US Pressures Israel to Release 104 Prisoners

The Israeli cabinet took a courageous and politically unpopular step by approving the release of 104 Palestinian prisoners, including many terrorists who had murdered Israeli babies, women, the elderly and other civilians.  According to Israeli intelligence some of these released murderers are likely to rejoin terrorist organizations and may kill again. Relatives and friends of the victims have protested the decision to release these killers.  Yet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet withstood these pressures and ordered their release.

The United States government had pressured the Israeli government to release these prisoners because the Palestinian Authority had made their release a condition to resuming peace talks.  The Israeli government, which had agreed to peace talks with no preconditions, submitted to the Palestinian precondition, and talks are now likely to go forward.

Prime Minister Netanyahu had reportedly asked the Obama Administration to make it easier for him to release Palestinian murderers by releasing Jonathan Pollard, who has already served 28 years for spying for Israel.  No American in history has ever come close to serving that long—indeed none has ever served a double digit sentence—for spying for an American ally. Moreover, there were grave doubts about the lawfulness of Pollard’s sentence, as evidenced by the strong words of the dissenting judge who characterized the government’s breach of the plea agreement as a “fundamental miscarriage of justice requiring relief…”
But the Obama Administration slammed the door in Netanyahu’s face by categorically rejecting the request to commute Pollard’s sentence to the excessive term he has already served.  Despite this rebuff from the Obama Administration, Netanyahu agreed to release the prisoners.  Now the Palestinian Authority is asking for more prisoners to be released including some of the most dangerous terrorists on the face of the earth.  The United States will probably continue to put pressure on Israel to risk the lives of its own civilians by releasing more Palestinian terrorists in order to get the Palestinians to continue to negotiate.

The time has come—indeed it is well passed—for the United States to do the right thing with regard to Jonathan Pollard.  Pollard poses no continuing danger to America, since he has not had access to our secrets for nearly 30 years.  Unlike the Palestinian prisoners who are to be released, he has
expressed regret over his actions and has sought forgiveness.  Moreover, his life sentence is excessive by any standard of justice and it violated the government’s plea bargain which promised, in exchange for Pollard’s guilty plea, not to seek life imprisonment.

Peace between Israel and the Palestinians requires the active involvement of the United States, as evidenced by Secretary John Kerry’s intensive efforts to bring the parties together.  But if peace is in our national interest, as the Obama Administration insists it is, and if peace requires sacrifice by
both Israel and the Palestinians, then we too must be willing to give a little.  Releasing Jonathan Pollard after requiring him to serve 27 years, some in solitary confinement, is not much of a sacrifice to ask of the United States.  It is the least we can do to make it easier for Israel to make far greater sacrifices and take far more dangerous risks in order to secure peace.The request to release Pollard now has bipartisan support in the United States and multi-partisan support in Israel.  Knesset members on all sides of the Israeli political spectrum have called for Pollard’s release as a way
of encouraging the peace process.  “It’s a window of opportunity of good will to Israeli, who are not going through an easy time,” said Labor MK Nachman Shai.  “It would build up public support for negotiations and show that the US also understands the gravity of this historic moment.”

American political leaders from both sides of the aisle, as well as from all religious backgrounds, have called for Pollard’s release on compassionate grounds, based on the length of his sentence and his deteriorating physical condition.

Israel will go forward with negotiations regardless of whether Pollard is released, because the Israeli government wants a peaceful resolution that assures security.  But in the end the Israeli public will have to vote for any deal struck between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators, with the help of American negotiators.  The outcome of any such referendum will depend on whether Israeli voters believe that their security has been assured and that the United States continues to stand behind them.  Releasing Jonathan Pollard—as a gesture of good will, as a show of American support, and in the
interests of justice and compassion—will go a long way toward encouraging the Israeli public to vote in favor of a peace agreement that requires great sacrifices on their part.
Source: Jerusalem Post

Prayer Points

¹² But You, O Lord, shall endure forever,
And the remembrance of Your name to all generations.
¹³ You will arise and have mercy on Zion;
For the time to favor her,
Yes, the set time, has come.
¹⁴ For Your servants take pleasure in her stones,
And show favor to her dust.
¹⁵ So the nations shall fear the name of the Lord,
And all the kings of the earth Your glory.
¹⁶ For the Lord shall build up Zion;
He shall appear in His glory.
¹⁷ He shall regard the prayer of the destitute,
And shall not despise their prayers.

 

Psalm 102:12-17

 

 

We began our meeting this morning by thanking God for all that He is doing, even in our days. Thank you, Lord:

• that You are on Your throne, watching over all.
• for Your favor on Zion.
• that You, Yeshua, are coming back.
• that You are rebuilding Jerusalem.
• that You are bringing the captives home.
• for Your word of truth.
• for showing us how to pray and for giving us the privilege of participating in the work You are doing in the world in our days and for allocating specific tasks to each of Your intercessors.
• that we can truthfully say that we love the stones and dust of this land.

In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
Do not fear; Zion, let not your hands be weak.
The Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.

Zephaniah 3:16-17

 "Peace" Process.

As of this morning there is a meeting planned in Washington for next Tuesday. The Palestinians have been seeking to base the talks on the establishment of a Palestinian State with Israel returning to the 1967 borders. They are also demanding the release of some 100 murderers from Israeli prisons as a pre-condition to negotiations. This would be spitting in the face of the families of their victims and the principles of law and justice. A survey has found that the vast majority of Israelis oppose such a prisoner release. The Israeli government is seeking to pass a law which will require a referendum to approve any giving away of land. This would safeguard the nation against the kind of changes brought in by governments in direct contradiction to the manifestos on which they were elected (for example the withdrawal from Gaza). Pray:

 that Israeli negotiators would not be willing to make any compromise which would do damage to Israel.

that Justice Minister, Tzippi Livni would be prevented from departing from the position of her government.

nothing would be agreed upon in any of these negotiations against the will of God.

Israel's negotiators would hold strongly to the principle that there can be no return to the 1967 borders.

that the Palestinians would continue to make demands which even the Americans would see as outrageous.

The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations.

Psalm 33:10-11

that the proposed release of murderers would not take place.

Prime Minister Netanyahu would not yield to the demands of the Palestinians or the Americans.

that the world would see that such action would only encourage more violence among the Palestinians.

 

 that the Knesset would quickly pass a law requiring a referendum to give away land.

that the will of the people would prevail when, as often, it is more in line with God's will than the government is.

that Israel and the nations would be in awe of the word of God as it declares judgment for those who divide the land. (Joel 3:2)

 

Scriptures This Week

The reading for this week 21-27 July 2013 is called Ekev-"In consequence of":

TORAH: Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25

HAFTARAH: Isaiah 49:14-51:3

*Deut. 7:16. "Also you shall devour all the peoples whom the LORD your God delivers over to you; your eye shall not pity them." It is instructive to compare this "devouring" with that mentioned in the evil report of the ten spies 40 years earlier, "The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants" (Num. 13.32), and with the 'bread' in Caleb's good report at the same time, "The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land.Do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their
protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them" (Num. 14:7-9).

