“O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? For your goodness is as a morning cloud,And as the early dew it goeth away.
Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets;I have slain them by the words of my mouth:And thy judgments are as the light that goeth forth.
For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice;And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.But they like men have transgressed the covenant:There have they dealt treacherously against me.”
— Hosea 6:4-7 ( KJV )
Hosea - VI
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The ongoing tragedy in Israel and Gaza is a heavy weight on our heart this week.
We pray for sanity to prevail, so that innocents do not pay the price for acts of hatred committed by evil men, and that calmer heads in Israel turn to seek inspiration and guidance from the LORD, instead of venting their spleen on a hapless people….
This is what happens when a nation forgets their identity and the laws of their King.
The modern Nation State of Israel is fairly unique in not having a formal written Constitution, despite attempts to frame it dating back to 1948. Israel is one of six countries (along with Canada, New Zealand, the UK, San Marino, and Saudi Arabia ) that operate entirely or in part according to an un-codified constitution, of both material constitutional law (based upon cases and precedents), common law, and the provisions of these formal statutes. The Constituent Assembly chartered with drafting the Constitution ran into multiple headwinds — war in 1950, and internal political opposition and wrangling. The Assembly punted its responsibilities to Parliament ( known as the Knesset ) and today, Israel is still governed by a set of 14 quasi-constitutional Basic Laws, the passing/amendment of which requires a supermajority in Parliament.
The most recent of these, is the Nation State Law, ratified in 2018, which establishes Israel as the Nation State of the Jewish People. The Nation-State Law also asserts that the Jewish people have the unique claim to national self-determination in the State of Israel, defines Hebrew as the official language of the state, and gives Arabic a special status in the state. It additionally defines the national symbols, holidays, and calendar of the state.
Widely denigrated, amongst Jewish Americans, and other allies, and passing by a majority of 62 in favor, 55 against, and two abstentions… the Law is largely symbolic. It does not establish a theocratic State, or codify Orthodox Judaism as the State religion.
How is it different from the Old Testament Law that was given to them?
Leviticus 24:21–22 (KJV 1900):Ye shall have —one—- manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country: for I am the Lord your God.
Numbers 15:29 (KJV 1900): Ye shall have —-one—- law for him that sinneth through ignorance, both for him that is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them.
This is why a large number of truly Orthodox Jews are not aligned with the National Policies of the State of Israel, and rightly so!
What does the Word say about the hatred of the Philistines ( ancestors of the modern Palestinians ? )
For that, we must turn to the fate of the wife another OT prophet, named Ezekiel, who was another example for Judah as Hosea’s wives were to Israel. The LORD took her home!
Ezekiel 24:15–24 (KJV 1900): “ Also the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down. Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men.
So I spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.
And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so? Then I answered them, The word of the Lord came unto me, saying, ‘Speak unto the house of Israel, ‘ Thus saith the Lord God; ‘ Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left shall fall by the sword. And ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men. And your tires shall be upon your heads, and your shoes upon your feet: ye shall not mourn nor weep; but ye shall pine away for your iniquities, and mourn one toward another. Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do: and when this cometh, ye shall know that I am the Lord God.”
Judgment is a sign to return to God, but those via whom it comes are utterly broken.
Ezekiel 25:15–17 (KJV 1900): “Thus saith the Lord God; Because the Philistines have dealt by revenge, and have taken vengeance with a despiteful heart, to destroy it for the old hatred; Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will stretch out mine hand upon the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethims, and destroy the remnant of the sea coast. And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them.”
We continue to pray for sanity to prevail, for mercy to be extended to the innocents suffering in Gaza, and for the LORDs protection on those that have been kidnapped and taken hostage… we hope with all of our hearts that this war will not be the one to bring about the utter desolation of Gaza and the people therein, but our worst fears are that Israel becomes like the nations around it, trampling on basic humanitarian principles to conduct genocide.
That will be a precursor to what we have seen predicted in Zephaniah, when Jerusalem itself is besieged and overrun, with the captors showing no mercy.
O LORD, our eyes long to see the end of this, but we are horrified and tremble for fear of what we know must come before it does…. We don’t even know what to pray for, other than that Thy Will be done! Give all the strength and wisdom to navigate these times we pray, draw your people back to you, remind them of your statutes and judgments, so that the land may rest, we implore in Jesus Name!
Hallelujah!!