In Touch Quarter 1 - 2012

Christian Friends of Israel
IN TOUCH No.170 1st Quarter 2012
“The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and
the God of Jacob...This is my name forever”
Exodus 3:15
In this
issue:
Lords Debate
Persecution
in the Middle
East p.4-6
A Fresh
Look at
Biblical
Ethics p.8-9
The
Futility of
Boycotting
Israel p.7

FROM GENERATION
TO GENERATION
In Touch
is the newsletter of
Christian Friends of Israel
UK
CFI-UK seeks to bless Israel by
means of practical and moral
support, and to serve the Church in
teaching about God’s purposes for
Israel and the Hebraic roots
of our faith.
CFI also produces a monthly News
Report, a monthly Prayer Letter and
a Middle East Update CD/MP3.
Please send for full details of the
practical projects and also of the
many teaching resources available.
As an educational charity,
we carry a variety of
resources relevant to our
purpose. We do not
necessarily endorse every
view expressed by our
guest writers or authors
of these resources.
Published by:
CFI Communications
PO Box 2687
Eastbourne
BN22 7LZ
Tel: 01323 410810
Fax: 01323 410211
Email: info@cfi.org.uk
Websites: www.cfi.org.uk
www.isrelate.com
www.keshercourse.org.uk
Registered Charity
No. 1101899
Front Cover Image:
Copyright © 2011 Teusrenes
Dreamstime.com
CFI-UK’s Chief Executive Jacob Vince explains the
importance of passing on Biblical teaching
Over the
past year
we have
continued to fulfil
our remit through
the three strands
of education,
advocacy and
aid in both
representing and
enabling our supporters to be good
and trusted Christian friends of Israel.
As we come into this New Year we
plan to continue in this undertaking
focussing particularly on reaching
other would-be supporters in the
middle ground who, if prayerfully
and carefully explained and shown,
will see the importance of providing
Christian friendship to Israel. This
we plan to do through participating
in teaching days similar to those held
toward the end of last year: Israel Who
Cares? in Oxford with 300 present and
Israel’s Future and Ours in Crawley with
250 delegates plus 100 over-subscribed.
Another important element in reaching
the middle ground is the Christian
Festivals where we are able to resource
a stall and reach out beyond to new
would-be supporters and through our
network of Area Representatives.
We are also very conscious of the
biblical principle of ensuring the
message is imparted from generation
to generation. The fact is that those
of the middle generation by and
large have not developed a fuller
understanding of the land, nation and
people of Israel whether as contained
in the Bible (law, prophets, psalms and
apostles) or the Jewish people’s role,
influence and suffering throughout the
history of the Church and the place and
plight of Israel today. It is therefore
incumbent upon us that we use every
endeavour to communicate a fuller
understanding of Israel to the next
generation. The technical term for this
is intergenerational equity. We must
be careful not to overindulge ourselves
on the excellent deeper teaching
available to us, at the expense of underreaching
others who are yet to start on
their journey of understanding. For
this I commend to you the new and
accessible Israel in Brief booklet series
which is a compilation of themed
articles from a range of authors (as
advertised in a previous mailout).
The biblical principle so far as workers
in the field are concerned is found
in Paul’s relationship with Timothy.
This we are endeavouring to encourage
“Those of the middle generation by
and large have not developed a fuller
understanding of the land, nation and
people of Israel”
among our Area Representatives. An
update of the work they are doing
and our new Area Reps will appear
in the next In Touch magazine. So far
as concerns encouraging our existing
supporters to pass on their Israel
understanding, the biblical principle
appears to start with family. Using
Timothy again as an example, this is
shown through his grandmother Lois
and his mother Eunice (2 Timothy 1:5).
Likewise, fathers are exhorted to bring
up their families in the training and
instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4).
Of course the time-honoured example
of the grandfather, father and son
relationship is seen in Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob permeating the whole Bible.