*Deut. 8: 3. "He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna.that he might make you know that mankind shall not live by bread alone; but by every utterance of the LORD's mouth does the human live."

*Deut. 8:5. "And you knew in your heart that as a man chastises his son the LORD your God chastises you." Cff: Heb. 12:7-11: "If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten.Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."

*Deut. 8:7-10. "For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing; a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig copper. When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you."

*Deut. 8:16. ".that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end---"

*Deut. 9:5-6. "It is not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you go in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD your God drives them out from before you, and that He may fulfill the word which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Therefore understand that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people."

*Deut. 9:21. "Then I took your sin, the calf which you had made, and burned it with fire and crushed it and ground it very small, until it was as fine as dust; and I threw its dust into the brook that descended from the mountain." No mention is made of where the brook comes from in the original account of Exodus 32:20. In the previous chapter 8:15, the LORD is the One who brought forth water for Israel "out of the flinty rock in a thirsty land where there was no water". I Corinthians 10:4 reveals that "they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Messiah." Ezekiel 47:1- and Zechariah 14:4,8 speak of a future time when living water will tumble forth out from another mountain, this time the Mountain of the Lord in Jerusalem, bringing healing wherever it flows.

*Deut. 9:26-29. "Thus I prostrated myself before the LORD.I kept prostrating myself, because the LORD had said He would destroy you. Therefore I prayed to the LORD, and said: 'O Lord YHVH, do not destroy Your people and Your inheritance whom You have redeemed through Your greatness, whom You have brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Remember Your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; do not look on the stubbornness of this people, or on their wickedness or their sin, lest the land from which You brought us should say, "Because YHVH was not able to bring them to the land which He promised them, and because He hated them, He has brought them out to kill them in the wilderness." Yet they are Your people and Your inheritance, whom You brought out by Your mighty power and by Your outstretched arm.'

*Deut. 10:12-13. Fear, Walk, Love, Serve, Guard! "And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to guard the commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today for your good?"

*Deut. 10:16-17, 21a. "Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer. For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome. He is your praise."

*Deut. 11:11-12. "But the land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven, a land for which the LORD your God cares; the eyes of the LORD your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year."

"Comfort ye."

 

AS MENTIONED LAST WEEK, we have entered a seven-week season (Until the Feast of Trumpets) in which the Haftarah readings are taken from the prophet Isaiah, and continue to speak words of comfort to Zion. The passages below are only some drawn from this week's portion which may be used powerfully in praying for Israel to recognize her Comforter-and for the Body of Messiah to walk, as He walked, before her fellows in the land.

 

*Isaiah 49:15-16. "Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands; Your walls are continually before Me."

*Isaiah 49:25b-26. "For I will contend with him who contends with you, and I will save your children. I will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh, and they shall be drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine. All flesh shall know that I, the LORD, am your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

*Isaiah 50:4. "The Lord YHVH has given me the tongue of disciples, that I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens me morning by morning. He awakens my ear to listen as a disciple."

*Isaiah 50:6-7. "I gave my back to those who strike me, and my cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover my face from humiliation and spitting. For the Lord YHVH helps me, therefore, I am not disgraced; therefore, I have set my face like flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed."

*Isaiah 51:1-2. "Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, who seek YHVH: Look to the rock from which you were hewn and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who gave birth to you in pain; when he was but one I called him, then I blessed him and multiplied him" (NASB).

*Isaiah 51:3. "For YHVH will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places. He will make her desert like Eden, and her arava like the garden of YHVH; Joy and gladness will be found in it, thanksgiving and the voice of melody!"

portions taken from Israel prayer list

IDF Intel Chief Warns

IDF Intel Chief Warns: Syria Becoming Global Jihad Hub

 

 

Bombed vehicles in Aleppo

 

 

"Syria is drawing thousands of global jihad activists and radical Muslims from the region and the world who are basing themselves in the country, not only to overthrow (President Bashar) Assad, but also to promote the vision of an Islamic state," IDF [Israel Defense Forces] Military Intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi said Tuesday [July 23].

 

"Right before our eyes a center of global jihad is developing on a scale that may affect not only Syria and the borders of the State of Israel, but also Jordan and Sinai," he said at an intelligence officers' graduation ceremony, shortly after returning from a work trip to Washington. Kochavi relayed similar warning to senior American security officials.

In April, Syrian rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra, announced that it had merged with al-Qaeda's branch in Iraq to form a new entity called "The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant," and that it was taking orders from Ayman al-Zawahiri, who took over [from] Osama bin Laden as the leader of al-Qaeda.
The Levant is the traditional name referring to the region from southern Turkey to Egypt on the eastern Mediterranean.

Two weeks ago, the BBC reported that representatives of the Pakistani Taliban had visited Syria to set up a base and to assess "the needs of the jihad."

According to Maj.-Gen. Kochavi, the growing Islamist presence may affect not only Syria and the borders of the State of Israel, but Lebanon, Jordan and the Sinai Peninsula as well. "It is possible that in the long run, the winds of change will carry with them an opportunity, but in the short term, the risks are increasing and in some of the sectors, the seeds of additional threats have been sown."

The Israeli security establishment estimates that despite some recent victories by Assad's army, the civil war is far from being over. The rebels control many parts of Syria, including key cities such as Homs and Aleppo.

Hundreds of jihadists have based themselves in the southern part of the Syrian-controlled Golan Heights. Israel fears these jihadists may attempt to infiltrate Israel in order to carry out a terror attack. Renovation work on the barrier that runs along most of the Israeli-Syrian border is expected to be completed next month.

Source

(By Yoav Zitun, Ynetnews, July 23, 2013)

Prayer Focus

Thank the Lord that He is in control and knows each and every person in Syria. Pray that the turmoil in Syria will end soon and that the glory of God will reign in the lives of the Syrian people.

Scripture

The God of my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; my Savior, You save me from violence.
- 2 Samuel 22:3

And may these words of mine, with which I have made supplication before the LORD, be near the LORD our God day and night, that He may maintain the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel, as each day may require, that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God; there is no other.
- 1 Kings 8:59–60

For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.
- Psalm 61:3-4
 



Peace Talks are doubtful anytime soon

 

Jerusalem Prayer Team's Mike Evans:

 



 Peace Talks between Israel and Palestinians Denied                                    

The announcement by Secretary of State John Kerry that both the Israelis and Palestinians had agreed to direct peace talks has been refuted by sources on both sides. Many veteran observers have been amazed and even dismayed by the focus Secretary Kerry has placed on this issue with so many other crisis events taking place—civil war in Syria, a government toppled in Egypt, and of course, Iran's continuing nuclear weapons program.

