Category: Bible, Science and Israel (Page 7 of 9)

NIMROD’S FORTRESS

June 23, 2019 / admin

High in the Golan Heights, near the Lebanese border, lies the magical Nimrod’s Fortress. It stands on a hilltop, at an altitude of 816 meters (2675 ft) on the slopes of the towering Mt Hermon. It is surrounded by cultivated olive groves and a forest made up of mainly Calliprinos Oak. It overlooks the fertile Hula Valley and the Banias Springs.

THE NAME

Nimrod’s Castle is named after Nimrod, the great-grandson of Noah, and son of Cush. According to the Bible, Nimrod was a mighty hunter and warrior, and his kingdom extended over the Mesopotamian Fertile Crescent, which included the Babylonian and Assyrian region (see map below).

Cush became the father of Nimrod; he was the first on earth to become a mighty warrior. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord.” The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, and Accad, all of them in the land of Shinar. From that land he went into Assyria, and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-ir, Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city.

Genesis 10: 8-12

Although the Bible does not explicitly say so, it would appear that Nimrod was the king who ordered the construction of the Tower of Babel as recorded in Genesis 11:

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.

They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building.The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”

⁸So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

Genesis 11: 1-9

The non-canonical Book of Jasher, referred to in Joshua 10:13 and II Samuel 1: 18, confirms and adds much detail to this account:

20 And king Nimrod reigned securely, and all the earth was under his control, and all the earth was of one tongue and words of union.

21 And all the princes of Nimrod and his great men took counsel together; Phut, Mitzraim, Cush and Canaan with their families, and they said to each other, Come let us build ourselves a city and in it a strong tower, and its top reaching heaven, and we will make ourselves famed, so that we may reign upon the whole world, in order that the evil of our enemies may cease from us, that we may reign mightily over them, and that we may not become scattered over the earth on account of their wars.

22 And they all went before the king, and they told the king these words, and the king agreed with them in this affair, and he did so.

23 And all the families assembled consisting of about six hundred thousand men, and they went to seek an extensive piece of ground to build the city and the tower, and they sought in the whole earth and they found none like one valley at the east of the land of Shinar, about two days’ walk, and they journeyed there and they dwelt there.

24 And they began to make bricks and burn fires to build the city and the tower that they had imagined to complete.

25 And the building of the tower was unto them a transgression and a sin, and they began to build it, and whilst they were building against the Lord God of heaven, they imagined in their hearts to war against him and to ascend into heaven.

26 And all these people and all the families divided themselves in three parts; the first said We will ascend into heaven and fight against him; the second said, We will ascend to heaven and place our own gods there and serve them; and the third part said, We will ascend to heaven and smite him with bows and spears; and God knew all their works and all their evil thoughts, and he saw the city and the tower which they were building.

27 And when they were building they built themselves a great city and a very high and strong tower; and on account of its height the mortar and bricks did not reach the builders in their ascent to it, until those who went up had completed a full year, and after that, they reached to the builders and gave them the mortar and the bricks; thus was it done daily.

28 And behold these ascended and others descended the whole day; and if a brick should fall from their hands and get broken, they would all weep over it, and if a man fell and died, none of them would look at him.

29 And the Lord knew their thoughts, and it came to pass when they were building they cast the arrows toward the heavens, and all the arrows fell upon them filled with blood, and when they saw them they said to each other, Surely we have slain all those that are in heaven.

30 For this was from the Lord in order to cause them to err, and in order; to destroy them from off the face of the ground.

31 And they built the tower and the city, and they did this thing daily until many days and years were elapsed.

32 And God said to the seventy angels who stood foremost before him, to those who were near to him, saying, Come let us descend and confuse their tongues, that one man shall not understand the language of his neighbor, and they did so unto them.

33 And from that day following, they forgot each man his neighbor’s tongue, and they could not understand to speak in one tongue, and when the builder took from the hands of his neighbor lime or stone which he did not order, the builder would cast it away and throw it upon his neighbor, that he would die.

34 And they did so many days, and they killed many of them in this manner.

35 And the Lord smote the three divisions that were there, and he punished them according to their works and designs; those who said, We will ascend to heaven and serve our gods, became like apes and elephants; and those who said, We will smite the heaven with arrows, the Lord killed them, one man through the hand of his neighbor; and the third division of those who said, We will ascend to heaven and fight against him, the Lord scattered them throughout the earth.

36 And those who were left amongst them, when they knew and understood the evil which was coming upon them, they forsook the building, and they also became scattered upon the face of the whole earth.

37 And they ceased building the city and the tower; therefore he called that place Babel, for there the Lord confounded the Language of the whole earth; behold it was at the east of the land of Shinar.

38 And as to the tower which the sons of men built, the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up one third part thereof, and a fire also descended from heaven and burned another third, and the other third is left to this day, and it is of that part which was aloft, and its circumference is three days’ walk.

39 And many of the sons of men died in that tower, a people without number.

Jasher 9: 20-39

In Rabbinical literature Nimrod is also identified as the builder of the Tower of Babel and the epitome of rebellion against God. It is possible his name, Nimrod, actually derives from the Hebrew root m,r,d, meaning rebellion. There are many Rabbinical writings and other ancient writings concerning Nimrod but it is unclear how much of these is true and how much is legend. Whatever the case, it is certain that Nimrod, although he started out as a mighty hunter before the LORD, he led his people into rebellion against God (see v 25 above), desiring to conquer Yahweh himself and become god in his place.

At this point in time we cannot know for sure if the Fortress site ever had any direct connection with Nimrod, but as it lies on the southwestern margin of his kingdom and overlooks an important transport route, it is possible. Recent research claims to have uncovered proof of a structure dating back at least to the Hellenist era, underlying the current Fortress.

The southwestern side of outer walls of NImrod’s Fortress, 13 April 2019

HISTORY of the FORTRESS

After the Crusader armies lost the battle of the Horns of Hittim in 1187 they lost their hold on the Land of Israel. The Muslim Salah-e-Din systematically destroyed all the Crusader fortresses but the Crusaders attempted to return and reconquer the Holy Land. They only managed to gain control over the Coastal Plain and the Galilee, however. In 1227 the army of the German Kaiser, Frederick II, arrived in the Holy Land. Fearing that the Crusaders were about to attack Damascus, the Governor of the Banias region, al-Aziz Othman, the nephew of Salah e-Din, together with his older brother, Al-Moatis, initiated the building of the Fortress in 1227. The Fortress was intended to defend the road that connected Tyre, in Lebanon, with Damascus in Syria. After the danger had passed the Fortress was expanded and completed in 1230, but just seven years later the Mongols, invading from Central Asia, destroyed it. The Mongols were defeated by the Mamelukes at the great battle of Ein Harod. One of the Mameluke commanders, Baybars, named himself Sultan of the Mamelukes and gave the Fortress to his second-in-command, Bilik. Bilik restored and expanded the Fortress and some of the most impressive structures, such as the ‘Beautiful Tower’, date from his time. The Beautiful Tower, overlooking the road below, is semicircular on the outside but octagonal inside, with slits for archers facing in every direction. Bilik, in 1275, memorialized his accomplishments and the name of his sultan in the magnificent Baybar’s Inscription.

After the Crusaders were finally evicted from the Holy Land at the end of the 13th Century, the Fortress lost its prestige and was eventually abandoned. It was used as a prison for rebels during the 15th Century but it eventually fell into disuse, used only as shelter by shepherds and their flocks. It is now a National Park under the auspices of the National Parks Authority, the Antiquities Department , the Golan Regional Council and the Israeli Government Tourist Corporation.

OUR VISIT

It was a glorious spring day the day of our visit. The temperature was just right for a picnic in the olive grove before we set off to see the Fortress. Since my last visit, at least 20 years ago, the number of stairs seem to have multiplied, but nevertheless we made it all the way to the top of the highest point of the fortress, the Donjon (or Keep).

An olive grove at Nimrod’s Fortress, 13 April 2019.

The Beautiful Tower and the Donjon looking towards Mt Hermon in the distance
13 April 2019

The views from the Fortress were absolutely stunning. To the north east we could see the patches of snow on Mt Hermon, and below it the Druse town of Majdal Shams. Stretching below the town lie orchards and fields on the basalt rubble of the volcanoes in the region. From these orchards we enjoy the juicy and delicious Hermon apples. To the south and west we could see glimpses of the Huleh Valley far below.

