iran, but standing in the wings, just waiting for the right moment, and growing in power and support daily, is Dayish (ISIS).  I think, in view of this, most Israelis have come to despair of the 'two state' solution'. It just no longer seems even possible. The incitement and poison in Palestinian society runs too deep now. We feel there is no one to talk to about peace, and little point in trying. 

HOPE
So is there any hope at all? Yes, there always remains hope.

This week Sarah Tehiya Litman and Ariel Beigel were married, and it was celebrated by thousands of Israelis from all walks of life, religious, haredi, secular, right wing, left wing, you name it.  Why? On November 13, Sarah and her father, Yaacov, and her brother, Netanel, were driving home from a pre-wedding celebration when their car was fired upon by Palestinian terrorists.  Sarah's father and brother were hit. A Palestinian ambulance arrived on the scene, but seeing that the wounded were Jews, they refused to treat them and left. Before help could arrive both Yaacov and Netanel died of their wounds.  Sarah and her fiancé, Ariel, could have retreated into their private grief and cancelled, or at least postponed their wedding, but instead they determined to hold it anyway. Not only that but they hired the largest reception venue they could find and invited to their reception any Israeli who wanted to attend. According to some reports at least 5,000 accepted the invitation.



http://www.israel21c.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/The-surviving-Litman-family-singing-emotionally-with-the-bride-Sarah-Tehiya-Litman-and-groom-Ariel-Beigel-under-the-bridal-canopy.-Photo-by-Hadas-ParushFLASH90-1168x657.jpg

Sarah's brother, Dvir, had this to say, "This evening, I have to say Kaddish on my father and sing ‘Come, O Bride’ for my sister, but we’re showing that no one will ever defeat the people of Israel. We are here forever".  http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/195434/thousands-of-israelis-attend-wedding-of-israeli-woman-who-lost-her-father-and-brother-in-terrorist-attack

It is interesting to note that Sarah Tehiya' s names literally translate as 'princess of resurrection life'. Pray that she and her new husband, and their families will rise up out of their sorrow, call upon the LORD of Israel and find resurrection life.

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth

 

Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
⁹ For He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.

¹⁰ The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.
¹¹ The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
The plans of His heart to all generations.
¹² Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.

Psalm 33

Let us pray this prayer together with the Psalmist:

Do not keep silent, O God!
Do not hold Your peace,
And do not be still, O God!² For behold, Your enemies make a tumult;
And those who hate You have lifted up their head.
³ They have taken crafty counsel against Your people,
And consulted together against Your sheltered ones.
⁴ They have said, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation,
That the name of Israel may be remembered no more.”

⁵ For they have consulted together with one consent;
They form a confederacy against You:
⁶ The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites;
Moab and the Hagrites;
⁷ Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek;
Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;
⁸ Assyria also has joined with them;
They have helped the children of Lot. Selah

⁹ Deal with them as with Midian,
As with Sisera,
As with Jabin at the Brook Kishon,
¹⁰ Who perished at En Dor,
Who became as refuse on the earth.
¹¹ Make their nobles like Oreb and like Zeeb,
Yes, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
¹² Who said, “Let us take for ourselves
The pastures of God for a possession.”

¹³ O my God, make them like the whirling dust,
Like the chaff before the wind!
¹⁴ As the fire burns the woods,
And as the flame sets the mountains on fire,
¹⁵ So pursue them with Your tempest,
And frighten them with Your storm.
¹⁶ Fill their faces with shame,
That they may seek Your name, O Lord.
¹⁷ Let them be confounded and dismayed forever;
Yes, let them be put to shame and perish,
¹⁸ That they may know that You, whose name alone is the Lord,
Are the Most High over all the earth.

Psalm 83

AMEN

PS. Lately there have been a number of excellent and positive articles in the local Hebrew press about the Messianic movement. This is indicative of the beginnings of an opening of hearts in Israeli society. Not long ago such positive press coverage would have been unthinkable. For those of you who understand Hebrew, take a look at this one:  

http://familyguide3.walla.co.il/item/2914039

I also recommend going to the link - for an excellent explanation in Hebrew about what we believe  (This may be a good resource to share with your Israeli friends).
 http://www.messiah.co.il/index.php/theblog/107-messianic-jews-jesus-christ-yeshua-messiah

http://www.messiah.co.il/index.php/theblog/107-messianic-jews-jesus-christ-yeshua-messiah
video in Hebrew about Messianic Jews.