January 2020 Prayer Theme

Ever since that time the Israel of Kings’ Saul, David and Solomon was reduced to a small State called Judah, comprised of the tribes of Judah & Benjamin, and centred on Jerusalem. Whereas, the much larger nation comprised of the ten tribes was called Israel, which was located to the north of Judah in Samaria. This historic fact has been completely overlooked by almost all of Christianity, as well as by the rest of the world. It has since become the source of utter confusion; this has been aggravated by the fact that the Kingdom of Israel suffered three separate invasions by the Assyrian Empire who exiled the entire population in  721 B.C. Israel was no more!

Moses had prophesied their fate in his final message to the children of Israel, as he uttered dire warnings and prophesied what would befall them if they failed to repent from their idolatry and gross disobedience:

“I said, I would scatter them into corners, I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men.” (Deuteronomy 32:26 KJV)

The prophet Isaiah confirms the words of Moses, as he perfectly describes the condition of those lost tribes of Israel after they had been expelled from their land:

“The ox knows its owner and the donkey its master’s crib; but Israel does not know, My people do not consider.” (Isaiah 1:3 NKJV)

The significance of the OX was that it was the tribal standard of Ephraim, the leading tribe of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The prophet Isaiah here is referring to the sad state of the OX, e.g. the Lost House of Israel, who does not know its owner and who have forgotten where they came from. They have lost all knowledge of their Hebrew origins.

The prophet throughout the Book of Ezekiel gives us an insight as to how Our Father in Heaven, the Holy One of Israel, views His ‘chosen’ nation. In chapter 34 He makes it clear that He views them as a flock of sheep that have been misled, deceived and abandoned by her many shepherds. As a result of this negligence, the flock has become scattered all over the earth, and no longer dwells as one flock in the land of Israel. This is clearly a most unsatisfactory state of affairs for which the shepherds of Israel are held accountable (Ezekiel 34: 4-6).  What is the solution to this terrible situation? The answer is given in the same chapter, as those abominable shepherds face divine wrath and dismissal:

“Thus says the LORD GOD: “Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep……Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places to where they were scattered……….And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel……… (Ezekiel 34:10-13 NKJV)

Since no one was able to re-gather the flock, YHVH, the Elohim of Israel promises to do it Himself. How will He re-gather His scattered flock? He will do it through His WORD. Notice the words of Yeshua, the Messiah of Israel:

“I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep  have I which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.”
(John 10:14-16 NKJV)

The “other sheep” Yeshua mentioned were not part of His Jewish fold He was addressing at the time; rather He was referring to the “scattered sheep of the Lost House of Israel,” which are found in the Gentile nations of the world. The prophet Ezekiel further emphasises the fact that a large part of Israel’s flock has wandered so far and so wide that over the centuries they simply have got lost:

“I will feed My flock, and l will make them lie down,” says the Lord God. “I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away.”
(Ezekiel 34:15-16 NKJV)

Most of these Lost Sheep are to be found among the non-Jewish Strangers, Gentiles and Foreigners, and are hidden PRIMARILY inside Christianity. They are blinded to their Hebrew/Israelite identity. Those scattered sheep of the house of Israel, who are totally unaware of their Israelite ancestry need to have their eyes opened. It is our CALLING, as members of the Torah House Vision to call them out of their slumber to WAKE THEM UP IN THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT!

 As we come each Erev Shabbat into Abba’s Torah House we need to intercede for our blind brothers to return to the ANCIENT PATHS. (Jeremiah 18:15)

The good news is that the trend is already there, as increasing numbers of believers are being drawn to the Hebrew Roots of their Christian faith, with millions around the world now keeping the seventh day Sabbath, as they are being drawn to the ancient paths of the Torah.

Pray for our blind kinsmen with hearts filled with compassion and mercy, as most of us were once as blind as they are. Remember, we have nothing to be proud of, as it is only by the grace and mercy of our Father in Heaven, and the living sacrifice of His only begotten Son, Yeshua Ha Mashiach, that we have become His Set Apart sheep.

We can learn a vital lesson from Solomon’s prayer in 2 Chronicles 6:12-42.

As you read the account of his prayer, what really stands out is the utter PASSION he brings to his supplication. In reading you can just sense how his whole heart is involved. Solomon brings some eight situations before YHVH, each ending with a most powerful and passionate request:

V.21) “Hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and when you hear FORGIVE!”

V.23) “Then hear from heaven, and act, and judge your servants!”

V.25 “Then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to them and their fathers.”

V.33) “Then hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You.”

Although I have listed only four, Solomon set us an example – eight times with total respect and humility he passionately implored Yehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to hear his prayer. When we pray with the same humility and passion for our blind brothers from the lost house of Israel, the answer, as in the days of Solomon, will come with great power.

When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD’s house.

(2 Chronicles 7:1-2 NKJV)