Israel Prayer Journal #27

The last month has been full of activity in Israel.  The first two weeks held the festival of Passover which commemorates Israel’s exodus out of Egypt more than three thousand years ago.  This is one of the holidays that most Jews observe to some degree, even if they are largely traditional or bordering on secular.  Passover itself is celebrated with a festive meal in the family home where the entire evening is organized and planned according to a specific, traditional ceremony.  Passages from Exodus are read, songs are sung, children ask questions, and the importance of the Exodus event is explained through a written text.  The Exodus is very important to the Jewish people, because it was in this event that God made a distinction between His people the Jews and the Egyptians, and He brought Israel out of the house of slavery to be a free people in the Promised Land.  Jews today commemorate this event to remind themselves that God freed them from slavery during Passover.  As absolutely wonderful as this festival is, it is sad that the Jews have yet to realize the Greater Passover that came some centuries after the Exodus.  For it was at Passover time that Jesus of Nazareth hung on a cross to set mankind eternally free from their slavery to sin and death.  But the Jews have not yet recognized what Passover is really all about…  One year ago during Passover I had the privilege of leading a Messianic Passover Seder service at my church in Washington.  So the holiday season brought back many happy memories for me of that wonderful time at church where I exposed the people for the first time to the Passover traditions of the Jews, though with a focus on Jesus the Messiah.  Immediately following Passover were 8 days where the Jews are not permitted to eat leavened bread.  Instead, they eat matzah (similar to a saltine cracker).  This untasty bread is a powerful reminder of the time in Egypt they had before God set them free.
 
Shortly after Passover came the holidays of Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Memorial Day), Memorial Day (for the fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism), and Independence Day (when Israel declared its independence in May 1948).  The latter day did not fall on May 14 this year, because its commemoration follows the Jewish lunar calendar, not the standard solar calendar of the West.  The first two days are sobering days, while Independence Day (which takes place the day after Memorial Day) is a day of jubilant and excessive celebration.  Each day is marked with a one- or two-minute siren that goes off across the entire country.  During the siren’s sounding, the entire Jewish nation comes to a standstill, including traffic on the streets and highways.  For a nation so divided in its opinions, even among Jews, it is something fascinating that they can all agree to pause together during the same time.  Perhaps obviously, most Arabs/Palestinians in Israel do not celebrate these three days for apparent reasons.

I was on Jaffa Street for Yom HaShoah, and I took a short video.  It’s not great quality, but it does show Jewish passersby coming to a standstill during the siren.  You will notice, though, a few people who continue to walk by.  These are people who for ideological reasons do not commemorate this day, many Palestinians, for instance.  I was on Herodion for the second Memorial Day siren.  It was fascinating to be in the West Bank (near Bethlehem)—in Palestinian territory—and hear the siren coming from the nearby Jewish settlements.  The Palestinian areas kept right on working, but the group I was with came to a stop, at least.  One sad thing about Memorial Day was that a stage collapsed during the setup of the official government ceremonies, and a young female soldier was killed.  That made the day particularly sad.

Not too much else significant has been happening in Israel lately.  There was a powerful sand storm on May 1.  I have two photos to show you had much it reduced visibility.  The sand blowing off the deserts to the East made my eyes water and filled my mouth with dirt.  It was certainly something!  The days continue to get warmer and longer here.

Before the sandstorm. Mountains of Jordan visible in distant hazy background

During the sandstorm; nothing visible after a few miles

Personal Update Photos:

Tel Shechem in the middle of modern day Nablus, as seen from Mt. Gerizim

"Solomon's Pools" -- huge reservoirs built by Herod the Great near Bethlehem

Israel Prayer Journal #24

Friends,

I am embarrassed by how long it has been since my last update.  I have been really negligent.  In the coming months I think I will have more time, so I really do intend to put more effort into this journal and share more things that I have learned with you to help you enjoy this experience that I have been able to take part in. 