The fields and orchards below of Majdal Shams.
13 April 2019

The northern reaches of the Huleh Valley from the Fortress Walls. 13 April 2019

NATURE

The hills around Nimrod’s Castle are surrounded by low Mediterranean shrubland dominated by the Calliprinos Oak ( Quercus calliprinos) and the Atlantic Pistachio (Pistachio palaestina). The Calliprinos Oak is also known as the Palestine Oak and the Kermes Oak. In Hebrew it is ‘ alon matzui’ (the common oak), because it is the most common of Israel’s three oak species, the other two being the Tavor Oak (Q. ithuraburensis) and the Allepo oak ( Q. infectoria).

Callliprinos Oak in flower, Nimrod’s Fortress, 13 April 2019

Calliprinos Oak flowers, Nimrod’s Fortress, 13 April 2019

Mount Hermon is a cluster of extinct volcanic mountains that lie at the southern end of the Anti-Lebanon Mountain Range. It straddles the borders between Syria, Lebanon and Israel. The peak lies in Syria and is 2,814 m (9232ft) above sea level, the highest elevation in Syria. Its southern flanks lie in Israel and sport Israel’s only skifield. Snow falls abundantly on Mt Hermon in winter and filters down through the layers of basalt and limestone emerging at its foot in many crystal clear, sparkling springs which water the Golan and feed the rivers that drain into the Jordan River and the Sea of Galilee.

Mt Hermon skifield in summer, 30 July 2012

As the water drains off the mountains it cuts deep gorges through the layers of solidified volcanic lava, basalt, and the softer layers of limestone which make up the region. These alternating layers create many waterfalls, many of which are dry in the summer months. We passed one of these spectacular waterfalls, the Saar Waterfall, as we left Nimrod’s Castle on our homeward journey.

Saar Waterfall, below Nimrod’s Castle, 13 April 2019

HOT SUMMER

June 19, 2019 / admin

Both Israeli and Palestinian leaders have been warning that we are going to have a long, hot summer in these parts. They are not talking about the weather but rather about the rising tensions between Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza, and Hezbollah and Iran in Syria and Lebanon, not to mention the escalating tension in the Persian Gulf.

This reminded me of the Bible passage about David and Bathsheba. It begins thus “In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war …” (2 Samuel 11:1). What is it about the spring that caused kings to go off to war? Is it because that is when the weather is most propitious for battle or is it because the hormones are awakened in spring? I don’t know but in the animal kingdom spring is the season when males fight to prove themselves worthy to mate with the females. Perhaps there is something of that in the human species too? Then again, perhaps it is just the growing heat that makes us all a little crazy.

Gaza

The last major flareup of violence between Gaza and Israel, in early May, which resulted in the deaths of 4 Israelis and 29 Gazans, stopped on May 5th when a ceasefire, brokered by Egypt, was agreed. The ceasefire agreement included an obligation on Hamas to halt violence along the border fence, maintain a buffer zone 300 meters from the border and to stop the launching of incendiary balloons at Israeli communities, to end nighttime clashes between Gazans and Israeli security forces along the border, and to end the flotillas trying to break through the maritime border between Gaza and Israel. In return, Israel was to expand the fishing zone, enable the UN cash-for-work programs, allow medicine and other civil aid to enter the strip and open negotiations relating to electricity, crossings and healthcare (1).

After a few short weeks of relative calm, the past two weeks have seen tensions rising once more as both sides claim the other is not keeping their side of the agreement.

The Gazans have begun to target Israeli crops and nature reserves with incendiary devices once again. The conditions are right for fires now that the daytime temperature is rising over 30 degrees Celsius most days and the vegetation is tinder dry. The winter wheat crop is ripe and ready for harvest. Last Wednesday at least six fires in southern Israel were blamed on incendiary balloons launched from the Strip on Wednesday, and another balloon with a bomb attached to it exploded over an Israeli town (2). This explosive balloon was the first armed attack since the May 5 ceasefire came into effect. The terrorists in Gaza have also upgraded their incendiary balloon technology so that the balloons drip flaming liquid as they fly starting multiple fires from a single launch (3).

A firefighter fights a fire in a wheat field near Gaza
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/263242

As a result of this upsurge in balloon attacks, Israel announced on Wednesday a full naval closure on Gaza, preventing Gazan fishermen from fishing. Gazan terrorists retaliated by firing two rockets into Israeli territory on Thursday. One was shot down by Israel’s Iron Dome defense system before it landed in the targeted Israeli town. The second rocket hit a school in the Israeli town of Sderot. Fortunately, most of the students had already gone home for Shabbat and the few occupants of the school were saved by the fact that the rocket failed to explode. Nevertheless, this constituted a serious violation of the ceasefire agreement and on Friday morning the IDF attacked a number of Hamas military targets in Gaza.

On Friday some 7000 Gazans demonstrated at the border and launched dozens of fire balloons into Israel, igniting at least 7 blazes causing significant damage to farm crops. Some of the protestors breached the border fence and the IDF responded with tear gas and live fire, wounding 46 according to the Hamas -run Gazan Health Ministry (1)

Palestinians riot by the border fence with Israel east of Gaza City as smoke billows from arson balloons launched during the protest, on May 15, 2019. (Mahmud Hams/AFP)
https://www.timesofisrael.com/after-fresh-gaza-violence-army-said-pushing-for-serious-military-campaign/

As the spectre of another round of violence looms there is much pressure from the civilian population, especially those living in the communities close to the Gaza Strip, and from at least some of the IDF leaders for a much stronger military response. Roni Daniel, a veteran military analyst on Israel’s TV news channel, Channel 12, cited a senior military source saying that Israel was “on the verge of a serious military campaign,” and that the IDF was considering ending its policy of warning occupants of buildings ahead of airstrikes, even if it causes casualties (4). It seems unlikely however that the Israel Security Cabinet would give the go-ahead for a serious military campaign ahead of the elections on September 17, unless we are forced into it by a serious upsurge in violence from Gaza. That said, the situation is volatile and it would not take a lot to light the fuse.

Syria

Last Tuesday night (11/06) the Tel al-Hara observation post in Syria was attacked by Israel according to Syrian sources. Israel, according to its long-standing policy, has not verified whether it was responsible or not. Tel al-Hara is an extinct volcano that towers over the Israeli border. As the highest vantage point in the area it has been used by Syrian, Russian, Iranian, and Hezbollah forces to gather intelligence on Israel. Late last year the Syrian army took control of the area once more and an agreement between Israel and Syria, mediated by Russia, was made. According to this agreement, only the Syrian army is allowed to remain in this area and Hezbollah, and the Iranian-backed Shiite militias were to be pushed back at least 80km east of the Damascus – Daara Road, which runs close to the Tel.

Iran

Last week, on Thursday (13th May) two oil tankers were attacked in the Straits of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf. The crews of both tankers managed to escape but the tankers burned. This follows a similar attack on 4 tankers in the Straits of Hormuz earlier in the month, on the 12th May (6). The USA and others have blamed Iran for these attacks. The Pentagon has released grainy video footage it says shows Iranian forces removing a limpet mine from the side of one of the ships: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=7Gz08OQUnms . A good summary of the situation there can be seen on the link: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/13/a-visual-guide-to-the-gulf-tanker-attacks .

The Straits of Hormuz contain a shipping lane only 2 miles wide each way and it is through this bottleneck that about 1/3 of all the world’s oil must pass each day (6). Most of the crude oil exported from Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq passes through it to key markets in Asia, the Pacific, Europe, North America and beyond (6,7). Iran has repeatedly threatened to disrupt this movement in order to force the USA to lift its embargo. Such a blockade would seriously threaten world oil supply and destabilize world economies.

Tanker on Fire in Persian Gulf, June 13, 2019 http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/263242

A combined maritime force of Gulf States, the USA and European and Asian allies protect the Strait. The US 5th Fleet is based in Bahrain and maintains a constant presence in the Persian Gulf using patrol vessels, guided-missile destroyers, and mine counter-measures vessels. It also monitors the Strait using satellites and drones (8). Earlier this month an aircraft carrier, the “Abraham Lincoln”, usually stationed in the Mediterranean moved into the Persian Gulf (9) to join the two already stationed there (10). At least two B52H Stratofortress planes and fighters from the Lincoln Strike Group were also moved to the area (11) Last week the USA announced that it was moving an additional 1,000 troops into the area (13).

