DRY BONES

 

http://www.stmarystjames.org.uk/images/dry_bones.jpg

 

In my last two posts I have written about the miracle that is the modern state of Israel. But this week I have been reminded that Israel is  still a work-in-progress and far from complete in terms of the LORD's redemption plan. In the vision of the prophet Ezekiel he saw the Valley of the Dry Bones and the LORD said to him, " Can these bones live?", then He goes on to answer his rhetorical question, saying;

 

 “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! ⁵ Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. ⁶ I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.”’”⁷ So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. ⁸ Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them. ( Ezekiel 37: 4-7)

This well-known passage speaks, I believe, of this time when the LORD regathers the scattered people of Israel from the ends of the Earth and brings them back to the land, and restores the nation of Israel. First comes the regathering of the bones, bones coming together and sinews and flesh coming upon them, the physical resurrection, but at this point the bones are still without life, having no breath in them. In Hebrew the word for breath is ruach ( רוח) which can also mean spirit or wind.

God then goes on to tell Ezekiel ,

“Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.”  (Ezekiel 37: 9)


So the physical body was quickened with the breath of life, yet it did not yet have the Spirit of the LORD indwelling, that would come later.

Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. ¹³ Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. ¹⁴ I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord.’”  (Ezekiel 37: 12-14).

I believe then that the restoration of Israel will take place in three stages, first the regathering and joining together of the 'dry bones',  then the quickening of life, and only after that the spiritual restoration when the Spirit of the LORD will be put in to the people. I believe that the first and second stages are in progress today but we have not yet seen the third. There are those that say that the present state of Israel cannot be of God's doing because it is a sinful nation, full of idolatry, evil practices, and corruption. However I believe this reasoning is flawed. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that God's regathering of the 'dry bones', requires prior repentance. Quite the opposite in fact.

Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. ²³ And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord,” says the Lord God, “when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. ²⁴ For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. ²⁵ Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. ²⁶ I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷ I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. ²⁸ Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God.  (Ezekiel 36: 22-28)

God does not restore Israel because we deserve it, and we clearly do not, but because of His Name. He will, for the sake of His Name, gather Israel from the nations and restore them to their own land, and then, and only then, will he sprinkle them clean, and cleanse them, putting a new heart and a new Spirit within them.

Until that day, we cannot expect Israel to be any holier than any other people since we do not yet have the indwelling Holy Spirit. Little wonder then that Israel as a nation is far from perfect and suffers from many of the ills common to lost mankind.

As I mentioned earlier, over the last few weeks something has occurred which has brought this home to me; we have seen violent riots in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Twelve protestors and 56 police were injured in the Tel Aviv riot, and 46 protestors were arrested. These were sparked by the release of  CCTV footage showing a young Ethiopian Israeli man, dressed in army fatigues, being  beaten up by two  Border Policemen for absolutely no reason except that he was Ethiopian. You can see this disturbing footage on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiwxiFOkndA&oref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DyiwxiFOkndA&has_verified=1. The policemen in question have been suspended but for the Ethiopian community in Israel this was the last straw, and they took to the streets in anger. Sadly their protests devolved into violence.

Protesters and police clash in Tel Aviv. 'Violence is not the answer.' (Photo: AFP)
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4655330,00.html

The Ethiopian Jews, who call themselves Beta Israel (the house of Israel) claim to be descendants of the Tribe of Dan, which fled the Roman sacking of Jerusalem in 70 AD via Egypt and eventually arrived in Ethiopia. In the nineteenth century many converted to Christianity but maintained their connection to their Israelite forefathers, keeping Mosaic laws and practices. They also dreamed of returning to Israel one day.

 

When they first made advances to the Israeli government they were ignored or rejected, but eventually rabbinic opinion about their eligibility for Israeli citizenship turned and in 1975 the Chief Rabbinate officially recognized them as Jews, which opened the doors for their immigration.

 

Ethiopian immigration to Israel had begun in 1934 but remained a trickle until the Rabbinate decision made possible the first wave of mass immigration beginning in 1979. Thousands of Ethiopian Israelites walked to the Sudan from where they were to be transported by the Israeli government to Israel. Around 50% perished along the way from starvation, dehydration, illness, and attacks by bandits. Between 1983 and 1985 thousands arrived in Sudan where they lived in camps awaiting rescue. Many also perished in these camps. In 1984 around 14,000 Ethiopians were airlifted to Israel in Operation Moses. In 1991 another large group of over 14,000 were airlifted to Israel from Ethiopia in the course of 36 hours. Since then there have been a number of smaller waves of immigration and it continues today. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_Jews_in_Israel#First_wave_.281934-1960.29   By the end of  2013 there were some 135,500  Jews of Ethiopian descent living in Israel,  85,900 of whom were born in Ethiopia and 49,600 born in Israel.http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/CBS-report-135000-Ethiopians-living-in-Israel-at-end-of-2013-382266.

 

Integration of these Ethiopian Jews into the mainstream of Israeli society has been difficult from the beginning. Most of the new immigrants came from rural areas, where they knew neither electricity nor running water, had little or no education, were illiterate in their own language, and did not know Hebrew. In short they were ill equipped for coping in a modern, competitive capitalist society. A report published by the Bank of Israel in 2006 painted a bleak picture:

 

• The incidence of poverty amongst Ethiopian families is estimated at about 51.7% compared with 15.8% in the general Israeli population.
   
