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.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Monday, July 15, 2013
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).
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).
Saturday, July 13, 2013
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 armyis 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).
Friday, July 12, 2013
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.
*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).
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 9th 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 17th of Tammuz and the 9th 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.
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).
Thursday, July 11, 2013
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. 1st of Av]. Aaron was one hundred and twenty-three years old when he died on Mount Hor."
MONDAY, JULY 8TH BEGINS THE HEBREW MONTH OF "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 20th 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
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Turmoil and Lawlessness
2 Timothy 3:1-5 "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power."
Egypt
I will set Egyptians against Egyptians; everyone will fight against his brother, and everyone against his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom. The spirit of Egypt will fail in its midst; I will destroy their counsel.for they will cry to YHVH because of the oppressors, and He will send them a Savior and a Mighty One, and He will deliver them. Then YHVH will be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know YHVH in that day." (Isaiah 19: 2-3b, 20b-21a).
Great "leader" nations in the Middle East continue to erupt in volitile tumultuous upheaval, with each day presenting new and often unexpected faces to the situations, faces which may be quite different tomorrow. Last week Egypt's first democratically-elected President Islamist Mohamed Morsi was deposed, after the cries of millions of disgruntled citizens, angry at a collapsing economy, broken promises and what they see as a bullying takeover by the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, spurred the military to step in and remove the President after his having served only one year in office. As a safety measure, not only was Morsi placed in confinement, so were the top five leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood. Counter demonstrations by Brotherhood and other Morsi supporters have kept the streets of Cairo seething and the death toll rising. Although the military has proposed an interim government and new elections in which the Brotherhood may be again represented, at this point they seem in no way inclined to agree to this.
Meanwhile, an Islamist party called Al Nour has risen into a surprisingly influential position with the military leaders. Made up of ultraconservatives known as Salafis, Al Nour's sheik leader was carefully positioned behind the general who announced the military takeover on television, presumably to assure the populace that the action was not an attack on Islam. Since then, Al Nour has already wielded its new enfluence by nixing the military's proposal of liberal Nobel-winning diplomat Mohamed ElBaradei for interim prime minister. That this Islamist party might itself come to replace the more moderate Muslim Brotherhood is worrisome indeed for those who had hoped for more separation between religion and politics. Al Nour and other Salafist groups have already been active in a campaign for constitutional provisions enshrining Islamic Law, and against its containing a new express guarantee of equality for women ("Islamist Party a Surprise Force in a New Egypt": The New York Times, 7 July 2013).
The fall of the Brotherhood in Egypt has had repercussions in Gaza, where the rogue-rulers Hamas are looking with dismay at what this probably means regarding the support they've enjoyed under Morsi's regime. (Hamas itself came into existence as a militant offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood.)
And in Syria, where the Brotherhood forces, although by no means in the majority, have been the most influtential faction and only truly organized group in the Sunni opposition seeking to overthrow Assad, it is feared that the toppling of their "mother branch" in Egypt may so weaken their influence that the more militant factions who have no interest in even a semblance of democratic order may take the ascendancy.
Meanwhile, the international community, within which many have strong economic/military ties with Egypt, is steering clear of labeling the shake-up a "coup." (The military claimed it didn't carry out a coup, but rather merely enforced the will of the people.)
PLEASE PRAY:
* God's mercy over the 84 million souls in Egypt; that His Kingdom Come in that land.
* Against a spirit of lawlessness which is running rampant in Egypt. Besides the battles between warring factions, there have reportedly been hundreds of women assaulted by bands of thugs roaming the squares where the demonstrations are taking place.
* All of Isaiah 19, including the portion quoted at the head of this section.
* For the thousands of believers in Egypt-that they will be led in truth and courage; granted angelic protection, and divine strategy and counsel.
* For a Christian reporter and his cameraman we know who God has led into the midst of Egypt this week; that he will have the protection and guidance and assistance necessary to record and chronicle exactly what God is sending him there to report.
* For leaders in Israel to see and understand and have insight from heaven into what is taking place in her neighbor to the south, and how best and most wisely to respond. That the treaty between Israel and Egypt will be preserved.
portions taken from Israel prayer list
Egypt
I will set Egyptians against Egyptians; everyone will fight against his brother, and everyone against his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom. The spirit of Egypt will fail in its midst; I will destroy their counsel.for they will cry to YHVH because of the oppressors, and He will send them a Savior and a Mighty One, and He will deliver them. Then YHVH will be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know YHVH in that day." (Isaiah 19: 2-3b, 20b-21a).