Iran announced this week that it has quadrupled its production of enriched uranium and by June 27 it will exceed the amount of enriched uranium permitted in its stockpile according to the 2015 nuclear deal made with world powers (12).

With this buildup of military might and the constant exchange of threats and insults between the USA and Iran the tensions are mounting daily. Western and Israeli intelligence officials are concerned that Iran could mount an attack on Israel, by means of activating its proxies in Syria and Lebanon (Hezbollah), in order to further “escalate its feud with the United States and force Washington to the negotiation table” (14).

End Time Battles

With the aligning of the nations and the gathering together of Israel’s enemies many Messianic and Christian believers are asking themselves if this is not leading up to the fulfillment of the prophecies regarding the battle(s?) described in Ezekiel 38, Joel 3, and Zechariah 12. There is much controversy about the timing of the battle or battles described in these passages as to whether they precede the coming of Yeshua and his millenial reign or whether they are the same as the battle described in Revelation 20 at the end of the Messianic Millenium. I do not wish to enter into this discussion at this point but it does seem clear to me that world events are reaching a crisis point and that a great battle centered on Israel and Jerusalem is imminent. If you do not yet know Yeshua as your savior and Lord I strongly suggest you seek to do so. Time is running out. If you do already know Him then you need to make sure you are ready in your heart to face whatever is coming. We also have a duty to be much in prayer and standing with Israel, and the God of Israel, YHWH, in these times. I am very concerned that many Christians do not study the Word of God and are unfamiliar with the role of Israel in God’s redemption plan and are therefore being led into deception just as Yeshua (Jesus) himself predicted would happen in the end times (Matthew 24). We need also to be praying for our own nations that they will be found on the right side of this great battle for God will judge the nations as he said,

In those days and at that time,
    when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,
I will gather all nations
    and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.
There I will put them on trial
    for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel, because they scattered my people among the nations
    and divided up my land

Joel 3: 1-2

References:

EZUZ

June 6, 2019 / admin

מִ֥י זֶה֮ מֶ֤לֶךְ הַכָּ֫ב֥וֹד יְ֭הוָה עִזּ֣וּז וְגִבּ֑וֹר יְ֝הוָ֗ה גִּבּ֥וֹר מִלְחָמָֽה׃

Who is this King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
the Lord mighty in battle.

Psalm 24:8

Two hundred kilometers south of Jerusalem lies the tiny communal settlement of Ezuz, right on the Egyptian border. It is said to be the most isolated settlement in Israel today and I believed it as I drove south and then east with the setting sun behind me. The road narrowed to a one-lane sealed track and seemed to be heading nowhere. I was quite relieved when I spotted a young girl hitching in the same direction I was going. There must be something at the end of the road. I picked her up and she assured me I was on the right road.

Click on the link below to see a map:

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Jerusalem/Ezuz/@31.2464706,34.4776276,9z/data=!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x1502d7d634c1fc4b:0xd96f623e456ee1cb!2m2!1d35.21371!2d31.768319!1m5!1m1!1s0x14fe01af0ac7af4f:0xa04d62aae7fdd994!2m2!1d34.472404!2d30.792202!3e0

It was the summer of 2016. I had just finished the school year and it had been a tough one. I was exhausted and didn’t know if I wanted to continue at that job so I went off into the most remote desert place I could find for a few days of rest and to seek God.

The sun was setting as I pulled into the collection of ramshackle buildings which is the settlement of Ezuz, a cooperative of various artists and artisans. My first impressions were pretty grim. It was a mess and there was a strong smell of bad drains and goats permeating the air. I wondered that creative people and artists would have such a poor sense of the aesthetic!

I soon however found my lodging which was a big improvement. I was staying at Zimmerbus – a B&B (without the breakfast) made from a converted bus. It was a beautiful example of upcycling! The bus was tastefully decorated with wood paneling, home crafted tiles and turquoise soft furnishings. It was also air-conditioned and insulated with an outside layer of dried mud. It was small but perfectly adequate for my needs. It had the added attraction of a swimming pool fed by natural running water.

After a refreshing sleep I set off next morning to explore. Knowing nothing of the area I just followed my nose. I saw a sign pointing to a farm and thought that might be interesting but soon came across other signs saying “NO ENTRY, BORDER AHEAD” and this was a little off-putting so I turned back.

I came instead to a lookout point where I ended up spending several hours enjoying the view while sitting in the shade. I entered into a long discourse with the boldest, sweetest little bird I have ever met. I think she was a female wheatear – a common desert bird – and I could hear the cheeping of chicks nearby. She wasn’t too happy about having a predator type so close to her nest and was determined to see me off. I was moved by her courage and resolve. This tiny, really tiny, little creature was telling me to go away in no uncertain terms. I had to love her.

Hi, I’m back and I am still watching you, but you seem harmless enough.

The next day I decided to explore the ruins of Nitzana which I had seen on my arrival. On a hilltop, on the site of an ancient Nabatean fortress, is the shell of the Turkish-German hospital built during the First World War, the walls still bearing the pock marks of shelling.

Walls of the Turkish-German hospital with shell holes

The Tamarisk Tree and the Battalion 8 Memorial.

The signs warning of falling masonry and the intense heat that day soon drove me away. Spotting a lone tamarisk tree in the valley below I headed for its shade. Beside the tree an Israeli flag fluttered on an armored vehicle, a memorial in honor of the fallen soldiers of the Battle of ‘Auja (today called Nitzana) between the Israeli armored Battalion 8 and Egyptian forces in 1948. You can read about this battle on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_%27Auja

Nearby were the remains of a Byzantine Era Christian Church, one of three in the area, attesting to the fact that the Nabateans of the region were Christianized during the 1st – 7th Centuries AD. The Nabateans settled along the main transport routes and this town was situated at the junction of two major branches of the Spice Route, the road to Shur and the road to Eilat the Red Sea. You can read more about the history and archaelogical sites in the area on this website : https://biblewalks.com/sites/Beerotayim.html

One of the reasons I love to go off into the desert alone is that you see a lot more wildlife than if you are with a noisy group. If you sit quietly for a while you will almost always see some living creature of interest. Here is a lizard I spotted in spite of its amazing camouflage.

Long fringe-fingered lizard. (Acanthodactylus longipes (I think)

On my last morning at Ezuz I rose early before the morning mist dissipated and went for a walk on the Fields of the Stars on the plateau behind the settlement.

My eyes were drawn to a white, shimmering bush off the side of the track. I knew it wasn’t the season for flowering so I wondered what it was. As I drew near I saw that it was a rather scraggy tamarisk bush, but unlike its neighbours, every leaflet bore a drop of dew shining in the sun.

As I looked at this bush I remembered that the tamarisk is about the only tree that can grow in the salt laden, toxic desert soil. Its long tap roots can penetrate deep to find the water table, but even at depth the water is often full of salts and minerals that would kill any other tree. The tamarisk can survive because it has special gland cells in its leaves that can extrude this salt. I tasted the drops on its leaves. It was horribly bitter and tasted like iodine, and I could not get rid of that taste for some hours. (I don’t recommend tasting these droplets!!)

I felt the LORD was speaking to me through this tree. He had planted me in a toxic workplace but He had given me the way to survive there. I felt He was telling me to go back to work the next year and I did. My hours were cut to 80%, which meant it was less demanding, and at the end of the year, management decided to close the high school and I was laid off.

As the sun rose, the mist dissipated and as I headed back towards my car I was able to enjoy the views and some of the other flora and fauna.

JERUSALEM DAY

June 3, 2019 / admin

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

Psalm 122: 6-9

Yesterday, 02/06/19, was Jerusalem Day, a national holiday commemorating the reunification of the City during the 1967 War, 52 years ago. For Jews it is a time of great joy but for Palestinians, who commemorated this event as Quds Day last Friday, it is a day of anger and sorrow.

This year, Jerusalem Day fell during the final days of the Muslim Ramadan Fast which will end on the evening of Tuesday, 5th June. Under an arrangement in place since 1967 non-Muslims are allowed to visit the Temple Mount Compound but not pray there. In spite of a Rabbinic ruling forbidding Jews to go onto the Temple Mount Compound, lest they inadvertently tread in the site of the Holy of Holies, small, closely supervised groups of Jews sometimes visit during limited hours. They are taken on a predetermined route and are forbidden to openly pray or display any national or religious symbols. In past years Jews have been forbidden to go up to the Temple Compound during the last ten days of Ramadan, but this year, following a High Court of Justice ruling, the Compound was opened to Jewish visitors. Yesterday morning hundreds of Jewish activists were permitted to go up onto the Temple Mount to pray and, needless to say, this provocative move resulted in rioting during which hundreds of Muslims threw objects at Israeli security personnel (1).