• The rate of participation in the labor market is about 65.7% amongst adults compared with about 82.5% in the general Israeli population.
• The rate of unemployment amongst Ethiopians is estimated at about 13.2% compared with 7.4% in the general Israeli population.
• The monthly income per capita is estimated at about 1,994 New Israeli Shekels amongst Ethiopians compared with about 3,947 New Israeli Shekels in the general Israeli population.
• Students awarded the Bagrut Certification is estimated at about 44% of Ethiopians compared with about 57% in the remaining Israeli population. Only about 34% meet the requirements needed for higher education, compared with about 83% of the Israeli population.
• About 21.7% of Ethiopian immigrants are holders of high school and higher education, compared with about 49.2% in the general Israeli population. About 20.4% of Ethiopian immigrants are not holders of a basic education, compared with about 0.9% from the general Israeli population.
• In the 2002-2003 school year, the rate of criminal charges brought against 12-20 year old Ethiopian immigrants was 4.6%, twice as high as the number of criminal charges brought against the equivalent age group from the remainder of Israeli society.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aliyah_from_Ethiopia#Eligibility_of_Beta_Israel_Ethiopians_for_Aliyah

 

In addition to this economic disadvantage, Ethiopians also face discrimination when it comes to finding an apartment or a job. Sad to say there exists a high degree of racism within Israeli society.  I remember when I first arrived in Israel I expected a degree of culture shock, but what shocked me most was to discover that find that many Israeli Jews were racist, and discriminated between the various cultural groups within Israeli Jewish society.  I remember well telling a friend on my kibbutz that I was working with a nice old man, Ezra, in the kitchen. Her response was a snort of disgust and a comment about "cushim" the Hebrew equivalent of "nigger". I was puzzled at the time as he was no darker than many others in the kibbutz, but I later learned he was of Eastern background, an immigrant from Iraq. Askenazi Jews (of European descent) look down on Mizrachi (or Eastern) Jews. I was deeply saddened that Israeli Jews, who themselves had suffered so much from prejudice and discrimination, make such distinctions within their own people.  In subsequent years I have again and again encountered these kinds of prejudices. Every new immigrant group tends to suffer from it when they first arrive. Unfortunately the Ethiopians have suffered the most, being unable to blend in easily, and having little political clout with which to protect themselves. I fully believe their claims of discrimination and racism, and it is no wonder they have been provoked to demonstrations and violence. I hope that they will find a better way to speak out but I do understand their frustration and anger.

 

We as a society must do better, much better! God said he would gather in the whole house of Israel, that is to say  not only the Jews (of the tribe of Judah and some from the Israelite tribes who returned from the Babylonian Exile) but also the  'lost' tribes of Israel that were scattered far and wide during the Assyrian conquests.

 

 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ¹⁶ “As for you, son of man, take a stick for yourself and write on it: ‘For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions.’ Then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions.’ ¹⁷ Then join them one to another for yourself into one stick, and they will become one in your hand.¹⁸ “And when the children of your people speak to you, saying, ‘Will you not show us what you mean by these?’— ¹⁹ say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Surely I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will join them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand.”’ ²⁰ And the sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes.
²¹ “Then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; ²² and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again.  (Ezekiel 37: 15-22)

The so-called 'lost' tribes of Israel are not lost to God. He knows where each one is. He said he would gather them in  and he is beginning to so.  The Ethiopians are only one such group. Others have been discovered and some of these  are already in Israel.  The Bene Israel, a group whose DNA profiles identify them as descendants of the Cohanim (Priests), emigrated to Israel in the 1950s from India. The Bene Menashe, who believe they are descendants of the Tribe of Menashe, are from the region around the border between Myanmar and India, are recognized by some authorities as Israelites. Around 1700 have already immigrated to Israel. Another 7,200 are still in India. Other groups such as the Lemba in southern Africa have many customs similar to those of the house of Israel and have been DNA tested and found to have Semitic origins. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/136374#.VU-Ncpt01LM  In the coming years we can expect more and more of these groups to be found and brought to Israel. We must be open and ready to receive these 'long lost' brothers. Please pray against the spirit of racism and prejudice in this land.

Return, O backsliding children,” says the Lord; “for I am married to you. I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. ¹⁵ And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.¹⁶ “Then it shall come to pass, when you are multiplied and increased in the land in those days,” says the Lord, “that they will say no more, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ It shall not come to mind, nor shall they remember it, nor shall they visit it, nor shall it be made anymore.
¹⁷ “At that time Jerusalem shall be called The Throne of the Lord, and all the nations shall be gathered to it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem. No more shall they follow the dictates of their evil hearts.
¹⁸ “In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given as an inheritance to your fathers.Jeremiah 3:14-18

 

 

One of the problems I encounter when writing this blog is that events are happening so fast I cannot keep up with them. I had intended to write about the new Israeli government but others have done so in depth therefore I will not do so at this stage. YOu can read all about it on the internet. Here are some articles to get you started:

 

 http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4655837,00.html

 

 

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4655563,00.html

 

Yesterday was Jerusalem Day, the day we commemorate the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967.  I also wanted to write about that but one of my friends has done so very eloquently on her blog so I will just do a cut and paste job (with her permission) for you here.

Greetings from the Land of Israel where we have  celebrated today the 1967 reunification of the city of Jerusalem with YOM YIRUSHALAYIM (Jerusalem Day). 

Jewish youth gather outside Damascus gate on 'Jerusalem Day,' May 17, 2015.. (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)

Minor clashes with some Arabs broke out as expected when the annual flag carrying procession paraded through the Old City including the Muslim Quarter to reach the Western Wall Plaza. 

The large majority of people (mainly youth) who participated in this march, however,  sang and danced joyfully because of  their love for Jerusalem.

This day was declared a national and minor religious holiday by The Chief Rabbinate of Israel to publicly praise God for giving Israel the victory in the Six-Day War.   Finally, after 2,000 years, the fervent prayer of "Next Year in Jerusalem” had been answered.  Jerusalem has always remained central to the heart and soul of the Jewish people.

In 1978, at the Camp David ‘peace talks’, US president Jimmy Carter  pressured Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin to sign a document stating that he would agree to put the final status of Jerusalem on the bargaining table.  

Begin refused, explaining to the American president,

 “I understand that we may sacrifice a limb to save an entire body. But Jerusalem is Israel’s heart, the focus of our mission.

 http://www.jpost.com/Not-Just-News/Jerusalem-Day-City-of-peace-403116

---

As the Psalmist declared, "If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill!  If I do not remember you, let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth - If I do not exalt Jerusalem above my chief joy."  (Psalm 137:5-6)

Jerusalem has been conquered by many foreign nations over the centuries; but God in His mercy has restored Jewish sovereignty over the city of Jerusalem.  
This could be extremely significant in the prophetic timetable.  It may mean that the 'Times of the Gentiles' has been fulfilled and we are very close to Yeshua's return.
"Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled." (Luke 21:24)

A word within the name Yerushalayim is l’hashlim להשלים  which means to ‘complete, reconcile or restore’.  If something is in need of completion or restoration, it means that something is missing, damaged or destroyed and in need of repair .