Instead Kerry has focused intently on the Israeli-Palestinian issue. Since becoming Secretary of State earlier this year, he has made six trips to try to restart the peace talks. Yet despite his best efforts (some observers viewed his announcement as an attempt to strong-arm the parties into an agreement they had not reached), the Palestinians continue to refuse to even talk to the Israelis unless they first receive the concessions that they would hope to get from any negotiations.

It is not hard to see why Israel has little interest in such a deal. My old friend Prime Minister Netanyahu has repeatedly said that Israel is prepared to begin talks immediately if there are no pre-conditions. This is the hurdle that Secretary of State Kerry has been attempting to clear…without success.

The reason there is no peace is that one side has no interest in peace, and in truth, even if Palestinian President Abbas reached a deal (which he has no interest in doing—remember this is the man who financed the Black September PLO terrorist raid that killed the Israeli athletes and coaches at the Munich Olympics), he could not enforce it. His Fatah party is so weak that he refuses to hold elections that he knows he would lose. In fact, Abbas is now in the ninth year of his four-year term as president!

Those of us who love and support Israel must not be deceived by the promises of peace talks. When such talks have been held in the past, it is always Israel that must make concessions and never the Palestinians. Knowing what I know about both Israeli and Palestinian politics right now, it is doubtful that any direct peace talks will be held in the near future. Instead of the current approach of almost worshipping negotiations as an end in themselves, the time and effort and influence of the United States would be far better spent dealing with the real issues.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. This is not a problem that will be solved  apart from God's intervention. 

Case of Jonathan Pollard

PM reportedly asked Obama to commute Pollard's sentence, to help persuade
cabinet to approve release of Palestinian prisoners.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu tried unsuccessfully to persuade American
officials to release convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard ahead of
diplomatic negotiations with the Palestinians, Channel 2 reported on Monday.

The report said Netanyahu told the Americans that if US President Barack
Obama commuted Pollard’s life sentence to the nearly 28 years he has served,
it would help him persuade his cabinet to approve the release of 82
Palestinian terrorists from Israeli prisons. But the Americans rejected
Netanyahu’s request.
When asked for confirmation, sources close to Netanyahu would only say: “We
routinely raise the issue with American officials.”

Netanyahu has tried in the past to persuade the US to release Pollard in
return for Israeli gestures to the Palestinians.

Ahead of the signing of the Wye River Accords in 1998, Netanyahu demanded
Pollard’s release, but then-CIA chief George Tenet threatened to quit if
Pollard was set free.

Pollard’s wife, Esther, declined to comment on the report, but the Committee
for Pollard’s Freedom issued a statement saying that he should be released
regardless of developments with the Palestinians.

“Dozens of top American officials have called for Pollard’s immediate
release due to the values of justice and mercy,” a committee spokesman said.
“Jonathan did not murder anyone. His 28 years of service, including seven in
solitary confinement, is an unprecedented sentence for the crime, so he
should be released immediately without conditioning it on anything else.”

MKs: US should help peace process by releasing Pollard

On Sunday, Knesset members from across the political spectrum called on
Obama to release Pollard as a way to help the nascent negotiations between
Israel and the Palestinians.

Pollard, who is serving his 28th year in prison, has repeatedly shunned
attempts to make him a bargaining chip in prisoner exchanges and diplomatic
processes, especially when murderers were released.

But MKs who support his release said freeing him now would not be seen as a
trade for Palestinian terrorists but as a sign of goodwill by the US to the
Israeli people.

“This is the best time in the world to call upon the Americans to release
Pollard as a gesture for the beginning of negotiations, said Labor MK
Nachman Shai, who is the new co-chairman of the Knesset’s Free Pollard
Caucus. “Pollard should be the American gift to Israelis, and they can do
it.”

Shai noted that many Israelis feel uncomfortable about the American pressure
to come to the negotiating table. He said that a popular issue like freeing
Pollard would go a long way.

“It’s a window of opportunity for goodwill to Israelis, who are not going
through an easy time,” Shai said. “It would build up public support for
negotiations and show that the US also understands the gravity of this
historic moment.”

Construction and Housing Minister Uri Ariel said he found it incredible that
America continues to hold Pollard and did not even let him attend his father’s
funeral while US officials demand that Israel release unrepentant murderers.

“What is going on in the minds of Americans when they insist on keeping
Jonathan Pollard in prison and demand that Israel free terrorists?” Ariel
exclaimed on Israel Radio. “It really is amazing.”

Likud MK Moshe Feiglin went further, calling America’s behavior shameful and
Israel’s an act of betrayal to its agent.
"If launching the negotiations is such an interest to the Americans, how can
it be that we are releasing terrorist murderers, and they are not releasing
our agent who has been sitting in jail for more than 27 years?” Feiglin
asked.

“The shame is on all of us and not just on [Prime Minister Binyamin
Netanyahu] who made the decision. I would never release murderers for
Pollard, but if they think it’s important to free them, how can they forget
Pollard?” Labor MK Avishay Braverman said Pollard should be freed now,
regardless of whether the peace process begins or progresses.

“He has served so much longer than others who committed similar crimes that
the time has come to free him now, without connection to anything – except
justice,” Braverman asserted.

source IMRA

Declaring The Word of God

Isaiah 2:2-4 "Now it shall come to pass in the latter days, that the mountain of the Lord's house, shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say,' Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.'
For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore."

Isaiah 12
"And in that day you will say: 'O Lord, I will praise You; though You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for YAH, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.'
Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And in that day you will say: 'Praise the Lord, call upon His name; Declare His deeds among the peoples, make mention that His name is exalted. Sing to the Lord, for He has done excellent things; this is known in all the earth.
 Cry out and shout, O inhabitant of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst!"

Prayer Points

There is constant pressure on Israel from most of the world, wanting it to divide its land, which would compromise its security. Therefore, Prime Minister Benjamin 'Bibi' Netanyahu needs intercessors to hold up his arms. He is God's appointed man to lead this nation at this time. Yet he cannot do it without God's grace and strength to uphold him.

This is the Word of YHWH to [Netanyahu], saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says YHWH of Hosts. Who are you, O great mountain? Before [Netanyahu] you shall become a plain; and he shall bring forth the top stone with shoutings, Grace! Grace to it!