Most Jews do not go up onto the Temple Mount Compound on Jerusalem Day but instead many gather at the Western Wall to pray.

Jerusalem Day prayers at the Western Wall, 2017
https://www.jccdenver.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Jerusalem-Day-celebrations-at-the-Western-Wall.jpg

There were many other events and activities that took place over this day. The most sensitive one was the Flag March in the afternoon, when thousands of mostly religious youth, marched through the city dancing under Israeli flags. This event has sparked violence in previous years because its route passes through the Muslim Quarter of the Old City, but thankfully this year there was no violence.

The Flag March on Jerusalem Day 2016 entering the Damascus Gate and passing into the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem
https://static.timesofisrael.com/www/uploads/2016/06/f150517ys50.jpg

In the evening, the Jerusalem Day state ceremony took place on Ammunition Hill with the President, Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the Mayor of Jerusalem, Moshe Leon, in attendance. Later a “White Night” outdoor concert took place in Sacher Park with thousands of mainly young people in attendance. Needless to say all these events, and the many others where people are gathering, constitute a great security risk and police were present in large numbers throughout the city. I am glad to say that the day passed without any serious incidents of violence.

Quds Day

Al-Quds is the Arabic name for Jerusalem and translates as “the Holy (place)”. Qud’s Day commemorates the fall of East Jerusalem into Israeli hands during the 1967 war. It is celebrated on the last Friday of the month of Ramadan. This last Friday thousands of Palestinians and their supporters gathered in rallies across the Middle East and Europe. In Teheran in Iran, thousands of demonstrators set fire to Israeli and American flags, burned effigies of Trump and mocked his proposed peace plan. Similar rallies took place in at least 950 towns and cities across Iran (3).

Iranians burn an effigy of US President Donald Trump during a parade marking al-Quds (Jerusalem) International Day in Tehran on May 31, 2019. (AFP)
https://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-leaders-mock-trump-peace-plan-as-thousands-mark-quds-day/

Terrorist attack in Jerusalem

Friday also saw a terrorist attack two Israelis, a 47-year -old man and a 16-year-old boy, with a knife, wounding them both. One of the victims sustained several stab wounds in his back and neck and he is still in serious condition. The terrorist, a 19-year-old Palestinian man from the West Bank was shot dead by a police officer thus preventing additional attacks.

Rocket attack from Syria and Israel’s response

On Saturday several rockets were fired from Syria towards the Golan Heights targetting Israel’s ski resort on Mt Hermon. One rocket landed in Syrian territory and at least one other landed in an open area in Israel causing no damage or injuries. On Saturday night Israel responded by attacking air defense units, artillery batteries, observation and intelligence posts in Syria (4). According to YnetNews, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Israeli warplanes struck positions and an arms depot of Iranian troops and Lebanon’s Hezbollah fighters (4). Three Syrian soldiers and 7 ‘foreign nationals’ ( Hezbollah and/or Iranian?) were killed (4).

Summer on the Mount Hermon skifield, July 2012

Last night the Israeli Airforce again attacked military targets at the T-4 Airbase in central Syria killing 3 Syrian soldiers and two others. Both these attacks took place after a Boeing 747 belonging to the Iranian airline, Fars Air Qeshm, and used by the country’s Revolutionary Guards to smuggle weapons to their allies in Syria, landed in the T-4 airbase. It took off three hours later after unloading cargo (5).

Gaza

On Thursday last week, Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar, speaking at a conference calling for an Intifada (Uprising) on Qud’s Day, boasted of his organization’s relationship with Iran and threatened to pulverize Tel Aviv in the next round of hostilities. He said, “ In the next confrontation with Israel, we will pulverize Tel Aviv with double the force than during Operation Protective Edge“, referring to the 2014 confrontation in which a number of missiles were fired at Tel Aviv.

He also said, ” We will improve our weapons and combat capability until our goal is achieved. In the last confrontation (in May this year) we used some missiles that came from Iran, while others were manufactured locally.” He said that during this latest flare up “Beer-Sheva was attacked with a grad rocket that weighs 40kg (88 pounds), Tel Aviv was struck with an Iranian Fajr-5 rocket and with locally manufactured rockets.” Continuing he said. “Without the Iranian support, the Palestinian resistance would not have achieved these capabilities. Our nation has given up on us in the most difficult of times but Iran continues to help with knowledge and equipment. (6) ”

The following day Islamic Jihad chief, Ziad Nakhaleh, claimed that in the last round of fighting his group and Hamas restrained themselves only firing about 700 rockets into Israel, and held back from attacking some cities in central Israel. He warned that in the next round they would “not only fire at Tel Aviv, but at all the cities, whatever may happen” and claimed that they could sustain a rate of fire of 1000 rockets per day for a full month (7).

Meanwhile, daily protests occur along the Gaza border unabated and at least 35 fires have been ignited in Israel as a result of incendiary devices (according to data from the Israel Fire and Rescue Services) since May 6th when the ceasefire came into effect after the last round of fighting.

As Trump prepares to unveil his Peace Plan for the Palestinian-Israel conflict, Hamas leader Yahyah Sinwar, had this to say,

We are against the deals aimed at ending the conflict in the region and integrating the so-called Israel in it,” Sinwar said. “The people of Gaza declare that this conflict will only be over when the occupation ends, and we’ll be able to return to Jerusalem and enter the liberated Al-Aqsa Mosque. This is the mindset that was passed down to us with our mothers’ milk.” (8)

With ‘partners for peace’ like that – I suspect the Peace Plan will be still-born!

Netanyahu fails to form a government

Israel is now headed for new elections to take place in September, after Netanyahu failed to garner a coalition of the required 61 seats to form a government. He remains in office as interim Prime Minister until the new elections are held. The political scene is a fiasco and what will happen in September is anyone’s guess. What we really need is the true King of Israel, Yeshua (Jesus), to come and sort out this mess.

O Jerusalem

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’

Matthew 23: 37-39

This week I was sadly reminded of this passage in which Yeshua says he will not come until Jerusalem’s inhabitants are ready to welcome those who come in His Name. On Wednesday and Thursday nights last week the Messianic Alliance and the Yuval School for Music put on a concert featuring some of the best newly written worship songs. I attended the first concert on Wednesday night and was blessed by the richness and beauty of the new songs. It blows me away how the Body of Yeshua here has produced not only a large number of wonderful worships songs but has developed a unique Hebraic sound. Five CD/DVDs have already been produced in earlier years and this year’s performance will also soon come out on CD/DVD. You can hear the 5th concert on this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chG6xRsX7ns&list=PL8WLiRY2TG0HQ3x-ry3qB_1WwUp6V_ggL This CD is available for purchase on http://www.mjai.co.il/products

As I entered the auditorium for the Wednesday concert, I noticed a number of ultra-orthodox men watching us carefully. The next night, at the Thursday performances, a large number of ultra-orthodox men and boys tried to physically stop people entering the auditorium and it all became rather ugly. One eyewitness wrote thus:

” …there were riots and problems caused by (the) Lehava* organization… and caused a lot of scare (sic) and damage to people (even people just passing by), and even a hospital run, as someone (not even a believer) got severely hurt and was bleeding from his ear. Kids were crying, mothers and old people were terrified, and our men, though kept resisting themselves from hitting someone there, got hurt as well…. They even had kids there participating, cursing us, getting close to us ladies and screaming that we’re touching them etc. Even their leader, who actually tried to keep them intact couldn’t control them. They seemed possessed (!). The police arrived at some point, … and even they could not take control of the demonstrators. After about 2 hours someone (maybe the police, maybe the demonstrators) sprayed the whole area with pepper spray… and some of us inhaled it, and suffocated and threw up…“

I can only echo Jesus’ words with sorrow,

*The Lehava Organization for the Prevention of Assimilation in the Holy Land is not a mainstream ultra-orthodox group but rather an extreme far-right organization that opposes any kind of relationships between Jews and non-Jews, especially Arabs and Christians, and has been responsible for many demonstrations and actions against individuals and groups, including the torching of the Yad B’Yad (Hand in Hand) bilingual school for Jewish and Arab education in Jerusalem. They have been labeled by some as a terror organization.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Matthew 23: 27-28

Pray for these people who have a zeal for God but the veil has not yet been lifted from their minds (see II Corinthians 3:15-16). Pray that one day soon even they will cry out

“Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the LORD”.

