Historically Israel’s involvement with other nations is like a running sore that has surfaced time and again throughout its history. Her history of rebellion is a constant refrain, and it always ends in tears. The Book of Judges is a case in point. Over and over again, the nation gets into trouble when the nations around her oppress her. The children of Israel cry out to the LORD for deliverance and help, and in His faithfulness, He sends them a deliverer, be it Ehud, Barak & Deborah, or Gideon, Jephthah, or Sampson. Mostly it leads to some forty years of peace and tranquillity before the next generation makes the same mistakes by forsaking the Covenant with God.
After the death of King Solomon, the United Kingdom of Israel suffered a tragic divorce when the Ten of the tribes of Israel broke away from the Southern Kingdom of Judah to form their own Northern Kingdom. Ever since then, we have seen the same pattern… in BOTH nations.
As the Northern Kingdom of Israel observed the growing influence of Assyria; she made a covenant with Assyria hoping to secure her protection, [see illustration below]. It ended in total disaster, as Assyria subsequently invaded on three occasions, at the end of which the Northern Kingdom of Israel was no more. All her people had either been killed, fled from the terror, or had been taken into captivity in Assyria.
The kingdom of Judah came very close to suffering the same fate, as the ruthless Assyrian war machine had conquered all of her cities except Jerusalem. As 185,000 crack Assyrian warriors were camped outside the walls of Jerusalem, King Hezekiah made a passionate intercession together with the prophet Isaiah before the LORD, resulting in a spectacular miracle. The next morning, the entire Assyrian army was found dead outside the walls of Jerusalem (see 2 Chronicles 32: 20-22).
Shalmaneser III, the king of Assyria received tribute from Jehu, king of Israel, Black obelisk, British Museum
The LORD said also to me in the days of Josiah the king; “Have you seen what backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up every high mountain and under every green tree, and there played the harlot. “And I said after she had done all these things, ‘Return to Me. But she did not return. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. “Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce, yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also.
“So it came to pass, through her casual harlotry, that she defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and trees. “And yet for all this, her treacherous sister Judah has not turned to Me with her whole heart, but in pretense,” says the LORD. Then the LORD said to me, “Backsliding Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. Jeremiah 3: 6-11.
The prophet Jeremiah above conveyed the LORD’s deep disappointment in Judah, in that having observed the dreadful fate of her tribal brothers in the Northern Kingdom of Israel being cast out of the Land of Israel, she did not learn the lessons she needed to learn from it. Instead, she went deeper into sin and depravity. This period was intercepted by the righteous reign of King Josiah, who destroyed all the idols and turned the nation back to the Torah. However, after their father’s death, his descendants soon led the people away from the paths of righteousness and their covenant with God, leading to the ultimate disaster of the nation of Judah being taken into captivity to Babylon.
Moses, just before his death gave a final warning to the children of Israel:
“Take this Book of the Law, and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there as a witness against you; “For I know your rebellion and your stiff neck. If today, while I am yet alive with you, you have been rebellious against the LORD, then how much more after my death?
“Gather to me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their hearing and call heaven and earth to witness against them. “For I know that after my death you will become utterly corrupt, and turn aside from the way I have commanded you. And evil will befall you in the latter days, because you will do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger through the work of your hands.” Deuteronomy 31: 26-29.
The only other time the phrase: “and evil will befall you” is used in the five books of Moses is when Hagar is told that she will have a son, and she will name him ISHMAEL. It is used here to tell us that ‘when evil befalls the children of Israel,’ it was proclaimed in heaven and it does not happen by chance. So, just what is the connection between Ishmael and the end of days? The connection is that the descendants of Ishmael are the evil that will befall the people of Israel at that time. The “work of our hands” has a gematria (numerical value) of 501, and “the evil that will befall us” also has a gematria of 501.
The phrase “the work of our hands” implies the people of Israel are bringing the evil on through the work of their own hands!
Yes, I know; this is an extremely tough message to receive!
The uncomfortable truth is that the one thing we can learn from Israel’s biblical history is that actions have consequences. In other words: THERE IS A CAUSE FOR EVERY EFFECT!
It grieves me to say this, as this is also the case with the demonic attack of OCTOBER 7th.
The present state of Israel came face to face with unspeakable evil at the hands of Hamas. This has shocked and shaken the whole nation to its very core. After 10 weeks of war, Israel is a traumatized nation right now.
Yet, only three months ago, Israel was experiencing a political, military, and judicial breakdown of epic proportions. With hundreds of thousands of her citizens in uproar daily, marching to attack the policies of her newly elected government. The ferocity of their protests caused the whole world to look on in astonishment, as the world has never seen such scenes of extraordinary division coming out of Israel. As the months of protest dragged on, the intensity and the volume of the protesters grew ever larger, with even a million marching on the Knesset. This was unheard of. The two sides appeared to be irreconcilable. At one point, it seemed that the nation was experiencing the trauma of a civil war!
This makes one wonder what effect this hateful division was having upon Israel’s many enemies. All of this was happening with Israel’s enemies not only at the gate but as well as inside the gate. One could well say it was almost like asking the enemy to strike!
The October 7 Nova Peace Festival took place close to the Gaza border exactly 50 years after the surprise attack on Yom Kippur in 1973!