Zechariah 4:6-7

• God, how we thank You for Bibi. While far from perfect, yet he is Your choice for Israel at this time.
• Touch him deeply with his absolute inadequacy and Your total sufficiency (2 Corinthians 3:5).
• Abba, move on him to study the Torah portion this Shabbat. As he reads it, cause these verses to come alive to him: Hear, O, Israel. YHWH our God is one YHWH. And you shall love YHWH your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. (Deuteronomy 6:4-5)
• Abba, in line with that word that You gave us at this year's prayer conference, turn Netanyahu's heart towards Yourself (Psalm 80:3, 7, 19).
• Bind Israel's Prime Minister to Yourself in love and give him a backbone of steel. Let Your hand be on the Man of Your right hand, on the Son of man whom You have made strong for Yourself. (Psalms 80:17)
• Protect Bibi from all the wiles of the enemy.
• Surround him with wise counsel (Psalm 1:1; Proverbs 15:22).
• Protect his health and family life.

On Tisha b'Av, it was announced that the EU will boycott all activities and goods that have anything to do with the land Israel re-conquered in the 1967 Six Day War. While this can, in the immediate future, hurt Israel economically, we believe that this blasphemous decision (Ezekiel 35:12-13) will bring God's full judgment on the EU. Their only hope is for the Church in the EU to plead for God to have mercy in the midst of His righteous judgments (Habakkuk 3:2).

 

While we are very upset by this unbiblical decision, we bless You for what is said in this Shabbat's prophetic portion. The timing could not be a coincidence!

 

 Behold, the nations are like a drop in a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the scales; behold, He takes up the coastlands as a very little thing… All nations before Him are as nothing; and to Him they are thought to be less than nothing, and vanity. (Isaiah 40:15, 17; see also vs. 22-24)

• Give to Israel's leaders wisdom from on high on how to respond.
• We thank You for the ire expressed by many government ministers in many of the parties in the Knesset.
• Use this to draw these ministers closer together and closer to Yourself.
• Turn this curse into a blessing as You have often done in the past (Deuteronomy 23:5).
• May products from the 'settlements' sell even more than before (Romans 8:28).
• Lord, show Israel if it is to drop out of their cooperation deal with the EU concerning R&D, and cause others in the world - specifically in the Far East - to desire to cooperate with Israel in this area.
• Let Israel respond by building and developing more of the area that the world calls 'occupied'.
• Lord, shut the mouths of the ultra-Left wingers and the Left-wing media in Israel - who are all thrilled with this decision and saying, 'We told you so. We need to give the Palestinians a state.' May it never be!
• God, this actually will hurt the Palestinians first - as many thousands of them work for Jewish businesses in these areas. Many of them are also upset by this decision. Somehow may EU leaders see what harm they are doing to the very people they are supposedly trying to help.
• For the sake of Europe, may the Church in Europe wake up and stand before You for mercy.
• Abba, cause many folks like the biblical Esther to arise to see this evil edict be overturned.
• Yet Lord, we recognize that this could be another step in seeing the fulfillment of Zechariah 12:2-3. If so, teach us how to pray.

• Arise, O YHWH; let not man prevail. Let the nations be judged in Your sight. Put them in fear, O YHWH, let the nations know they are but men. Selah.

  Psalms 9:19-20

The global campaign to see an Arab-Islamic state established inside of Israel's God-given borders continues to place tremendous pressure on this government, and on those of us called to be watchmen on Jerusalem's walls. This week, US Secretary of State John Kerry was here again (he seems to show up once every two weeks or so regardless of success or failure), pressing Israel to sit down with the Palestinians and accept the Arab League's 'peace' offer - which would actually be committing national suicide as it includes the return of six plus million so-called Palestinians refugees! Even the liberal left leaning New York Times wondered why Kerry is so focused on Israel when the rest of the Middle East is in absolute chaos.

 

We bless You Lord, that despite all the noise and headlines, nothing was accomplished this week.

• Continue to strengthen Israel's leadership to not compromise on Your land (Leviticus 25:23).
• Continue to use Jerusalem as a stumbling block (Zechariah 12:2-3).
• Use the EU edict to further hinder the ability of any land-for-peace deal being made.
• Lord, set Kerry free from whatever demonic powers has him obsessed with this Israeli-Palestinian peace.
• We thank You that since the Oslo Accords were signed in 1993, You have consistently harden the hearts of all of the Palestinian leaders so that even with the most liberal of Israeli offers, they refused and walked away.
• Abba, expose the dangerous deception at the root of the Arab League 'peace' deal.
• Lord, when will You purge the land of Your enemies? YHWH is King forever and ever; the heathen [gentiles who do not submit to the God of Israel] have perished out of His land. (Psalms 10:16)
• God, help the Church to see that the battle over this land has to do with the battle over the return of Messiah Yeshua to this land - to rule and reign from here (Zechariah 14:3-4; Acts 1:11).

portions taken from Intercessors for Israel

This week's Scriptures

The reading for this week 14-20 July 2013 is called V'Et'chanan-"Supplicated":

TORAH: Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11

HAFTARAH: Isaiah 40:1-26

TORAH

 

This week's is a rich and powerful Reading. In addition to the "preparations and warnings for crossing-over and possessing inheritance" (3:27-28; 4:14, 21-22, 26-28; 6:1), it contains the 'Ten Commandments' (5:6-21); the Shema "Hear O Israel" (6:4); instructions regarding knowing and memorizing God's Word within the home, and other often touchingly earnest counsels and admonitions of Moses to the young generation preparing to enter Canaan.

*Deuteronomy 3:28. "And charge Yehoshua (Joshua), and encourage him and strengthen him; for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which you will see." 
 
PLEASE PRAY: for God to raise up spiritual leaders in Israel-that these be noticed by alert and obedient elders who will charge, encourage and strengthen them in the power and direction of their calling-that the new godly generation will love and trust their God, fight the battles necessary and inherit the land.

*Deuteronomy 4:7. "For who is the great nation whose gods are near to it the way YHVH our God is to us in all the ways in which we call to Him?"

*Deuteronomy 4:29-31. "But from there [i.e. scattered throughout the world] you [the Hebrew people] will seek YHVH your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the last days, when you turn to YHVH your God and obey his voice, (For YHVH your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them." 
 
PLEASE PRAY: For awakening of a powerful longing in the hearts of Jews still in the nations, a longing after the God of their Fathers and faith in this word that He will hear when they turn to Him.

*Deuteronomy 4:43. "Betzer in the wilderness on the plateau for the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead for the Gadites, and Golan in Bashan for the Manassites."

These are Cities of Refuge in land taken by Israel from the Amorites, running along the eastern side of the Jordan River to Mount Hermon, an area once known as the "Land of the Giants" (Deut. 2:20; 3:13), until Og the last and greatest was defeated by Israel before crossing over into Canaan (3:3-11). The location of the first two lies within land presently claimed by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (Which modern kingdom came officially into being in 1946); the last is the area of the Golan Heights, taken by Israel from Syria in the 1967 War. Zechariah 10:10 prophesies that someday Jews will return to Gilead and even portions of Lebanon.