2 // IN TOUCH

God also said to Moses, “Say to the
Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your
fathers—the God of Abraham, the God
of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent
me to you.’ This is my name forever, the
name by which I am to be remembered
from generation to generation.”
(Exodus 3:15)
They were not perfect, yet God
repeatedly and forever identifies
himself as the God of Abraham, the
God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.
God relates to each one individually
but also across the generations, missing
no one out. By contrast, concerning
our imparting a fuller understanding
of Israel we are potentially in danger
of missing out both the middle and
following generation.
As well as applying the principle to
our close family, it can equally apply to
the family of God, the places where we
fellowship. This should involve us all
and I would encourage us, no matter
how difficult it might seem at times,
to make sure we are committed to a
local congregation in all Godly aspects
of its work and service, not just Israel.
Our fuller understanding should mean
we are more committed rather than
less and, sensitive to the prompting
of the Holy Spirit as to God’s timing,
graciously shares our understanding
of God’s purposes concerning Israel
when called to do so.
“Now to him who is able to do
immeasurably more than all we ask
or imagine, according to his power
that is at work within us, to him be
glory in the church and in Christ Jesus
throughout all generations, for ever
and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21)
CFI-UK PRAYER CONFERENCES
CFI-UK Trustee Jenny Forbes encourages us to intercede for Israel at our
upcoming regional conferences
In Daniel 9:2 we find that Daniel has
come to a place of understanding
with regard to the ending of the Exile
in Babylon. Having read the Scriptures,
he realises that the 70 years of Exile
prophesied by Jeremiah are coming to
an end and in Daniel 9:3 he writes “So
I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with
him in prayer and petition, in fasting and in
sackcloth and ashes.”
This is serious intercession. He could
have decided that the ending of the Exile was a foregone
conclusion and he could now sit back and wait for it all to
happen. Daniel does exactly the opposite. He prays all the
more earnestly and with fasting. He has an understanding
of the way the enemy works and, therefore, the need for
spiritual warfare and enlightened intercession knowing that
the Devil would do all he could to prevent the Jews from
returning to their homeland. Daniel understood the times
and knew how to pray and intercede.
As we read the Scriptures, and see what is going on in
the world today, particularly in the Middle East, we too see
prophecy being fulfilled. How do we react? Are we content
to sit back and decide that it will all work out anyway? Do
we feel that we have prayed enough and that God’s purposes
will be accomplished? Maybe we are just tired and weary
with the battle? Or do we, with understanding of the wiles
of the evil one, realise that intercession and spiritual warfare
are vital for the times we are living in?
In CFI we are realising, more and more, the importance of
understanding the days we are in and knowing how to pray
into the complex situations that are all part of being involved
with Israel. We sense that now is the time to increase our
commitment to prayer and intercession on behalf of Israel
and, indeed our own nation.
For a number of years we have held a prayer conference in
Rockwell Green, near Wellington and Taunton in Somerset.
These have been valuable times of intercession, seeking the
Lord and fellowshipping together. We now believe that we
should increase the number of prayer conferences within the
nation. This will enable more of you to be involved without
having to travel too far.
The dates and locations of these prayer conferences are as
follows:
March 22 nd –24 th - Rockwell Green, Wellington, Somerset
April 16 th –18 th - Llandudno, North Wales
May 2 nd –4 th - Clayhall, near Barkingside, Essex
June 25 th –27 th - Normanby, Middlesbrough
The promise of the Lord for those who ‘wait on Him’ is
renewed strength, soaring like eagles, running without
weariness, walking without feeling faint. Together, we have
an opportunity during this year to seek His face, to plead
with Him on behalf of Israel and our own nation.
Hebrews 10:25 records “but let us encourage one another –
and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” We invite you
to join with us at one of these regional prayer conferences,
so that together we can be encouraged,
experience a fresh touch of the Holy
Spirit upon our lives, and a renewed
anointing for intercession and prayer.