                                                                                                   Stepped Stone Structure, City of David

Jerusalem has been destroyed by conquering nations and re-built forty times!  In fact, the Old City of Jerusalem today sits upon hundreds of feet of rubble – the ruins of its former destruction. 

The story of Jerusalem is the story of all humanity.  God is in the business of completing, restoring and rebuilding; He takes that which is broken or ruined and makes it whole and complete once again.

In the book of Joel, God promises to restore (l'hashlim) that which the locust have eaten (Joel 2:25).

 In the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:8-10) Yeshua tells us of a man who became totally broken, having  squandered his inheritance on wine, women and song; and yet his father (Abba) restored him to the family as a beloved son.

The people of Israel are rejoicing over the restoration of Jerusalem; but like the older brother in the story of the Prodigal son, there are some who do not wish to join in the party. Although any people will be singing, dancing and rejoicing in Israel on Jerusalem Day, not everyone is so happy about it and tensions run high in the Holy City on this day.

 

A petition by left-wing groups to prevent the traditional flag-bearing march to parade through the Muslim quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem was rejected by the High Court of Justice. As a gesture of goodwill,  some of the Jewish people handed out flowers to the Arab residents of the Old City and East Jerusalem to "show them the beautiful face of Judaism." 

In the end times, Jerusalem will be at the center of the battle, as all nations will come against her; but they will end up only injuring themselves.

" Adonai …declares: 'I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock
for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves'" (Zechariah 12:1-3).

This is when Yeshua will return to defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem  He will establish Jerusalem as the capital of His eternal Kingdom of righteousness, peace, and justice. 

"So will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem.  Defending, He will also deliver it; Passing over, He will preserve it."  (Isaiah 31:5)

 Jerusalem today may still be full of strife as nations fight and argue over who will get a piece of her; and there is still much weeping in her streets because of continual terrorist attacks; but God’s Word promises that one day, the people of Jerusalem will truly rejoice, and weeping shall no longer be heard in her.

 "I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in My people; the voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her, nor the voice of crying." (Isaiah 65:19)  

 

Thank you so much for standing so strongly with us for a united Jerusalem! We so deeply appreciate your fervent prayers and generous support!  Thank you for being faithful 'Watchmen on the  Walls'.

"I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace day or night, You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent, and give him no rest till He establishes and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth."  (Isaiah 62:6-7)

 We are so thankful to those who pray for the peace (shalom) of Jerusalem.  “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” (Psalm 122:6)

 

In the attached study on Jerusalem Day you will discover the meaning of some of the biblical names for Jerusalem; and how the prophetic destiny of this Holy City is hidden within her Hebrew name!  May this study be a blessing, encouragement and inspiration to you and others. Please feel free to share.

Blessings & Shalom,

 

 

Hannah Nesher & family

www.voiceforisrael.net

 

P.S. You may enjoy listening to Ofra Haza sing this beautiful song, Jerusalem of Gold (Yerushalayim shel Zahav) with English translation and beautiful photos of Jerusalem

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH8gtdDA5x0

 

MERCIFUL NATION

Saturday 2nd May 

I entitled my last post "Miracle Nation"  but this week I want to add another descriptive title, Israel the  "Merciful Nation". Last Shabbat our peace was again shattered by the news of yet another terrible disaster in the world, the massive earthquake in Nepal. While most of us merely watched the reports coming in on TV, others sprang to their feet, grabbed their emergency kits and headed out to their rallying points, ready to set off to aid the Nepali people in their hour of need. By nightfall the same day, 260 Israeli military personnel, including 50 doctors, and a transport plane, containing a full 100 bed field hospital with operating theatres, x-ray and other equipment, were ready to go. I believe they might well have been the first foreign response teams to arrive on the scene had the Nepalese runways been open for landings. As it was they had to wait until Monday before they could fly out. They are now in Nepal busy setting up a complete field hospital in Katmandu and helping the Nepalese with search and rescue.   

 



Members of the IDF rescue mission wait in Ben Gurion International Airport (Photo: Yoav Zitun)

 

 



Even before that our government, embassy staff and emergency personnel were busy finding and assisting the estimated 600 Israeli citizens in Nepal at the time. Within 48 hours helicopters had been hired to evacuate a number of babies, some of whom were premature babies needing special treatment, and their parents and transferring them onto planes to bring them home to Israel. They also located some climbers stranded on Mt Everest (they have since been rescued) The Israeli Embassy and the Chabad House in Katmandu threw open their doors to Israelis and  locals in need of shelter. Today all 600 or so Israelis have been flown home, except for some who chose to stay and help the Nepalis, and the one Israeli, who remains on the missing list. (His body has since been found, and he was buried here in Jerusalem today- Thursday 7th May).  

 I am always amazed how Israel does this. When Israelis are caught up in tragedy abroad we always go to their rescue and do everything possible to bring them home. I know of no other nation that does that, as one Nepali citizen waiting for evacuation at the airport commented,  
 "The sight of Israeli forces that came to rescue their citizens is unbelievable – this is the only country that treats its citizens in such a manner". http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4651339,00.html

Benyamin Netanyahu put it this way:
“Israel is operating under two principles, that Israel must help its own and that it has a responsibility to offer humanitarian assistance to Nepal and other countries around the world."
http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/11-Israelis-remain-unaccounted-for-in-quake-hit-Nepal-amid-reports-of-violence-from-locals-399425

At times like this I feel incredibly proud to be Israeli. Yet I was saddened to note that when on the BBC they listed the nations that were sending aid to Nepal, for some unknown reason (!), Israel was omitted. The same thing happened after the terrible earthquake in Haiti. In spite of the distance, Israel's search and rescue, and medical teams were the first to arrive, even ahead of those of the USA, but this fact was ignored by the majority of the international media. Israeli medical personnel stayed for months running a field hospital there, all at the expense of our own taxpayers. The world's media is always quick to accuse and blame Israel of atrocities it has supposedly committed, but turns a blind eye to all the good it does in the world.

Alan Dershowitz, the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard Law School wrote this:

Israel has proportionately more enemies than any other nation on earth. No nation has been threatened more often with divestment, boycotts, and other sanctions. No nation has generated more protests against it on college and university campuses. No nation has been targeted for as much editorial abuse from the worldwide media. No nation has been subjected to more frequent threats of annihilation. No nation has had more genocidal incitements directed against its citizens....

