Purim
Tonight is Purim eve, and Israel will be celebrating the story of the Jews deliverance from Haman, (in Persia) through prayer and intercession.
One of the traditions of Purim is to eat Hamantaschen. These are baked dainties usually filled with poppy seeds. Hamantaschen mean Haman’s ears.
Quite gruesome, isn’t it?
Of course, maybe Haman was too quick to listen to his wife’s and his so-called friends' advice: “Let a gallows be made, fifty cubits high, and in the morning suggest to the king that Mordecai be hanged on it; then go merrily with the king to the banquet.” Esth. 5:14
Perhaps Zeresh was too quick to give such advice to her dear husband. In the next chapter, once things begin to unravel by the providence of God, she tells him, “….If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish descent, you will not prevail against him but will surely fall before him.” Esth. 6:13
Hmmm…seems Zeresh should have done some research before advising her husband.
Iran (Persia of old) still threatens Israel’s existence
Here are some headlines recently published:
January 21, 2019: “Iran threatens to eliminate Israel from the earth as tensions escalate over Syria airstrikes.”
January 21, 2019: “commander of Iranian army's air force says his troops "cannot wait to fight Israel and wipe it off the planet,"
January 29, 2019: “Iran threatens Israel with ‘inferno,’ vows to improve missile accuracy.”
But maybe they need to do some research (as in reading the Bible) before they threaten Israel.
God’s amazing love and faithfulness to His people and covenant
But they do not know that God has other plans and that no one can thwart God’s love, commitment to His people, and His plans and purposes for Israel and for the whole earth.
Hear the heart of God, let it fill your own heart with gratefulness and thanks to Him who is Israel’s and your God!
Is. 54:5 For your Maker is your husband, The LORD of hosts is His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth.
Is. 54:6 For the LORD has called you Like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, Like a youthful wife when you were refused,” Says your God.
Is. 54:7 “For a mere moment I have forsaken you, But with great mercies I will gather you.
Is. 54:8 With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,” Says the LORD, your Redeemer.
Is. 54:9 “For this is like the waters of Noah to Me; For as I have sworn That the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth, So have I sworn That I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you.
Is. 54:10 For the mountains shall depart And the hills be removed, But My kindness shall not depart from you, Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,” Says the LORD, who has mercy on you.
Is. 54:11 “O you afflicted one,Tossed with tempest, and not comforted, Behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems, And lay your foundations with sapphires.
Is. 54:12 I will make your pinnacles of rubies, Your gates of crystal, And all your walls of precious stones.
Is. 54:13 All your children shall be taught by the LORD, And great shall be the peace of your children.
Is. 54:14 In righteousness you shall be established; You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; And from terror, for it shall not come near you.
Is. 54:15 Indeed they shall surely assemble, but not because of Me. Whoever assembles against you shall fall for your sake.
Is. 54:16 “Behold, I have created the blacksmith Who blows the coals in the fire, Who brings forth an instrument for his work; And I have created the spoiler to destroy.
Is. 54:17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the LORD.
His purpose for the earth
Jer. 3:17 “At that time Jerusalem shall be called The Throne of the LORD, and all the nations shall be gathered to it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem. No more shall they follow the dictates of their evil hearts.
Called to Intercede and pray
Esth. 4:14 For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
The time was a time of need and danger, and Esther had a choice. She could ignore the danger and threat to her people and continue to enjoy palace life, or she could risk all for God and for Israel’s destiny.
We have a choice too. We can continue to be oblivious, as many in the Body are, to time we are living in, or we can choose to stand, to pray, to intercede and be part of that great move of God to deliver His nation, and to complete His purpose and plans for the earth.
Oh, may we all be stirred and challenged to stand up and pray instead of just enjoying “palace life”. May we stir ourselves up to get a hold of God and intercede for His Will to be done on earth as it is done in heaven!
Thank you and may you experience the Lord’s delivering mercies in your own life!
Blessings from Jerusalem,
Tonight is Purim eve, and Israel will be celebrating the story of the Jews deliverance from Haman, (in Persia) through prayer and intercession.
One of the traditions of Purim is to eat Hamantaschen. These are baked dainties usually filled with poppy seeds. Hamantaschen mean Haman’s ears.
Quite gruesome, isn’t it?
Of course, maybe Haman was too quick to listen to his wife’s and his so-called friends' advice: “Let a gallows be made, fifty cubits high, and in the morning suggest to the king that Mordecai be hanged on it; then go merrily with the king to the banquet.” Esth. 5:14
Perhaps Zeresh was too quick to give such advice to her dear husband. In the next chapter, once things begin to unravel by the providence of God, she tells him, “….If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish descent, you will not prevail against him but will surely fall before him.” Esth. 6:13
Hmmm…seems Zeresh should have done some research before advising her husband.
