Torah Portion: Numbers 1:1-4:20

Bamidbar (‘In the wilderness’)

Bamidbar, ‘In the wilderness’, is an appropriate name for what we know as Numbers, as well as this Torah portion, since the book describes the Lord leading His people for 40 years in the wilderness. It was a time when the Lord refined Israel and instilled in them – individually and collectively - a sense of His order and plan.

God’s Holy Order

Moses was commanded to take a census of the whole community, ordered in clans and families. Within those, every man able to serve in the army was listed by name, one by one: a total of 603,550. With the women and children, this was a vast number to camp and move through the desert. Order was vital.

The tabernacle, the place of God’s presence, was in the heart of the camp with its own intricate order for construction and use. The Levites were set apart for duties in the tabernacle and so were counted separately and in a different way. They were allocated places nearest the tabernacle, then around them each of the other tribes had its place to camp and its turn to move, each under its own banner.

The Levites were placed closest to the tabernacle because they were to be responsible for caring for it. This was also a protection against others approaching too close to the Holy presence and losing their lives. The tabernacle was a holy place, filled with God’s presence. And yet, Paul reminds us that God, who made the world and everything in it, does not live in man-made temples. As believers in Yeshua, we live and move and have our being in God as we, corporately and individually, are His temple, with His Holy Spirit dwelling within us.

How much more, then, ought we to allow God to order and arrange our own lives in a manner that pleases Him! And while following the Lord’s direction for ourselves, we should also seek His order for the nations around us, whose set times and locations are determined in Heaven (Acts 17:24-28).

The Blessing of Abundance

As we read the numbers contained in these chapters, we are also reminded of how the Lord had been blessing His people since He promised Abraham that his descendants would be as the stars in the heavens (Gen 15:5). When Jacob entered Egypt, 70 of his direct descendants settled there (Gen 46:26-27). After 430 years they had multiplied to be a threat to the Egyptians, resulting in their oppression. But this did not stop their growth; it was about 600,000 men who left with their families.

There are different estimates for the world Jewish population today but it may be about 15 million, still lower than before the Holocaust. Hosea looked ahead to even greater numbers in the time when the people of Judah and Israel will be reunited, when the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore which cannot be measured or counted (Hos 1:10-11).

Surely these abundant numbers also hint at the inclusion of Gentiles in God’s people through faith in Yeshua, growing the commonwealth of Israel into “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” (Rev 7:9).

Since we are of this multitude, this abundant number of children born of the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit, staying within His order as we walk in the way that He has prepared for us (Gal 5:25; Eph 2:10).

Author: Catharine Pakington

There is no panacea for those who refuse to face up to the truth

75 years after the D-Day landings paved the way for Europe’s salvation from tyranny, its nations have once more become enslaved to godless ideologies our heroes gave their lives to defeat.

At the same time, wars and rumours of wars dominate the headlines as the world shakes amid fierce political, social and spiritual storms, at the epicentre of which stands Israel where a couple of real earthquakes (4.5 and 4.6 on the Richter scale) have struck in recent days.

Threats and Uncertainty

Having vowed consistently to wipe Israel off the map, Iran is now feared to be just six months away from developing a nuclear bomb. In the aftermath of its announcement that it has begun violating the 2015 nuclear accord with world powers, a former leading official in the International Atomic Energy Agency is warning that Tehran could be as close as “six months away from an atomic bomb”. In an interview with IDF Radio, Olli Heinonen said that “Israelis need to be worried, and the Gulf states also have reason for concern.”¹

Meanwhile, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has thanked Iran for providing the rockets his terror group used to strike deep into Israel and warned the Jewish state that Tel Aviv would be struck again in response to any offensive against the Gaza Strip.²

And as President Trump sweeps through London to howls of protest, his Mideast ‘Deal of the Century’ looks in jeopardy as the uncertainty surrounding Britain’s future is replicated in Jerusalem, where Benjamin Netanyahu has been forced to hold another election after failing to form a coalition. We do not know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future.

Having vowed consistently to wipe Israel off the map, Iran is now feared to be just six months away from developing a nuclear bomb.

Jews and Christians Targeted

Meanwhile, as the once-Judeo-Christian nations of the West have turned away from God, so Jew-hatred is on the increase, much of it thinly veiled as ‘legitimate’ criticism of Israel.