Indeed no nation, regardless of its size or the number of deaths it has caused, has been condemned as often by the UN and its constituent bodies. Simply put, no nation is hated as much as the Jewish nation.

Yet over the last sixty years, no nation in the world has contributed more per capita to the general welfare of the people of this planet than Israel. Israel has exported more lifesaving medical technology to the far-flung corners of the earth than any nation of comparable size. It has done more to protect the environment, to promote literature, music and the arts and sciences; and to spread agricultural advances. Its scientists and engineers have secured more patents and its high-tech entrepreneur more new listings on NASDAQ than any but the largest nations in the world. Its academics have won more international prizes, published more papers, and achieved more technological breakthroughs than any other nation of comparable size. ... *

Why is the Nation of Israel so successful? What is about Israelis that is so dynamic, and innovative?

Another headline this week asked "Why do Israelis live longer despite stress?". We are surrounded by enemies, face a difficult economic situation, live under the shadow of constant terrorist attacks, growing anti-Semitism worldwide, a hectic fast-paced lifestyle and yet, still manage to be among the countries with the longest life expectancy in the world. Ynetnews observed that, "The latest report put Israeli men in the fourth place in the world with an average life expectancy of 80.2 years, after the men of Iceland (81.2), Switzerland (80.7) and Australia (80.5). Israeli women ranked 10th with a higher life expectancy than Israeli men (84 years). An overall calculation of both sexes puts Israel in the third place with an average of 82 years – alongside countries like France, Spain, Sweden, Norway, New Zealand, Monaco, Luxemburg and Cyprus.". http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4650937,00.html

To what do Israelis owe this longevity? I believe it is to a large part the fact that we all feel like one big family. Even though, like in any family, we  often squabble and fight amongst ourselves, but in times of threat we truly believe we are our 'brother's keeper'. We believe that if we need help, someone will come to our aid. For instance, on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, Benjamin Schlesinger, a holocaust survivor, passed away. He had only one son and few living relatives. The family were afraid that there would not be enough people present at the funeral for a minyan, the minimum number (10) of men for public prayer or the reciting of the Kaddish (prayer of mourning) to take place according to Jewish law. What happened? They posted a request on Facebook and  more than  500 people, including civilians, military and police personnel, attended the funeral. This is not an isolated incident. During last years Gaza War a lone-soldier (having no family in the country), Sgt. Sean Carmeli, was killed and 20,000 people turned up for his funeral. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4547994,00.html


Experts consulted about this longevity put it down to several factors that characterize Israeli society:

• The warm family relationships that most of us enjoy. Dr Efi Gal, a psychologist, put it this way:   "We have close relations with our family members. We live relatively close to our parents and siblings, just a few minutes to two hours away from each other. They help maintain a warm relationship."
• The cohesiveness of Israeli society in face of shared threats  Compared to other countries, the Israeli society has gotten used to living alongside war and we are not so scared of traumatic events. The group cohesiveness vis-à-vis extreme threats is very high here....
• The average Israeli's high level of optimism. Prof. Gabi Ben-Dor, sociologist, said, "Optimism affects the quality of life. People want to live, fight wars, traumas, injuries, bereavement, because they believe it will pay off in the future and is the right thing to do."

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4650937,00.html

I would add a few more things to the list:

• Basic trust in God. Most Israelis, even the most secular, believe in God and have a deep belief that in the end good will win over evil. One of the catch phrases in Israeli society is ' y'hieh tov' (it will be good).  This creates a basic optimistic approach to life and provides tremendous strength in adversity.



A typical Israeli breakfast
http://creativejewishmom.typepad.com/.a/6a011570601a80970b0120a6ad1100970c-pi

• Good diet. According to the results of research published in "The Lancet Global Health" journal, Israeli nutrition was ranked ninth in the world, and best amongst western countries. The typical Israeli diet is high in fruits and vegetables, and grains, high in use of olive oil and fish,  and low in red meat proteins. The average Israeli eats salad at pretty much every meal, including breakfast. Although processed junk food is consumed by many, the amount is  less than in the USA and other Western nations. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4633821,00.html

• Excellent health services.  Our system of  health funds, based on a 6% deduction from salaries, and supplemented by government funding, with some of the best doctors and equipment in the world, and with a high focus on preventative medicine, provides all Israelis with excellent basic health care from inception to the grave.

• Resilience and determination.   The Jewish people have lived with persecution, poverty, threats to their existence, wars, the threat of extermination, banishment, exile and many other adversities for thousands of years. This has created an amazing resilience. Israelis have a determination to 'live life' and will do so with abandon, even at great risk. I have lived through two Intifadas and several wars in Israel, and have always marveled how people still go out and about and live life, going to restaurants, concerts, the beach even though there is great danger.

• A basic value of the affirmation of life.   When a Palestinian woman from Gaza, on her first visit to Tel Aviv, was asked her impressions of Israel said "the difference between you and us, is that you honor life and we honor death". That is so true. Israeli is a life affirming society. In Jewish religious law, the imperative to save a life, cancels all other laws and regulations.

 
Thursday 7 May
However this list does not include the most important factor of all, the LORD God of Israel! He said, that when He would bring back the scattered remnant from the farthest corners of the world, he would bless and prosper them, not because they deserve it, but because of His name and promises.

"And they shall rebuild the old ruins,
They shall raise up the former desolations,
And they shall repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations.
⁵ Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks,
And the sons of the foreigner
Shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.
⁶ But you shall be named the priests of the Lord,
They shall call you the servants of our God.
You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles,
And in their glory you shall boast.
⁷ Instead of your shame you shall have double honor,
And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion.Therefore in their land they shall possess double;
Everlasting joy shall be theirs

Isaiah 61 

But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ says the Lord of hosts.

¹² ‘For the seed shall be prosperous,
The vine shall give its fruit,
The ground shall give her increase,
And the heavens shall give their dew—I will cause the remnant of this people
To possess all these.
¹³ And it shall come to pass
That just as you were a curse among the nations,
O house of Judah and house of Israel,
So I will save you, and you shall be a blessing.

