We Will Not Be Moved

This Shabbat morning, as I sat rocking back and forth on my couch, holding firmly in my hand the tzitzit of the tallit I was under, tears flowed as I recalled the images in my mind of one of the Rabbi’s blood soaked tzitzit from the horrific attack in the Har Nof Synagogue in Jerusalem on November 18^th. Who could even imagine ones prayers, so early in the morning, would become ones last words? We feel safe in our places of worship, don’t we? Places we go to pray with our brethren?

Not any more! The only safe place to pray and worship is under our tallit (inside the prayer closets of our heart). Only under the shadow of His wings, in the place of His refuge, are we safe.

The verses below ring out louder than ever before. The calling for the total destruction of the Jewish people, the increasing boldness of terror attacks in the heart of where Abba put His Name forever, Jerusalem, the voting of the nations for a Palestinian statehood, the turning against His people by a world who believes the filthy lies of the media and those who are bent on unjustifiable revenge on a people and nation who’s only desire is peace… Yahuweh, our cry is this –

“O Elohim, do not remain silent! Do not be speechless, And do not be still, O El! For look, Your enemies make an uproar, And those hating You have lifted up their head. They craftily plot against Your people, and conspire against Your treasured ones. They have said, “Come, And let us wipe them out as a nation, And let the name of Israel be remembered no more.”

Psalm 83:1-4

“My being has dwelt too long with him who hates peace. I am for peace; But when I speak, they are for fighting.”

Psalm 120:6-7

I had been waiting to write up a very moving experience while we were in Israel last month, and the recent events of terror in the capital of Israel has now opened the door to share it.

While on our tour with Christian Friends of Israeli Communities (CFOIC), our group pulled into Ephrath, right outside of Bethlehem, the place where Rachael died giving birth to Benjamin. We were met by a man, a former school teacher, who would share with us about his home and the work he is doing in Ephrath (Ephrat). He had been asked to be the principle head over a new agricultural learning school.

It was exciting to listen to him as he described his role in teaching students all about agriculture, planting, harvesting, etc. He told us that because this is a special learning school, he did not want traditional classrooms.

He did not want the students that would come there from the high schools to sit in a traditional four wall classroom, so he is having built Mongolian style gers (round style homes). In the picture, you can see the round foundation of one of these types of traditional dwelling places of the Mongolians.

Next, he took us to show us how he rescued from the fish industries, tons of styrofoam containers which were used only once to ship the fish in. In recycling these containers, he is now growing multiple types of plants and herbs. This was exciting to see as well as hear him say that they are observing the Shmittah year (Read Leviticus 25).

While I listened, I strolled over to one of the recently poured round foundations and looked out over the hills of Judea. Truly, biblical prophecy was coming to pass right before my eyes. Ezekiel speaks of a time where the hills of Samaria will be planted again and the people of the once forsaken Land would come home and plant on these hills. Though the final fulfillment of these prophecies are yet to be seen, it is breathtaking to witness the beginnings of something that will be carried over into Messiah’s Kingdom and forever.

Now, I have come to the part of the story which still impacts me to this day. The man from the agricultural school gathered our group around him to tell us a story that happened recently in the summer. The place we were standing was not the original plan of the agriculture school. He pointed off to a large hill in the distance and said that was the place where it was to be built. However, those plans did not work out.

It was in the evening, back in the summer, during the dinner time, that he heard what sounded like an explosion.

Many residents of the community looked outside and witnessed what appeared to be a pillar of smoke rising, clearly visible, and could be seen coming from the area where the agricultural school was originally to be built.

He found out that his friend had heard it also and called him. It was during the Israel and Hamas war in Gaza, where rockets had hit many places in the hills of Judea. That explosion was from one of those rockets. The next day, he and his friend set out to find the exact location of the explosion. When they arrived, there was still some residue smoke, a large hole in the ground, with much debris and shrapnel laying around. This was the exact place his school was suppose to of been built, however Abba intervened!

As he stood there telling us this story, he had been holding a bag in his hand. When he got to the part of the story where they had found a large piece of metal, remnants of the M70 rocket that had exploded there, he reached inside the bag and pulled out that piece.

He then proceeded to tell us the chilling part of the story. He held up the piece of the fragment of rocket that was meant to kill and destroy, and said that he has a friend of his who works with metal, a metal smith. He said that he would take the piece of metal from the rocket, melt it down, and create a trowel out of it for his agriculture school. A piece of metal that was meant for destruction, will now be used to plant life in the soil of the Land that Abba gave to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!

We all stood there, many with tears, listening to this amazing story. What he said next left all of us standing there in shock with feelings of powerful emotions. In his own words, while still holding up the piece of the rocket that would be made into a planting instrument, he paraphrased the following verse from Isaiah 2 –

“And they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.”

The nations will be judged and the wicked will be cut off from the earth forever! What has taken place recently in the tragedy of those that lost their lives to the brutality of evil men, will not be forgotten. There is nothing under the sun that the Creator does not notice, for what can escape His ever searching gaze? He WILL execute justice for these precious ones, and for all the victims of terror who desired nothing more than to live a life free of violence, in a Land they call Home.

In remembrance of those whose blood cries out for justice…I leave you with this

Psalm 125 “Not Be Moved” – James Block

“Those who trust in Yahuweh are like Mount Tsiyon (Zion) – It is not shaken, it remains forever. As the mountains surround Yerushalayim (Jerusalem), so Yahuweh surrounds His people, now and forever. For the scepter of wrongness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, lest the righteous stretch forth their hands to unrighteousness. Do good, O Yahuweh, to those who are good, And to those who are upright in their hearts. But those who turn aside to their crooked ways, Yahuweh shall lead them away with the workers of wickedness.

Peace be upon Israel!”

Psalm 125

“And it shall be in the latter days that the mountain of the House of Yahuweh is established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills. And all nations shall flow to it. 

And many peoples shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of Yahuweh, to the House of the Elohim of Ya‛aqob (Jacob), and let Him teach us His ways, and let us walk in His paths, for out of Tsiyon (Zion) comes forth the Torah, and the Word of Yahuweh from Yerushalayim.

And He shall judge between the nations, and shall reprove many peoples. And they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither teach battle any more.”

Isaiah 2:2-4