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

JERUSALEM 50 YEARS ON

 

 

The longest day is still a few days away but summer has definitely arrived in Jerusalem.  The summer anticyclone has settled over the Middle East where it will stay until winds from the north disturb it in the Fall, three months from now.  Daily temperatures will hover around 32 degrees C but, thanks to our altitude, temperatures at night can drop to a pleasant 18 degrees, even necessitating a light jacket or sweater  out of doors, even in mid-summer.  No rain falls at all during this period and the monotony of the hot, sunny days is broken only by the arrival of the even-hotter sharavs, hot dry winds from the deserts to the east and south, which can push the temperature up to 40 degrees, drop the humidity to almost zero, and bring choking dust storms. Fortunately these are rare. One of the things I like about living in Israel is the predictability of the climate. It makes it easy to plan outings and activities without having to have "Plan B" in case of rain.

 

 Summer in Jerusalem is party time. Israeli school children are on vacation from the end of June until September, and shopping malls and watering holes are generally full of happy children and stressed-out mothers. Outdoor concerts, festivals and activities abound for the whole family. There is never a shortage of things to do. During the day however it is too hot to feel like doing much more than swimming or lounging about at the pool, but at night Jerusalem comes alive. Street cafes and restaurants fill up as we  go out to eat and drink with our friends, or just to stroll around the streets. Jerusalem abounds in great restaurants.  

 

As we Jerusalemites embark on the 50th year since Jerusalem's reunification in 1967 I cannot but marvel at what has been accomplished in that time. Gone are the barbed wire barriers and the minefields that once divided the city.  East and West Jerusalem are united and  both Jews and Arabs can travel around freely, at least theoretically.

Divided Jerusalem - pre 1967

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUnm9aqtjZ6yZUmW6Jz7nBDQ0Qf-2tISzx0rcMKczN1kLifKg5MhdeNXIbnhgSUJfESLijjYUjLuv3HuWB8UK7zx_rq7eHboJ7X0v1ARKl8v_vj0AOWdPabvnERcPGX4wHFgTPy8tsF1sq/s1600/divided+1.jpg 

 The barbed wire is gone now but divisions still exist. There are parts of the city I dare not enter, the Arab villages of East Jerusalem,  and should I mistakenly stray, I would be at risk of being stoned, sexually molested or even killed.  Arabs on the other hand can freely come to West Jerusalem and in fact many work and play alongside the Jewish population quite happily. 

Frequently we hear voices raised claiming that, because of the ongoing unrest and terrorism, it is time to once more divide the city. However it would be impossible, both for East and West Jerusalem.  In the 49 years since reunification we have become interdependent. In West Jerusalem (the Jewish side), 69% of construction workers, 55% of transportation, storage and postal workers, and 42% of management and support, 40% of hospitality and dining and 34% of commerce workers are Arabs from East Jerusalem. In contrast only 5% of East Jerusalem workers find employment in the Palestinian Authority areas http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4813255,00.html.

And that is the bottom line, we need them and they need us.  Not only that, most of the time we get along just fine. Most Palestinian Arabs want nothing more than to raise a family in peace and work with honor. The terrorists represent only a small fraction of the population. In spite of Hamas' and ISIS' calls for a popular uprising (Intifada) against Israel in recent months, it has not happened. Most Palestinian Arabs do not want terror and unrest any more than we do.

We also hear a lot about the Separation Wall, which was built towards the end of the Second Intifada around parts of the city to protect residents from terror attacks originating in Palestinian controlled areas.  This wall prevents the free movement of Arabs in the West Bank into Jerusalem although they can receive permits to enter for work, study or health reasons. Crossing the checkpoints however can take hours and causes great distress for those who must cross them to work each day.




Palestinian workers queuing at the Checkpoint from Bethlehem
https://nearthejordanvalley.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/dsc04133.jpg
 

 Even so, the wall is not complete and West Bank Palestinians often illegally cross  into Israel either through the gaps or, as can be seen in the photo below, by other means.