The event was referred to as “a Rave.” Even in Western’s liberal society ‘a Rave’ would not be described as innocent entertainment. They tend to take place in remote areas where a great number of youngsters gather to dance in scanty clothing to frenetic music at ear-splitting volume. For added effect, to help create an atmosphere of total abandon, the organizers use strobe lighting plus lots of flashing lights that constantly change with the beat of the music. Usually, liberal supplies of alcohol, as well as drugs are available to add to the general mix. It has been widely reported that they had a large statue of Buddha at the center of their camp. A lesser-known fact is the fact that an image of Shiva was carried around also.
This same idol Shiva holds the most prominent role in Hinduism, as she is known as the god of destruction! Let that sink in for a moment! Furthermore, what is so appalling about this ‘Rave’ is that it was held not only at the onset of the Sabbath day, which happened on this occasion to be one of the most glorious High Holy Set Apart Feast Days of Israel called Shemini Atzeret, (The Last Great Day). Some might call the timing of this so-called peace festival unfortunate; you may be sure that Yahovah El Shaddai would call it an abomination!’
Major Prayer Target: Call for National Day of Repentance and Solemn Prayer and Fasting
What Judah needs to do now is to humble herself, repent, and cry out to the LORD for forgiveness and deliverance from her enemies. In all humility, Israel needs to ask Yahweh Tsavaot to turn the tide of this war!
“…If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7: 14
“Now, therefore”, says the LORD, “Turn to Me will ALL your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God. For He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm. Who knows if He will turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind Him- A grain offering and a drink offering for the LORD you God?
Blow the trumpet in Zion, consecrate a fast, CALL A SACRED ASSEMBLY; Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and nursing babes; Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, and the bride from her dressing room.
Let the priests, who minister to the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar; Let them say, “Spare Your people, O LORD, and do not give your heritage to reproach, That the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the people, “Where is their God?”. Joel 2: 12-17
Please pray with me: Abba, we cry out! We ask that you would move upon the heart of PM Benjamin Netanyahu, and upon the hearts of his Cabinet, the hearts of the Knesset members, the hearts of the members of the IDF, and the IAF, that Netanyahu would call for a National Day of Prayer and Fasting! May the leadership and the entire nation LOOK TO YOU, Abba, for YOU to turn the tide of this war!
The prophet Zephaniah prophesied about Gaza and he presented the solution:
“Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together, O undesirable nation. Before the day of the LORD’s anger comes upon you! Seek the LORD, all you meek of the earth, who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility.
It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the Lord’s anger. FOR GAZA SHALL BE FORSAKEN, and Ashkelon desolate; They shall drive out Ashdod at noonday, and Ekron shall be uprooted.
Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast. The nation of the Cherethites! (Cherethites = executioners)
The word of the LORD is against you. O Canaan, the land of the Philistines: I WILL DESTROY YOU; SO THERE SHALL BE NO INHABITANT.
THE SEACOAST SHALL BE PASTURES WITH SHELTERS FOR SHEPHERDS AND FOLDS FOR FLOCKS. THE COAST SHALL BE FOR THE REMNANT OF THE HOUSE OF JUDAH. THEY SHALL FEED THEIR FLOCKS THERE; IN THE HOUSES OF ASHKELON THEY SHALL LIE DOWN AT EVENING.
FOR LO THEIR GOD WILL INTERVENE FOR THEM, AND RETURN THEIR CAPTIVES. Zephaniah 2: 1-7.
PRAYER TARGET: RETURN OF THE HOSTAGES
As for you also, because of the blood of your covenant, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. Return to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope. Even today I declare that I will restore double to you. Zechariah 9: 11-12
Abba Father above, it will soon be three months that the remaining hostages have been kept in the most atrocious conditions by those sadistic evil Hamas devils, have mercy upon them we pray, and set them free.
PRAYER TARGET: DISPLACED ISRAELI CITIZENS AND THE IDF SOLDIERS
Thank you, Father, for the many individual miracles you have provided for the IDF soldiers, and for limiting the casualties on the side of Judah. We are concerned Father, about the increase in IDF casualties of late. Abba we pray for your continued protection of your Jewish soldiers.
Father, remember the shattered lives of all the Gaza area evacuees, as well as those from the northern border enduring a long wait away from their homes. We pray for their speedy return.
Abba, we pray for the many traumatized victims of sexual abuse at the hands of those depraved monsters from Hamas. We especially pray that they may come to know your comfort and experience your healing power.
PRAYER TARGET: DEALING WITH ISRAEL’S ENEMIES
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-LORD-Is-My-Banner; for he said, “Because the LORD has sworn: the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” Exodus 17:14-16
Abba, we recognize that this is more than a war between Hamas and Israel. There is a boots-on-the-ground war and there is also a spiritual war. This is a war between God’s people and the spirit of Amalek. It is a war between good and evil. It is a war between those who love the God of Israel and who love the bible, and those who hate the God of Israel and who hate the bible. You say in your word that you will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. Abba, please DO THAT NOW!
Finally, Abba, we pray you stay the evil hands of Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran in this conflict. Keep them from extending this war to the detriment of your people of the house of Judah. We pray Father, that peace may be soon be restored. Please grant Israel VICTORY over her enemies! In Yeshua’s name, amen and amen!