Jerusalem, still at the epicentre of political storms as residents celebrate its reunification in 1967. Picture: Charles GardnerAs the Nazis successfully brainwashed the German people to believe the lie that the Jews were behind all the world’s troubles, so much of today’s liberal Western media repeatedly questions the status and legitimacy of Israel, not to mention the civilisation built upon the scriptures the Jewish people gave us.

We now hear that British Jews have been forced to close their businesses as a result of the aggression of a pro-Palestine group supported by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. The Palestine Solidarity Campaign, of which Mr Corbyn is patron, targeted shops selling Israeli products in Brighton, London and Manchester, forcing two businesses to fold.³ And this comes as Labour became the only party after the ultra-right BNP to be formally investigated for racism by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission.⁴

Meanwhile Israelis are this week celebrating the reunification of Jerusalem, after nearly 2,000 years in Gentile hands, through the 1967 Six-Day War. But Palestinians have predictably responded with riots on the Temple Mount, refusing to acknowledge Jewish claims to the city and its holy sites.

The Truth About Human Nature

I was fascinated by the film Goodbye Christopher Robin, which focuses on the regrets of children’s author A. A. Milne.

Plagued by flashbacks of his traumatic time in the World War I trenches, Milne sets about writing of his hopes for a world without war, before getting distracted by a wonderful world of carefree play with his young son.

His initial determination to make some sense of all the carnage with his call for peace is perfectly understandable – my own grandfather was profoundly shell-shocked at the Battle of the Somme and subsequently sent to Africa to recuperate. But Milne’s dream was as naïve as that of the Ban the Bomb campaigners which followed decades later. For it failed to grasp the reality of man’s basic propensity for evil so clearly spelt out in the Bible.

Until the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, returns to earth as promised, there will be no ultimate peace, though we should nevertheless strive for peace-making whenever possible, as our Lord urges us (Matt 5:9).

We now hear that British Jews have been forced to close their businesses as a result of the aggression of a pro-Palestine group supported by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Moral Inversions

But as long as godless dictators rule with evil intent, they must be challenged and brought to book. In this respect, President Trump is right to pull no punches with the Ayatollahs of Iran, and he was right to criticise London Mayor Sadiq Khan for saying he (Trump) was a ‘global threat’.

It’s Mr Trump, almost alone among world leaders, who is willing to call out those who really are a threat to world stability. But we are living in days spoken of by Isaiah when we are plagued by the voices of those “who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter” (Isa 5:20).

A woman interviewed about Mr Trump as she stood among the crowds outside Buckingham Palace said she was opposed to him because “he has no respect for life”. And yet this is the President who has presided over the introduction of a wave of anti-abortion laws across America. He actually believes life is sacred – even in the womb.

The Only Solution

As the culture wars rage on in the US, Britain and elsewhere, we must remember that only Jesus, who came to give us “life that is truly life” (1 Tim 6:19), can bring true peace to men’s hearts.

And when both Jew and Arab discover this truth, as we are witnessing on an ever-increasing scale in Israel today, reconciliation is the result. As the Apostle Paul wrote: “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility…” (Eph 2:14)

So why are we not hearing more about this solution to war and violence? The enemy of souls does not want you to know about God’s rescue plan. And the mainstream media and liberal elites are colluding with his evil scheme, while much of the general population voluntarily stop up their ears.

Isaiah himself, when called by God to preach, was told he would be a failure (Isa 6:9)! The people as a whole would not listen to him. But he was urged to preach the message anyway so that those who did have ears to hear and eyes to see could turn to the Lord and be healed.

Don’t allow the enemy to cloud your vision. Hear instead the word of Isaiah: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light…For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isa 9:2, 6).

References

1 World Israel News, 5 June 2019.

2 Jerusalem News Network, 5 June 2019, quoting Times of Israel.

3 Daily Mail, 31 May 2019.

4 Ibid.

Royal address reveals what the nation has lost in 75 years.

As the nation pauses this week to mark 75 years since the Normandy landings, remembering the enormous sacrifice and great courage of so many thousands in order to secure the freedom of so many more, it is fitting to revisit the address made to the nation on 6 June 1944 by Britain’s monarch, King George VI.