Map of the Separation Wall showing the existing wall in red.
http://www.poica.org/upload/images/2005/1124965889.jpg

 

Palestinians crossing "The Wall" into Israel
http://static1.972mag.com/wp-content/uploads//2013/07/wall.jpg

Israeli citizens and residents however are forbidden to enter Palestinian areas by law. If I was to go into Bethlehem, for example, which lies just 1.5 km from my home, I would have to sign a paper absolving the Israeli government of any responsibility for my welfare or rescue. That is not a risk I am willing to take. We hear a lot about the restrictions and hardships caused to the Palestinians by the separation, but few seem to realize that Israelis are even more restricted. There are many places on the West Bank I would love to visit but cannot.  

 



Sign warning Israelis not to enter a forbidden area
http://www.thelibertybeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Psychological-Warfare.jpg

 In spite of these grim and sad realities Jerusalem is still a vibrant, amazing city. It is perhaps one of the most beautiful cities in the world with its stunning panoramic views and golden hued-light.  However as you look out across Jerusalem from one of its many vantage points you see much more than just a beautiful city.  You see before  you written in stone and geography, a record of human history.  As Benjamin Disraeli once said,

 " The view of Jerusalem is the history of the world; it is more, it is the history of earth and of heaven."
  http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/b/benjamindi401171.html

 

 

And that history is still being written. Far from being a dead archaeological site, it is a living, breathing city in which around 800,000 residents, Jews, Arabs and others, live, work and play.  Our city fathers have done much in recent times to make this a beautiful city in which to live. It is full of wonderful parks, green spaces, gardens and fascinating architecture. 

 



A cool shady spot in the Mt Scopus Botanical Garden

Life however is not always so tranquil. I had hoped to write a post without mention of terrorism but sadly it is not to be - not yet anyway. Although the situation has calmed considerably, terror continues.  This week four Molotov cocktails were thrown at a house in my neighborhood from the neighboring village of Jebel Mukaber. One scorched the house and the others set the garden on fire. No one was injured. Police blocked off the main entry points to the village and searched for the perpetrators. Four Palestinians from Hebron, who were illegally living in the village, were arrested. Earlier in the week a bus was stoned causing injuries to some of the passengers.

Scorch marks on the house

Police block the roads out of Jebel Mukaber
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4817077,00.html

Last week two Palestinians dressed in smart business suits entered the popular Max Brenner chocolate restaurant in the Sarona Market in Tel Aviv. No one paid them any attention until they suddenly pulled out guns and began shooting, killing 4 and injuring 16.  One of the terrorists was shot and detained at the scene but the other fled down the street.http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4813930,00.html 

In a bizarre sequel, a local family fleeing the restaurant  inadvertently invited the fleeing terrorist into their home, thinking he was also an innocent civilian fleeing the scene. The husband, a policeman, grabbed his gun and cap, and ran back to the restaurant to help and only then realized that the detained terrorist was wearing exactly the same clothes as the man hiding in his home with his family. Then the penny dropped - his family were sheltering the second terrorist!  Fearing for their safety he rushed back in time to arrest the terrorist and save his family. http://www.timesofisrael.com/cops-wife-explains-how-they-sheltered-shaking-tel-aviv-terrorist/ The wife of the policeman had this to say of the incident, “I do my best to remember the great miracle we experienced”.

It was not the only miracle that night. One family of tourists from Australia had an uncomfortable feeling in the restaurant moments before the attack and left, probably saving them from injury or death. The son of another family, personally known to me, also had a bad feeling and they left the restaurant just minutes before the attack. Praise God for these miracles. How important it is that we stay tuned into God and listen to these promptings of the Spirit! 

As always the international press reported the news of this attack in a biased way. CNN put terrorist into quotation marks as if there were some question whether this was a terrorist attack or not. The BBC shied away from using the word 'terror' or 'terrorist' altogether and just called it a 'shopping center attack' and a 'shooting incident', while Sky News reported a 'mass shooting'. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4813964,00.html 
Let's call a spade a spade and a terror attack a terror attack!  I am sure if a similar attack occurred in the UK or the USA they would have no qualms about using the word 'terror'. Why should it be different for Israel?

As tempers rise with the temperature, and Ramadan reaches its climax, please pray for quiet this summer - quiet within our cities and also on our volatile borders.
 