PLEASE PRAY: That the Israeli government will sense and move in God's timetable regarding these lands. That they will not despise the land once taken by Moses and bequeathed to Manasseh (the present Golan), now again under the stewardship of His people in these last days. Pray that this strategic land will not be bartered for a false peace with our neighbors. That it will be protected from the forces of violence in Syria which have recently threatened to invade it. Pray that God's Kingdom come!-that in His way and timing the LORD of Hosts will bring all of the land promised to his Covenant people into the borders He has ordained.

*Deuteronomy 6:4-5. "HEAR! [Hebrew: Shma!] ISRAEL; YHVH OUR GOD, YHVH ONE!"
There are other "Hear, O Israel's" in Deuteronomy (4:1, 6:3, 9:1, 20:3, 33:7)-but this one has become the central cry of Jews throughout the world for centuries, and continues to be sung each week in Synagogues (including most Messianic ones). It takes revelation, removal of the 'veil', for this people to realize that Yeshua (Jesus) being the Son of God (Proverbs 30:4) as well as Son of Man does not violate this proclamation. It is a deep, eternal truth that He and His Father are ONE! (John 10:30). Satan hates this truth being voiced-when Yeshua proclaimed it, the religious Jews present took up stones to kill him. 
 
PLEASE PRAY for this revelation of the one-ness of the Father and the Son, and that the voice and false message of the Deceiver be silenced in the ears of the Jewish people.
*Deuteronomy 6:5. "You shall love YHVH your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength." 
 
Yeshua quoted this verse in the New Covenant, calling it the First and Greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37-38; Mark 12:29-30). "All your strength" is unique in the Hebrew. Rather than a usual expression for "strength", the word me'od is used. Elsewhere in both Biblical and Modern Hebrew me'od is an adverb meaning "very." Webster's describes the adverb "very" this way: "In a high degree; to a great extent; extremely; exceedingly; used as a qualifier before an adjective or another adverb." Yet here me'od or "very" is used as a noun! To love our God with all of our very "veriness"-in every way, "in a high degree"; "to a great extent"; "extremely"; "exceedingly".
Only once in the Hebrew Bible is this passage repeated-in reference to the Israelite leader, King Josiah (II Kings 23:25), "Now before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Torah of Moses, nor after him did any arise like him." "With all our heart" implies a tender and humble heart. Significantly, 22:19 reveals that God heard and responded to Josiah "because his heart was tender, and he humbled himself before the LORD when he heard what he had spoken." .

Might we not pray for the current leader of Israel that he will have a softened heart like Josiah which might be pierced when he reads God's word, something which Prime Minister Netanyahu has on more than one occasion claimed that he does with regularity?

 

HAFTARAH

 

Shabbat Nachamu

 

*Isaiah 40:1-2, 9. "Comfort You (plural), Comfort You My people!' says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem.You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, 'Here is your God!'" 
 
The Sabbath immediately following the 9^th of Av is sometimes called Shabbat Nachamu-"The Comfort You Sabbath"-after the first words of Isaiah 40 which are read that day. From this Sabbath until Rosh Hashanah (5 September this year), the seven readings from the Prophets will be taken from Isaiah, focusing like a balm upon the comfort and love which God has for His people.

  PLEASE PRAY that Israel's ears will be opened to the Voice of Good News coming from her Father. Pray that the voice of the bearer of Good News to Zion (Meveseret Tzion) will be released strong and clear from high places around the Holy City!

*Isaiah 40:11. "He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young." 

PLEASE PRAY for revelation and dreams amongst Jews regarding the One who said, "I am the good shepherd; and I know my sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep" (John 10:14-15).

*Isaiah 40:26. "Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His power; not one is missing."

  PLEASE PRAY that Israelis remember God's word to Abraham our father, how "He brought him outside and said, 'Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.' And He said to him, 'So shall your descendants be.'"( Gen. 15:5).that they realize WHO is the "Word" referred to in Psalm 33:4-6 who made all these, "For the Word of the LORD is right, and all His work is done in truth. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD. By the Word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth."

Jeremiah and The New Covenant

Many people fail to realize the New Covenant is Jewish. It was given to the Jewish people through the prophet Jeremiah. Jesus ratified it with His blood on Passover, when He went to the cross.

All covenants must be ratified with blood, which is how Moses ratified the Mosaic Covenant: "Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, 'This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words.'" (Exodus 24:8)

The New Covenant is found in Jeremiah 31, a chapter filled with divine assurances of God's love for and redemption of the nation of Israel in the midst of the chaos of the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem.

God, who knows the end from the beginning, allowed Jeremiah to look into the future to give His Chosen People hope and a glimpse of the day when they will be back in their land and dwell in safety. He declared His unfailing love for them and promised them a new covenant that they would not be able to break.

As the southern kingdom of Judah's demise drew near, God declared:
Behold, I will bring back the captivity of Jacob's tents, and have mercy on his dwelling places; the city (Jerusalem) shall be built upon its own mound (meaning on the same spot as the first Temple)....I will multiply them, and they shall not diminish;...I will punish all who oppress them. At the same time," says the Lord, "I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people" (30:18-20; 31:1).

God also affirmed His eternal love for the Jewish people: "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you." (31:3).

The Hebrew word translated "lovingkindness" is hesed.  Hesed connotes faithful, unfailing, absolutely steadfast love. It is found more than 250 times in the Hebrew Scriptures and usually refers to God's love for His covenant nation.

Throughout Jeremiah 31, God reminds His people they have a future:
"Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations...Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them for the ends of the earth...They shall come with weeping, and with supplications I will lead them...For I am a Father to Israel..."He who scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him as a shepherd does his flock." For the Lord has redeemed Jacob (vv. 7-11).

Today many teach God has rejected Israel and replaced it with the church. But this concept is foreign to Scripture. God repeatedly declares exactly the opposite, particularly in the New Covenant:

"Behold the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah--not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke...I will put My Law in their minds, and write it on their hearts...I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more (vv. 31-34).

The first covenant revealed a need. It pointed out how helpless we are because of sin. The New Covenant addresses that need through "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (Jn. 1:29).

God made one more monumental promise. With unmistakable majesty, He decreed the permanence of Israel's existence:

Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for a light by day, the ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light at night, who disturbs the sea, and its waves roar (the Lord of Hosts is His name): "If those ordinances depart from before Me, says the Lord, then the seed of Israel shall also cease from being a nation before Me forever." Thus says the Lord: "If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all they have done, says the Lord" (Jer. 31:35-37).