Great "leader" nations in the Middle East continue to erupt in volitile tumultuous upheaval, with each day presenting new and often unexpected faces to the situations, faces which may be quite different tomorrow. Last week Egypt's first democratically-elected President Islamist Mohamed Morsi was deposed, after the cries of millions of disgruntled citizens, angry at a collapsing economy, broken promises and what they see as a bullying takeover by the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, spurred the military to step in and remove the President after his having served only one year in office. As a safety measure, not only was Morsi placed in confinement, so were the top five leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood. Counter demonstrations by Brotherhood and other Morsi supporters have kept the streets of Cairo seething and the death toll rising. Although the military has proposed an interim government and new elections in which the Brotherhood may be again represented, at this point they seem in no way inclined to agree to this.
Meanwhile, an Islamist party called Al Nour has risen into a surprisingly influential position with the military leaders. Made up of ultraconservatives known as Salafis, Al Nour's sheik leader was carefully positioned behind the general who announced the military takeover on television, presumably to assure the populace that the action was not an attack on Islam. Since then, Al Nour has already wielded its new enfluence by nixing the military's proposal of liberal Nobel-winning diplomat Mohamed ElBaradei for interim prime minister. That this Islamist party might itself come to replace the more moderate Muslim Brotherhood is worrisome indeed for those who had hoped for more separation between religion and politics. Al Nour and other Salafist groups have already been active in a campaign for constitutional provisions enshrining Islamic Law, and against its containing a new express guarantee of equality for women ("Islamist Party a Surprise Force in a New Egypt": The New York Times, 7 July 2013).
The fall of the Brotherhood in Egypt has had repercussions in Gaza, where the rogue-rulers Hamas are looking with dismay at what this probably means regarding the support they've enjoyed under Morsi's regime. (Hamas itself came into existence as a militant offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood.)
And in Syria, where the Brotherhood forces, although by no means in the majority, have been the most influtential faction and only truly organized group in the Sunni opposition seeking to overthrow Assad, it is feared that the toppling of their "mother branch" in Egypt may so weaken their influence that the more militant factions who have no interest in even a semblance of democratic order may take the ascendancy.
Meanwhile, the international community, within which many have strong economic/military ties with Egypt, is steering clear of labeling the shake-up a "coup." (The military claimed it didn't carry out a coup, but rather merely enforced the will of the people.)
PLEASE PRAY:
* God's mercy over the 84 million souls in Egypt; that His Kingdom Come in that land.
* Against a spirit of lawlessness which is running rampant in Egypt. Besides the battles between warring factions, there have reportedly been hundreds of women assaulted by bands of thugs roaming the squares where the demonstrations are taking place.
* All of Isaiah 19, including the portion quoted at the head of this section.
* For the thousands of believers in Egypt-that they will be led in truth and courage; granted angelic protection, and divine strategy and counsel.
* For a Christian reporter and his cameraman we know who God has led into the midst of Egypt this week; that he will have the protection and guidance and assistance necessary to record and chronicle exactly what God is sending him there to report.
* For leaders in Israel to see and understand and have insight from heaven into what is taking place in her neighbor to the south, and how best and most wisely to respond. That the treaty between Israel and Egypt will be preserved.
portions taken from Israel prayer list
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
SURVIAL BOXES
As the threat of war continues and the violence increases on our northern and now southern borders, often spilling over into Israel, we also continue to prepare. Hands of Mercy packs 1000’s of ‘Survival Boxes’ that are filled with food and emergency supplies.
The work is accomplished thanks to those who support us as well as those who come and help pack the boxes.
Contingency plans for delivering boxes are in place for when, (not if) war breaks out. In the event of war a team of brave volunteers will be delivering boxes to the front lines where they are needed the most.
Contingency plans for delivering boxes are in place for when, (not if) war breaks out. In the event of war a team of brave volunteers will be delivering boxes to the front lines where they are needed the most.
The work is not without its challenges however, as we saw this week. Our storage building was once again vandalized and supplies stolen. As a result, supplies and packed boxes were moved into a more secure building nearby. This required nearly a week of heavy labor as a large hole was made in the cement wall and a new gate installed. Volunteers continue to take measures to reinforce the new building.
We look forward to returning to the work of packing the boxes and finalizing the distribution plans that will be initiated when war comes.
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Continue to pray for this ministry that is on the front lines.
portions taken from where the action is---Sderot blog.
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