A brochure with fuller details
and how to register for one of these
conferences should have accompanied
this copy of “In Touch.” If not, then
please contact the CFI-UK office in
Eastbourne and request a copy.
CFI.ORG.UK // 3

RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION
IN THE MIDDLE EAST
The House of Lords recently saw a debate on persecution of Christians in
the Middle East. Here are some highlights of what was said.
Dr. Rowan Williams: My Lords,
many people these days have a short
and skewed historical memory. It
is all too easy to go along with the
assumption that Christianity is an
import to the Middle East rather
than an export from it. Because the
truth is that for two millennia the
Christian presence in the Middle
East has been an integral part of
successive civilisations. We are not
talking about a foreign body, but
about people who would see their
history and their destiny alike bound up with the countries
where they live, and bound up in local conversations with
a dominant Muslim culture, which they are likely to see
in terms very different from those that might be used by
western observers.
Yet at the present moment, the position of Christians in
the region is more vulnerable than it has been for centuries.
Issues in Egypt are inevitably among the most immediate in
the minds of many of us just now. Whether in Egypt, Israel
and Palestine or Syria, what were once relatively secure
communities are now increasingly seen as vulnerable.
The phenomenon of the Arab spring has brought some
new considerations into play. Even as we speak, the future
of the Arab spring is still deeply unclear.
The continued presence of Christians in the region is
essential to the political and social health of the countries of
the Middle East. Their
presence challenges
the assumption that
the Arab world and
the Muslim world
are just one and the
same thing, which
is arguably good for
Arabs and Muslims
alike.
A Palestinian
Christian friend of
mine was to say when
asked by westerners,
“When did your family
become Christians?”
“About 2,000 years
ago”. We need some
crystal clear guidance
and education on these things if we are to avoid what is both
a ludicrous and an insulting outcome. In conclusion, let me
say how very grateful I am for the opportunity to raise these
issues today in your Lordships’ House at a time when they
could hardly be more pressing.
My contention has been that the security and well-being
of the historic Christian communities in the region are
something of a litmus test in relation to these wider issues of
the political health of the region. I expect some distinguished
contributions to the debate. Perhaps I may take this
opportunity in particular of acknowledging with gratitude
the presence of the noble Lord, Lord Sacks, in the Chamber
and look forward to his contribution to our deliberations. I
am particularly aware that the observance of Shabbat will
oblige him to leave the Chamber early so I am all the more
appreciative of his support. I beg to move.
Lord Patten: It seems clear that all
non-Islamic faith groups in the Middle
East are in it together. It means facing
up openly to the fact that some Islamic
groups, however many good and
moderate adherents there may be,
are self-professed militants against
Christians and Jews alike.
We evidence this in their own words
and actions. One sad manifestation of
this in the Western world today is not
just to brush this issue under the carpet but to feel that it is
not possible or polite even to talk about it in decent society.
Yet the fate of Christians in the Middle East is indivisible
from the fate of Jews there.
There can be no walking on the other side of the faith road
in the Middle East in the face of a self-declared agenda by
some of religious cleansing in some parts of the region. We
must not do that any more than we can, even in the Palace of
Westminster, ignore the manifestly Newspeak anti-Zionism,
which concentrates as a surrogate on the Jew as a nation—I
borrow from the noble Lord, Lord Sacks, on this—rather
than on the Jew as a person, as it was in the old-style and
now wholly non-PC anti-Semitism. At least in the Middle
East, people are honest about it; we should be honest about
it here.
However threatening this may be perceived to be in this
country it is nothing like the threats facing the last Jews in
Baghdad, nor the last few Jews in Iran. But then, it cannot be
very nice for the last remaining 13,000 of my co-religionists
left in Iran either. The pace of religious cleansing is gathering.
4 // IN TOUCH

Lord Turnberg: Scarcely a
week goes by when we do not
hear of yet another outrageous
attack on one or other Christian
community in the Middle East.
