THE INTERMEDIATE SHABBAT (11 April)
It is Shabbat again and this morning I lay in bed listening to the rain outside reluctant to rise and face yet another gray, lonesome day shut up in my little apartment. Eventually I did get up, shower, dress and eat because not to do so would be to give in and that is just what Satan wants. Life must go on and we must live every day that God gives us in His grace and mercy. I kicked myself into action and tried to focus on Him. He is my saviour, my comfort, my protector and my provider. What can I fear? Even death itself He has conquered. It cannot touch me.
Today traditionally marks the middle day of the death and resurrection of Yeshua (Jesus) when He lay dead in the tomb. For his disciples it must have seemed like a day of loss, mourning and utter despair for they did not yet understand that He would be resurrected the next day.
Today is also the intermediate Shabbat of the Passover Festival. The Haftorah reading for the closing of this Shabbat is Ezekiel 37:1-14, the prophecy of the dry bones. The dry bones are raised up and made alive by the spirit breathed into them, just as Yeshua was raised up and made alive again at the end of the crucifixion Shabbat.
Today I feel in midst of the ‘middle’. The coronavirus restrictions are growing ‘old’ and wearying. Even the weather is gray and wet, and it seems that winter will not let go its hold. Yet I take comfort in that after the ‘middle’ there will be an end and there will one day come hope and new life. In the meantime there is work to be done and I cannot give in to the self-indulgence of depression.
It has been a strange Passover this year as we were not permitted to gather in our extended families, or with friends, as is tradition. We all had to stay in our homes, with only those we normally lived with, and for many this meant being alone. For all that, though separate, there was a feeling of togetherness. Many held Seders (the traditional Passover meal and recitation of the story of the Passover) online with friends and family and a national Seder was broadcast live on TV. At 8:30 PM many went out onto their balconies to sing together the traditional Passover song, “Mah Nistanah”. “Mah Nishtanah” was a rather apt and somewhat poignant song to sing together as it begins with the words ” Why is tonight different from all other nights?” It was certainly a different kind of Passover Eve this year. Here it was rather quiet as we have no near neighbors with balconies. I celebrated on Zoom with some friends and then we watched together the old 1956 version of “The Ten Commandments”. A different sort of Passover for sure.
THE LAST DAY OF PASSOVER (14-15 April)
Some days have passed since I wrote the above and it is a glorious spring day. I woke this morning and realized it is the Eve of the Last Day of Passover. I have never paid much attention to this final holy day of Passover, except as it marked the end of dry matzoh and after sunset, it is permitted to eat normal bread – a cause for much celebration. However this morning I decided to do a bit of research. “How do religious Jews celebrate this day?” I asked and what a wonderful surprise I got. I want to share with you some of my findings.
Jews believe that this 7th day after the Passover is the very day the Israelites crossed the Red Sea. Some fast all night and read Moses’ and Miriam’s songs of victory as recorded in Exodus 15. This commemorates the first redemption – the rescue of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and their ‘baptism’ as they passed through the sea and into freedom.
Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:
“I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.
2 The Lord is my strength and my might,
and he has become my salvation;
this is my God, and I will praise him,
my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
3 The Lord is a warrior;
the Lord is his name.
4 “Pharaoh’s chariots and his army he cast into the sea;
his picked officers were sunk in the Red Sea.[b]
5 The floods covered them;
they went down into the depths like a stone.
6 Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power—
your right hand, O Lord, shattered the enemy.
7 In the greatness of your majesty you overthrew your adversaries;
you sent out your fury, it consumed them like stubble.
8 At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up,
the floods stood up in a heap;
the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.
9 The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake,
I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them.
I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.’
10 You blew with your wind, the sea covered them;
they sank like lead in the mighty waters.
11 “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?
Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
awesome in splendor, doing wonders?
12 You stretched out your right hand,
the earth swallowed them.
13 “In your steadfast love you led the people whom you redeemed;
you guided them by your strength to your holy abode.
14 The peoples heard, they trembled;
pangs seized the inhabitants of Philistia.
15 Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed;
trembling seized the leaders of Moab;
all the inhabitants of Canaan melted away.