I am off now for a few days in the desert and I will be back soon to update the blog.

I wish the northerners a great summer, and the southerners a mild and pleasant winter.

JERUSALEM DAY 

and the 

 YEAR OF JUBILEE

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who love you.
 Peace be within your walls,
Prosperity within your palaces.”
 For the sake of my brethren and companions,
I will now say, “Peace be within you.”
 Because of the house of the Lord our God
I will seek your good.

Psalm 122: 6-9

Jerusalem Day 2016  begins this evening and marks the completion of 49 years since the reunification of Jerusalem and the beginning of the 50th year, the Year of Jubilee.

Under the UN Partition Plan of 1947 the land of Israel was to be partitioned between the Jews and the Arabs and, Jerusalem and Bethlehem were to be international cities.

The Partition Plan
By Zero0000A/RES/181(II) - m0103_1b.gif on PLAN OF PARTITION is from UNGA Resolution 181 (27 Nov 1947). Overdrawn UNSCOP boundary is from United Nations Special Committee on Palestine, Report to the General Assembly, 3 Sep 1947, Volume II, A/364, Add. 1., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27649381

On 14 May 1948 Israel was declared an independent state according to the plan but the following day Israel was attacked by a confederation of Arab states. The 10 month war resulted in victory for Israel in that it not only kept its allotted territory but it also captured around 50% of the land allotted to the Arabs.  Jordan (then Transjordan) occupied the West Bank and the eastern part of Jerusalem, dividing the city, and Egypt occupied the Gaza Strip.  Its interesting that those who cry out against Israel's occupation of these areas have little to say about this earlier occupation of land that was supposed to be under the rule of the local Arab population.  



Jordan remained in control of East Jerusalem, including the Old City and the Temple Mount until the Six Day War in 1967.  Jerusalem was divided by a barbed wire barrier and minefields during this time and Jews were not permitted to pray at the Western Wall nor go up onto the Temple Mount.

In 1967 Israel launched a preemptive strike against Egypt and the five neighboring Arab states and their allies, which were planning a massive invasion of Israel. This brief war  resulted in a decisive victory for Israel and it captured all of the West Bank from Jordan, the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt and the Golan Heights from Syria.  

After the Six Day War

By User:Ling.Nutderivative work: Rafy - Six_Day_War_Terrritories.png, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16891593

 The capture of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount occurred on the 7 June 1967, bringing Jerusalem under Jewish control for the first time since the Roman conquest 2000 years earlier.  Listen to the historic radio announcement of the  capture of the Old City and the Western Wall - its in Hebrew but the translation is given on the site. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/1967lib.html

Commander Motta Gur speaking to his brigade upon their capture of the Old City and the Temple Mount, said this:

“For some two thousand years the Temple Mount was forbidden to the Jews. Until you came — you, the paratroopers — and returned it to the bosom of the nation. The Western Wall, for which every heart beats, is ours once again. Many Jews have taken their lives into their hands throughout our long history, in order to reach Jerusalem and live here. Endless words of longing have expressed the deep yearning for Jerusalem that beats within the Jewish heart..You have been given the great privilege of completing the circle, of returning to the nation its capital and its holy center...Jerusalem is yours forever.”

This is the speech made by General Shlomo Goren , the IDF Chief Rabbi, to the victorious Israeli soldiers:

“I am speaking to you from the plaza of the Western Wall, the remnant of our Holy Temple. ‘Comfort my people, comfort them, says the Lord your God.’ This is the day we have hoped for, let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation. The vision of all generations is being realized before our eyes: The city of God, the site of the Temple, the Temple Mount and the Western Wall, the symbol of the nation’s redemption, have been redeemed today by you, heroes of the Israel Defense Forces. By doing so you have fulfilled the oath of generations, ‘If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its cunning.’ Indeed, we have not forgotten you, Jerusalem, our holy city, our glory. In the name of the entire Jewish people in Israel and the Diaspora, I hereby recite with supreme joy, Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who has kept us in life, who has preserved us, and enabled us to reach this day. This year in Jerusalem – rebuilt! “
–General Shlomo Goren, Chaplain of the Israeli Defense Forces, at the Western Wall

