Jerusalem

JERUSALEM, A HEAVY STONE CAUSING A SEVERE WOUND

Sunday morning Israelis awakened to the headlines that our Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu had undergone unanticipated emergency surgery overnight for an umbilical hernia. The operation, thankfully, was considered mild and a success-but it was enough to make him miss his weekly Cabinet meeting, which was to have been centered round the confirmation of the first 26 of 104 convicted terrorists who are to be released as Israel's "confidence-building measure" for the current peace talks with the Palestinians. Today it was clarified that the list included 17 names of prisoners who murdered Israelis. The families of terror victims have 48 hours to appeal the government's decision and demonstrations continue to take place-but few expect the decision to be rescinded.

We are in sympathy with Mr. Netanyahu and pray for his healing and health-but found our minds being drawn anew towards the 12^th chapter of Zechariah. For all the fact that the talks are ostensibly related to establishment of a "state" in Gaza, Judea and Samaria, no one questions that the ultimate contention involved has been and will be Jerusalem- specifically, the ancient part including the Temple Mount and the Mount of Olives which the Palestinians and much of the world demand Israel withdraw from.

Zechariah 12:2-3 (NKJ) reads, "Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces(or: "tear rents for themselves"-David Baron), though all nations of the earth are gathered against it." Might the "rent within himself" at the beginning of the negotiations serve as a warning to our Prime Minister? This object of the Biblical warning is not just to the "nations" (Hebrew:goim)-Jerusalem will be made a heavy stone for all the peoples (Hebrew: l'chol-ha'amim), including Israel herself if she attempts it.

PLEASE PRAY:

*For Prime Minister Netanyahu, that he will seek and hear God regarding Jerusalem, and not be a party to attempting to move her from her God ordained positioning.

*For God "Who makes peace in His high places whose armies are innumerable" (Job 25:2), to oversee both the Israeli and Palestinian delegations to the peace talks-and not allow an alliance or agreement to be made which violates His sovereign design, decree and timing for the lands in question.

*That believers in Israel seek to understand and pursue God's priority for "peace" during this season. "Stand therefore, having.shod your feet with the preparation of the good news of peace."(Ephesians 6:14-15); "How beautifully the feet of those bringing good news adorn the mountains-those who proclaim Shalom (peace), who bring glad tidings of Good-who proclaim Salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!" (Isaiah 52:7).

portions taken from Israel prayer list

Zion

"Let those who hate Zion be put to shame and turned back neither let those who pass by them say, 'The blessing of YHVH be upon you; We bless you in the name of YHVH" (Psalm 129:5, 8).

"Thus says YHVH of Armies, 'I am zealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with great zeal.'" (Zechariah 1:14b).

"Thus says YHVH: 'I will return to Zion, and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth, the Mountain of YHVH of Armies, the Holy Mountain.'" (Zechariah 8:3).

"Let heaven and earth praise Him, the seas and everything that moves in them. For God will save Zion and build the cities of Judah, that they may dwell there and possess it. The descendants of His servants will inherit it, and those who love His name will dwell in it" (Psalm 69:34-36 NAS).

We have commented in the past how in recent years anti-Semitism has increasingly begun to cloak itself in the protest that it is not "against Jews"-just Zionism. The Scriptures above (drawn from some 63 in the Hebrew Bible!) show how the God of Israel not only loves the word Zion, but the city He has called by that name and the people whom he has vowed to return to live in it forever.

Friday was Quds or Al-Quds Day (Al-Quds is an Arabic expression designating Jerusalem) - a day set aside for anti-Zionist rallies throughout the Muslim world. In 1979, the Ayatollah Khomeini designated the last Friday of Ramadan to be a day for Muslims to express solidarity with the Palestinian people, and opposition to Zionism and the Israeli control of Jerusalem. Millions of Muslims in 80 countries across the world participated in the annual event. On Friday Hassan Rouhani, the Muslim cleric who on Sunday would take office as Iran's new president replacing Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, spoke before an Al-Quds Day crowd, where he was quoted by Iran's semi-official student news agency ISNA as stating, "The Zionist regime is a wound that has sat on the body of the Muslim world for years and needs to be removed." Shortly thereafter, Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu's office in Jerusalem issued a condemnation, "Rouhani's true face has been revealed earlier than expected. Even if they will now rush to deny his remarks, this is what the man thinks and this is the plan of the Iranian regime. These remarks by President Rouhani must rouse the world from the illusion that part of it has been caught up in since the Iranian elections. The president there has changed, but the goal of the regime has not: to achieve nuclear weapons in order to threaten Israel, the Middle East and the peace and security of the entire world. A country that threatens the destruction of the State of Israel must not be allowed to possess weapons of mass destruction" ("Rouhani: Nuclear row is West's pretext to confront Iran": The Jerusalem Post JPOST.com, 4 August 2013, 14:50 IST).
 