16 Terror and dread fell upon them;
by the might of your arm, they became still as a stone
until your people, O Lord, passed by,
until the people whom you acquired passed by.
17 You brought them in and planted them on the mountain of your own possession,
the place, O Lord, that you made your abode,
the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hands have established.
18 The Lord will reign forever and ever.”
And Miriam led the women out singing:
Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.”
Isaiah 15
On the evening of the last day (Wednesday night this year) the Feast of the Messiah is held. It begins towards sunset and continues on into the night, past the end of the Passover. This feast is a celebration of the final redemption yet to come when the Messiah is revealed. The Messiah will restore Israel and bring everlasting peace to the world. The prophetic passages read on this day are in Isaiah 10-12. Here are some excerpts:
20 On that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more lean on the one who struck them, but will lean on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. 21 A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. 22 For though your people Israel were like the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. Destruction is decreed, overflowing with righteousness. 23 For the Lord God of hosts will make a full end, as decreed, in all the earth.
Isaiah 10: 20-23
A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
2 The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
3 His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide by what his ears hear;
4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
6 The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze,
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
9 They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
10 On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.
11 On that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that is left of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Ethiopia,[a] from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea.
12 He will raise a signal for the nations,
and will assemble the outcasts of Israel,
and gather the dispersed of Judah
from the four corners of the earth.
13 The jealousy of Ephraim shall depart,
the hostility of Judah shall be cut off;
Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah,
and Judah shall not be hostile towards Ephraim.
14 But they shall swoop down on the backs of the Philistines in the west,
together they shall plunder the people of the east.
They shall put forth their hand against Edom and Moab,
and the Ammonites shall obey them.
15 And the Lord will utterly destroy
the tongue of the sea of Egypt;
and will wave his hand over the River
with his scorching wind;
and will split it into seven channels,
and make a way to cross on foot;
16 so there shall be a highway from Assyria
for the remnant that is left of his people,
as there was for Israel
when they came up from the land of Egypt.
Isaiah 11 whole chapter
You will say in that day:
I will give thanks to you, O Lord,
for though you were angry with me,
your anger turned away,
and you comforted me.
2 Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust, and will not be afraid,
for the Lord God is my strength and my might;
he has become my salvation.
3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 4 And you will say in that day:
Give thanks to the Lord,
call on his name;
make known his deeds among the nations;
proclaim that his name is exalted.
5 Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;
let this be known in all the earth.
6 Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 12 whole chapter
I was blown away when I read this. How close the Jews who read these passages are to the Truth but yet their eyes remain blinded. How sad is it that they do not yet see that Messiah Yeshua has already come. They nevertheless have a heart after God and look forward in eager anticipation of his final revelation and restoration. I pray this day that as these passages are read in homes around the country, for we are not allowed to gather in synagogues this year, that the Holy Spirit will bring revelation and lift the veil. Perhaps this plague, the Corona virus has come to take the people away from the influence of the synagogues and the rabbis’ teaching against Yeshua, permitting people to see the Truth as it is revealed in these very passages of Scripture they read. Let’s pray that many will see Yeshua this Passover.
Once again we have been put under very strict curfew for the holy day starting this afternoon until Thursday morning. We are not allowed to leave our houses or gather with any one who does not normally live in our homes. Hundreds of roadblocks are set up all over the country to prevent people travelling between towns. All roads in and out of Jerusalem are closed except to those who are travelling for necessary work purposes ( doctors and nurses etc). Jerusalem has been divided into 17 suburbs and it is forbidden to pass from one to the other. Some neighbourhoods, where the incidence of the virus are highest, mainly the religious areas, are totally closed to nonresidents. It will once again be a quiet holy day but I pray that it will be a day when many seek out their God.