References:

WILDFIRE

May 26, 2019 / admin

It is Shabbat and we are all heaving a sigh of relief. It has been a hard week for our little country. Apart from everything else we are facing, this past week we experienced record-breaking heat over the entire county as a scorching sharav (hamsin), the dry east wind, sent temperatures into the 40s Celsius all over the country. Yesterday the thermometer in my porch hit 43 degrees (110 degrees F) in the shade. In the Dead Sea area and the Jordan Valley it was even hotter with temperatures reaching the 50 degree mark. Add to that a humidity of only about 16%, strong winds in places and it is a recipe for disaster. After our lovely wet winter all the grasses and annual plants are now tinder dry just waiting for the merest spark to set off forest fires. As if that were not enough, many were celebrating Lag B’Omer, a holiday during which it is traditional to sit around bonfires. Even though the police and fire service enforced strict bans on fires in risky areas, even going around and dismantling bonfires, there remains the ‘idiot factor’ and some people ignored the warnings. On Thursday and Friday some 800- 1000 wildfires raged around the country and some of these were caused by bonfires that had not been extinguished properly. Others were caused by arson, electrical faults and incendiary devices flown over from Gaza. The worst hit area was in the Judean forest areas around Jerusalem. The town of Mevo Modiin, founded by the ‘singing rabbi’ Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, was almost totally destroyed with 40 of the 50 homes being totally burned. Kibbutz Harel, also near Modiin suffered the loss of about 10 homes. Some 3500 people were evacuated from various towns and many more held on ‘standby’. Many spring crops were lost, much forested area burned and many animals lost their lives too. Thankfully no human lives were lost in the fires although there were some injuries mainly caused by smoke inhalation. On Saturday however a toddler lost his life in an apartment fire in Haifa and this is also being attributed to the heat wave. In addition, a 70-year-old man succumbed to heat stroke and died.

Israelis are a resilient people and I have no doubt that the communities affected will rally around, support each other and rebuild their towns again. Nevertheless I can only imagine how heartbreaking it must be to so suddenly lose everything, your home, your treasured possessions, your livelihood and in many cases, farm animals and family pets. Tzofia Tazizi, a resident of Mevo Modiin had this to say, ” As a child I thought we lived in paradise, and yesterday we lost it. I hope the nature will come back and we can rebuild... Our Garden of Eden has burned (1)”

With our fire fighting forces becoming overwhelmed Netanyahu sent out a request for help and Cyprus, Greece, Croatia, Italy and even Egypt sent fire-fighting planes and teams to help. Russia also offered aid and the four Palestinian Authority fire crews worked alongside Israeli firefighters. It is heartwarming to see such support especially since in the past Israel has often been the first to arrive at the scene of emergencies in other countries. Now Netanyahu has announced plans to increase our own firefighting resources. This is truly necessary as the fire season is only just beginning and we can expect many more this summer. Please pray for safety for all our people. Please also pray for me and my neighbours upstairs as our home is in the ‘front line’ right on the edge of the forest and there are tall pine and cypress trees all around, with much dry grass and weeds as well.

Moshav Mevo Modiin after the fire on Thursday 23 May 2
https://www.timesofisrael.com/wildfires-resume-as-fire-service-blames-electrical-fault-for-some-blazes/

Fog envelops Tel Aviv as the hot, dry air of the sharav (hamsin) meets the cool, humid air over the Mediterranean on Thursday, 23 May 2014
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/MAGAZINE-hamsin-fog-descends-on-a-scorching-israel-1.7275387

A bear enjoys an ice popsicle at the Jerusalem Zoo, 23 May 2019 (Photo: EPA)
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5514143,00.html#autoplay

Election woes

Binyamin Netanyahu has just until Wednesday midnight to form a government and it appears that the coalition talks are stalled because of the issue of military service for the ultra-orthodox. Avigdor Liberman, the head of the Yisrael Beitenu party, Netanyahu’s main coalition partner, is insisting that the proposed law making military service compulsory for haredi (ultra-orthodox) men remain intact, which the ultra-orthodox parties needed to complete the coalition are adamant they will not support it. Without them, Netanyahu’s 60 seat coalition would not have a majority in the 120 seat Knesset, and this means the government would be very weak and unlikely to last very long. The alternative? New elections? We will see in the next few days no doubt.

Meanwhile Netanyahu is pushing for a new law which would give immunity against the prosecution of a Prime Minister while in office. There is of course a great deal of opposition to this move that would make Prime Ministers above the law and let Netanyahu off the hook with regards to the current court cases against him. Last evening about 100,000 people demonstrated against this patently anti-democratic proposal and many wore Turkish fez hats likening Netanyahu to the Turkish dictator, Recep Tayyip Erdogan (2).

Please pray for righteous government in Israel and also for justice, integrity and honesty in all our public affairs. Most of all pray that the people will listen to God and walk in His ways.

But my people would not listen to me;
Israel would not submit to me.
So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts
to follow their own devices.

“If my people would only listen to me,
    if Israel would only follow my ways,
how quickly I would subdue their enemies
    and turn my hand against their foes!
Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him,
    and their punishment would last forever.
But you would be fed with the finest of wheat;
    with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.

Psalm 81: 11-16

In my last blog entry I spoke of the curious juxtaposition of God’s punishment of Israel for her sins and his promises of blessing. These are not contradictory. As a teacher of teenagers, I deal every day with the results of parents who have failed to discipline their children. These children are self-centered, disrespectful and uncaring towards others, and sadly they lack the self-discipline and toughness needed to cope with the normal rigors of life. Educators even speak of an epidemic of anxiety disorder amongst this generation. Just as a good parent disciplines their child with love, so too does God. It is because he loves us that he disciplines us.

The writer of the book of the Hebrews said this:

And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:

“My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,
Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
For whom the Lord loves He chastens,
And scourges every son whom He receives.”

If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. 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.

Hebrews 12: 5-11

The quotation in verse 5 comes from the Book of Proverbs,

My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,
Nor detest His correction;
For whom the Lord loves He corrects,
Just as a father the son in whom he delights

Proverbs 3:11-12

It is because God loves Israel that he chastises her. All the troubles we go through are intended to turn our hearts towards God, so that we would call upon His name for salvation and walk in His righteousness. In the midst of the fires of last week I came across these verses in Isaiah. It sent shivers up my spine.

Surely wickedness burns like a fire;
    it consumes briers and thorns,
it sets the forest thickets ablaze,
    so that it rolls upward in a column of smoke.
By the wrath of the Lord Almighty
    the land will be scorched
and the people will be fuel for the fire;
    they will not spare one another.

Isaiah 9: 18-19

A firefighter walks past a burning house amid extreme heat wave in Kibbutz Harel in central Israel on May 23, 2019. (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP)
https://www.timesofisrael.com/devastating-wildfires-mostly-contained-as-major-heatwave-begins-to-recede/

References:

Ask for Mercy

May 18, 2019 / admin

This morning this song touched my heart. It was recorded around two years ago at a live concert that I attended here in Jerusalem. The theme of the concert was Panai el Adonai (My face toward the Lord) and featured songs of intercession and prayer for our people and land.

Rachamim Avakesh (Mercy I will ask)

Israel needs prayer and intercession at this time like never before. In the first four chapters of the Book of Isaiah we see the juxtaposition of God’s judgment and his final restoration on Jerusalem and Judah. How is it that God both punishes Jerusalem and blesses her at the same time? It seems contradictory but we see it happening even now in our own time. Living in the mountains of Judah, on the outskirts of Jerusalem, I see it every day. I see the wonderful blessing of God’s restoration of Jerusalem and of all of Israel, blessing upon blessing, but I see also His judgment for her many sins. God is restoring Israel, even while she is unrepentant and sinful, not because Israel in any way deserves it, but because of his love for his chosen people and his love for the whole of mankind, and for his own name’s sake.

