ISRAEL UPDATEMarch 16, 2003 – Jeremiah 15:8 states, “Their widows are increased to me above the sand of the seas: I have brought upon them against the mother of the young men a spoiler at noonday: I have caused him to fall upon it suddenly, and terrors upon the city.”
In April of 1996, Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian National Council were forced to convene a meeting to change the hate-filled language of the PLO's Original charter, lest they lose $500 million in U.S. aid.
There were only three changes that came from that meeting…
First, a commission was created to present a possible new charter.
Second, from that point and time, whether the charter was revised or not, the civilian and military death toll continued to rise – as terrorist attacks became more brazen and more frequent.
Finally, Mr. Arafat's private bank account continued to grow and as the areas under his control continued to wallow from poverty, disease, and lack of education - as Palestinian children were (and are still) being coerced into martyrdom for the "cause".
It is troubling to hear the world continue to condemn Israel for alleged aggression, and then see Arafat marketed as a champion for the oppressed of the world.
Jeremiah 30:5 clearly describes the same type of scenario today between Israel and the PLO, "For thus saith the L-RD; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace.”
Apparently the demands for peace are one-sided, as Israel continues to suffer from her own mistakes, - plus the hatred of the world.
March 16, 2003 - The second word in the Hebrew abbreviation for altar, “zekhut”, is a concept of merit - today there is much confusion about the merit of coming to the altar.
Currently, there is much teaching in Christian circles that has told people - if you have to pray for something more than once you don't have faith.
But the merit comes in the fact that we continually ask, seek, and knock. By our continual beseeching of G-d, we come to have interdependence on Him and a realization that we cannot do it on our own.
Remember, the widow woman continually went before the wicked judge until she received what was rightfully hers.
Paul besought the L-rd three times to be relieved of the thorn in his flesh. (I Corinthians 12:6-9). He was not delivered, but received the promise of G-d's grace to be sufficient for the need.
The merit of seeking G-d at the altar brings us into a closer communion with G-d. It is His desire to bless His children.
To approach the altar multiple times is not a sign of low faith or ineptness, but rather a deep understanding of who G-d really is and that this is the only way to find G-d's will for our lives. His blessing is a concept that will help us to grow in the knowledge of our L-rd and Savior Jesus Christ.
To be continued . . .