In Egypt we hear about the
Copts, in Lebanon the Christians
are leaving in their droves, in
northern Iraq they are terrorised
and in the Horn of Africa tales
of persecution and worse are so
commonplace that the media
have more or less stopped
reporting them.
Even in Palestine, the numbers
of Christian Arabs are falling rapidly. In Bethlehem, the
epicentre of Christianity, they feel increasingly unwelcome and
now they are a marginalised minority where once they were in
the majority—all this despite the commonly held view that it is
not only the result of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
There are now barely 50,000 Christians in the whole of the
West Bank. Of course, Christians are not alone in being chased
out. The Baha’i faith has been eliminated from Iran and other
Middle East countries, and the Jews have a long history of
persecution in the region. No fewer than 700,000 Jews have
been driven out in the past 50 or so years; were it not for the
existence of Israel, they would be refugees and dispersed
around the world. It is also the case that I as a Jew would be
very unwelcome in many of these countries; in fact, I would
find it very hard to visit Saudi Arabia as I would not be given
permission.
This is troubling indeed at a time when we in the UK and
the largely Christian western
“The only place in
the Middle East that
Christians are really
safe is Israel”
societies are quite rightly
leaning over backwards to
accommodate people of every
race, creed and religion. You
have only to look around your
Lordships’ House to see our
tolerance of diversity. At the
same time, fundamentalism is
increasing in the Middle East along with a dangerous anti-
Christian intolerance.
There are two exceptions—possibly more—to this general
pattern: Jordan and Israel. In Jordan the relatively benign rule
of King Abdullah has allowed the Christian community to
avoid the persecution seen elsewhere. In Israel, the Christian
community is actually growing. The community has increased
fourfold in the last 50 years. This largely Christian Arab
community represents about 10 per cent of the total Arab
population of 1.5 million within Israel proper and has tended
to cluster in the mixed towns of Haifa, Nazareth and Jerusalem.
They do relatively well there: there is a Christian Arab Supreme
court judge, for example, as well as a Member of the Knesset
and a winner of the Israeli prize for literature. They are well
represented in academia and the professions. It is also the case
that they have a lower infant mortality rate, lower even than
Israeli Jews, and a higher rate of entry into higher education,
especially among women.
Of course, they have their problems as a minority group.
They have concerns about job opportunities, for example, but
that has to be kept in some sort of perspective.
As Andrew White, the vicar of Baghdad mentioned by the
noble and learned Lord, Lord Mackay of Clashfern, said, “the
only place in the Middle East that Christians are really safe is
Israel”.
Lord Palmer of Childs
Hill: My Lords, this is a very
welcome debate. As a British Jew
who enjoys religious freedom in
this country, one appreciates the
need for religious minorities to
enjoy religious freedom in other
countries, and obviously that
includes Christians in the Middle
East.
I was particularly touched by
the most reverend Primate’s
comments about Christianity
being an export from the Middle
East, not an import. That was brought home to me when I went
with Christian friends to walk the stations of the cross through
Jerusalem and realised that you can still do that over beautifully
paved roads in the old tradition. My Christian friends were
particularly impressed that St Peter’s fish can still be fished—
not the same fish, though—in Lake Kinneret [Galilee]. The
tradition is there. It is not an import into the Middle East, it is
an export from it, and it should remain there.
Bethlehem is controlled not by Israel but by the Palestinian
Authority, which bears the main responsibility for the situation
faced by Christians living in Bethlehem and elsewhere on
the West Bank, just as Hamas bears responsibility for the
predicament of Christians living under its rule in Gaza. Of
course, Israel still has control over aspects of life in the West
Bank, not to mention East Jerusalem, and it is obviously
involved in some ways in the affairs of Gaza. But it is not directly
in control of either Gaza or the West Bank and the treatment,
good or bad, of Christians in that area.