Officials in Iran did indeed rush to deny the words of its President-elect, objecting that Mr. Rouhani had been misquoted. The ISNA soon retracted its original quotation, saying the original words were that "Israeli occupation of Palestinian land had inflicted a 'wound' on the Muslim world"(i.e. with no calls for its 'removal.').

Whether or not Mr. Rouhani called for the Zionist regime's removal, his predecessor, Mr. Ahmadinejad had no qualms about doing so, addressing similar crowds on Friday, "I will inform you with God [Allah] as my witness, a devastating storm is on the way that will uproot the basis of Zionism" adding that Israel "has no place in the region." ("Iranian President-Elect Rouhani: Israel a 'wound' on Muslim world": The Jerusalem Post/JPOST.com 4 August 2013, 15:21 IST).

Meanwhile, in Lebanon Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah came out of hiding on Friday to deliver his own Al-Quds address (his first major speech since shortly after the 2006 war with Israel). In it he declared, "Israel poses a danger on all people of this region including Lebanon, and removing it is a Lebanese national interest. We want to say to every enemy and every friend we the Shi'ites of the world will not abandon Palestine, the Palestinian people or the sacred sites in Palestine"("Lebanese Christian leader assails Hezbollah for provoking Israel": The Jerusalem Post/JPOST.com, 4 August 2013, 13:51 IST).

PLEASE PRAY:

*The Scriptures at the head of this section over Jerusalem and Israel.

*That God will awaken voices in Iran and Lebanon to rise up in opposition to their leaders' voiced hatred for Zion and the Jews returning to live there.

*That Zion will wave as a banner reflecting God's grace and purposes on behalf of His people Israel and all humankind (The word "zion" bears the same root as tzi'un-a "signpost" cff: Jeremiah 31:21).

*That God will protect Zion and that as international conflict increases related to Israel's right to a presence in Judea, Samaria and "Eastern" Jerusalem her people will call out to their God, and come to know and love the name of His Son, in whose name He:

"will save Zion, build the cities of Judah, that they may dwell there and possess it. The seed of His servants will inherit it, and those who love His name will dwell in it"

(Psalm 69:34-36).

Interesting Discovery!

 

A recently discovered portion of a wall (lower two rows of stones above) on the southern slope of the Ben Hinnom Valley, thought to have been built by King Hezekiah. A section of the wall around Jerusalem was later repaired by Nehemiah upon his return from Babylon, and finished during the month of Elul.

 

"So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days. And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God!

(Nehemiah 6:15)

 

 

THE SIXTH MONTH, THE MONTH OF ELUL

 

Wednesday August 7th begins the month of Elul, the 6^th month in the Hebrew religious calendar and the 12^th of the civil year. This is traditionally a month of self-examination and repentance before the Lord in preparation for the High Holy Days of Yom T'ruah (The Day of Trumpets/Rosh Hashanah) and Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement). As a call to this, it is customary in some Jewish circles to blow a blast on the shofar each morning (except the Sabbath) throughout the month. A further ancient practice is to recite Psalm 27 each day from the First of Elul through the "Last Great Day" of the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). This wonderful psalm reaffirms our trust in the Light and Salvation of our LORD (vs. 1), the importance of seeking His face, dwelling in His presence and gazing on His beauty (vss. 4,8), our place of safety in His sukka-"shelter" and tent (vs. 5), and our utter dependence on Him to deliver us from our adversaries (vs. 12). As quoted beneath the picture in the heading, it was during this month of Elul that Nehemiah finished rebuilding the Wall around Jerusalem (Nehemiah 6:15).