Last weekend (4-5th May) around 700 rockets and missiles were fired into Israel from the Gaza Strip. Four Israeli civilians were killed and scores injured. A number of homes, a kindergarten and a factory were hit. One of those killed was in a car targeted by anti-tank fire from Gaza. The death toll could have been much higher but once again we saw the protection of the Lord as most of the rockets landed in the sea or on open land, or were shot down by our Iron Dome defense system. Nevertheless, some 35 rockets landed in Israeli towns.

Israeli victims of the latest round of rockets. From left: Moshe Feder (68), Pinchas Menachem Prezuazman (21), Ziad Alhamamda (50), and Moshe Agadi (58).

Israel retaliated to this bombardment by attacking some 180 military targets in Gaza, including a multi-storey apartment building that served as the headquarters of Hamas’ security and services. Sources report that around 23 Gazans were killed including several civilians Amongst those killed in Gaza were a woman and her small child who were hit by an errant rocket fired from Gaza (though of course they blamed it on Israeli fire). Israel also carried out at least one targetted assassination, killing Hamed Ahmed Abed Khudari, who was in charge of large-scale money transfers from Iran to terror groups in the Strip.

All this took place while Hamas and Islamic Jihad representatives were in Egypt negotiating the terms of a ceasefire with Israel. So one might ask why this escalation at this time? It came after and Israeli soldier was killed by sniper fire on the Gazan border the previous Friday and Israel responded by attacking some Hamas targets. But one might ask why the Gazans responded with such a massive bombardment. The theory is that Gazan terrorists want to derail the Eurovision Song Contest which is due to take place in Tel Aviv, with the finals on the 18th of this month.

However, less than 48 hours after the agreement to a ceasefire came into effect on Monday, Channel 13 News said that the head of the Islamic Jihad terror organization, Ziad al-Nakhaleh claimed that his organization and Hamas coordinated the attack while in Egypt for the truce talks, saying, ” The last escalation was only a live fire drill in preparation for the major campaign that is coming.” Al-Nakhaleh also said that he was planning for a war with Israel in the coming months, and that his group and Hamas coordinated the outbreak of the most recent round of fighting (2). He continued saying, ” We decided to fire at an IDF officer and a female soldier last Friday in cooperation with Hamas to respond to the killing of protesters at the March of Return. This was decided while we were in Cairo. The Egyptians didn’t like the fact that this happened while we were in Cairo. Myself and Yahya Sinwar decided to continue the escalation” (2). Yahya Sinwar is the head of Hamas.

It is clear therefore that the barrage of rocket fire had nothing to do with the Eurovision contest but was planned in advance and is preparatory to a larger-scale attack in the coming summer months.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad may be planning war but here in Israel we prefer to make music. Tonight is the final of the Eurovision contest. We are all praying it will pass. We do not know which group will win the contest tonight but here in Israel we already have proclaimed a winner, the Israeli group “Shalva”. This group made up of disabled musicians dropped out of the competition because they did not want to perform on the Sabbath, but they played during the interval in the Second SemiFinals and received worldwide acclaim. The word “shalva” means “serenity”, and this group demonstrates the victory of the human spirit over hardship and trials. If only the Palestinians would come to the acceptance of their situation and learn to make the most of it, as have this group of people. Then we could all live in peace and everyone would have a better life.

Peace seems a long way off. Not only do we have the threat of imminent war with Gaza perhaps only days or weeks away, but Iran and the USA seem to be squaring off for a military confrontation in the Gulf. If hostilities break out you can be sure Israel will be caught up in it. There are reports that Iranian leaders have already told their proxies in the Middle East, Hezbollah, Hamas and other terror groups, to prepare to attack Israel. It is promising to be a ‘hot’ summer, and if all this happens we will be facing the greatest threat to our existence since Israel was declared a state in 1948. We would be facing a massive onslaught of missiles, terrorism and cyber attacks such as we have not faced before. There are reports that the Palestinians are busy developing new weapons, such as drones carrying anti-tank missiles which can penetrate armored vehicles and our anti-missile defense batteries (3). The combined enemy would be overwhelming for a small country like Israel, in spite of our edge technologically. It doesn’t bear thinking about the consequences of such a war, not only for Israel and the USA but also for the whole region, if not the whole world.

And that seems to be just what is happening here in Israel as Spring gives way to summer, and people are making their plans for the long summer school vacation (which begins for most at the end of June). There seems to be a dogged determination not to talk about the ‘situation’ as it is euphemistically called. We still go about drinking and eating in outdoor cafes, lounging on the beaches and cooking barbecues in the parks everywhere, as if all is normal. Of course this is ‘normal’ here and Israelis, and historically speaking, Jews everywhere have learned to ‘make life’ even in the darkest moments and in spite of all. Is this just denial or is it true victory over the Enemy? I don’t know the answer to that one, but underlying this resilience of the people of Israel is a deep faith in the God of Israel, who has time and again rescued and protected us from annihilation until this day.

This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:

In the last days

the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established
as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,
and all nations will stream to it.

Many peoples will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
    to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
    so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion,
    the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He will judge between the nations
    and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
    and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
    nor will they train for war anymore.

Come, descendants of Jacob,
let us walk in the light of the Lord.

You, Lord, have abandoned your people,
    the descendants of Jacob.
They are full of superstitions from the East;
    they practice divination like the Philistines
    and embrace pagan customs.
Their land is full of silver and gold;
    there is no end to their treasures.
Their land is full of horses;
    there is no end to their chariots.
Their land is full of idols;
    they bow down to the work of their hands,
    to what their fingers have made.
So people will be brought low
    and everyone humbled—
    do not forgive them.

Go into the rocks, hide in the ground
    from the fearful presence of the Lord
    and the splendor of his majesty!
The eyes of the arrogant will be humbled
    and human pride brought low;
the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.

Isaiah 2:1-11

References:

https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Three-dead-600-rockets-and-a-weekend-full-of-terror-in-Israel-588866

2. https://www.timesofisrael.com/islamic-jihad-warns-of-war-during-summer-calls-last-flareup-live-fire-drill/

3. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/263294

IRON RAIN

May 4, 2019 / admin

But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord,
I wait for God my Savior;
my God will hear me.

Micah 7: 7

Shmuli, my cat, enjoying the perfect spring morning in my garden

This morning I woke to one of Israel’s perfect spring days. The sky is clear, the sun is shining, the temperature is a balmy 24 degrees C, the forest is full of beautiful wild flowers, the birds are singing, the land is still green and all seems well with the world. But it is an illusion. All is far from well here in Israel – and indeed in all the world in these days.

In the south the beautiful peaceful morning was shattered by the wail of the Code Red Sirens and residents ran for their shelters or hit the ground as some a barrage of rockets and missiles rained down. As of now, noon, some 100 rockets have fallen in Israeli territory and the barrage continues. So far there has been some damage to homes, roads and other structures but there are no reported injuries except for a few minor injuries when people have fallen in their rush for shelter and a number of people suffering from shock. Needless to say the Israel Defense Forces are responding with artillery fire and air attacks in Gaza. Palestinian sources report one death so far.

We are all holding our breath to see where this latest escalation will lead. There is a strong feeling here in Israel that ‘enough is enough’. We are fed up with this constant rain of rockets, border clashes, incendiary attacks (which have also returned now that the rains have stopped). But what is the solution? The ongoing talks brokered by Egypt apparently not succeeding. No one wants a ground incursion but it is certain that the current situation cannot continue. Our Security Cabinet is meeting as I write to discuss the situation. Southern towns and cities, including Ashdod and Ashkelon, are under Rear Command orders to open the public shelters and the public are being told to stay in their safe areas. Public gatherings, such as several sports events, have been canceled.

Damage to a home hit by a missile in Ashkelon today
https://www.timesofisrael.com/may-4-2019/

This is a very tense period as we approach a number of sensitive events. Last Thursday we marked Holocaust Remembrance Day and this coming week on Tuesday evening/Wednesday we mark Remembrance Day for the 26, 741 soldiers who have been killed since the founding of the modern State of Israel, a number that has grown by 56 this year as a result of deaths in action and others who have died from injuries received in previous years. This number also includes 3146 civilians who have died as a result of terror attacks.

On Thursday we will celebrate Israel’s 71st Anniversary of the founding of the State in 1948. It is a national holiday and most major towns mark it with ceremonies and firework displays. The following day many families gather in Israel’s forests. parks and beaches for barbecues. The airforce carries out aerial displays over Tel Aviv and other towns. It is a happy occasion in which we believers can thank God for the miracle that is the restoration of Israel in progress.