The apostle Paul, a Jewish rabbi, told the Gentiles in the church in Rome not to think more highly of themselves than they think of the Jewish people because God has a plan for Israel: The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins"(Romans 11:26-27).

Nations will come and go. Israel will remain forever. And someday "all Israel will be saved"(vs. 26), to the glory of God.

Multitudes, Multitudes In The Valley of Decision

“Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed.” Ps 2:1-2

"For behold, in those day and at that time, when I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will enter into judgment with them there on account of My people, My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; they have also divided up My land.
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The Lord will also roar from Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; the heavens and earth will shake; But the Lord will be a shelter for His people, and the strength of the children of Israel. So you shall know that I am the Lord your God, dwelling in Zion My Holy Mountain."
Joel 3:1-3,14,16,17

EU REDRAWS ISRAEL BORDERS TO 1949 LINES: Sources in Israel disclosed Tuesday the European Union has issued orders forbidding all 28 member states from cooperating, transferring funds, giving scholarships or research grants to organizations or individuals based in Judea and Samaria, eastern Jerusalem, and even the Golan Heights. The instructions are for the years 2014 – 2020 and will go into force on Friday, July 18. The decision also states that any future agreement signed with Israel must include a section that says the “settlements” are not part of sovereign Israel and therefore not included in the agreement. The Prime Minister’s Office made it clear the territorial clause is likely to be a great stumbling block in Israel-EU relations. (Ha'aretz/INN)

 Might it be reasonable to conclude - according to scripture – that this latest attempt on the part of the EU to cripple Israel is likely to backfire on European nations in an unpleasant way? “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you....” Gen 12:3

NETANYAHU SLAMS NEW EU SETTLEMENT DIRECTIVES: PM Benjamin Netanyahu spoke out Tuesday against a new EU directive that bars its 28 member states from cooperating with Israeli entities in Judea and Samaria, the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem. Netanyahu said Israel wouldn’t accept dictates about its borders from any outside forces. “This matter will only be determined through direct negotiation between the two sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” he stated. “As prime minister, I won’t allow hundreds of thousands of Israelis living in Judea and Samaria, the Golan Heights, and in Jerusalem - our united capital - to be harmed,” he said. “I expect those who really want peace and regional stability to deal with this matter of Israel’s settlements after they solve more pressing problems in the region like the Syrian civil war and Iran’s race to get a nuclear weapon. Netanyahu made the statements following a meeting in which he conferred with Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, Economics and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett, and Deputy Foreign Minister Ze’ev Elkin. Bennett on Israeli television, Tuesday night, declared that “Catherine Ashton [the EU foreign policy chief] will not force us to hand over Jerusalem to our enemies.” Bennett called the decision a “financial terror attack.” He added the European move would likely mean a smaller role for Europe in the Israel-Palestinian peace process. “You can’t have it both ways. You can’t ask to be involved in the process and at the same time take one-sided action.” (J.Post/Times of Israel)

Pray for Israel’s leaders and people to be comforted in the wake of this latest EU smite. Ask the Lord to counteract the EU’s attempt to demean, manipulate and discourage the Jewish state.

portions taken from JNN News

Israel's Restoration

Jeremiah 33

In Jeremiah 33, the Lord gave Jeremiah a message that all of Judah's efforts to fight against Babylon will fail miserably (33:1-5); but God will work to bring the nation back to its land, rebuild it, and forgive it (vv. 6-8). Jerusalem, the city of desolation, will be transformed into a place where the voice of joy is heard and the people will prosper. (vv. 9-13).

However, the pinnacle of Jeremiah's message is this chapter is the Messiah and the Davidic Covenant. Three specific elements appear to the flow of Jeremiah's prophesy:

First, the Lord tells Israel and Judah, "In those days and at that time I will cause to grow up to David a Branch of Righteousness; He shall execute judgment and righteousness in the earth" (v. 15). The "Branch" is the Messianic King, alluded to in Jeremiah 23:5, who will rule and prosper. This same term is also used of the Messiah in Isaiah 11:1 and Zechariah 3:8; 6:12. This Messiah is called "THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS" (Jer. 33:16)
This personage is none other than THE LORD JESUS CHIRST. However, the context does not point to the First Advent but, rather, the Second Advent. The prophesy highlights the fact that God's ultimate plan for Israel's restoration is something far greater than the nation's return from exile in Babylon.

The second element of the prophesy is God's promise, "David shall never lack a man to of sit on the throne of the house of Israel"(v. 17). While somewhat comforting to the people of Israel, this statement causes a certain amount of theological consternation. Clearly, no Davidic king has ruled after Zedekiah was taken to Babylon. What does God's statement mean?
The question is compounded by the promise that the Levitical priesthood also would be as  permanent as the Davidic kingship(v. 18).
As to David's throne, the later context of the chapter points to the ongoing multiplication of Davidic sons (Jer. 33:21). No doubt those who heard Jeremiah remembered Moses had warned the Israelites of the curse of being cast out of the land due to sin (Dt. 28), followed later by restoration (chapters 29-32).
 Nonetheless, the Davidic line would not be broken. There are probably descendants of David alive today. Furthermore, Jesus--a descendant of David--is alive a waiting to take His place on David's throne.

Third, Jeremiah invoked the permanence of the Davidic Covenant to assure Israel that God will never cast His people away forever:

Thus says the Lord; "If you can break My covenant with the day and My covenant with the night, so that there will not be day and night in their season, then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne"(Jer. 33:20-21).

God's reasons from the impossible, telling people that, if they could stop the orderly succession of day and night, then it would be possible for the line of David to be broken. In this way, He acknowledges the ongoing, permanent nature of the Davidic Covenant, which He initiated in 2 Samuel 7.
Such a promise would give the Jewish people hope for the near future, when they returned from exile. However, it would also cause their minds to walk down the corridor of time to see the endtimes glory of the Messiah reigning over Israel forever. Israel is a nation that God will never cast away for good; it will remain the apple of His eye.

Is Anything Too Hard For The Lord?

Jeremiah buys a field

Jeremiah 32:6-17
"And Jeremiah said, The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 'Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle will come to you, saying, 'Buy my field which is Anathoth , for the right of redemption is yours to buy it.' Then Hanamel my uncle's son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the Lord, and said to me, 'Please buy my field that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin; for the right of inheritance is yours, and the redemption yours buy it for yourself.' Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord.
So I brought the field from Hanamel, the son of my uncle was in Anathoth, and weighed out to him the money--seventeen shekels of silver.
And I signed the deed and sealed it, took witnesses, and weighed the money on the scales. So I took the purchase deed to Baruch the son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, in the presence of Hanamel my uncle's son, and in the presence of the witnesses who signed the purchase deed, before all the Jews who sat in the court of the prison.
Then I charged Baruch before them, saying, Thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel: Take these deeds, both this purchase deed which is sealed and this deed with is open, and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may last many days. For thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel: "Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed in this land."