We see this as a time for inspecting our "walls," securing all breaches, all places of vulnerability along our 'borders'.

 

PLEASE PRAY:

*For revelation that it is the Lord's kindness (Romans 2:4b) that leads us to repentance; that many Jewish people will sense the Holy Spirit drawing them and will respond.

*For an awareness amongst believers of the importance of examining and securing our spiritual borders.

*That as with the returned remnant from Babylon (Ezra and Nehemiah) the LORD release spiritual guidance and leadership upon His returned people in our day. 

*That He define Israel's physical borders and the lines of Jerusalem according to His desire (Psalm 147:14), in such a way as even Israel's enemies will "perceive was done by God" (Nehemiah 6:16). 
 
*That He Himself becomes a "wall of fire around Jerusalem, and her Glory within" (Zechariah 2:5)!





WATCH AND PRAY

"Watch, therefore, for you do not know when the Master of the house is coming--in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning---

lest, coming suddenly, He find you sleeping.

And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!"

 

 

US Secretary of State John Kerry had his photo-op when Israeli and Palestinian negotiators met this past week in Washington DC to lay the groundwork for serious negotiations between the sides. We find it strange that a nine-month goal has been set. That brings it to right around Passover 2014 - and the beginning of the Red Moon Triad. (See post "Signs of The Times", Sunday, June 16, 2013).



 None of this should stop us from praying against the negotiations even beginning because the goal of this 'peace' process is absolutely against God's revealed will - God's land divided and another Arab/Islamic state created on it.

• We bless You Lord, that despite all the noise and headlines, nothing really was accomplished again 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).
• We thank You for the absolute miraculous return of Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the Golan Heights in the 1967 Six Day War. Forbid that this gift from You to Your people be thrown back in Your face.
• We thank You that since the Oslo Accords were signed in 1993, You have always harden Palestinian leaders hearts so that no Israeli offer has been good enough. Do it again!
• Watch over this prayer concerning the Palestinian negotiating team: Destroy, O YHWH, and divide their tongues; for I have seen violence and fighting in the city. (Psalms 55:9)
• Lord, purge Your 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, reveal to Your Church that Satan's battle over this land has as its goal to hinder the return of Messiah Yeshua, and that You are calling many of them to be watchmen on Your walls - to set the stage for just that - His glorious return (Isaiah 62:6-7: Matthew 24:30).
• We bless You for all of the Arab believers who actually believe Your Word about Israel and are supportive.

 

This coming Wednesday is the first day of the Hebrew month of Elul, the month of repentance which prepares Jews for the following month, Tishri, which brings the major fall feasts of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Succoth. Every morning during Elul the shofar is blown in the synagogues, calling Jews to repentance.

• Lord, as the shofar sounds stir up Your people to seek You. And you shall seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13)
• Abba, as You are challenging the nations with Jerusalem, we remind You that it is at this time that all Israel gets saved (Zechariah 12:10). We ask for a full first-fruits harvest at this time in Israel and among many Jews who are still in exile.
• God, the Psalmist prayed that Israel could not come to You unless You drew them (Psalm 80:3, 7, 19) - so draw Your people to Yourself during this season (Jeremiah 31:3).
• Lord Yeshua, as Joseph did to his brothers, so too reveal Yourself to Your brothers (Genesis 45:1).
• Lord, many have received Messianic Jews in this land - knowing that we are Messianic Jews. You said, He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. (Matthew 10:40) Therefore, we believe You have a foot in the door in these folks lives. Yeshua, enter fully and save them.
• Turn the Jews in exile back to You and then draw them back to this land

portions taken from Intercessors for Israel

 

Prayer Points

The pressure on Israel it to divide its God-given inheritance seems to increase with every proclamation from the leaders of this world. Prime Minister Benjamin 'Bibi' Netanyahu needs to make many hard decisions, so he desperately needs intercessors to pray for him. 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.