Flyover over Tel Aviv 2011

By Israel Defense Forces – IAF Flight for Israel’s 63rd Independence Day, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34382887

Of course for many of the Arab population it is not a day of rejoicing – quite the opposite. On May 15th ( the date of the founding of the State of Israel according to the Gregorian calendar) Palestinians celebrate Nakbah Day ( the Day of the Catastrophe).

This year all these events coincide with the beginning of the Muslim month of fasting, Ramadan, which starts tomorrow evening, Sunday the 5th, at sundown. Not only that on the 15th of May Israel will host the final of the Eurovision Song Contest. Already some of the participants are arriving and rehearsals began today. We are expectng tens of thousands of visitors to arrive for this event which will take place in Tel Aviv.

Such a coincidence of all this religious, nationalistic and Eurovision fervor is an explosive mix. It is in this context we must see today’s escalation emanating from Gaza. There are strong factions in Gaza intent on hurting Israel at this time. They don’t necessarily want full out war, but they want to attack Israel at this vulnerable time when large crowds of people gather in public places.

I have just returned from a lovely walk in the forest along the path that encircles Mevaseret. I have there a favorite rock from which I can see Jerusalem, Ein Kerem (where John the Baptist was born) and a panorama of the Judean hills with their scattering of villages. I like to pray there for the protection of this area. I opened up Bible Gateway on my phone and discovered their Verse of Day was very appropriate.

… if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place.

II Chronicles 7:14-15

It is now 9 PM and the rain of rockets has continued all day long and seems to be increasing now that darkness has fallen. So far at least 220 rockets have been fired into Israel. Three people have been injured and a number of homes hit. News is just coming in that a mikveh (ritual bath) was hit and destroyed in Kiryat Gat. Fortunately, no one was inside at the time. The people in the south have spent the whole day in the shelters and now it has just been announced that all schools will be closed in the south tomorrow as far north as Beer Sheva and Gedera. The IDF has attacked tens of targets in Gaza and 3 people there have been killed. In recent minutes the IDF destroyed a 7-storey building belonging to Hamas but also occupied by Turkish interests. This could have repercussions for Israel. Hamas is threatening to widen the range of the attacks to include Bat Yam and Beer Sheva if they do not get 30 million dollars transferred from Oman. So now they are holding us all for ransom. How much more absurd can the situation get? One thing is sure, it is going to be a long, hard night for the residents in the south and also for Gaza.

May the Lord Messiah, Yeshua, come soon. Only He can sort out this mess!

MOUNT GILBOA IN BLOOM

April 27, 2019 / admin

Wildflower meadow, Mt Gilboa, Galilee, 12 April 2019

Last weekend a friend and I spent a few days in the north, in the Galilee and Golan region, enjoying the wonderful spring weather and the green, green landscape resulting from this year’s abundant rainfall in Israel.

On our way northwards we stopped off to visit Mt Gilboa in the hope of finding the exquisite Gilboa Iris still in bloom. We were probably about a week too late and only found a couple of shriveling blooms, but we were not disappointed in the abundant profusion of other meadow flowers and the views from the hilltop of the green and fertile Jezreel Valley below.

When I walk in these lovely meadows in the Galilee I feel very close to my Lord, Yeshua (Jesus). The Bible tells us that he was given to rising early to go out to the wilderness to pray (Mark 1:35). I am sure he must have loved these wildflowers as much as I do. He is after all the Creator who made all these beautiful things, and in them I can see His design and love. For example, the picture below is the Judean bugloss. The flowers are pinkish red when they start to bloom but after they have been pollinated they turn blue. This is an adaptation to save the insects from wasting their energy looking for nectar in a flower that has already been pollinated. God thought of everything.

Judean bugloss (Echium judaeum), Mt Gilboa, 12 April 2019

In Spring Mount Gilboa has a spectacular profusion of flowers and their associated insects and other animals. Here are just some of them.

Dwarf chichory (Chichorium pumilum) on Mt Gilboa, 12 April 2019

Hairy flax ( Linum pubescens) on Mt Gilboa, 12 April 2019

Flower beetle on Holy Milk Thistle (Silybum maritimum), Mt Gilboa, 12 April 2019

Camomile, purple clover and hairy flax in the wildflower meadows of Gilboa, 12 April 2019

A native bee (Israel has about 1100 species of bee!) on the inflorescence of Ferulago syriaca , Mt Gilboa, 12 April 2019

Common scabious (Scabiosa prolifera), Mt Gilboa, 12 April 2019

Aleppo buttercup (Adonis aleppica) on Mt Gilboa, 12 April 2019

Purple clover( Trifolium purpureum) and Ainsworthia trachycarpa , Mt Gilboa, 12 April 2019

Syrian thistle (Notobasis syriaca), Mt Gilboa, 12 April 2019

Mutel’s broom rape (Orobanche mutelii) , Mt Gilboa, 12 April 2019

MOUNT GILBOA IN THE BIBLE

Mount Gilboa is the site of King Saul’s death after he disobeyed God, consulted a medium and was mortally wounded by the Philistines.

Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his own town of Ramah. Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land.

The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp at Shunem, while Saul gathered all Israel and set up camp at Gilboa. When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart. He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets. Saul then said to his attendants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her.”

I Samuel 28: 3-7

The medium called up from the dead the prophet Samuel who said,

Samuel said, “Why do you consult me, now that the Lord has departed from you and become your enemy? The Lord has done what he predicted through me. The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors—to David. Because you did not obey the Lord or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the Lord has done this to you today. ¹The Lord will deliver both Israel and you into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also give the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.”

I Samuel 28: 16-19

The Philistines defeated the army of Saul and killed his three sons, Jonathan, Abinadab and Malkishua. Saul was mortally wounded and, when his armor bearer was afraid to kill him, Saul took his own sword and fell on it, ending his life (I Samuel 31: 1-6).

When David heard this news he was stricken with grief and took up this lament:

“A gazelle^[alies slain on your heights, Israel.
How the mighty have fallen!

“Tell it not in Gath,
proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon,
lest the daughters of the Philistines be glad,
lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice.

“Mountains of Gilboa,
    may you have neither dew nor rain,
   may no showers fall on your terraced fields
For there the shield of the mighty was despised,
    the shield of Saul—no longer rubbed with oil.

“From the blood of the slain,
    from the flesh of the mighty,
the bow of Jonathan did not turn back,
    the sword of Saul did not return unsatisfied.
Saul and Jonathan—
    in life they were loved and admired,
    and in death they were not parted.
They were swifter than eagles,
    they were stronger than lions.

“Daughters of Israel,
weep for Saul,
who clothed you in scarlet and finery,
who adorned your garments with ornaments of gold.

“How the mighty have fallen in battle!
    Jonathan lies slain on your heights.
I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother;
    you were very dear to me.
Your love for me was wonderful,
    more wonderful than that of women.

“How the mighty have fallen!
The weapons of war have perished!”

2 Samuel 1: 19-27

The lushness of the mountain in spring may belie David’s curse on this mountain, but visit it in summer and all is dry and sere. Apart from the pine forest planted by the Jewish National Fund in recent years, this mountain is unforested and barren, unlike the other mountains in the region, and there are no signs of the once-terraced farmland that David spoke of.

For more information about Mt Gilboa I recommend the following link:

https://biblewalks.com/sites/SaulShoulder.html

For more on our Galilee travels see the post on Nimrod’s Castle (coming soon).

The barren northern slopes of Mt Gilboa rising at the junction of the fertile Jezreel and Jordan Valleys, with the mountains of Jordan beyond.
https://biblewalks.com/sites/SaulShoulder.html

All photos on this website can be used for personal or educational use, but any commercial use requires my permission.

Disclaimer: I am not an expert in plant identification in Israel. I have done my best to correctly identify species and apologize for any errors.

POSSESSING THE LAND

April 20, 2019 / admin

A Land of Milk and Honey, Beit Guvrin in the Judean foothills

Today is the first day of the LORD’s Passover Feast. It is my favorite of the Feast days of Israel, perhaps because it was the first I became acquainted with, but also because of its rich symbolism and its close ties with the coming of Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah. Every year we celebrate it but every year it is as if I come to it anew. It never grows tiresome and I love the prayers and songs of this time which are full of our collective memory of how God has kept and provided for us through the generations. Its a time that stimulates faith and fills the heart with joy.