Zechariah 8: 11-13 

Do you think I am painting a rather too-rosy picture of Israeli society? Am I being incredibly naiive? I don't believe so. Abroad you hear so much negative press about Israel, I feel constrained to show you another side. I have lived here for 35 years and have no illusions about the people with whom I live. There is much in Israeli society that is downright rotten, and Israelis can be incredibly annoying, even obnoxious and rude,  but when the chips are down, they are just amazing. 

I want to finish with this warning. The nation that does not accept God's plan and place for Israel will be judged by the LORD God of Israel himself.

“The sons of foreigners shall build up your walls,
And their kings shall minister to you;
For in My wrath I struck you,
But in My favor I have had mercy on you.
¹¹ Therefore your gates shall be open continually;
They shall not be shut day or night,
That men may bring to you the wealth of the Gentiles,
And their kings in procession.
¹² For the nation and kingdom which will not serve you shall perish,
And those nations shall be utterly ruined.

Isaiah 60: 10-12

* Dershowitz, Alan "The Case Against Israel's Enemies" 2008 "Wiley and Sons, NJ

MIRACLE NATION

 

 

Even if there are moments when we think we've never had it this bad, even if the political situation is a source of doom and gloom for many, we should remind ourselves once a year that the reality we live in far exceeds all our dreams and expectations...

The State of Israel is a miracle.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4649829,00.html

Thus read the headlines in one of Israel's leading papers today, Israel's 67th Independence Day.

 Independence Day celebrations in Tel Aviv (Photo: Motti Kimchi)
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4649829,00.html

 'Miracle' is a word overused these days but let us pause a moment and remember what 'miracle' really means. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines 'miracle' as an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs.

From the very beginning Israel was an extraordinary nation that resulted from the divine intervention of the LORD in human affairs. We sometimes refer to the people of Israel as the 'chosen people' as if God lined up all the nations and chose Israel out of them. But this is not so. God called up one man, a man of faith, Abram (later to be renamed Abraham), and from his seed created the nation for His purposes, in order to bless all the other nations (Genesis 12: 1-3). Not only that, at least three of the four mothers of the nation of Israel, Sarah, Rebekah and Rachel, were all barren, and God supernaturally opened their wombs in order to create the nation (Genesis 11:30;Genesis 25:21 and Genesis 29:31,30:22). Scripture does not record whether Leah was also barren but it does say that God opened her womb ( Genesis 29:31). Whatever the case, the people of God, 'Am Israel, was established, called and formed by the express intervention and initiative of the LORD. A miracle nation indeed!

Through Israel, the LORD brought forth all the prophets, the revelation through history of God's love for humankind, the prophets, the Holy Scriptures, and, greatest gift of all, the Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus), through whom the world would be redeemed and saved. Should we then be surprised that modern Israel is also a 'miracle nation'?

In the early years of the nineteenth century the entire population of the region now known as Israel and the "Palestinian territories" (the West Bank, or Judah and Samaria), probably had a population of only around half a million including Jews and Arabs (1). European travelers at this time described an almost empty land with a dwindling population of Jews, Arabs and a variety of others, all afflicted by poverty and disease. Mark Twain, in 1867, described it thus

"There is not a solitary village throughout its (the Jezreel Valley) whole extent - not for thirty miles in either direction. There are two or three small clusters of Bedouin tents, but not a single permanent habitation. One may ride ten miles hereabouts and not see ten human beings ... (in reference to the Galilee) these unpeopled deserts, these rusty mounds of barrenness, that never, never, never do shake the glare from their harsh outlines, and fade and faint into vague perspective; that melancholy ruin of Capernaum; this stupid village of Tiberias, slumbering under its six funereal palms... We reached Tabor safely ... We never saw a human being on the whole route. ...Nazareth is forlorn... Jericho the accursed lies in a moldering ruin ... Bethlehem and Bethany, in their poverty and their humiliation.... Bethsaida and Chorzin have vanished from the earth, and the "desert places" around them ... sleep in the hush of a solitude that is inhabited only by birds of prey and skulking foxes" (2)

Jerusalem Early Twentieth Century



http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Jerusalem_panorama_early_twentieth_century2.jpg

 



Jerusalem 2011

On the Eve of this year's Independence Day the population of Israel stands at 8,345,000, 75% of which are Jewish, and 21% Arab. In 1948, at the establishment of the state, the population stood at only 806,000. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4649494,00.html  This represents a 1000 fold increase in just 67 years.




Tel Aviv in 1909
http://www.museodiromaintrastevere.it/var/museicivici/storage/images/musei/museo_di_roma_in_trastevere/mostre_ed_eventi/mostre/cento_volte_primavera_fotografie_di_tel_aviv_dal_1909_ad_oggi/288567-13-ita-IT/cento_volte_primavera_fotografie_di_tel_aviv_dal_1909_ad_oggi_large.jpg

Tel Aviv Today

http://israelvalley.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/files/000/010/781/original/tel_aviv_3.jpg?1396947420

If you want to see more photos of this modern miracle nation, take a look at this website

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4650018,00.html

By the way, I happened to be standing on Mt Arbel when the photograph of it was taken by the photographer, Israel Bardugo,  in a helicopter. Here he is - in his helicopter:

 

 

Since 1948, in spite of all the odds, Israel has flourished.  Here is a list of just some of the accomplishments of modern Israel as compiled by  Rabbi John Rosove two years ago:

•     Israel is the only country in the Middle East that based its principles of government on both democratic liberal values and on the values of the Biblical prophets.
•     Israel is the largest immigrant-absorbing nation on earth.
•     Israel has the world's second highest per capita rate of published books.
•     Israel is the only nation on earth that resurrected an ancient language, Hebrew, as its national language.
•     Israeli poets and song writers are regarded as heroes.
•     Israel is the only country in the world that entered the 21st century with a net gain in its number of trees.
•     Israel has more museums per capita than any country.
•     Israel developed the cell phone, Windows NT and XP operating systems, Pentium MMX Chip technology, the Pentium-4 microprocessor, the Centrino Processor, voice mail technology, and AOL Instant Messenger ICQ.
•     Israel has the highest per capita rate of home computers in the world.
•     Israel designed the airline industry's most impenetrable flight security system.
•     Israel designed and implemented the Iron Dome Defense system.
•     Israel has the highest ratio of university degrees in the world.
•     Israel produces more scientific papers per capita than any other nation, and one of the highest per capita rates of patents filed.
•     Israel has the third highest rate of entrepreneurship in the world.
•     Israel is second in the world in the number of start-up companies behind only the U.S.
•     Israel has the world’s largest per capita number of biotech start-ups.
•     Israel has the third largest number of NASDAQ listed companies, behind the U.S. and Canada, and is ranked second for venture capital funds.
•     Israel has the highest average living standard in the Middle East.
•     24% of Israel’s workforce holds university degrees, ranking third in the industrialized world; 12% hold advanced degrees.
•     Israel leads the world in the number of scientists and technicians in the workforce.
•     Israel is a world leader in water renewal, recycling, desalination, and solar heating.
•     Israel invented the drip irrigation system used around the world.
•     An Israeli company is developing a toilet that needs no water and generates its own power to turn solid waste into sterile and odorless fertilizer in 30 seconds, thereby affecting 1.1 billion people who do not use a toilet.
•     An Israeli scientist has developed a way to preserve 50% of every grain and pulse harvest lost to pests and mold in the developing world.
•     Israel won international praise for the speed and expertise with which it responded to a 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti that killed 300,000 by sending a team of 240  Israeli doctors, nurses, rescue and relief workers to set up an advanced field hospital to work in search-and-rescue missions.
•     An Israeli company developed a water purification system that delivers safe drinking water from contaminated water, seawater and even urine thereby addressing the tragedy of 1.6 million children under the age of five who die annually from untreated drinking water in developing nations.
•     Israeli scientists developed the first fully computerized, no-radiation, diagnostic instrumentation for breast cancer.
•     Hadassah medical researchers found the gene that causes liver disease, thus paving the way for new treatments for alcoholism.
•     Tel Aviv University Scientists say a nutritional supplement commonly sold in health food stores can delay the advance of degenerative brain disorders such as Parkinson’s disease.
•     Israel's Given Imaging developed the first ingestible video camera, so small it fits inside a pill that can view the small intestine from the inside to detect for cancer and digestive disorders.
•     Israeli researchers developed a device that helps the heart pump blood that is synchronized with a camera that helps doctors diagnose the heart’s mechanical operations through a system of sensors.
•     An Israeli company developed a computerized system for ensuring proper administration of medications, thus removing human error from medical treatment.

http://www.jewishjournal.com/rabbijohnrosovesblog/item/israel_on_her_65th_birthday_taking_pride_in_her_accomplishments

If you are thinking about boycotting Israeli products or academics, think twice!!! You may be shooting yourself in the foot (you would have to throw away your cell phone and computer - just for a start!). Modern Israel is truly fulfilling her God-given calling to bless the world.

(For more go to http://israel21c.org/technology/israels-top-45-greatest-inventions-of-all-time-2/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Israeli_inventions_and_discoveries
http://israel21c.org/social-action-2/the-top-65-ways-israel-is-saving-our-planet/)

 

 Yet, all this is nothing compared with what will be. For as the Apostle Paul said of his brethren, Israel:

I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. ¹² Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!       

Romans 11: 11-12.

 THE BEST IS YET TO COME!

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4648587,00.html
 (1) Dershowitz, Alan " The Case for Israel"  2003 John Wiley and Sons
 (2) Twain, Mark "The Innocents Abroad" Oxford University Press, NY, 1996 pp. 485,508,520,607-608.

LEST WE FORGET

 

Lord, how they have increased who trouble me!
Many are they who rise up against me.
² Many are they who say of me,
“There is no help for him in God.” Selah

³ But You, O Lord, are a shield for me,
My glory and the One who lifts up my head.
⁴ I cried to the Lord with my voice,
And He heard me from His holy hill. Selah

⁵ I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the Lord sustained me.
⁶ I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who have set themselves against me all around.

⁷ Arise, O Lord;
Save me, O my God!
For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone;
You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.
⁸ Salvation belongs to the Lord.
Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah

Psalm 3  

 

As I sit down to write the air is filled with the wailing of the muezzin calling the Muslim faithful to prayer, a reminder of the fact that the LORD's redemption of this, His Holy City, is not yet complete. Every time I hear the muezzin it prompts me to prayer, that soon they will be silenced, and only the voice of the God of Israel will be heard in this city.

 

YOM HASHOAH

A Holocaust survivor lighting the flame at Yad Vashem
http://www.blog.standforisrael.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/
YomHashoahYadVashem2015.jpg

It has been a solemn week here in Israel as we observed Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. Flags fly at half-mast and all places of entertainment are closed. The sirens sounded at 10AM and all cars stop, and people everywhere stand in silence for two minutes as we remember those 6 million Jews who were murdered by the Nazi Regime during World War II. Every settlement, village and neighborhood has its own memorial ceremonies, and at the official national memorial ceremony, held at Yad Vashem (the Holocaust Museum), the names of the Jews who perished are read out, lest we forget that those 6 million ‘statistics’ were real, living people, with names and lives and families.  Survivors of the Holocaust, now elderly men and women, give testimony and light torches, lest we forget that in spite of the horrors they experienced, they not only survived but overcame all the odds and lived a full life, marrying and raising children, and grand-children and great grandchildren. This is the proof of victory. Hitler and his henchmen tried to destroy ‘Am Israel’ (the people of Israel) but not only did he fail, the Holocaust provided the motivation for the establishment of the State of Israel, and the survivors came and worked and struggled to make it the amazing, wonderful nation it is today. What a testimony!

MEMORIAL DAY

This coming week we will be commemorating the 23,320 soldiers and victims of terror who have fallen since the arrival of the first Zionists in the 19th Century, including the 116 who have perished in this last year, and the one killed just this week in yet another terror attack in Jerusalem*. It too is a solemn day.  Ceremonies are held at the Mt Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem and in every town, village and neighborhood. Sirens again sound and we all stand in silent contemplation and respect, remembering those who have given their lives in defense of us all. Immediately upon the end of Memorial Day, we switch gears and begin to celebrate Independence Day, our 67th. It is sometimes hard to make that switch but it is fitting, for our Independence has only been won through the shedding of much blood. Always our celebrations are underlain by sadness; that has long been the lot of the Jewish people and so it is still. Only when Messiah comes will he wipe away the tears and our joy be untarnished by grief.