Within weeks the barriers and minefields were removed and Jews, Moslem Arabs and Christians could freely visit the Temple Mount and pray at their holy sites. Israel pledged to preserve the religious freedom for all faiths in Jerusalem. The then Minister of Defense, Moshe Dayan, made this statement: 

 

To our Arab neighbors we extend, especially at this hour, the hand of peace. To members of the other religions, Christians and Muslims, I hereby promise faithfully that their full freedom and all their religious rights will be preserved. We did not come to Jerusalem to conquer the Holy Places of others.

http://www.sixdaywar.org/content/ReunificationJerusalem.asp

Soldiers dancing after the capture of the Western Wall

The shofar is blown



Soldiers praying and kissing the Wall after its capture
http://images1.ynet.co.il/PicServer4/2015/06/03/6089607/608957812922390183103no.jpg

http://media.cmgdigital.com/shared/lt/lt_cache/thumbnail/960/img/photos/2014/01/09/ef/c2/paratroopers.jpg

Jerusalem Day today is marked by the Parade of Flags which winds through the streets and in to the Old City culminating at the Western Wall. Other celebrations take place around the city.

Jerusalem Day on the Western Wall Plaza with the restored Jewish Quarter of the Old City in the background
http://bokertov.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451bc4a69e20168eba13a93970c-800wi

http://israelstreet.org/?p=11057
 

How precious it is to live in this place. Sometimes I find myself taking it for granted in the midst of the busy round of life. However to be able to walk freely in this beautiful city and to pray at its holy sites is a great privilege. How many songs, great works of art and prayers of longing have been poured out for this city - the city God chose for his holy dwelling place.  What does it mean that we are now entering the Year of Jubilee for this rebuilt, thriving restored Jerusalem? I do not know but I think it must have great significance in the holy realm.

I am reminded of the lament of Yeshua (Jesus), that touched my heart and brought me here so many years ago.

“O Jerusalem, O Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!   Behold, your house is forsaken and desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord'.

Matthew 23:37

Yeshua knew as he cried these words, with such pain and longing in his heart, that soon he would die and then Jerusalem would be destroyed and her people exiled. Now 2000 years later the remnant of the exiles are being physically gathered from the nations and Jerusalem is once more in Jewish hands. Perhaps this year of Jubilee will signal a new moving of the Spirit heralding the spiritual restoration of Israel? There are signs of this beginning to happen (see my previous post). Please pray for the spiritual restoration of the people of Israel. Yeshua said he will not return to Jerusalem until the people say " Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord".

THE KING IS COMING !!

http://www.restoringisrael.org/files/Yeshua_Returns_to_Destroy_Armies.jpg

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4809642,00.html

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ISRAEL

 

And all nations will call you blessed,
For you will be a delightful land,”
Says the Lord of hosts.   

 Malachi 3:12

http://www.israel21c.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Ashkelon-kids-YH-flash90.jpg

 

Last week the modern state of Israel celebrated its 68th birthday.  As Remembrance Day, in which we honor Israel's  23,447 fallen soldiers and victims of terror, a day of sadness and tears, drew to  a close on the eve of May the 12th, people gathered in every city, town and neighborhood to celebrate Independence Day with music, singing, dancing, ceremonies, and fireworks displays. The following day  parks and beaches were filled to overflowing as we enjoyed barbecues, picnics, visits to army bases and the traditional Air Force display.  For this one day we forget our differences and rejoice together, as one big warm, happy family, just thankful to be alive and to be in our own land again.