The story of the Passover focuses on the Exodus from Egypt, when God stretched forth his hand and brought the Israelite people out of slavery with mighty signs and miracles, and led them through the wilderness for forty years providing for their every need, until they entered into the Promised Land, Israel. For those of us whose Lord is Yeshua, it is a powerful parallel and foreshadowing of our personal salvation in which we were set free from slavery to sin and death, and given a full life of freedom and liberty as sons and daughters of the living God. Of course, it is also especially meaningful because our saviour and Lord, Yeshua, was crucified on the day of the Passover sacrifice and rose on the third day, the first day of the week following the Passover Shabbat, the day of the Wave Offering (Leviticus 23:9).

This Passover my focus has shifted a little. Instead of concentrating on the Exodus from Egypt I have been considering in more depth the entrance into the Promised Land. Perhaps this was largely triggered by a trip a friend and I made last week up into the Galilee and the Golan, during which we were reminded of the abundance and beauty of this glorious Promised Land. It is a good land, full of fruitfulness and health, but one that is totally dependent upon the blessing of God. If He withholds the rain, the land languishes and dies, but when God blesses us with good rain, as he has done this year, the land simply bursts forth with life.

Butterfly and wildflowers on Har Yona, Nazareth Illit, Galilee, April 2019.

” Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.”

Deuteronomy 8: 6-9

The People of Israel crossed over the Jordan River on the 10th Day of the First Month (Nisan, as it is known today). On the same day, all the men of Israel were circumcised and while they were still raw and healing 4 days later, all Israel celebrated the Passover on the 14th of Nisan. On the next day, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the manna stopped and they ate for the first time of the fruit of the Promised Land, their own God-given land. How wonderful that must have felt!

On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho….

On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. The manna stopped the day after^[d] they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan.

Joshua 4: 19 ; 5: 10-12

Some years ago I was visiting a friend in Eilat and as I left we prayed together for my journey. I was surprised when in the midst of our prayer she asked God to give me revelation as I journeyed northwards to my home. I admit I was a bit skeptical at that moment, but as I traveled I did indeed receive a revelation that has never left me. It was mid-summer and the desert of the Negev was sere and seemingly lifeless, and it stretched on mile after mile after mile. Then suddenly, and it was suddenly, just a few kilometers south of Tel Aviv, the landscape turned green and fertile. In that moment I understood just how vulnerable we were. We teeter on the very edge of the great desert that stretches across the Sahara and the Arabian Peninsula. How desperately we need to cling to God and his provision of rain in order to survive. God has not given us a land of abundant rainfall and lush greenness, as in the countries of western Europe for example, but rather a marginal land, a ‘land of milk and honey’, right on the edge of the desert, so that we may not grow lazy and lax and forget our need for total reliance on God. This is the grace of God for Israel, and indeed it has also been the grace of God in my own personal life.

Israel’s possession of the Land and the enjoyment of its abundance was always conditional. As long as they were faithful to the LORD God of Israel they would remain in the land and be blessed with prosperity, but if they should turn aside to foreign gods or forget the God of Israel, and sin against Him, then He would cast them out. However it was never final, there was always a way of repentance and return. Moses warned the people of Israel saying.

“…but you are about to cross over and take possession of that good land. Be careful not to forget the covenant of the Lord your God that he made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything the Lord your God has forbidden. For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

After you have had children and grandchildren and have lived in the land a long time—if you then become corrupt and make any kind of idol, doing evil in the eyes of the Lord your God and arousing his anger, I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you this day that you will quickly perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. You will not live there long but will certainly be destroyed. The Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive among the nations to which the Lord will drive you. There you will worship man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell. But if from there you seek the Lord your God, 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 have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the Lord your God and obey him. For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath.

Deuteronomy 4: 22-31

We know that on two occasions God did cast the people of Israel out of their land because of their idolatry and sin, but in our days he has had mercy upon us and brought us back home again. Not only that, but he has prospered us beyond all imagining. Today Israel proudly stands amongst the most powerful nations on this Earth and as I travel about the land I am constantly awed by what has been achieved in just 70 or so years. But herein lies great danger, the danger that we will take the glory to ourselves and forget the LORD and his mercies. It is He who has done it and not us. Please pray that the people of Israel will not be puffed up and proud, glorying in our accomplishments, but that we will humble ourselves and pray to God with thankful hearts for what He has done, so that we may continue to enjoy his abundant blessings.

When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down,and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied,then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you. You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.”But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.

If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. Like the nations the Lord destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the Lord your God.

Deuteronomy 8 : 10-20

OTHER PRAYER POINTS:

Elections:

We prayed, we voted but it is God who establishes our leaders for His purposes. The elections are over and the Likud Party, led by Binyamin Netanyahu, and the Blue and White Party, ed by Benny Gantz, were tied with 35 seats each. To form a government, a party has to have a minimum 61 seats in the 120-strong Knesset (Parliament). This means that each party will have to form a coalition with other parties in order to reach this minimum. There is no way the Blue and White Party can do this, because the left is currently very weak. Only the Likud Party has the possibility of succeeding. This means that Likud is currently negotiating with the right-wing religious parties in order to gain the required 61 seats. It seems likely that Netanyahu is set to serve a record-breaking 5th term as Israel’s Prime MInister. In short, the elections have changed little, with the religious right coming out more powerful than ever. The exceptional success of the Blue and White party may however serve as a warning to Netanyahu that there is growing discontent with the inordinate power yielded by his religious coalition partners, alienating the secular majority. Please pray that the new government, whoever they are, will pay due attention to the internal distribution of wealth, narrowing the gap between the rich and the poor, and boosting the education, health and welfare sectors.

Gaza border tensions:

Since the Egyptian brokered ‘ceasefire’ came into effect the Gaza border tensions eased some. Some of the troops and weapons that had been moved there have now been redeployed elsewhere. The situation still remains very tense and the ‘March of Return’ demonstrations continue IDF forces. On Friday about 6,000 Palestinians demonstrated at the border and according to Hamas sources, 46 were injured (1). A shot was fired at Israeli forces defending the border and in response an Israeli aircraft and a tank attacked two military positions belonging to Hamas (2). As I am writing reports are coming in of a loud blast heard by residents of Israel’s Shaar Negev region, adjacent to the Gaza border. It appears at this stage that two rockets fired at Israel fell short, landed in an open area in Palestinian territory and exploded. The Israeli airforce has already responded. This could signal another escalation of tensions there. Please pray for peace and a long-lasting resolution of these issues.

Passover security

There is always a heightened threat of terrorism during the Jewish Feasts in Israel. As is usual, the West Bank and Gaza are under ‘lockdown’ for the duration of Passover, in an effort to prevent attacks. Today a 20 year old Palestinian attempted to attack soldiers at the Tapuah Junction in the West Bank but was thwarted. Please pray that our streets, synagogues, churches, parks and other places where many people gather during this festive season will remain safe. Pray too for the safety of all those who daily put their lives on the line so that Israeli citizens, pilgrims and tourists can be safe.

May you all have a peaceful and blessed Passover and Easter season, in the name of Yeshua and the LORD God of Israel.

References:

NAZARETH IRIS

April 6, 2019 / admin

Last week a friend and I traveled up to Nazareth Illit (Upper Nazareth) to see the rare and endangered Nazareth Iris growing there on Har Yona. After a longish period driving around in circles, we did eventually manage to locate the right area. This spectacular flower is found in only a few isolated places around Nazareth and it is thought there are only about 4,000 individuals surviving in the wild. It is a species that has proven almost impossible to breed artificially as it needs very specific conditions including a cold winter and a hot, dry summer. The Nazareth Iris is listed as an Endangered Species in the IUCN Red List. In an effort to save this species which is being threatened by the spreading development of new neighborhoods, bulbs were gathered and brought to Har Yona, a hilltop in the town of Nazareth Illit, where it can be protected. Now there are some tens of individuals growing there in a semi-managed environment. They have a short flowering season in March-April. The flowers are pollinated by the black native bumble bee and the lower petal of the flowers (the landing pad) has a black spot that looks like a bee, in order to attract other bees.

Here are some more photos of the area. Please note these photos are copyright. You can use them for personal or educational purposes but you need my permission for any commercial use.

Disclaimer: I am not an expert in identifying Israeli flora and fauna, so please correct me if I have made errors.