• Abba, we thank You for Bibi. We cannot think of anyone else in the current political scene who could deal with this position today as well as he is doing - although we do not agree with every decision he makes.
• Lord, provide him with all the wisdom and strength he needs to do that which is in line with Your will.
• Hedge him in from making any decisions that are not in line with Your will for Israel at this time. A man's heart plans his way, but YHWH directs his steps. (Proverbs 16:9)
• 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).
• May the fear of You come upon him mightily and release him from the fear of man (Proverbs 29:25).
• Bring back to him the lessons he learned from his pro-Zionist father and from the death of his brother.

• 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 - physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. But You, O YHWH, are a shield for me; my glory, the One who lifts up my head. (Psalms 3:3)
• Surround him with wise counsel (Psalm 1:1; Proverbs 15:22).
• Turn Sarah, his wife, into a blessing and source of strength for Bibi.

 

We prayed next against the threat of an Iranian nuclear device, which an independent security think tank says could become a reality within months.

• I will set My throne in Elam [ancient Persia = modern Iran], and will destroy the king and the rulers from there, says YHWH. (Jeremiah 49:38) Lord, thank You for watching over the first part of this word - as many Iranians are coming to know Yeshua. Now watch over the last part - and 'destroy' Iran's current Islamic Shiite fundamentalist leadership, removing their scepter of authority.
• Lord, rip the sheep skin off from Iran's new 'moderate' president Hassan Rouhani.
• Bring the next round of talks between Iran and the P5+1 to nothing very quickly, and use it to remove all excuses from Western leaders to want to continue with their useless negotiations.
• As You trapped Haman in ancient Persia when he had plotted to wipe out Your people, so trap all of Iran's current leadership who also have hatred in their hearts towards Israel and the Jews.
• Raise up Mordecais and Esthers to plead with You to overturn modern Haman's anti-Semitic plans.
• Abba, bring Israel's leaders into one accord concerning what Israel needs to do with regard to Iran.
• If that includes Israel attacking militarily, then provide all the IDF needs to do the job completely.
• Yeshua, Captain of heaven's armies, as You did with Joshua (Joshua 5:13-6:5), specifically impart Your divine plans and tactics to Israel's current leaders.
• Prepare Israel to deal with all of the negative 'fallout' on the morning after any Israeli attack. Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, the people in whose heart is My Law; do not fear the reproach of men, nor be afraid of their scorn. (Isaiah 51:7)
• If Israel attacks, let the fear of Israel's God fall on all of the nations of the Middle East (Esther 9:1-2).

• Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered; also let those who hate Him flee before Him…Lord, scatters the people who delight in war.

  Psalms 68:1,30

• We thank You for making it obvious that Israel cannot depend on anyone other than You and itself to defend this nation at this time. And we thank You that You are all Israel needs (Psalm 20:7-9; Jeremiah 31:10).

The planned release of 104 unrepentant terrorists with Jewish blood on their hands - just to entice the Palestinians to sit down and talk with Israel - is deeply agonizing to us and most Israelis. We wonder what that 'worst choice' that Defense Minister Ya'alon hinted at actually was. Was it a threat or a promise from America? The way Ya'alon said it, hinted at some sort of threat. Regardless, the Israeli cabinet voted for this totally unjust decision. Still no one has been released yet, so we pray much against it.

• Abba, whatever it takes, prevent this travesty of justice from going forward.

• You shall follow that which is altogether just, that you may live and inherit the land which YHWH your God gives you.

  Deuteronomy 16:20

• Lord, You have overruled man's plans in the past. Do it again. YHWH brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He breaks the plots of the people. (Psalms 33:10)
• God of true justice, lock the jail cells and throw away the keys so that none of these vicious terrorists are ever released. Lift up Yourself, Judge of the earth; give a just repayment to the proud. (Psalms 94:2)

• He is the Rock; His work is perfect. For all His ways are just, a God of faithfulness and without evil; just and upright is He.

  Deuteronomy 32:4

• Lord, stir up the hearts of Israelis to come out and protest this move by the government.

portions taken from Intercessors for Israel.

Scriptures of the Week

The readings for this week, 28 July—3 August 2013 are called R'eh—"See!":

TORAH: Deuteronomy 11:26—16:17  

HAFTARAH:  Isaiah 54:11—55:5

*Deuteronomy 11:26.  "See! I am setting before you today blessing and curse."