First, let me just do a quick catch up of some highlights in my life the last few weeks.  My autumn semester finally finished!  Well, sort of.  Classes officially finished, at least.  I had my exams this week.  Hebrew was on Sunday and Israeli Politics & Society was yesterday.  I think I did quite well in both, though I am still waiting for my grades.  The Hebrew exam was to finish the Bet (#2) level and move to the Gimel (#3) level.  I wrote what I thought was an excellent essay (in Hebrew) on the dangers of television in the home.  I enjoyed the exam.  It’s nice to be finished with classes.  I will have February off from classes, though I have to write two final papers for two classes during this time, so that will keep me somewhat busy.  In March I have two other things to prepare for as well: a sermon/lecture/message to college students at the extension campus of my alma matter college with whom I first visited Israel and a two-day guiding tour of the Galilee with a family from the US.  I need to prepare for each of these things also during this month.  So, it will be a busy month, but an enjoyable one.  I also hope to start sightseeing more than I have the past few months, provided the weather cooperates.  There has been a little rain lately, and temperatures are definitely cooler, but it’s not too bad. 

Yesterday, to celebrate the end of exams, I went with two friends to Ramallah, the “capital” of Palestinian West Bank.  It was a really nice experience.  This was the fourth time I have visited there this trip.  It really is an amazing place.  I have never been there during a “regular” afternoon/evening, so it was great to see the city so bustling with people and culture.  Shops were open, people were running around living their lives.  The center of Ramallah is very metropolized, so there are modern malls, modern stores, restaurants, and most everything you would expect from a modern, developing city.  This is where the seat of government of the Palestinian Authority sits, so there are lots of police forces that keep crime down, so it is the major destination for foreigners who want to experience Palestinian culture.  Everything is so cheap there!  There were tons of stores selling knockoff Nike shoes for $25, and food is very inexpensive.  The three of us had a really nice time walking around, eating mini-pizzas (cooked on pita bread), and having a milkshake in Stars & Bucks, the Palestinian coffee rip-off of Starbucks.  There weren’t a lot of other white faces around, but it was just a good experience, especially since the two American girls I was with had never been into the West Bank before.  It was good for them to see both sides of the Arab-Israeli conflict, at least as much as they could from this vibrant metropolis.  I intend to return again soon to see more culture and buy some cheap shoes. 

Not too much else has happened in my life lately, except one major thing that I’ll share with you personally through email.  You can please pray that I’ll use this next month well in getting the work I have to do finished.  Classes will resume in early March. 

In the news lately, not too many crazy things have happened.  There has been an increase in news media chatter lately about striking Iran, so that is a little concerning.  I don’t know what will happen, but I think it will be a MAJOR thing when it does.  Please pray for wisdom for the leaders and for protection for the Israeli people.  This world needs shalom!  One noteworthy thing is the following article, wherein Prime Minister Netanyahu gave a speech in which he said, “In such a region, the only thing that ensures our existence, security and prosperity is our strength.”  To some degree he is right, but it made me sad to read this.  Israel is trusting in their own strength to protect themselves.  Is this not the exact same problem we read that Israel struggled with in Bible times?  How many times did God have to teach Israel to rely on HIM for protection, not themselves?  Think of the story of Gideon, Jehoshaphat (2 Chron 20), and Hezekiah (2 Kgs 18-19).  Is Israel acting any differently today than it did all those years ago?  I fear not.  They are boasting in their own strength, rather than relying on God.  Unfortunately, someday God will have to teach them the lesson of trusting in Him alone again by making them lose.  I fear for that day, because I know how awful it will be…  Please pray for Israel’s peace…

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the LORD! (Isaiah 31:1)

Israel Prayer Journal #23

Shalom Friends!

I wish you a Happy New Year, or, as they say in Israel, Happy Sylvester!  (The Sylvester name comes from a 4th century pope who is remembered in Catholic tradition on December 31, and the memory of this celebration accompanied European Jews when they came to Israel.  See here for more information.) 