His speech, from which both the Queen and Prince William quoted during their addresses this week, did not shy from acknowledging the help and providence of God, and the importance of humble, nation-wide prayer. It illuminates something of the faith that suffused Britain at that time, and reveals something of what we have lost in the years since.

King George VI’s address to the nation

6 June, 1944

“Four years ago, our Nation and Empire stood alone against an overwhelming enemy, with our backs to the wall. Tested as never before in our history, in God's providence we survived that test; the spirit of the people, resolute, dedicated, burned like a bright flame, lit surely from those unseen fires which nothing can quench.

Now once more a supreme test has to be faced. This time, the challenge is not to fight to survive but to fight to win the final victory for the good cause. Once again what is demanded from us all is something more than courage and endurance; we need a revival of spirit, a new unconquerable resolve. After nearly five years of toil and suffering, we must renew that crusading impulse on which we entered the war and met its darkest hour. We and our Allies are sure that our fight is against evil and for a world in which goodness and honour may be the foundation of the life of men in every land.

That we may be worthily matched with this new summons of destiny, I desire solemnly to call my people to prayer and dedication. We are not unmindful of our own shortcomings, past and present. We shall ask not that God may do our will, but that we may be enabled to do the will of God: and we dare to believe that God has used our Nation and Empire as an instrument for fulfilling his high purpose.

I hope that throughout the present crisis of the liberation of Europe there may be offered up earnest, continuous and widespread prayer. We who remain in this land can most effectively enter into the sufferings of subjugated Europe by prayer, whereby we can fortify the determination of our sailors, soldiers and airmen who go forth to set the captives free.

The Queen joins with me in sending you this message. She well understands the anxieties and cares of our womenfolk at this time and she knows that many of them will find, as she does herself, fresh strength and comfort in such waiting upon God. She feels that many women will be glad in this way to keep vigil with their menfolk as they man the ships, storm the beaches and fill the skies.

At this historic moment surely not one of us is too busy, too young or too old to play a part in a nationwide, perchance a worldwide, vigil of prayer as the great crusade sets forth. If from every place of worship, from home and factory, from men and women of all ages and many races and occupations, our intercessions rise, then, please God, both now and in a future not remote, the predictions of an ancient Psalm may be fulfilled: "The Lord will give strength unto his people: the Lord will give his people the blessing of peace."”

D-Day and the fight for Britain's future.

The old adage “A week in politics is a long time” should be altered from a ‘week’ to a ‘day’, with the current rate of change being so rapid. By any standard the events of the past week have been remarkable.

The beginning of the week saw the arrival of President Trump with his message of celebrating the special relationship between the USA and Britain. The next day we had the unseemly sight of protesters flying an insulting inflatable representation of the President. He was the Queen’s guest on an official state visit: this was NOT a very flattering view of British hospitality presented to the world via the media. Whatever has happened to the nation I knew in my youth where politeness and courtesy were part of the national character?

Owen Humphreys/PA Wire/PA ImagesOn Wednesday the scene moved to Portsmouth beginning the commemorations of the 75^th anniversary of the Normandy landings. Yesterday we were remembering the 150,000 men who took part in the D-Day operations on 6 June 1944 and the 4,000 British young men who died on that first day, plus thousands of French civilians caught up in the fighting, the bombing and the naval shelling. Prime Minister Theresa May and French President Macron together laid a wreath at the newly installed memorial to the 22,442 men who died in the Normandy campaign during the invasion.

The Price of Freedom

Throughout this weekend the D-Day commemorations will continue with many opportunities for the veterans, now in their 90s, to remember the events of those incredible days that changed the history of the world. The D-Day landings, in which some 5,300 ships and 12,000 planes took part, together formed the greatest seaborne operation ever to take place, but they were terribly expensive in terms of human life.

No-one knows exactly how many died on that first day, but estimates put fatalities between 14,000 and 19,000. These included Allied forces, German soldiers and French civilians.

The D-Day landings together formed the greatest seaborne operation in history, but they were terribly expensive in terms of human life.