PLEASE PRAY:  For sight to see the difference between ways whose very nature brings a curse and those which are blessed—for grace to ask "for the ancient paths, the good way," to see and to walk in it! (Jeremiah 6:16; 18:15).

*Deuteronomy 12:2, 5.  "You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations which you shall dispossess served their gods."  "But you shall seek the place where the LORD your God chooses, out of all your tribes, to put His name for His dwelling place; and there you shall go." 
At least 16 times in this Torah portion this 'place' (singular) is mentioned where Israel's One God YHVH would choose to place His name and to dwell.  This one place as compared to the many "places" where the multiple gods of Canaan were worshipped.  Those places were to be utterly destroyed, and with them the very names of the gods which had been worshipped there (12:3).   The "place" where the One God would place HIS name and choose to dwell in a unique way was, of course, Jerusalem. This had been prophetically alluded to by Moses 40 years before in his Song, just after the crossing of the Red Sea (Exodus 15:17).

  PLEASE PRAY:  For the peace of Jerusalem.that God's glory would return there, that there the believing Body of Messiah would be established in maturity and unity.  Pray that God would raise up wise and anointed Messianic leaders to be Elders in the Gates of Zion.  That as God "chose" Jerusalem when He first returned Israel to the land following the Exodus, He would now, with the return of His people from around the world, "take possession of Judah as His inheritance in the Holy Land, and again choose Jerusalem"  (Zechariah 2:12).

*Deuteronomy 12:8.  "You shall not at all do as we are doing here today—every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes." 
God had a special order for worship and government waiting for the people when they would enter the land—it wasn't to be "everyone for himself".  Rather, they were to "do what is right in the sight of YHVH your God" (12:25, 28).  There would be Judges (the title for next week's Parasha) for civil matters, and the Priesthood to keep the worship "in line".  There would be periods during the next 400 years when the people followed this directive—but eventually it would be abandoned:  the closing words of the Book of Judges read, "Everyone did what was right in his own eyes."

*Deuteronomy 12:16; 12:23.  "Only you shall not eat the blood; you shall pour it on the earth like water."  "Only be sure that you do not eat the blood, for the blood is the life (Hebrew: nefesh—soul); you may not eat the life with the meat." 
This prohibition is made repeatedly in the Torah, yet long before the Law of Moses it was forbidden by God.  In fact, in Genesis 9:4-5, it was placed right alongside murder. Thousands of years later, after Yeshua had returned to Heaven, the high council of the Messianic Body in Jerusalem forbade the consumption of blood by all Gentile as well as Jewish believers of the New Testament Church (Acts 15:20,29).  With the recently awakened popularity of vampirism and "zombies" in books and films in the West (catering especially to the young; the "Twilight" series being only the tip of the iceberg), accompanied by graphic, sensual descriptions of awakened blood-hunger, might it be that Satan is seeking to bring back this ancient sin (albeit, for now, in a vicarious "fantasy" form)? As in Eden, Satan's way is to suggest, "Has God indeed said, 'Thou shalt not.'?"

*Deuteronomy 14:2.  "For you are a holy people to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be for Him a specially treasured people of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth."
*Deuteronomy 14:26.  "You may spend the money for whatever your heart desires; for oxen, or sheep, or wine, or strong drink, or whatever your heart desires; and there you shall eat in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice, you and your household." 
*Deuteronomy 16:1.  "Observe the month of Aviv (The "First Month"; Babylonian and modern usage: Nisan), and keep the Passover to YHVH your God, for in the month of Aviv YHVH your God brought you out of Egypt by night."
*Deuteronomy 16:16.  "Three times a year all your males shall appear before YHVH your God in the place which He chooses; at the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Pesach/Passover), at the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot), and at the feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot); and they shall not appear before YHVH empty handed."
NOTE
Last week's Haphtarah extended from Isaiah 49:14 to 51:3; this week's is 54:11—55:5.  Next week's will go back to 51:12—52:12, and the following will come again to 54:1-10.  What is mysteriously absent here is the great poem of the "Anointed Suffering Servant", extending from Isaiah 52:13 through all of Isaiah 53.  Because many Jews are only exposed to the readings they hear in Synagogue, many, many are unaware that Isaiah 53 even exists.  It is in their Bibles if they looked although often with rabbinic commentaries carefully calculated to turn them away from any possible interpretation which might lead them in the direction of associating the "servant" with the Messiah Yeshua.  Yet there are ancient Jewish commentaries which do associate the Servant here with the coming Anointed One  (i.e. Messiah).  Certainly, the Messianic Jews of the 1^st Century knew to whom it was referring.  In Acts 8:35, Philip, a deacon in the early Messianic Body of Jerusalem, "beginning at this Scripture, preached Yeshua" to a visiting Ethiopian official.  Of course, Yeshua's presence may also be discerned in almost all of these Isaiah passages (See especially last week's Isaiah 50:5-7).  But all of Israel is starving for the truths of Chapter 53.