In Israel itself—what might be
called “Israel proper”—the Christian
population is not falling but is stable, and
there is religious freedom, including in
Jerusalem itself. While the percentage of
Christians in Bethlehem and Bethlehem
district has decreased, the total number
has increased. In Bethlehem city, the
Christian population dropped under
Jordanian rule but, since 1967, it has grown by 11 per cent in
the city and 56 per cent in the district. Those are percentages; it
must be remembered that, with an influx of a mainly Muslim
population, percentages are one thing and numbers are another.
Israel’s treatment of religious minorities may not be perfect,
just as the UK’s treatment of minorities is not always perfect,
but there is religious freedom and there are full civil rights
for Christians living in Israel. There are so many branches of
Christianity in Israel. You find every branch of the faith there.
It is almost like the Jew on a desert island who builds two
synagogues because he wants to resign from one of them; there
has to be more than one. In Israeli politics, if you have three
Jews, that is three political parties. There are masses of different
branches of Christianity in the Middle East, and people forget
that.
It is good news that, in 2010—the last year for which I have
statistics—100,000 Christians were in the central square of
Bethlehem for Christmas; that is twice as many as the year
before and the highest number for a decade. One can only hope
that that 100,000 is increased even further this year.
Please turn over to read Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks
contribution to the debate.
CFI.ORG.UK // 5

Lord Sacks: It was Martin Luther
King who said: “In the end, we
will remember not the words of
our enemies, but the silence of our
friends”.
That is why I felt that I could not
be silent today. As a Jew in Christian
Britain, I know how much I, my
late parents and, indeed, the whole
British Jewish community owe to
this great Christian nation, which
gave us the right and the freedom
to live our faith without fear. Shall
we not, therefore, as Jews stand up
for the right of Christians in other parts of the world to live
their faith without fear?
And fear is what many Christians in the Middle East feel
today. We have already heard today about the plight of Coptic
Christians in Egypt, of Maronite Christians in Hezbollahcontrolled
areas in Lebanon, of the vast exodus of Christians
from Iraq and of the concern of Christians in Syria as to what
might happen there should there be further destabilisation.
In the past year, we have heard of churches set on fire, of a
suicide bombing that cost the lives of 21 Christians as they
were leaving a church in Cairo, of violence and intimidation
and of the mass flight of Christians, especially from Egypt. I
believe that we must all protest this series of assaults—some
physical, others psychological—on Christian communities in
the Middle East, many of which have long, long histories. I,
and I hope all other Jews in Britain, stand in solidarity with
our Christian brothers and sisters, as we do with all those
who suffer because of their faith.
I have followed the fate of Christians in the Middle East
for years, appalled at what is happening and surprised and
distressed by the fact that it is not more widely known. We
know how complex are the history and politics of the Middle
East and how fraught with conflicting passions, but there are
two points that I wish to make that deserve reflection.
First, on the Arab spring, which has heightened the fear
of Christians in many of the countries affected, we make
a great intellectual mistake in the West when we assume
that democracy is, in and of itself, a step towards freedom.
Usually, that is the case, but sometimes it is not. As Alexis
de Tocqueville and John Stuart Mill pointed out in the 19th
century, it may merely mean the “tyranny of the majority”.
That is why the most salient words in the current situation
are those of Lord Acton, in his great essay on the history of
freedom, who said: “The most certain test by which we judge
whether a country is really free is the amount of security
enjoyed by minorities”.
That is why the fate of Christians in the Middle East today is
the litmus test of the Arab spring. Freedom is indivisible, and
those who deny it to others will never gain it for themselves.
Secondly, religions that begin by killing their opponents
end by killing their fellow believers. Today, in the Middle
East and elsewhere, radical Islamists fight those whom they
regard as the greater and lesser Satan, but earlier this week
we mourned the death of 55 Shia worshippers at a mosque in
Kabul and another 28 Shia who were killed in a terror attack
in Iraq. Today, the majority of victims of Islamist violence
are Muslim, and shall we not shed tears for them, too? The
tragedy of religion is that it can lead people to wage war
in the name of the God of peace, to hate in the name of the
God of love, to practise cruelty in the name of the God of
compassion and to kill in the name of the God of life. None of
these things brings honour to faith; they are a desecration of
the name of God.