Inevitably, historians have spent the last 75 years poring over the events of that day and several films have been made. Military strategists have assessed the tactics used in the landings, which included airborne troops aiming to take strategic bridges and crossing points inland and meet up with those coming off the beaches.

Big questions still remain, especially about the advisability of sending men straight off the landing barges into a withering storm of machine gun fire sweeping the beaches. But no-one questions the rightness of the invasion to begin the liberation of Europe from Nazi occupation. It is this major objective that should be the focal point for all the commemorations at this time.

A Nation Deceived

No right-minded person would want to glorify war and the terrible loss of life and disruption to whole nations that took place from 1939 to 1945, but now, 75 years later, we have a generation that knows nothing of the reality of the Nazi occupation of most of Europe, or the horrors of the death camps which some people even dare to question. It is therefore right, not only to remember the Allied military conquest that brought victory, but also the cause for which so many young men died.

It always amazes me that virtually the whole population of Germany were groomed into supporting the Nazi philosophy of Aryan superiority and hatred of the Jews. It is highly enlightening to watch footage of the ‘night of broken glass’ (9-10 November 1938) when Jewish homes, shops and synagogues were looted by civilian mobs, as well as footage of vast German crowds listening approvingly to Hitler’s maniacal speeches. It shows how easily human beings can be led astray by powerfully persuasive individuals and collectively be driven by an evil spirit to commit or support unspeakable atrocities.

The German people were highly educated and their civilisation was considered the most advanced in the Western world, but there were very few like Bonhoeffer and Martin Niemoller who publicly opposed the Nazi regime. The majority of the population simply accepted it; which shows how easy it is to brainwash a whole nation.

Nazi Germany shows how easily human beings can be led astray by powerfully persuasive individuals and led to commit or support unspeakable atrocities.

Searching Questions

The 75^th anniversary of the Normandy landings with its enormous cost in the lives of young men should make us ask some fundamental questions about our own political and social philosophy today. 75 years ago, the vast majority of the British population believed in God and were linked, either actively or nominally, with a Christian church. They shared values learned from the Bible – unselfish love, truthfulness, faithfulness, integrity, loyalty and service. They gave their lives for these values.

Ray Tang/Zuma Press/PA ImagesLooking at our nation today one has to ask: did they give their lives in vain? On the TV news earlier this week I looked at the faces of some of the people taking part in the protests against the visit of Donald Trump and saw the hatred expressed there. I found it profoundly disturbing and the fact that senior politicians took part in addressing the crowd was a national disgrace.

On the same day as these demonstrations were taking place, I read a report of research carried out by Manchester University showing that one in five girls aged 16 to 24 are self-harming.¹ This is widely thought to be due to the destructive effect of social media amplifying the concern of girls for the shape of their bodies. The problem is said to be increasing at an alarming rate and putting extra strain on the health services, which are already struggling to deal with the increase of mental health problems across the nation.

Most of these problems stem from the loss of Christian faith in the nation, the turning away from our spiritual heritage and the values that once guided our personal relationships as well as our corporate behaviour. This has left the nation at the mercy of those who have deliberately introduced false values for commercial gain, or to advance their own secular humanist philosophy and social agenda.

The majority of the population no longer believe in God. We are rapidly becoming a nation deceived and driven by evil spirits of hatred and violence, propagated by social media and lobby groups. Was this really what 4,000 young men gave their lives for on D-Day 75 years ago?

References

1 Read more here.

Margaret Wiltshire reviews ‘The Daniel Dilemma’ by Chris Hodges (2017, Nelson Books).

How should we live as believers in a pagan world? This is a problem which confronts us all, especially as what was formerly ‘Christendom’ becomes more and more hostile to Christ. It was also the dilemma which faced the young Daniel when he was taken into exile into Babylon. Should he show respect to their gods, or should he stand firm in his faith in the One True God?

In this timely book, Pastor Chris Hodges is not concerned with the prophecies found in the Book of Daniel, but with the life of Daniel. Daniel managed, without compromising his beliefs or values, to serve in high office under four different Babylonian regimes for a period of 70 years. How did he stand his ground and honour God – and even be used powerfully by him - in a corrupt culture?