 

http://mendelistreethotel.com/sites/default/files/styles/hp_rooms/public/o-israel-independence-day-facebook.jpg?itok=D0AWiozr

 

 

 

Independence Day, Sacher Park Jerusalem

http://cdn.timesofisrael.com/uploads/2016/05/F090531DS13.jpg

 

Sometimes as I travel around this amazing little land I am filled with awe at what has been accomplished here in just 68 years. God has truly blessed Israel in spite of all our difficulties. In this tiny land, smaller than  New Jersey (or Otago for you Kiwis), which is mostly arid desert or rugged mountains, with little arable land and few natural resources, Israeli's have created a prosperous, modern democratic state, second to none in the world in many respects. On Independence Day Ynetnews published 20 beautiful photos from around Israel. Take a look on http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4802294,00.html

Size of Israel ( drawn to scale in blue) compared
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/relative.html 

 

On May 14th, 1948, Israel was declared a State and the following day a  confederation of  six Arab nations, led by Egypt, attacked. Below is a photo of the headlines of the Jewish newspaper, The Palestine Post, published two days later. Note the headline which reads "Egyptian Air Force Spitfires Bomb Tel Aviv; One Shot Down", and below it "2 Columns Cross Southern Border". The War of Independence lasted roughly 8 months and in spite of being vastly outnumbered and outgunned, Israel not only survived but even expanded its territory.


 

 

 

https://flashtrafficblog.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/israel.jpg?w=550

 

We have come a very long way since then.  At the end of the War of Independence Israel was not only impoverished by the war, and grieving for the 6000 lost lives, but it also had to absorb hundreds of thousands of Jewish refugees from the enemy Arab nations. Yet in 2015 Israel was ranked 18th in the world according to the UN's Human Development Index, putting it amongst those nations with 'very high human development' .https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_Human_Development_Index#Very_high_human_development.  

 

At the time of the declaration of statehood Israel's total population was only 806,000. Today there are ten times that number - 8,522,000, according to the latest statistics published on the Eve of Independence Day this year.   Of the total population 74.8%  are Jewish, 20,8% Arab and Christians, non-Arabs and other minority groups comprise 4.4%. Of the Jewish population 75% are born in Israel, which means that even today 1 in 4 are immigrants. 

http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-turns-68-with-8-5-million-people-10-times-more-than-in-1948/

 

Not only has Israel's population grown but so has its affluence, as attested by the 3 million cars now clogging our roads. When I arrived in Israel, in 1979, many people did not have a telephone and you had to wait about 6 months to get a line. Now around 96% of all Israelis own at least one cellphone and landlines are becoming obsolete. In 1956/7 only 12% of homes had washing machines but now 96% do.

 

According to figures just out Israel now is ranked 8th in the world for life expectancy, ahead of the UK, the USA, New Zealand, and most of Europe. Men in Israel can now expect to live on average 80.6 years and women even longer, 84.3 years, in spite of ongoing wars, terror attacks and 3 million cars driven largely by maniacs.

 



The Ayalon Freeway in Tel Aviv
http://www.ayalonhw.co.il/download/pictures/pict_1_1.jpg

So they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’ ³⁶ Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted what was desolate. I, the Lord, have spoken it, and I will do it.” 

 Ezekiel 36: 35-36

Alongside the material growth and development of Israel we have also see a tremendous spiritual growth. Although Israel is still very far from being the Godly, spiritually awakened nation it will one day be, the LORD is hard at work preparing the ground.

In 1948 there were around 150 Messianic believers in Yeshua living in Israel but many of them fled fearing persecution when the state was declared. By 1952 there were only 12 believers left in the Land and one of them, Ze'ev Kofsman, courageously registered the first Messianic congregation with the new government of Israel.  http://www.israeltoday.co.il/Portals/OnlineMagazine-0/201605-IT/index.aspx?mag=68db48e0-1674-4899-b61d-33e78222a536#25/z
When I first arrived in Israel, in 1979, there were only about 200 Messianic believers. Now there are an estimated 13-15000 Jewish believers living here and 265 registered congregations or Messianic organizations (ibid). This represents growth by a factor of 1,250! Although the majority of believers today are immigrants, there is now arising a  large, vibrant, on-fire second generation of Israeli-born, native Hebrew-speaking young people, who are now moving into leadership.  Though far from being a welcome part of Israeli society, the Messianic movement is gaining more and more acceptance and there is a greater openness amongst Israelis to the person of Yeshua than ever before.  This is the prerequisite for the lifting of the veil which currently blinds the Israeli soul.  