Jeremiah prays, "Ah Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.

verses 26-27 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah saying, "Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?"

verses 36-44
Now, therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning this of which you say, It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence:
Behold, I will gather them out of all countries where I have driven them in My anger, in My fury, and in great wrath; I will bring them back to this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely.
They shall be my people, and I will be their God; then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me. Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will assuredly plant them in this land, with all My heart and with all My soul.
For thus says the Lord: Just as I have brought all this great calamity on this people, so I will bring on them all the good that I have promised them.
And fields will be bought in this land of which you say, It is desolate, without man or beast; it has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans.
Men will buy fields for money, signs deeds and seal them, and take witnesses, in the land of Benjamin, in the places around Jerusalem, in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the lowland, and in the cities of the South; for I will cause their captives to return, says the Lord.

The language of this section of the chapter (verses 36-44) strongly ties the Lord's teaching back to the New Covenant of Jeremiah 31. Here it is the "everlasting covenant (32:40) that the Lord will fulfill for the nation, and the people will not depart from Him.
This wording shows fulfillment that goes beyond the Jewish people's return after the exile in Babylon, only to be judged later in A.D. 70 by the Romans.
This promise of God extends to the nation's ultimate restoration to spirituality, as well as glory in the endtimes.
Jeremiah's field reminds us that nothing is too hard for the Lord (vs 17).

Prayer Points

It is because of YHWH's covenantal love that we are not destroyed, because His mercies never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.Lamentations 3:22-23

Precious Lord, how we bless You for Your faithfulness.

 

We are so grateful that You remain faithful even in the face of our faithlessness (2 Timothy 2:13).

Hodu l'Adonai ki tov, ki leolam chasdo - Give thanks to YHWH for He is good, for His mercy [covenantal love] endures forever.

Psalm 136:1

We thank You Yeshua that because of Your precious work on the cross, there is today a living temple made up of living stones in Jerusalem (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19).

 

We remain ever thankful that Israel is an island of peace and stability in a very chaotic Middle East.

Many of us have seen Psalm 83 as describing a war that needs to occur before the Ezekiel 38-39 Gog and Magog war can happen, because the nations/geographical areas mentioned in Psalm 83 do not appear in the list of Gog and his allies in Ezekiel 38:5-6. We have thought that Israel would need to defeat these surrounding enemies for this to happen - although Psalm 83 does not specifically state that. Yet what if what we are seeing today is the answer to our prayers based on Psalm 83? After all, God has often in the past set Israel's enemies against each other in response to the cry of His people. Why not today?

 

Keep not silence, God. Do not hold Your peace. Be not still, God. For behold, Your enemies roar; those who hate You have lifted up their head. They take shrewd counsel against Your people…They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, so that the name Israel may be remembered no more. For with one heart they have plotted together; they have made [lit: 'cut'] a covenant against You.Psalms 83:1-5

Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered; also let those who hate Him flee before Him.

Psalms 68:1

Lord, are You wanting Israel to hear this verse today? Fear not. Stand still and see the salvation of YHWH, which He will prepare for you… For [your surrounding enemies] whom you have seen today, you shall see them no more. YHWH shall fight for you, and you shall hold your peace. (Exodus 14:13-14)

 

Abba, guard over Israel's borders. Protect Your people from any of the surrounding hatred infiltrating and wreaking havoc with Your people (Psalm 121:4; Jeremiah 31:10).

We next asked for God to show much mercy on the Muslims around Israel.

• Lord, during Ramadan, please open eyes and remove the spiritual blindness from multitudes of Muslims.
• We ask You to send laborers into the harvest in Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and all of the other Arab/Islamic nations of the Middle East (Matthew 9:37-38).
• Use the living Church in these nations to be Your light (Matthew 5:14-16).
• Protect them and guide them very specifically as to what to do, say and where to go (John 10:27).
• We bless You for the reports of Syrian refugees coming to know You. More Lord!
• We thank You for the gospel going out over satellite TV and the internet in the native language of Middle East Muslims. Hinder any attempts to block these highways for our God (Isaiah 40:3).
• Abba, we remind You of Your promises of salvation at least for a remnant of the people in the ME (Isaiah 19:19-25; Jeremiah 49:38; Revelation 7:9).
• Again, we remind You of the principle of Luke 11:17-18a, that any house divided against itself cannot stand. Therefore we ask You to bring the whole house of Islam down!
• And as You save many Muslims, Lord set them free from that spirit of anti-Semitism that permeates Islam.

   Regardless of how God works out Psalm 83, having an exceedingly great army is not only a vital need for Israel -but it is also a fulfillment of prophecy (Ezekiel 37:10). And although the defense budget has been cut, this could work out to be advantageous to the IDF, by forcing it to be more efficient and more focused on the real threats that this nation can expect to face from now until Messiah comes.

• Thank You Lord, for fulfilling Your prophetic promise and making the IDF a mighty army (Isaiah 41:15-16; Micah 4:11-13; Zechariah 12:6-8, etc.).
• Use the budget cuts to streamline the IDF in a way that ultimately brings You the most glory.
• Lord of hosts, impart Your divine wisdom to Israel's military planners (Proverbs 20:18; 24:6), as well as to Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon and the IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz.
• Abba, please give Israel's leaders wisdom how to respond to Egypt's request to move many armed forces into the Sinai to fight al-Qaeda terrorists.
• Enable Israel's military industries to develop cutting edge weapons and technologies to fight the battles Israel faces today and the ones it will be facing tomorrow.
• Anoint the Messianic Jews in the IDF to realize that they have been called into Your kingdom for just a time like this (Zechariah 10:12; Matthew 5:13-16).

This Week's Scriptures

The reading for this week 7-13 July 2013 is called D'varim ("Words"):

TORAH: Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22

HAFTARAH: Isaiah 1:1-27

This week we enter the Book of Deuteronomy (Hebrew: D'varim), a great collection of addresses given by Moses to Israel shortly before his death-reminiscences regarding where they have been, what God has done, final instructions, warnings and admonitions regarding what is ahead.

*Deuteronomy 1:2-3. "It is eleven days' journey from Horeb by way of Mount Seir to Kadesh Barnea. Now it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spoke to the children of Israel according to all that the LORD had given him as commandments to them."

The implication is that the 40-year journey to Canaan from Mount Sinai (Horeb) might have lasted only eleven days but for the peoples' rebellion and unbelief (Hebrews 3:16-19).

*Deuteronomy 1:7-8. "Turn and take your journey, and go to.the mountains and in the lowland, in the South and on the seacoast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the River Euphrates. See, I have set the land before you; go in and possess the land which the LORD swore to your fathers-to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob-to give to them and their descendants after them."
 