Focus on Personal Discipleship

Hodges takes lessons from Daniel’s character and the way he persevered through these years, applying them to our lives today. Each chapter is organised around one of these lessons, which include knowing our identity in the Lord, allowing him to transform us into his likeness, settling our core values, being ready to stand our ground, avoiding idolatry, identifying pride, getting our priorities right and dealing properly with our emotions.

Daniel managed, without compromising, to serve in high office in pagan Babylon for a period of 70 years. How did he stand his ground?

In this sense Hodges includes a lot of material concerned with personal discipleship that has already been written about many times elsewhere. But Hodges is not only concerned with teaching believers how to overcome inwardly; he is also concerned to address how we react outwardly, in seeking to confront the issues of the day and bear faithful witness to those who don’t believe.

The author shows us that “we can hold firmly to biblical beliefs without becoming obnoxious, insulting or mad”,¹ if we learn how to focus on winning hearts more than winning arguments. However, Hodges’ outward focus is sadly limited to the final chapter, though it perhaps makes up the book’s main contribution. It could have been expanded on considerably.

Truth, Love and Grace

Nevertheless, this is an easy, logical and practical book to read that will be both helpful for the beginner and a good reminder for the more mature. There are some accompanying resources (a study guide and DVD) available separately for readers who would like to explore the issues in more depth, whether alone or with a group.

There will always be cultural challenges and the need to confront them with God’s word, and with love and grace. What we believe about ourselves and about God will influence every decision we make in this respect. Though the author writes with particular concern for the USA, in our own divided nation which has forsaken its Christian heritage this book provides an apposite reminder to “hold God’s standards high and his grace deep - just as Jesus did”.²

‘The Daniel Dilemma: How to Stand Firm and Love Well in a Culture of Compromise’ (265pp, paperback, audiobook, e-book) is available on Amazon for £9.90 (paperback) and elsewhere online. Find out more about the book on the publisher’s website.

You may also be interested in Living in Babylon by Dr Clifford and Mrs Monica Hill.

References

1 Quote taken from here.

2 Ibid.

Torah portion: Leviticus 26:3-27:34

B’Chukatai ('In my statutes')

The seriousness of obedience to God’s commands is central to this week’s Torah portion. First there are the wonderful out-workings of God’s blessings for obedience that touch every part of life. But then there are the awful consequences for disobedience. Both of these are summarised in Leviticus 26.

In chapter 27, values are placed on those things that can be redeemed (i.e. bought back) when a person has, through a vow, temporarily consecrated them for the Lord’s use. One visualises, say, a field being given by a person for use of the priests but then required for the person’s own use again, recovered by the payment of the prescribed amount. All this is to do with temporal matters, but then there are also the permanent matters, pointing to eternal principles that we too should consider.

There is a distinct difference between the dedicating of people, animals, buildings or family land to God, and the devoting of them to God. Those which are dedicated may be redeemed, but those things devoted to the Lord may not be sold or redeemed. They belong to the Lord and are holy to the Lord - there is no means of reversing the decision (vv28-29).

Similarly, if something, through the ban, is excluded from God’s presence, then there is no way back. This principle surely points to the separation of those who are devoted through Yeshua to God for all eternity and those who, in the final reckoning, are excluded from the Kingdom – the sheep and the goats, as Yeshua called them, to be separated on judgment day (Matt 25:31-32).

For those of us who are devoted to God through Yeshua, there is a warning to persevere in Hebrews 6:4-6: “For it is impossible for those who were enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to open shame.”

Matters of life and death are as important in the New Testament as they are in the Old.

Author: Sally Bolton

The limits to God's patience.

“This is the word of the Lord to Jeremiah concerning the drought: ‘Judah mourns, her cities languish; they wail for the land, and the cry goes out from Jerusalem. The nobles send their servants for water; they go to the cisterns but find no water. They return with their jars unfilled; dismayed and despairing, they cover their heads.

The ground is cracked because there is no rain in the land; the farmers are dismayed and cover their heads. Even the doe in the field deserts her newborn fawn because there is no grass. Wild donkeys stand on the barren heights and pant like jackals; their eyesight fails for lack of pasture.’” (Jeremiah 14:1-6)

Jeremiah presents a terrible picture of a prolonged drought covering the whole land of Judah during the reign of Jehoiakim the ungodly king (son of godly king Josiah), in the final decade of the 7th Century BC. The drought was not confined to Judah; it covered the whole region of what we now know as the Middle East.