* Before I even got to publish this news is coming in today (Sunday 19th) of yet another victim of a terror attack in the Sharon region, a cyclist run down by a car, bringing the number killed this year to 117

ANZAC DAY

And we are not alone. This week too, New Zealand and Australia commemorate ANZAC Day, which commemorates the landings of the Australian and New Zealand forces on the beaches of Gallipoli in Turkey during the First World War, exactly 100 years ago this year. During those landings, 5709 Australian and 2721 New Zealand soldiers were killed and many more wounded. This was a serious blow for those fledgling nations and awakened strong nationalistic feelings. This tragedy is credited with igniting the beginning of independent national identities in Australia and New Zealand.  This year, the centenary year, large public celebrations will be held in both nations on ANZAC Day which is the 25th April. 

Today news is coming in of a massive police operation in Melbourne, Australia, in which  they captured 5 Muslim young men who had been plotting a terrorist  attack during the ANZAC celebrations in that city. The Australian Federal Police Acting Deputy Commissioner, Neil Gaughan,  said  that they have evidence that has led them to believe it was ISIS inspired. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-18/five-arrested-in-melbourne-after-a-joint-terrorism-operation/6402810. This particular plot has been foiled but it raises fears that there may be other cells or individuals plotting other attacks. This all just underlines the seriousness of the Salafi Muslim threat, not just to the Middle East and Israel, but also to the whole free world.  Many are our enemies that rise up against us!!!

IRAN DEAL

In my last post I wrote of the deal signed between Obama and his allies and Iran regarding Iran's nuclear program and the lifting of sanctions. It now seems we have all been misinformed. It now is becoming apparent that no such deal was signed.

A well-known Israeli commentator, Shoula Romano Horing, an attorney, claims that,

 Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was correct when he said on April 9 that the White House was lying about what the Americans call a framework agreement regarding the Iranian nuclear program.
 

Iran Agreement

The soft power of diplomacy actually works / Aviad Kleinberg Op-ed: American sanctions led to the rise of a pragmatic regime in Iran, which isholding talks to freeze its nuclear program and silently cooperating with US efforts to restrain radical Sunni forces. Full op-ed

Obama is untruthful when he repeatedly claims that Iran has agreed to a detailed and comprehensive nuclear framework agreement. Iran has never signed or agreed to the framework agreement. The framework agreement, with its many specific numbers, productions limits and specific deadlines, is an Obama and Kerry wish list of their own best case scenario of a futuristic agreement.

 
Two documents were produced in Switzerland on April 2. The first document is a detailed US fact sheet titled, "Parameters for a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Nuclear Program," which the Americans refer to as "The Framework Agreement," which Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry and the media have repeatedly discussed.

The second document is a thin, page and a half statement read jointly by European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, which lacked any of the details, numbers, and deadlines mentioned in the framework agreement. Those two documents contradict each other on many points and reveal Obama and Kerry's dangerous lies. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4647981,00.html

Horing is not alone in her belief. This week Senator McCain also accused Kerry and Obama of fabricating the 'agreement', saying  in a radio interview with radio host, Hugh Hewitt,

"I can't blame the ayatollah, because I don't think they ever agreed to it," McCain said. "And I think John Kerry tried to come back and sell a bill of goods, hoping maybe that the Iranians wouldn't say much about it."

In response to Senator McCain's accusations, Secretary of State, John Kerry responded thus," It's an unusual affirmation of our facts that come from Russia, but Russia has said that what we've set out is reliable and accurate". http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2015/04/12/john-kerry-so-far-iran-has-lived-up-to-its-end-of-nuclear-deal/ 

What has the USA come to when it has to rely on the witness of Russia to support its acts? Russia is no impartial observer in the situation. It has a strong stake in the lifting of sanctions against Iran, and it has wasted no time in taking advantage of the supposed lifting of sanctions, under the 'deal', to sell an advanced S-300 anti-aircraft missile system to Iran. Israel's Intelligence Minister, Yuval Steinitz, responded to this news thus:

 "Instead of demanding Iran put an end to the terrorism its instigates in the Mideast and around the world, it is being allowed to attain advanced arms which will only spur its aggressions...While Iran disregards article after article of the agreement reached last week, the international community is already begun to ease restrictions on it...
 
This is a direct result of the legitimacy that Iran obtained from the emerging nuclear deal...
 
This is proof that Iran will enjoy (an)economic surge in wake of the removal of sanctions which it will use for arming itself and not for the benefit of the Iranian people."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4646752,00.html


Russia is also standing behind Iran in its support of the Houthis insurgency in Yemen, and justifies its sale of the S-300 system in the belief  that "the conflict in Yemen will eventually lead to a direct clash between the Iranians and the Saudis, which will lead to a Saudi attack on the Iranian nuclear facilities".
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4646869,00.html
 
THE LATTER RAINS

This week Israel has been blessed with a drenching of later-than-usual latter rains. In the early hours of Wednesday morning we were all awakened by the crashing of thunder and the clatter of hail on our roofs. Over the several following hours around 40 mm of rain fell on the city, flooding dozens of homes and cars across the city. Several of my friends had their homes flooded. When I set off for work I was surprised to find the ground outside my building white like snow. It was a thick layer of hail.

Hail in Givat Ze'ev (Photo: Tehila Menachem)
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4647639,00.html

 

Flooding in Silwan (Photo: Jerusalem field researchers)
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4647639,00.html

Though most of the world has been enjoying warmer-than-usual April weather we have been having an extended winter. I cannot remember having such heavy rain in April. Usually by now it is easing off and the most we can expect is a few showers. Traditionally it always seems to rain on Independence Day when we are all outside enjoying our mangals (barbecues), and according to the weather forecasts, this year will be no exception. Nevertheless, whatever the weather, we will be celebrating the goodness of the Lord, in that we have survived one  more year, the 67th of the modern State of Israel. Please pray that we as a people will give the glory to God, who has preserved us and brought us back to the Chosen Land.

