The Jerusalem Prayer List – September 8, 2011

By Joseph Shulam

Chapter 31 of Genesis has a fascinating story of Jacob, Rachel, and Leah, and all his people running away from the house of Laban his uncle.  Jacob had come to Haran running away from his brother Esau.  He arrived there straight to the public well of Haran and the first person he met at the well was Rachel who was a shepherdess watching her father’s flock. Jacob falls in love with Rachel at first sight.  He has to work for fourteen years to be able to marry Rachel.  First Laban cheated him and gave him Leah after seven years of work.  He had to work another seven years to marry Rachel, and another seven years to get some riches from the flocks of Laban.  He was blessed by God and has become a wealthy shepherd Lord.  Laban wanted to keep him for more years under all kind of pretenses.  Jacob runs away from Laban his father-in-law and uncle.  He takes his flocks, his riches, his wives and children, his servants and runs without a formal departure from Laban.  Laban gets angry and runs with his private army to catch Jacob under the excuse that someone took his household idols.  When Laban finds Jacob and catches him and his whole party, he finds Rachel hiding Laban’s household idols under her seat.  At this point Laban expresses his displeasure of Jacob and his immediate family.   In the serious discussion between Laban tells Jacob:  “It is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying,  ‘Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.’” (Gen. 31:29)  Laban actually says that the God of Jacob’s father spoke to him at night and told him to leave Jacob alone and not harass him.    We must remember that Laban was not a Hebrew, he was an Aramian.

Yes, the Lord revealed Himself to Laban as the God of the father of Jacob.  This might sound normal to us, but it is very unique in the ancient world.  The God who is the creator of the world, the only God in the universe who is a true God, the Father of all mankind, identifies Himself as “The God of your father.”  He the Almighty God of all attaches His name to Jacob’s father in a very personal way.  The idols of the nations near Israel identified themselves as the Baal the God of Thunder and rain, Anat the goddess of war, Tamuz the God of Harvest, etc. etc. etc.  The Creator of the World, the Sun, the Moon and the Stars, identifies Himself as the God of an individual like Jacob who is not exactly the paragon of morality and ethics.  In the same chapter after Jacob makes a covenant of with Laban his father-in-law and in the process of the covenant making,  Laban again speaks and says: “The God of Abraham, the God of Nahor, and the God of their father judge between us.” And Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac.” (Gen. 31:53)  We see again here in this statement of Laban that he inserts here his father Nahor and also the God of Nahor, and he puts Abraham’s God as Judges of this covenant.  He does not mention Isaac, Jacob’s father this time.  So, when Jacob retorts and gives an answer to Laban he now mentions Isaac his father and the God whom Isaac fears (worships).  This is amazing when we as Disciples of Yeshua think of our personal relationship with the Almighty God of Israel, the Father of our Lord and Savior Yeshua.

Will people speak after my death, “We follow the God of Joseph Shulam?”  You can insert your name there or your father’s name or your Rabbi’s name or your pastor’s name.  The main point is that Laban who was a pagan, recognized that Jacob was following the God of His father Isaac, and Isaac was following and identified by the God of his father Abraham.  Generation after generation from father to son the sons were trained and taught to be following, worshiping, serving, being identified, by the God of individual relationship with the family.  How wonderful!  The most sacred text in all of Judaism and also for Yeshua and for Paul and Peter, is what is called the Shema – “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is One God.”  What comes right after this grand truth that is so central in God’s Word.  The command to speak to your children in the morning, and in the evening, when you drive your car, and when you put your sons to bed, and to remind them of God and His commands and His promises for now and for-ever. The personal relationship with the Almighty God has to be so personal that the whole family and your friends and your relatives know how personal God is to you that your identity and the identity of your family is totally absorbed with it.  When people identify you they are also identifying who is the God you follow.  In this chapter the relationships are family relationships, an uncle, two sisters, a father and a father-in-law, family relationships broken and fixed by a cold covenant.  With all this going on, the identity of God and is connected personally to the fathers of the family.  We all need to pray for two things in our lives.  First to develop such close personal relationship with God that our identity and God will be so close that people would know us by the God we worship.  Second, that we raise our children and our families to have the same God and identity as we do.  The next generation that we raise has to be following and identified by the God we worship and no strange God whom our fathers did not know.  (The same phrase “God of our Fathers” is used in the New Testament by the Apostles in Acts 3:13, 5:30, 22:14.)

Well, we return to our special prayers for Israel now.  The Palestinian Authority is launching a campaign to have the United Nations recognize a new Palestinian State on September 20th.  The proposal of the Palestinians is to have a majority of countries of the United Nations recognize the new State in the boarders of the pre-1967 boarders of the State of Israel.  This is a real matter for prayer and only a supernatural act of God can prevent this move.   At the same time Turkey has cut political relationship with Israel and is threatening to force Israel to open the blockade on Gaza by military force.  The whole Middle East is in a total political and civil mess.  What is called the “Arab Spring” may turn out to be a very cold and deep Arab winter.  You who know God and trust his Word should really pray for the His intervention and change the evil that is intended to turn for the good of those who love the Lord.

Netivyah needs your prayer.  This is especially true for Kol HaYeshua Radio.  We continue to broadcast Good News in Hebrew in a very broad wave that covers all the Middle East, but now we need new producers, younger, more talented, more in-tune which the Word of God and more dynamic.  We have to become more efficient and use the funds for advertisement to make Kol HaYeshua a channel of hope and joy for the people of Israel.  Please pray for the Lord to bless and use Kol HaYeshua as an effective tool to bridge the gap of fear and rejection for the Good News that Yeshua brought to the World.

The food distribution program is growing and growing and our joy is to see so many people being blessed in Jerusalem.

We continue to lift up the sick and the needy in Jerusalem and in all of Israel.  The High Holidays are approaching and it is a time of contemplation and soul-searching in all the Jewish communities around the world.  So, do a Mitzvah (a good deed) and pray for all the sick people that you know, and add to your list the following people who are in great need of God’s healing hands:  Ahuva, Leah, Ilana, Miriam, Marcia, Ruby, Paulo, Tim Tucker, Merav, Sarit, Zvi, Sara, Mayni, Ishiida family, Mrs. Sadako, Tamar, Jacob, David S., David, Liz, Horace and June.

Don’t forget to pray also for all those whom you know that are working to preach the Word of God and bring joy to the people of the world.  Pray for the Marrano Jews all around the World to wake up and desire to restore their identity and come home.  Pray that God’s truth become a path for all His children, Jews and non-Jews, so that we can all be free from slavery to false traditions and false religions and walk in the Light as He is in the Light.

In this time of soul-searching and contemplation of our weaknesses and shortcoming we need our brothers and sisters to hold hands in fellowship and to build and strengthen each other.

God be with you all and bless you in every way,

Joseph Shulam    

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