This week in Israel:
This week we would ask that you continue to pray into the issues we presented in our previous Update. Any hopes that the 'spat' between Israel and Turkey might be mere heat lightening were doused when last Tuesday evening her government-controlled television released a new blatantly anti-Israel prime-time series. Ostensibly a love story taking place in Gaza during Israel's offensive there last January, the show (we have ourselves viewed clips) depicts brutish Israeli soldiers shooting children in the chest, kicking old people to the ground, lining up hapless Palestinians and mowing them down in firing squads. Airing of this libelous show prompted Israel's Foreign Minister to summon Turkey's ambassador to lodge an official protest of incitement. A grim reality is daily coming more clearly into focus regarding Turkey-that this sudden open hostility towards Israel is in fact but a manifestation of something deeper which has been taking place with incredible speed within this once 'moderate' pro-Western Muslim democracy since the Islamist AKP party won control of the government in the 2002 elections. (For remarkable clarity on this, we would strongly recommend our readers "google" and read Column One: How Turkey was lost, an Oct 15th Jerusalem Post editorial by columnist Caroline Glick.) Ironically, even as it began to become clear that we are now dealing with altogether different realities on the ground, this week Israel began again to speculate about possibilities, abandoned several years ago, of buying water from Turkey should our nation's severe drought (see points below Torah Portion below) continue.
Meanwhile, Friday the UN Human Rights Council endorsed a report, spawned by the "Goldstone Report", accusing Israel of war crimes in Gaza, and passed a resolution calling for censure of Israel with absolutely no mention of wrong doing on the part of Hamas. More than half of the 25 votes in favor of the resolution came from Arab, Muslim and leftist-run Latin American countries. The U.S., Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Slovakia and the Ukraine opposed the bill, eleven European and African countries abstained (Britain, France and three other members didn't vote). At present, our Prime Minister is under considerable pressure to establish an independent investigation into Operation Cast Lead. If he doesn't, Israel could soon find herself summoned to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
PLEASE PRAY that God would guide Israel through this straight place. Pray for wisdom, courage and vision for Prime Minister Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. Pray for the Body of Messiah in Turkey-that they will gain supernatural insight in standing against the darkness and turning back the enemy at the gates of their communities. Pray for grace and courage and protection over those nations which are choosing to align themselves with Israel, during this time when it is beginning to place them in the minority to do so.
This week's Torah Portion:
From ancient times there has been a weekly portion from the five books of Moses (The Torah) and from the prophets (Haftarah-final reading) read on the Sabbath in synagogues around the world. This portion is given a Hebrew name taken from the opening words of the passage. An illustration of this practice appears to have been recorded in Luke 4:16 where Yeshua (Jesus) arrived in the synagogue in Nazareth and was asked to read the Haftarah portion (Isaiah 61) from the Prophets. We have found that in perusing these weekly readings, not only are we provided opportunity to identify in the context of God's Word with millions of Jewish people around the world, but very often the Holy Spirit will illumine specific passages pertinent that week in our intercession for the Land and people of Israel. All texts are those of English translations of the Scriptures.
The readings for October 18-24 are called NOAH-and include:
TORAH: Genesis 6:9-11:32
HAFTARAH: Isaiah 54;1-55:5
*Genesis 6:9 (NKJV). "Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations; Noah walked with God." "Perfect" is an adjective form of the word translated "integrity" in Psalm 25:21: "Let integrity and uprightness preserve/guard me for I wait for you" (NKJV).
*Genesis 6:11-13. "Now the earth had gone to ruin before God, the earth was filled with wrongdoing [Hebrew: hamas-outrage, cruel violence]. God saw the earth, and here: it had gone to ruin, for all flesh had ruined its way upon the earth. God said to Noach: An end of all flesh has come before me, for the earth is filled with wrongdoing through them: here, I am about to bring ruin upon them, along with the earth" (Everett Fox translation; emphases ours). Flesh, given its lead brings ruin and destruction. The New Covenant prophecies that in the latter days, it will again be "as it was in the days of Noah". Zechariah 2:11-13 instructs us that in those days, as Messiah draws near to again take possession of Judah and to choose Jerusalem, as the LORD is aroused from His holy habitation, it will be imperative for Believers that they (as did Noah) say "HUSH" to the flesh (Hebrew "Hass!" vs. 13). Either we crucify it in the power of the Holy Spirit, or it will, as in the days of Noah, be our ruin.
*Genesis 7:4. "For after seven more days, I will cause it to rain on the earth." It is God who "causes it to rain on the earth". We are well into the time of the "Former Rains" in Israel (these come in the fall and early winter, the "Latter Rains" come in late winter and early Spring). It was a tremendous hope-awakening blessing when the Galilee received strong, substantial rains on Rosh haShana! --But it has been dry since then. Today one headline in Jerusalem read, "Officials: Water reserves could be depleted by next year". Israel continues in the throes of perhaps the worst water shortage in modern times. There are already restrictions on personal usage. If the drought continues, by next summer we may find ourselves having to take drastic steps, such as importing water or setting up portable desalination plants along the coast. Either of these measures appears at this time to be completely cost-prohibitive-and the only country we had seriously considered approaching for water is Turkey, with whom the favor of earlier times seems to be quickly draining away. Even if this year is a good one, the aquifers and the Sea of Galilee will be low. PLEASE PRAY that God will have mercy upon Israel and open the windows of heaven, as He did in Noah's day-not for judgment but in mercy. As we have mentioned in the past, Isaiah 41:17-20 speaks of a time when Israel will cry out for water and be heard by her God-who will do creative works to release water in unexpected places-to the end "that they may see and know, and consider and understand together, that the hand of the LORD has done this, and the Holy One of Israel has created it."
*Genesis 9:22-23. "And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father.but Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father's nakedness." In this year of ayin-the eye (see last two Updates), it is of exceptional importance that we not only see what we should see-but also turn away from that which we should not see-even joining together with other brothers and sisters in protecting and covering those whom God has positioned us to honor.
*Isaiah 54:5. "For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is His name; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth." Please pray this year for new revelation in Israel of her relation to her God-and to His Son-that One is in fact her Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel Whom her fathers have followed and blessed!
*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." Pray for the Body in Israel, that we learn and become trained in the weapons of our warfare-knowing as well those of the enemy, and trusting God's word to turn them aside. Pray for revelation that God has made Israel's Messiah to be sin on her account that she might "become the righteousness of God in Him" (II Cor. 5:21).
*Isaiah 55:3. "Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you." Noah walked with God, inclined his ear to God's instructions, and walked with God, and as a "preacher of righteousness" (II Peter 2:5) preached life to any who would listen-and God said, "I will establish My covenant with you" (Gen 6:18). Pray voices to be lifted in Israel as "preachers of righteousness", ears be inclined to hear that call-and hearts to receive the new and everlasting Covenant God is offering as He returns to Jerusalem in mercy (Zech 1:16).