After over 2000 years, Israel has miraculously regained her ancient tongue, and begun to be gathered and returned to a portion of the land described here; she is once again a great nation, one to be reckoned with in the world. Her circumstances 'on the ground' are, however, still very different from when she was first set marching into Canaan by her God.


PLEASE PRAY:
*That God would establish Israel's boundaries-that He will give her leaders revelation regarding those boundaries, according to His timetable. Where are they to lie at present (Obviously Israel does not at this time lay claim to all of the territory lying within Lebanon, Syria and the Kingdom of Jordan originally promised to her)? How is Israel to relate to non-Jewish peoples who are presently dwelling in portions of these lands?

*That God's "kingdom come" among Jewish people living in both internationally recognized Israel and the disputed territories-that Jacob's children have supernatural revelation regarding both the Kingdom of Heaven and their place in it here on earth in the land of their Fathers.

SHABBAT CHAZON-"SABBATH OF VISION"

 

This Sabbath is known as the Sabbath of Vision because the Haftarah for the Sabbath preceding Tish'ah B'Av (The 9^th of Av-when the destruction of the Temple of commemorated) is always taken from the first chapter of Isaiah, which begins, "The vision." It is the third of a series of severe Haftarot of Affliction read between the 17^th of Tammuz and the 9^th of Av, to turn Israel to mourn because of her sin. This Sabbath is even sometimes known as "Black Sabbath" because of the anguish associated with that day (16 July this year). We are not in agreement with this title-the reading is indeed severe, but it contains in its darkness the "Light shining in Darkness": "Come now, and let us reason together," says the LORD, "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the Land. Zion shall be redeemed with justice, and her penitents with righteousness!" (Isaiah 1:18-19, 27)

 

PLEASE PRAY: THAT DURING THIS SEASON EYES WILL BE OPEN IN ISRAEL AND THAT THERE WILL BE VISION IN JEWISH HEARTS OF HOPE AND LIFE AND A FUTURE IN THEIR SAVIOUS YESHUA THE MESSIAH. 

 

*Isaiah: 1:26. "I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you shall be called the 'City of Righteousness', 'The Faithful City.'"

PLEASE PRAY: That righteousness be supernaturally restored to Israel's courts. That God anoint and raise up righteous judges as of old-such as Othniel, Ehud, Jephthah, Deborah and Samuel-who will be protected in their youth, and in times of need and repentance rise into their places in wisdom, truth and favor. "Righteousness exalts a nation." (Proverbs 14:34); "For the word of the LORD is right, and all His work is done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice." (Psalm 33:4-5).

*Isaiah 1:16-18. "Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together,' says the LORD, 'Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool."

PLEASE PRAY: That these words will pierce Jewish hearts through the Holy Spirit when they are read in synagogues this weekend-that Jews will find the way revealed and open for them to come into this cleansing!

*Isaiah 1:27. "Zion shall be redeemed with justice, and her penitents with righteousness."

Praise God! for a redemption which is altogether just and which brings all who repent (Both Jew and Gentile) into a place of true righteousness before Him-"He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (II Corinthians 5:21).

Hebrew Month of Av Begins

 

 

"Then Aaron the priest went up to Mount Hor at the command of the LORD, and died there in the fortieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, on the first day of the fifth month [i.e. 1^st of Av]. Aaron was one hundred and twenty-three years old when he died on Mount Hor."

 

 

MONDAY, JULY 8^TH BEGINS THE HEBREW MONTH OF "AV"

 

 Monday July 8^th was Rosh Hodesh, the "head" of the Fifth Month in the Hebrew Biblical calendar. Since the return from Captivity in Babylon, the month has been called by the Babylonian name, Av.

This day is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible (see above) as that of the death of Aaron the High Priest. Aaron had not been without serious failings-in the incident of the golden calf, with his brother Moses in the striking of the rock when God had commanded to speak to it. But he had also fallen on his face with Moses in intercession to God when they sinned, and he had for decades "borne iniquity" (Numbers 18:1) as he went about his duties as High Priest in the Tabernacle on behalf of all of the people. Now his mantle had been passed on to the next generation, who would likewise be fallible, who would also one day die. This passing of the first High Priest, from whom the "Aaronic" priesthood would take its name reminds us of a "greater" priesthood, that of Malki-tzedek (King of Righteousness)-and of the greater Priest of that order who would take Aaron's place as an intercessor between the Father and all Humankind.

"There were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing. But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them (Hebrews 7:23-25).

Av in Hebrew means "father". Although the name as used for a particular month was of Babylonian origin, it happens to bear the same spelling and pronunciation as the Hebrew word. As we pray over our land and people at the beginning of this new month, we recall a verse from last week's Haftarah portion, Jeremiah 3:4: "Will you not from this time cry to Me, 'My Father, You are the guide of my youth?' And as we continue through this season during which Darkness has repeatedly sought to take occasion for evil against the covenant land and people, we find it a time for especial watchfulness over Israel and Jews throughout the world, holding them up before the "Father of Lights" (James 1:17).

It happens this year that the close of this day begins the Muslim fast month of Ramadan. "Ramadan" comes from an Arabic root related to "intense heat, scorched ground and shortness of rations." During the month, Muslims are forbidden from eating or drinking between sunup and sundown. Tens of thousands will attend meetings on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem over the course of this month.

PLEASE PRAY:
*For the Body of Messiah in Israel to come into a deeper awareness of the work of Jesus as our High Priest. A few years ago the Bible Society in Israel released a small booklet containing an annotated Hebrew language printing of the Book of Hebrews. Please pray that this wonderful Book centered on the Priesthood of Messiah, written specifically to First Century Messianic Jews, would be rediscovered by Israeli Jews in the 20^th Century!
*For an awakened longing for Fatherhood in Israel-for an awareness that the God of Israel's "fathers"-Abraham, Isaac and Jacob-is in fact, the One from whom all fatherhood gets its name (Ephesians 3:14-15). That Jesus the Messiah has opened a way to bring us as fellow sons and daughters to His Father!

*For protection in Israel from demonic power released from millions fasting before a God of a different covenant. (Most Muslims are taught to believe that the person Abraham was told to sacrifice was Ishmael, not Isaac.) Pray that the Body of Messiah in Israel and Jerusalem will be unified and anointed throughout the month in its praise to the One True God, in the name of Jesus the Messiah. That rather than resorting to a defensive stance, the Body move forward in Her praise and worship this month, in spirit and in truth. That she take territory and defeat the enemy by the Word of her testimony, the Blood of the Lamb, and that she love not her own life even unto death! That many be brought out of the wilderness into Life!

portions taken from Israel prayer list

---