  PLEASE PRAY:  That the Holy Spirit will lead many to read the portion 52:13-53.  Pray for the "veil" to be lifted that they may see and have understanding and believe in the one who came first to live and release Kingdom life among us, to suffer and "bear the sin of many", to die and be buried, to be raised to see His seed and prolong His days.  Pray for revelation of this righteous One, the knowledge of whom "justifies many!"

*Isaiah 54:11:  "O you afflicted one, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems, and lay your foundations with sapphires." 

 PLEASE PRAY:  That Israel's sense of identity be restored—not an identity related to her rejection, suffering, persecution and the Holocaust, but rather an identity of a people chosen to be set apart as a special treasure of the God Who created the Universe.

*Isaiah 54:13-14.  "All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children."

  PLEASE PRAY:  For the present generation of Israeli children that the loving jealousy of God would be loosed over them, cutting through the evil values being taught in so many homes and schools in Israel, awakening a zeal for Truth; that they would respond to the Holy Spirit and ask for the ancient paths where they will find rest for their souls (Jeremiah 6:16).

*Isaiah 54:14.  "In righteousness you shall be established; You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you."  For Israel to be delivered from terrorism she must first become established in righteousness.  "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (II Corinthians 5:21 NASB).

  PLEASE PRAY:  That in God's mercy the Spirit which was sent to convict the world concerning Sin and Righteousness and Judgment (John 16:8) will move strongly across all of Israel.

*Isaiah 54:17.  "No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn.  This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me," says the LORD."
*Isaiah 55:3.  "Incline your ear, and come to Me.  Hear, and your soul shall live." 

 PLEASE PRAY:  "That Israeli ears will be opened to hear the living Word.  There are many "winds" blowing in Israel right now (In Hebrew "wind" and "spirit" are the same word).    Pray that believers in Israel will "have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the congregations."

*Isaiah 55:5b.  ".For He has glorified you."  The Hebrew word for "glorified" here might better be rendered "beautified you."  It is the verb form of the same word used in Isaiah 61:3, where the Spirit anoints the Messiah to give those who mourn in Zion "beauty for ashes." 

 PLEASE PRAY:  For Israel to come to realize that the one whom she has been resisting for 2000 years is the very One who longs to make her beautiful and shall!

portions taken from Israel Prayer list

Peace Talks at What Price

"Don't be afraid!  Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.  O LORD, open his eyes so he may SEE!" (II Kings 6:16-17a.)  

In recent years the goal of achieving a peaceful settlement between Israelis and Palestinian Arabs has been persistently held up by the United States as the most important key for unlocking peace throughout the Middle East.  Beginning with the George W. Bush administration, the idea of "two independent democratic states side by side" became verbalized.  Then the Obama administration went one step further in specifying that all negotiations regarding the proposed Palestinian State should begin at the so called "pre-'67 War borders"  (i.e. the 1949 Armistice Lines).  Most of the rest of the world has followed suit, claiming that the presence of any Jews across those lines constitutes illegal "occupation" by Israel.  But if the Jewish Israelis and the Palestinian Arabs will only come together and form their two states, there will be a ripple effect which will somehow be the answer for bringing peace to the whole region.