Climatologists say that this was a period of ‘global warming’ and historians note that it was probably one of the reasons why Nebuchadnezzar conquered neighbouring countries: to recruit an army of labourers to dig canals around the rivers Tigris and Euphrates to irrigate the land.

Jeremiah knew nothing of global warming, but he certainly saw the hand of God, the Creator of the Universe, in what was happening to the people among whom God had called him to minister. The Hebrew word for ‘drought’ used in this passage is plural, indicating a series of droughts that had now become so severe that all life was being threatened.

Rich and poor, young and old, city-dwellers and farmers were all suffering; even the wild animals were dying of thirst: “wild donkeys stand on the barren heights and pant like jackals”. In the cities the wells had run dry and in the countryside the streams and river beds were cracked and empty. It was a scene of desolation and death.

Jeremiah knew nothing of global warming, but he certainly saw the hand of God, the Creator of the Universe, in the drought around him.

God’s Rebuke

Jeremiah had been told to remind the people of the terms of the covenant (Jer 11:1), but they had not listened or heeded his words. The consequences of breaking the terms of the covenant were perfectly clear: “The sky over your head will be bronze, the ground beneath you iron” (Deut 28:23).

No doubt Jeremiah also was suffering and his vivid description of the effects of the drought led him to pray for the nation – one of the rare occasions when Jeremiah interceded on behalf of the whole nation and the land of Israel: “Although our sins testify against us, O Lord, do something for the sake of your name” (Jer 14:7).

His pleading with the Lord was met by a fierce rebuke: “This is what the Lord says about this people: they greatly love to wander; they do not restrain their feet. So the Lord does not accept them; he will now remember their wickedness and punish them for their sins” (14:10).

In order to stop him asking the Lord to break the drought and send rain upon the land, Jeremiah was told to stop praying for the wellbeing of the people because God would no longer listen to their pleas. In fact, he was told, “Even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before me, my heart would not go out to this people. Send them away from my presence! Let them go!” (Jer 15:1). This is an exact reversal of the message given to Moses when he was told to go to Pharaoh with a call to bring the people out of Egypt into the presence of the Lord.

Limits to God’s Patience

The reason for this harsh rebuttal of Jeremiah’s request on behalf of the nation was that God had forgiven the people time after time, but they had never kept their promises of faithfulness. The discovery of the ‘Book of the Law’ during the repairs to the Temple ordered by Josiah had led the king to rededicate the nation to God, re-affirming the terms of the covenant. But his son, Jehoiakim, had reversed all that and the people had rapidly returned to worshipping the Baals.

God’s patience had reached its limits after all the warnings had been ignored. The God of Israel was now exercising his power over Creation. The drought was the consequence of breaking the covenant in turning away from the Lord. The teaching that had been given to Moses was, “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands…blessings will come upon you” (Deut 28:1). But, conversely, disobedience would bring terrible curses on the land and on all its inhabitants.

Jeremiah’s pleading with the Lord was met by a fierce rebuke.

It is a serious thing to enter into a covenant with God. It carries awesome responsibilities. Once we acknowledge him as our God, we belong to him: we are his servants, as well as his beloved children.

There are wonderful blessings and benefits from the love and protection the Father gives to his children, but there are also responsibilities. Jeremiah was well aware of this and although prophecies of peace and prosperity were being given to the people by some of the official prophets linked with the Temple priests, Jeremiah knew that the nation thoroughly deserved judgment.

Declaration of Faith

Jeremiah ended this time of intercession with a declaration of faith in God: “Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Do the skies themselves send down showers? No, it is you, O Lord our God. Therefore, our hope is in you. For you are the one who does all this” (Jer 14:22).

Surely this is a timely reminder to all the Western nations who have had the Gospel for centuries that there are inevitable consequences of turning away from the truth.

This article is part of a teaching series on the life and ministry of Jeremiah. Click here for previous instalments.