Salvation belongs to the Lord.
Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah
Psalm 3:8

 

 

A PRECIOUS, GOOD AND SPACIOUS LAND

"We thank You, LORD, our God, for having given as a heritage to our fathers a precious, good and spacious land"

 

 from the Passover Haggadah

 

Wildflowers at Gamla on the Golan Heights

Saturday 4 April

These words from the Passover Haggadah, read at the Seder which we celebrated last evening, resonate with my heart that is still full of the joy of a mini-vacation in the Galilee from which I have just returned. What a precious, good and spacious  land the LORD has indeed given us. The Galilee is so green and lush, and full of wonderfully colorful flowers, after our abundant winter rains this year. Here are some more photos of the Galilee in Spring.

 

Styrax trees in bloom, Agmon HaHula

 For around 3500 years Israelites have been celebrating the Passover, commemorating and thanking the LORD for the time when the people of Israel were set free from slavery to the Egyptian Pharaohs and brought to the Promised Land by the 'outstretched hand' of the LORD. The Passover was instituted by the LORD himself, even before the Passover occurred, when he commanded Moses to prepare for the final plague, the killing of the first-born of Egypt (Exodus 12). The Passover lamb was to be killed, its blood spread on the lintels of the doors of the people of Israel, so that their first-born would be spared.

 

During the long years of the Second Exile from the Land, Jews concluded the Seder with the words " this year here, but next year, Lord willing, we will celebrate it in Jerusalem." What a joy and a privilege it is to now be able to celebrate it in Jerusalem as a free people. The LORD has restored the Land to Israel, Jerusalem is being rebuilt, and the desert has begun to bloom. The Second Coming of the Messiah Yeshua is drawing near and He will establish the New Jerusalem, so we can now conclude our Seder saying, "Next Year in Jerusalem!".




The Mount of Beatitudes from the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee)

Wildflowers

 The Passover Seder is rich in prophetic symbolism and meaning for all Jews, but even more so for those who follow the Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus). If you have not done so, I would recommend reading the Haggadah, which is available online in translation and with explanations.

Two of the symbols that speak most powerfully to me in the Passover Seder are the shankbone of a lamb and the afikoman.


Of course the shankbone symbolizes the Passover Lamb and  the Bible clearly identifies Yeshua with the Passover Lamb (for example: John 1:29,35; Revelation 5:12). 



The meaning of the afikoman is more controversial. Towards the beginning of the seder the afikoman, the middle of three pieces of matza, is broken and hidden away. Later the children search for the hidden piece and when they find it they are given a gift. The meaning of the afikoman and the three pieces of matza are not explained during the seder and the origins of these traditions are lost in the mists of time. Today the three matzot are explained by the Rabbis as symbolizing either the three Fathers of Israel, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, or  the three categories of Israelites, the Priests (Cohanim), the Levites and the People. Messianic commentators however often link them to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Similarly there is much debate over the meaning of the word afikoman. This Greek word is believed by most Jews today to mean 'dessert' or 'that which comes after' since a small piece is eaten at the end of the seder, replacing the lamb that was eaten before the fall of the Second Temple.  At least one eminent Jewish scholar, David Daube however believed the word means 'he has come', which would thus link it with Yeshua, the Messiah who has come.



Swallowtail butterfly on Splendid Centaury

Sunday 5 April

Today is Easter Sunday or Resurrection Sunday and the Jewish Festival of the First Fruits, the Sunday after the first Shabbat of the Passover.  Because of the differences in the ways the calendars are calculated this occurs only rarely.

You might be wondering what the Festival of the First Fruits is. God instituted this festival as follows:

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁰ “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest. ¹¹ He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. ¹² And you shall offer on that day, when you wave the sheaf, a male lamb of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering to the Lord. 
Leviticus 23: 9-12

It is significant that Yeshua rose on the Festival of the First Fruits, since he was both the first and only son of the Father, and the first 'fruit' of the Resurrection, and that he was raised up before God, for our acceptance as children of God.
This festival, like the Passover itself, is closely linked to the promised land of Israel. The Festival of the First Fruits was only to be celebrated after the people of Israel entered into the Promised Land, and it began to yield its harvest.

This emphasizes the close connection between the people of Israel and the land of Israel. Even during the long years of Israel's exile these festivals served to maintain those links, and they once more take on new meaning as the people return and settle once more in their promised land.

As I travelled the Galilee last week I fell in love with the Land once again. It was clothed in all its lush Spring glory - a land of plenty, richness and great beauty, indeed. Yet for all that, I could not escape the fact that our hold on this Land is in danger. Distant booms, combat helicopters overhead and tanks gathering in the fields were reminders of the fact that our enemies surround us and grow ever more threatening.  Below is a photo I took that sums it all up for me - a land of milk and honey, and ... tanks.

The tank is facing the border with Syria, where only about 30 km away the Islamic State (ISIS) forces were moving into and occupying the Yarmouk Palestinian Refugee Camp, on the outskirts of Damascus. They now occupy about 90% of that camp.  At the same time  the IDF is warning us that in the next war with Hezbollah in the north, we can expect 1200 missiles to be fired into Israel from Lebanon every day http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4643066,00.html.  Meanwhile in the south, Hamas is busy building tunnels and bunkers, and rearming itself, for the next Gaza war. On a wider circumference the Houthis in Yemen are making inroads in the city of Aden,  ISIS continues to spread its rule and ideological poison, and 148, mainly Christian, students are killed by the salafist Somali terror group, al-Shabab, on the Garissa University campus in Kenya. Obama and his allies have signed a deal with Iran which will lift sanctions and improve the Iranian economy which funds much of the Islamic terrorism world wide. It is ominous that the Iranian representatives went home smiling after signing the deal.

If it wasn't for the LORD's promises in Scripture I would despair. The darkness  all around us seems to be growing deeper and closer by the second. Our own resources are puny in comparison. However I do trust that, although war seems inevitable in the near future, God will continue to protect Israel supernaturally, as he has done for 3500 years, and promises to do until Messiah returns and establishes the New Jerusalem.  That is our hope and our light in this darkness. Please pray with me for the people of Israel, that in these perilous days they will call out to God for salvation, as they did in Egypt so long ago, trust in Him and find the true peace in His Messiah, Yeshua.



 

The Sea of Galilee and Migdal (home of Mary Magdalene) from Mt Arbel