But during the past two years, the uprisings across the Middle Eastern world—Libya, Turkey, especially the bloody storms presently raging in Egypt and Syria—have had nothing to do with the Palestinians.  As a result, in recent months the American President has himself seemed to be rearranging his priorities—seeming, at least on the surface, to be distancing himself from so much emphasis upon a "Middle East Peace Process" centered in Israel. 

Yet U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry evidently thinks otherwise.  It has been bewildering to Israelis, the way that Mr. Kerry has journeyed indefatigably past the storm clouds raging round us to visit our region an unprecedented six times since March, all in search of getting peace talks towards a 'two state solution' started again between Palestinians and Israel.  Analysts here have commented repeatedly on the silence from the White House regarding Mr. Kerry's efforts—assuming that the President was waiting to see which way the wind blows before "entering the fray".  Even the Washington Post editorialized:

The intense focus of Secretary of State John F. Kerry on the long-moribund Israeli-Palestinian peace process when neighboring Egypt is collapsing into chaos and Syria's civil war rages unabated provokes more than a little head-scratching among diplomats from the middle East.Like previous US initiatives, Mr. Kerry's diplomacy ignores the powerful Hamas movement, which controls the Gaza Strip, opposes a peace deal and is capable of disrupting negotiations at any time by resuming missile attacks against Israel. Mr. Kerry banks on the support of Arab states, but two of Israel's Arab neighbors have no functioning government, while the other two-Jordan and Lebanon-have been all but overwhelmed by the spillover of refugees and fighting from Syria. (Quoted in: "Kerry set to make 6^th Mideast visit next week amid doubts": The Jerusalem Post (JPOST.com) 12 JULY 2013 5:06 IST).  

Yet a week ago, the Secretary was lauded as having scored a "major diplomatic victory", a "Mideast breakthrough" when he announced that he had finally succeeded in making a deal to bring about a resumption of talks. "Kerry Achieves Deal to Revive Mideast Talks" trumpeted The New York Times.  Preliminary talks are to begin today (Monday) in Washington; the serious ones to get underway tomorrow.

Two days ago the price for such a deal began to come into focus.  Among other things, once again it was Israel which was requested/required to come up with "confidence-building gestures" to coax the Palestinians to the negotiation table.  Initially, these had included a demand for release of 82 pre-Oslo (1993) Palestinian prisoners but under adamant insistence of the Palestinians and consequent pressure from the Americans, the number was upped to 104.  Yesterday, a bitterly divided government (with angry demonstrations against the measure in the streets outside) saw its cabinet vote 13-7 (with two abstentions) to free the prisoners.  The plan is that they will not be released all at once, but in stages as progress is made in the talks. 

At the demand of Mr. Bennett who heads a powerful party in the present government, the Prime Minister was forced to approve on Sunday a bill requiring a public referendum on any future peace deal with the Palestinians that would give up sovereign Israeli territory.  This covers the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem, but not the West Bank which has never been officially annexed by Israel.  As Israel once again, and at a grave and cruel price, goes to the negotiating table regarding oversight of the Holy Land (Zechariah 2:12) promised to her Fathers and the question of co-existence with the "sojourners" presently occupying that land.

PLEASE PRAY:

*From II Chronicles 2:11-12:  "Here they are, rewarding us by coming to throw us out of Your possession which You have given us to inherit.  O our God, will You not judge them?  For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You!"

*Isaiah 54:13-14, 17:" 'All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children.  In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you.No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn.  This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me.' Says the LORD."

*That the LORD will "bring the counsel of the nations to nothing", that He will "make the plans of the peoples of no effect." (Psalm 33:10).  That Prime Minister Netanyahu will be made aware and convicted of ways in which he has slipped—and raise His eyes continually to God who "plucks our feet from the net" (Psalm 25:15)—that he will humble himself and seek the counsels and heart of the LORD in leading this country, counsels which stand forever and to all generations (Psalm 33:11).

*We do not curse the Palestinian prisoners who are being slated for release.  We pray that none will be released who would go back into a life of hatred and war against Israel.  Pray that the Grace of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—the Light of the World which shines into the deepest darkness—will draw some of these murderers into a revelation of hope, life and salvation in the God whose people they have been taught to despise.  Pray that the God of all comfort will minister grace and mercy and hope to those who have been bereaved at their hands.

portions taken from Israel prayer list