Iran (Persia of old) still threatens Israel’s existence
Here are some headlines recently published:
January 21, 2019: “Iran threatens to eliminate Israel from the earth as tensions escalate over Syria airstrikes.”
January 21, 2019: “commander of Iranian army's air force says his troops "cannot wait to fight Israel and wipe it off the planet,"
January 29, 2019: “Iran threatens Israel with ‘inferno,’ vows to improve missile accuracy.”
But maybe they need to do some research (as in reading the Bible) before they threaten Israel.
God’s amazing love and faithfulness to His people and covenant
But they do not know that God has other plans and that no one can thwart God’s love, commitment to His people, and His plans and purposes for Israel and for the whole earth.
Hear the heart of God, let it fill your own heart with gratefulness and thanks to Him who is Israel’s and your God!
Is. 54:5 For your Maker is your husband, The LORD of hosts is His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth.
Is. 54:6 For the LORD has called you Like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, Like a youthful wife when you were refused,” Says your God.
Is. 54:7 “For a mere moment I have forsaken you, But with great mercies I will gather you.
Is. 54:8 With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,” Says the LORD, your Redeemer.
Is. 54:9 “For this is like the waters of Noah to Me; For as I have sworn That the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth, So have I sworn That I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you.
Is. 54:10 For the mountains shall depart And the hills be removed, But My kindness shall not depart from you, Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,” Says the LORD, who has mercy on you.
Is. 54:11 “O you afflicted one,Tossed with tempest, and not comforted, Behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems, And lay your foundations with sapphires.
Is. 54:12 I will make your pinnacles of rubies, Your gates of crystal, And all your walls of precious stones.
Is. 54:13 All your children shall be taught by the LORD, And great shall be the peace of your children.
Is. 54:14 In righteousness you shall be established; You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; And from terror, for it shall not come near you.
Is. 54:15 Indeed they shall surely assemble, but not because of Me. Whoever assembles against you shall fall for your sake.
Is. 54:16 “Behold, I have created the blacksmith Who blows the coals in the fire, Who brings forth an instrument for his work; And I have created the spoiler to destroy.
Is. 54:17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the LORD.
His purpose for the earth
Jer. 3:17 “At that time Jerusalem shall be called The Throne of the LORD, and all the nations shall be gathered to it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem. No more shall they follow the dictates of their evil hearts.
Called to Intercede and pray
Esth. 4:14 For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
The time was a time of need and danger, and Esther had a choice. She could ignore the danger and threat to her people and continue to enjoy palace life, or she could risk all for God and for Israel’s destiny.
We have a choice too. We can continue to be oblivious, as many in the Body are, to time we are living in, or we can choose to stand, to pray, to intercede and be part of that great move of God to deliver His nation, and to complete His purpose and plans for the earth.
Oh, may we all be stirred and challenged to stand up and pray instead of just enjoying “palace life”. May we stir ourselves up to get a hold of God and intercede for His Will to be done on earth as it is done in heaven!
- Please pray into Iran’s treats, they are real, and they are exceedingly dangerous.
- Please pray into the situation with Hezbollah (an Iranian proxy) in Lebanon. Our former chief of staff just disclosed, in a recent speech, that during his tenure Israel and Hezbollah were, several times, a hair’s breadth away from an all-out war.
- Please pray for Israel as it comes under the pressure from the nations - such ill will in the nations, so permeates the atmosphere, it is hard to take in.
- Please pray into the Trump’s Peace Plan - it will be unveiled supposedly after Israel’s elections (April 9)
- Please pray into Israel’s elections. Seems like we are in a terrible crisis of leadership. The Lord has promised to give us good leaders (Jeremiah 23:1-4) May it be so now at this elections.
- Please pray also for us, we are believing the Lord for revival. The believers in the land are in dire need of it. We are believing the Lord for an awakening, for a return to the Lord, for a revelation of the cross and the crucified one in our midst. For a humbling and coming down of ourselves. For a true, heart felt, pure worship of God in life and deed as well as song and proclamation. For victory over a self-centered life. For a spirit of volunteering to serve the Lord in the Body. For many to turn to God in seeking His face. For believers to awaken to the need for intercession and prayer.
Thank you and may you experience the Lord’s delivering mercies in your own life!
Blessings from Jerusalem,
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