Torah Portion: Leviticus 25-26:2

Behar (‘On the mount’)

This parashah is about Sabbath years, the year of Jubilee and how people who find themselves in financial trouble can hope for redemption. Having read it through several times, I think God gave the people of Israel a thoughtful, caring property/life management system that leaves our British welfare services standing on the starting blocks. But God was giving so much more…

Provision of Hope

At the beginning of Genesis and thereafter through Scripture, we are confronted by the stark reality of paradise lost, and the terrible consequences that resulted from this for fallen, sinful man. The words of the preacher in Ecclesiastes 1:2-3 paint a depressing picture of this state of affairs, which continues to this day:

Pointless! Pointless! – says Kohelet [the preacher] – Utterly meaningless! Nothing matters! What does a person gain from all his labour at which he toils under the sun?

But, on the contrary, this parashah in Leviticus 25 is permeated with hope. It was given to the people of Israel in advance of them entering the Promised Land - the land flowing with milk and honey; a foreshadow of paradise regained. Every seventh year was to be a Sabbath (a whole year’s holiday), a reprieve from the Genesis 3:17 curse on the ground requiring man’s continual toil to make a living in order to eat.

In Leviticus 25:18 God said “…keep my regulations and act accordingly. If you do, you will live securely in the land. The land will yield its produce, you will eat until you have enough, and you will live there securely.”

Even if people messed up by disobeying God, there were provisions made in this parashah to help them redeem what had been lost. And if some fell through that safety net, there was the Jubilee: every fiftieth year, when the shofar was sounded (once or maybe twice in a lifetime), “you will return everyone to the land he owns, and everyone is to return to his family”, for another Sabbath year (vv10-13).

Our Redemption

Jeremiah (32:6-27) saw a bigger picture in this Levitical process of redemption. He acted out a parable, upon God’s instruction, redeeming family land for a cousin at a time when all hope was apparently lost for Judah.

Why waste money buying back your family property when the country was about to be destroyed? By this simple action God showed Judah that He hadn’t finished with them. He would again redeem them and bring them back to their Promised Land.

Isaiah also took up this picture of redemption; moreover, by using the word ‘everlasting’ he spoke of the Kingdom of God yet to come:

Those ransomed by Adonai will return and come with singing to Tziyon; on their heads will be everlasting joy. (Isa 51:11)

The Apostle Paul saw this picture of redemption as the very action that our Lord Yeshua carried out for all who trust in Him:

By God’s grace, without earning it, all are granted the status of being considered righteous before him, through the act redeeming us from our enslavement to sin that was accomplished by the Messiah Yeshua. (Rom 3:24)

Paul also, referencing the shofar, alludes to a final Jubilee to which we believers look forward:

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven…with God’s shofar; those who died united with the Messiah will be the first to rise; then we who are left still alive will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and thus we will always be with the Lord. (1 Thess 4:16)

Having received the promise of my redemption, I am waiting with anticipation for that great Jubilee when we will enter into God’s Promised Land, Eden restored and his eternal Sabbath! 

Author: John Quinlan

How to pray in a time of upheaval.

The nations of Europe are still reeling from the results of the EU parliamentary elections. It is not only Britain that has produced surprise results; all over Europe people have expressed their frustration with the establishment and looked for alternatives. The battle for power between Macron and Merkel may now be in full swing, but in both their countries voters have expressed their discontent with their rulers and their desire for change.

In Britain the Brexit battle continues relentlessly with more Conservative hopefuls throwing their hats into the ring to be the next Prime Minister – even though the role is a poisoned chalice. No doubt each of them thinks they could do better than Theresa May, who bravely went to Brussels this week to greet other crestfallen leaders facing uncertain futures.

Tory leadership hopefuls. PA/PA Wire/PA ImagesUndoubtedly the Lord is fulfilling his promise to shake all the nations! The prophecy in Haggai 2 includes shaking the physical universe as well as the structures and foundations of the nations. I’ve quoted it many times, but it is so central to contemporary issues that we need to keep it in the forefront of our discussion of what’s happening today:

This is what the Lord Almighty says: in a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord Almighty. (Hag 2:6-7)

I know that our political masters don’t recognise that God has any place in what is happening among the nations, but God actually laughs at their stupidity and blindness. It would do all our leaders good to read Psalm 2 and meditate on it for a few minutes each day before they open their mouths in public.