For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. ¹ But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. ¹⁶ Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

 

2 Corinthians 3: 14-15

 

According to the Dry Bones Prophecy of Ezekiel 36, first the bones come together, and then the sinews and muscles give the body form and only then does God send the Spirit into the physical body to give it life. I believe that we stand at a point in history where the bones and the sinews of the body of Israel are ready and God is poised to send His Spirit into the nation to give it life, the true life in the spirit.  We live in very exciting times - something one easily forgets in our daily scurrying about.  For even as these grand events play out in history we people must needs get on with our daily lives.

 

The situation in the Land seems to have calmed down considerably after months of almost daily terror attacks, especially here in Jerusalem and its surrounds.  There have been only two attacks since I last wrote, as far as I can remember. One took place just up the end of my street. A group of Arab youths attacked five elderly women out for a walk along the promenade. One of the women, aged 86, was stabbed repeatedly and seriously wounded and another octogenarian moderately wounded. What kind of cowardly people purposely target the aged and helpless. Certainly no heros! The attackers fled into the neighboring Arab village of Jebel Mukaber. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4801662,00.html

A few days later a  young Jewish man was lightly wounded by an attacker near the Damascus Gate http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Stabbing-attack-in-Jerusalem-One-Israeli-wounded-suspect-apprehended-454094.  A number of other attacks have been foiled including one just two days ago when 16 year old Palestinian youth was apprehended on the Jerusalem Light Rail carrying a knife with which he planned to attack police. http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Terror-attack-thwarted-after-teen-caught-with-knife-on-Jerusalem-light-rail-454476

Please pray for continued calm and that life can return to a more normal condition. Pray too that we will not be lulled into carelessness. It is easy to let our guard down when things appear calm.

However I am sure the LORD will continue to protect Israel and bless her just has he has promised:

 But you, O mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to My people Israel, for they are about to come.   For indeed I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown.   

I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt.  I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bear young; I will make you inhabited as in former times, and do better for you than at your beginnings. 

 

Ezekiel 36: 8-11

TUNNEL TERROR

 

Its a gorgeous spring morning here in Jerusalem and it is Shabbat. I love Shabbat. Here in Jerusalem it is truly a day of rest. Nearly all the shops are closed, the streets are almost devoid of traffic, and a hush falls over the city as we pause from our frantic lives. It is good to stop awhile and focus on the goodness of our LORD who gave us Shabbat. I also just need the rest. I could never keep going if it wasn't for this one day when I do not have to rush about doing this and that. It is not uncommon for me to rise late and eat a leisurely breakfast in my PJs sitting out on my balcony listening to the chorus of birds in the trees. It's a very special time.

 

We have just finished celebrating the week long holiday of Passover. Since this is the most beautiful time of the year in this land, which is still green from the winter rains and festooned with flowers, and the weather is perfect, Passover is the time many Israelis take time out from their busy lives and just go out to the forests and lakes and the seaside with their families, camping, making barbecues and just enjoying life. National Parks, hiking trails, beaches and 'watering holes' were full to capacity and roads clogged with traffic. It's at time like this you are hit by how small this little land is. It is just impossible to find a place 'a way from it all'.

 

Ein Sataf, a natural spring,  near Jerusalem
http://cdn.timesofisrael.com/uploads/2016/04/F160424YS20-635x357.jpg
 

 

The Sea of Galilee during Passover 2016
https://cdn.jerusalemonline.com/images/AAABecca/seaofgalilee.jpg

 

I personally opted to avoid the crowds and the impossible traffic and stay home. Jerusalem was like a ghost town. The streets were practically empty as many vacationers were scared to come here after the months of terror attacks and the bus bombing that had occurred just two days before the beginning of the holiday. Many Jerusalemites took the opportunity to leave the city and enjoy the relative peace elsewhere. I stayed home and I enjoyed the peace and quiet at home or swimming at my local pool, working on a summer suntan. One day I took myself off to one of our local parks, the Gazelle Park, and found it almost totally deserted to my delight. The weather was a perfect 24ish (degrees Celsius) and the last of the spring flowers still blooming. The gazelles were grazing peacefully or sleeping. The frogs were making a terrible racket calling for mates. The city has put out deckchairs around the park and I found one, and just lay out under the shade of a tree, beside the little waterfall for the longest time. What could be better? Here are some of my photos:

Not all of us were able to relax at Passover and I am very grateful to all those who were busy guarding our borders , roads and towns, so that we could enjoy ourselves in peace. Some 3,000 police, border guards and soldiers were guarding the streets of Jerusalem alone.