It’s been an eventful few weeks.  As I wrote last time, I had a wonderful Christmas.  Now we’re winding down our fall semester which ends the first week of February.  That means I have some major exams coming up soon.  The entire grade in two of my classes are dependent on this one exam in each class.  Interestingly, if you fail the exam the first time, you can actually retake it about a month later.  I have the month of February off from school, but I will be busy during it, as I have two papers to write—both part of the fall semester that ends in January (weird, huh!).  Classes are still going amazingly well, and I am learning a ton.  I’m falling a little behind in Hebrew due to vocabulary, but even that is still going well.  Every day is such a joy to be here.  January has definitely started off winter.  Up until now, we’ve rarely had rain and it’s been relatively mild temperatures.  Since Christmas, though, it has steadily gotten colder and wetter.  It’s definitely not as cold or wet as the last few years I spent in Washington, so I can’t complain too much.  The rain does tend to keep everyone indoors, so it can be convenient to go shopping or around the Old City when it’s a little rainy. 

For the last three weeks a former college professor and friend of mine has been in the country leading a tour group from a seminary in southern California.  I’ve gotten to spend a bit of time with him and his group, and it was such a privilege.  He is an incredible, smart, godly man, and I have learned so much from him over the years.  We had a lot of fun around Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Samaria.  His group was quite amazing too.  There was something so refreshing about being around a group of young, godly Christians for a change.  I had forgotten how wonderful Christian fellowship like that is.  I was really encouraged by them.  I’ll share a little more about this group in the near future...

Many interesting thing have been happening in the news lately.  Of course Iran and the US seem to be in a standoff over the important oil passageway of the Strait of Hormuz.  An Iranian nuclear scientist was assassinated last week.  Within Israel, the last few weeks have been full of tense domestic issues.  Some illegal settlements in the West Bank were demolished, and there has been much uproar about that.  Some of the more “radical” activists have been charged with monitoring the IDF’s movements to try and thwart their dismantling of illegal settlements.  Two Knesset members have also been allegedly linked to providing information to the activists.  Another Knesset member was just suspended for a month for throwing a glass of water at one of her parliament colleagues during an argument.  Interestingly, several months ago I saw this same woman in person arguing very passionately with a group of liberal activists, so I can vouch for her temper.  A prominent Christian leader in Jaffa who tried to build bridges with Muslims and Christians was murdered.  

If you didn’t already know it, Israel is the most openly accepting country in the Middle East for gay people.  Tel Aviv was just named by one survey as the preferred travel destination in the world for gays.  You can make you own judgments about this.  One other interesting article dealt with Christians in the Gaza Strip.  Usually we associate the Gaza Strip with Hamas terrorists and Muslims, but let’s not forget that we have brothers and sisters there too.  Remember to pray for them when you pray for Israel. 

I apologize for not being better about sharing things I’m learning in classes.  I honestly don’t know where my time goes, but I’ll try to be better about it in the future.  You would definitely profit from some of the interesting things I’ve learned.  Let me share one quick item.  I was watching Israeli TV last night, and an advertisement came on for a cable provider and a tablet computer.  You probably won’t understand what they’re saying, but the gist of it is that a few Israelis dressed as Muslim women “secretly” cross into Iran where they meet a Mossad agent, then they accidentally blow up Iran’s nuclear reactor.  It’s meant to be funny, but it struck me as interesting for a few reasons: 1) Israelis cope with the constant threat of fear and terrorism and death by resorting to making fun of it; and 2) Israelis, as portrayed in this ad, seem awfully arrogant that they can easily defeat the Iranians.  Iran poses an enormous danger to Israel, and their possession of nuclear weapons spells a real, existential threat to the Jewish people, since the leaders of Iran frequently talk about destroying all Israelis.  I was just astonished at how lightheartedly the makers of this ad portrayed the situation.  I don’t know that I approve of being so flippant over such a real, pressing issue.  But, I guess I’m not Israeli.  I was also surprised to see advertisers use such current events in their advertising.  Secondly, an attack on Iran is an enormous risk to Israel.  The complexity of such an attack simply cannot be imagined by you or me.  I really fear for Israel in event of an attack.  I also have real problems with Israel’s attitude about its military.  They put far too much trust in their army.  If the Old Testament has taught us one thing, it’s that God wants Israel to depend on Him for their safety, not trust in themselves.  Do I need to remind you of Ai, Gideon, Jericho, Jehoshaphat, and Sennacherib?  I pray that Israel’s arrogance doesn’t soon lead to God needing to teach them a lesson about trusting in Him…