The plain fact is that God is not only in charge of the climate upheavals that are causing such anxiety to many people (witness the unprecedented 500 tornadoes that have ripped through the USA just in the past 30 days¹), but he is also allowing the incredible levels of uncertainty and anxiety in the social and political lives of the nations.

Undoubtedly the Lord is fulfilling his promise to shake all the nations!

Admitting the Problem

If we share the beliefs of the biblical prophets, who saw the hand of God in everything that happened around them, we have to ask: why is God shaking everything? – from our weather patterns to the major institutions in society: our familiar high street stores, our banks and post offices, our social services and our health services, our political parties and even our churches, where we see ‘For Sale’ notices on great old buildings where our parents were married and their children were blessed.

With all the familiar things in life being shaken, it is small wonder that the levels of mental health problems are overwhelming our health authorities. In Britain we have such a crisis of mental health that even Royalty have joined in to share their stories in an attempt to reassure the public that there is really nothing wrong - that we all have times when our minds are sick, when we are unable to think clearly and give way to our fears and anxieties.

When are we going to wake up to the fact that there is something seriously wrong, and we ought to be concerned? We ought to be asking major questions about what is happening in our lifetime. Why is there such dissatisfaction, such anger, such disagreement and such division in society? The dissatisfaction is not just among the deprived who envy the rich and the powerful. It is also among those who have plenty and who have good jobs and homes and cars and multitudes of gadgets, none of which gives them real satisfaction.

The uncomfortable truth is that there is something in our human nature, put there by the God of Creation, that makes us long for a relationship with the Creator. We are lonely in the universe without any connection with its Maker. But, collectively, Europeans have abandoned that connection. They have chosen to discard their spiritual heritage and to go it alone, so they are at the mercy of the spiritual forces of darkness that roam the universe and plague its occupants.

When are we going to wake up to the fact that there is something seriously wrong, and we ought to be concerned?

Deserving of Judgment

In Britain the European Parliamentary election (that we did not want!) has dramatically highlighted the division in the nation. We may expect to see an increase in conflict during the next five months as those who are determined to prevent Britain leaving the European Union intensify their activities.

As we get nearer to the deadline of 31 October and the parliamentary battle advances, it will be reflected upon the streets. The worst possible outcome would be the revoking of Article 50 and a second referendum, which would undoubtedly inject further hatred and violence into the public sphere.

Let’s face the facts: we are part of a nation richly deserving judgment. Every working day a black bag full of babies is taken out of the back door of our hospitals and thrown into the incinerator. We are just like the Moabites, who threw their babies into the fire - a heinous sin that God roundly condemned.

The latest sin is the grooming of our children, which is a national act of child abuse! Just last month an Education Bill was nodded through our Parliament, too occupied with Brexit to study it carefully, which brainwashes juniors and presents pornography to senior students; even advocating ‘threesomes’ for getting the most exciting sexual experience – with cartoon illustrations.²

We may be near the final point of depravity described by Paul:

Since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity…they invent ways of doing evil… (Rom 1:28-32)

Nevertheless, there is still a powerful remnant of Bible-believing Christians in Britain who could stand in the gap between God and the coming disaster if they were fully aware of the situation and understood how to pray into it.

There is still a powerful remnant of Bible-believing Christians in Britain who could stand in the gap between God and the coming disaster if they were fully aware of the situation and understood how to pray into it.

How to Pray

We must not ask God to stop shaking the nations just because we don’t like what’s happening today. We have to recognise why God is shaking the nations.

It surely has to be to warn the nations that we are heading for self-destruction, and that only repentance and turning that can save humanity from unbelievable disaster. Perhaps it was with this in mind that Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit, saying: “When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:8).

All Christians in the Western nations can see (if they open their eyes) that our civilisation is crumbling. But we have yet to realise that there are no political solutions to the problems facing humanity! Only God can heal the nations! But the greatest fault lies in the blindness of the Church, whose silent leaders do not declare the word of the Lord with the first call to Christians to repent. The writing is on the wall and judgment is already starting at the household of God.

As we approach the season of Pentecost, we should all be praying for a fresh outpouring of the Spirit of God to open eyes that are blind and bring a fresh spiritual awakening – beginning with ourselves.

References

1 Read more at Sky News.

2 This can be seen online, though I will not give the link here.