Border guards near the Damascus Gate of the Old City
http://www.timesofisrael.com/passover-vacationers-fill-beaches-hiking-trails-beyond-capacity/



This week we all went back to work and life resumed its usual hectic pace. On Tuesday night though the nation paused once more as places of entertainment closed their doors,  and many attended services commemorating the loss of family members and the attempted genocide of the Jewish people at the hands of the Nazis during the Holocaust. As always the names of all those Jews murdered by the Nazis were read out. As the last of the survivors live out their last days many people are busy trying to record their stories before it is too late. After the Holocaust most of the survivors were too traumatized to want to talk about it and did not tell their stories even to their family members. It is only now after 60 years that they are beginning to talk, but these people are now growing old, and each year there are fewer and fewer. Yesterday at our congregation three of our members told the stories of family members who had survived the Holocaust and the many more who did not.  It was a reminder that although the generation of the Holocaust is passing away their children and their grandchildren still bear the scars, and it is important that the generations to come never forget what happened.



When the sirens sound on Holocaust Memorial Day all Israelis stop and stand in honor of the 6 million Jews who perished in the Holocaust
http://www1.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Israelis+Observe+Holocaust+Memorial+Day+1Ipn-lLOS3yl.jpg

This is all the more so at this time as once more we are seeing a massive increase in Antisemitism all over the world. How short are our memories. There are still many who want to see the Jewish people and the nation of Israel wiped off the map. Once again Israel is being blamed for many of the world's ills, and vicious lies and distortions creating a groundswell of hatred and fear. The Arab press and others are reviving the ancient libels and accusations, and many are being deceived by these lies. Movements like the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) feed on latent Antisemitism  in order to undermine Israel's economy. Iran, ISIS,  the Palestinian government and various terror organizations, such as Hamas and Hezbollah, speak openly about their desire to push Israel into the sea.  From our point of view another 'Holocaust' seems all too possible.


http://www.prophecysociety.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/holocaust_remember.jpg





Although things have been relatively quiet over the Passover holiday there is still much tension in the air. The situation in the south seems once more to be reaching boiling point. On Friday Prime Minister Netanyahu called a special meeting of the Security Cabinet to discuss the escalation that has occurred over the last week.  During the last Gaza War in 2014 some 30 terror tunnels that passed under the border fence from Gaza and into Israeli territory, some opening near towns and kibbutzim in the area, were destroyed by the IDF.  In recent months new technologies developed by Israel have led to the recent discovery two new tunnels, the latest  this last week. This tunnel is 28m (90ft) deep and extends at least 300 m into Israeli territory (its opening has not yet been found). http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4799687,00.html

Over the last week IDF soldiers working near the border to destroy the tunnels, and trying to find any others that exist, have come under constant attack from Gaza.   Some 16 mortar shells were fired at IDF troops in at least 12 incidents over the last week.  Yesterday two rockets were fired from Gaza towards a civilian area in the Eshkol region. They fell in an open area and no damage or casualties occurred. The IDF has responded to these attacks with tank fire and aerial bombing of Hamas targets in the Strip. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4800244,00.html

Although Hamas claims that it is not wanting to open a war front at this time, they have made no secret of their preparations for an attack on Israel at some time in the future. They are very busy rearming and rebuilding tunnels and other  military infrastructure.  According to a senior IDF commander Hamas employs some 800 specialist tunnel diggers who receive a higher salary than other operatives  http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4793038,00.html. If Hamas is not calling for war it is only because it is not yet ready and wants more time to prepare.



Hamas fighters inside a tunnel
http://images1.ynet.co.il/PicServer4/2014/08/19/5532916/55328780100488640360no.jpg

The sad thing is that while Gazan citizens sit and wait for essential building supplies, such as cement, so that they can rebuild their homes lost in the last war, Hamas is channeling all the cement and building supplies into building its tunnels and other military installations.  The tunnels reach as much as 30 m underground and the ground is just sand. The tunnels have to be strongly lined with concrete. Indeed there have been several instances recently of tunnels collapsing and workers being killed during their construction.