As I write Israel’s death toll stands at 117 and the number of those who have tested positive is 11,868, but these numbers continue to rise. There are probably many more who have been infected but, like most countries, we are unable to do a lot of testing for we lack the necessary supplies. The assessment is that we are succeeding better than most countries in controlling this epidemic and Israel is even being held up as an example for other countries to emulate. On the whole, most Israelis feel that the our leaders have taken a strong and effective series of decisions which have helped prevent the explosion of cases that took place elsewhere. We cannot be complacent though and that could always change. Our low death rate relative to the number of infected is thanks to the selfless sacrifice of medical staff and many others, including the police, the army and others who are working around the clock, risking their own lives in the process. We still have enough ventilators for those who need them but should we run out, which could happen soon, I think the death rate will increase. The Mossad has located and bought many tons of medical supplies such as masks and ventilators from other countries and these are being flown in by specially chartered planes. Sadly most of the deaths have been among the very elderly and some care homes have been badly hit. Mistakes have been made but on the whole our leaders are doing a good job and the public as a whole are acting responsibly. I think Israel has a huge advantage in that we not only used to having to deal with crises but already have many crisis management systems and procedures in place. The general populace too is used to living under wartime conditions and following orders when necessary. We might fight and squabble in ‘normal ‘ times but when a crisis hits we forget our differences and become one big family.
We have done well considering that we do not have a government as such. Last night the time alloted for the Blue and White Party under Gantz to form a government expired and now there remains a 30 day period during which anyone who can can form a government may do so. Netanyahu and Gantz are in the midst of talks as we all hold our breath. We desperately need a Unity Government to lead us and make crucial decisions during this current crisis and develop a workable plan to lead us out the economic and social shutdown. Please pray that they can somehow come to agreement and find ways to work together for the good of the country. If they cannot we will have to go to a fourth round of elections and no one wants that.
The economic situation of Israel is strong so far but on a more personal level it is dire for many people. Our unemployment rate has skyrocketed to over 26% as businesses have been forced to shut their doors and lay off staff. Many of those businesses will never reopen, especially the small concerns. The retail sector may bounce back to some extent afterwards but the tourist industry may take years to recover if, at all. No one knows what the future will hold, nor yet when we can start rebuilding the economy.
Although Israel has been hit with the Covid-19 plague we have been spared another – locusts. To the south and east of Israel many East African nations are battling massive locust plagues, the worst in at least 70 years, and the corona virus pandemic is slowing efforts to control them https://www.ecowatch.com/locusts-east-africa-2645705394.html . The FAO’s locust watch warned:
The current situation in East Africa remains extremely alarming as hopper bands and an increasing number of new swarms form in northern and central Kenya, southern Ethiopia, and Somalia. This represents an unprecedented threat to food security and livelihoods because it coincides with the beginning of the long rains and the planting season. Although ground and aerial control operations are in progress, widespread rains that fell in late March will allow the new swarms to mostly remain, mature and lay eggs while a few swarms could move from Kenya to Uganda, South Sudan and Ethiopia. During May, the eggs will hatch into hopper bands that will form new swarms in late June and July, which coincides with the start of the harvest.
As Israel has enjoyed an extremely wet winter the conditions are right for the formation of locust swarms in the deserts to the east and these can move into Israel if the wind conditions are right. Please pray we will not have to deal with locusts this year.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/plague-of-locusts-set-to-descend-upon-middle-east-in-time-for-passover/
This past winter has been the wettest I can remember here in Israel and the land has been blessed with abundant rain. Just this last weekend the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) rose another 6cm bringing it just 21 cm below the upper red line, the highest it has been since 2004.
I need to stop writing and get on with grading some tests. Thank God I still have work, unlike so many others. It is keeping me sane at this time when I am shut in my home alone with only my cat to talk to (he talks a lot but I don’t understand everything he says). I thank God for Zoom and the ability to continue to be in contact with my congregation and friends. We are continuing to meet together on Zoom and it is a great blessing.
I will close with this thought from the Book of Revelation. I pray that many will find God during this Pandemic but I fear that, as will be during the coming Tribulation period, most of mankind will refuse the opportunity and be lost. If you don’t know Yeshua, this might be your last chance to call out to Him. If nothing else this little virus is teaching us how vulnerable we are. Its not too late to be saved, but time is running out.
The rest of humankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands or give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk. 21 And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their fornication or their thefts.
Revelation 9:20-21
Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures.
I Corinthians 15: 1, 3-4