This week we saw another consequence of the chronic mismanagement of the Gaza Strip at government level. One of Israel's main water sources, the desalination plant at Ashkelon, was forced to close for the third time in recent months because the sea water it uses was found to contain dangerous levels of E.coli and other bacteria due to raw sewage drifting northwards along the coast from Gaza. Over 900 million cubic liters of raw sewage is dumped into the Mediterranean every day from Gaza, polluting its own coastline and contaminating its own water sources, and drifting towards Israel in the northward current along the eastern Mediterranean shoreline.  http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4780754,00.html

Last year a new water treatment facility was completed in  northern Gaza with international funding at a cost of $100 million. This facility has however not come on line because of the erratic supply of electricity in the Gaza Strip. The Strip has only one power station and this supplies roughly 30% of its needs. The remainder is supplied by Israel (around 60%) and Egypt. https://electronicintifada.net/content/how-gaza-gets-power/7844 Of course Israel is blamed for the power shortages in Gaza but what other country in the world is expected to supply electricity to its enemies, something we continued to do for humanitarian reasons even during the war? Although it is true that Israel was accused of bombing the Gaza power station during the last war, something that Israel denied,  that station was operating fully after just two weeks of the supposed attack http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2014/09/destroyed-gaza-power-plant-miraculously.html.  In fact the station was not 'destroyed' as claimed, just some diesel tanks. 

The shortage of electricity is also blamed on the Israeli blockade of Gaza. In spite of the blockade however Israel continues to facilitate the transfer of fuel into the Strip, but Hamas strategically refuses to buy sufficient to meet the needs of its citizens (suffering citizens are a powerful weapon it its propaganda war), and Fatah, which is contractually responsible for footing the bill, refuses to pay for it. Instead Israeli taxpayers, myself included, are paying for Gaza's power supply.

 What is more, many of the 'shortages' are not because there is insufficient energy being generated or supplied, but because of infighting about how it is allocated and mismanagement of its distribution. Qatar has offered to fund a project to bring more power lines into the Strip. Israel approved the scheme but Palestinian President, Abbas, refused the offer, thus perpetrating the suffering of his people. http://mondoweiss.net/2016/03/uproar-in-gaza-as-abbas-rejects-new-electricity-lines-to-address-power-crisis/

This is a prime example of the complexity of issues here. It is rather simplistic to merely blame Israel for the suffering of the Palestinians, which though extreme and regrettable, is very largely the result of their own actions.

This coming week we will mark Israel's Remembrance day when we remember and honor all those who gave their lives in the various wars and in terror attacks, since the founding of the State.  Again places of entertainment will close and ceremonies of remembrance will be held all over the country. Few families in Israel have not lost someone and many visit the graves of the fallen.

http://www.vosizneias.com/assets/uploads/news_photos/thumbnails/700_t6ak6sis4xi0fzkac9wjqnfo39yjncgr.jpg

 With nightfall on the Day of Remembrance (Yom Hazichron) the mood suddenly changes as Israel's Independence Day begins. This year we will celebrate 68 years since the founding of the State. This juxtaposition of moods, mourning followed by rejoicing, is  difficult emotionally but very much characterizes the people of Israel who have endured unimaginable suffering, but still retain their affirmation of life which they live with great courage and even joy.

http://jccsyr.org/images/2016-Israel-independence-day-445.gif

Please pray that we will pass these solemn and joyful national days in peace this year.

A Song of Ascents. Of David.

 I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go into the house of the Lord.”
Our feet have been standing
Within your gates, O Jerusalem!

 Jerusalem is built
As a city that is compact together,
Where the tribes go up,
The tribes of the Lord,
To the Testimony of Israel,
To give thanks to the name of the Lord.
 For thrones are set there for judgment,
The thrones of the house of David.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who love you.
 Peace be within your walls,
Prosperity within your palaces.”
 For the sake of my brethren and companions,
I will now say, “Peace be within you.”
 Because of the house of the Lord our God
I will seek your good

Psalm 122