May God protect Christians of the Middle East and people
of faith who suffer for their faith, whoever and wherever
they are.

WHY BOYCOTTING ISRAEL
WON’T SOLVE ANYTHING
Award winning journalist Khaled Abu Toameh writes on why boycotting Israel is pointless
and how the Arab Spring is causing concern among Christians in the Middle East.
In his annual Christmas message
to the world, Bethlehem
mayor Victor Batarseh called
for a comprehensive boycott of
Israel, arguing that this would
force the Jewish state to return
to the negotiating table with the
Palestinians.
"It worked with Apartheid South
Africa," Batarseh declared. "We
call for boycotting Israel culturally,
educationally, in sports, economics
and trade. We want peace, but boycott is the only language
that Israel understands."
The mayor's anti-Israel message came at a time when
Christians throughout the Arab world -- and in Bethlehem
and the Gaza Strip -- are facing serious threats. But of
course Batarseh has chosen to bury his head in the sand
and does not want to look around him and see what is
happening to his fellow Christians.
The Bethlehem mayor's Christmas message completely
ignored the fact that the "Arab Spring" has been anything
but a blessing to Christians living in the Arab countries.
According to Rita Daou, a reporter for Agence France
Press, "The rise of Islamist movements in countries swept
by the Arab revolutions has sent shudders throughout the
region's Christians who fear for their survival and question
the make-up of the Middle East."
The Palestinian Authority has done little to protect
Christians against assaults by Muslims -- including rape,
intimidation, land theft and financial extortion. But these
are all "sensitive" issues that many Christian leaders do
not want to discuss in public out of fear of being accused
of serving the Israeli "propaganda machine."
This is why Batarseh and many leaders of the Christian
community deliberately ignore what happened in 2002
in Bethlehem, when dozens of Muslim gunmen stormed
the Church of Nativity to escape from Israeli soldiers. The
gunmen hid inside the church on Manger Square for five
weeks. Priests later complained that they and some nuns
had been held hostage by the gunmen, who also desecrated
the church by smoking, drinking alcohol and littering.
Christian leaders who ignore the torching of churches in
Egypt and the persecution of Christians there and in Iraq
and other Arab countries are betraying the cause of their
people. Have these leaders ever asked what is happening
to the few Christians who still live under Hamas in the
Gaza Strip?
It is hard to see how boycotting Israel "culturally
and educationally" could help solve the plight of Arab
Christians.
Batarseh could have done a service to his people had
he, for example, talked in his message about the fact that
many Christian families continue to leave Bethlehem in
search of a better life in the West.
The claim that Christian families flee the Palestinian
territories because of Israel's security measures is
irrelevant. Christian emigration started long before Israel
captured the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 1967.
Also, the claim that Christians leave because of the bad
economic situation is also invalid because the same would
have applied to Muslim Palestinians.
The truth is that Christians leave Bethlehem mainly
because they do not feel comfortable living as a tiny
minority in their city.
In the 2005 Palestinian municipal election, Hamas gained
the majority of the open seats of the Bethlehem municipal
council, which consists of 15 elected members, including
the mayor and deputy mayor.
Since its establishment in 1994, the Palestinian Authority
has done almost nothing to encourage Christian families
to stay.
Boycotting Israel "culturally and educationally" is
certainly not going to solve the problems and dangers
facing Arab Christians. For now, Israel remains the only
place in the Middle East where Arab Christians feel
protected and safe.
This article first appeared on the Hudson Institute’s website hudson-ny.org. Used with permission
CFI.ORG.UK // 7

ETHICS - NOW & THEN
Keren Hannah Pryor encourages us to take a fresh look at ethics
and let love motivate our morality during 2012.
Shalom to you dear reader.
In addition to Halleluyah
and Amen I can be sure
that Shalom is one of at least
three Hebrew words that you
are familiar with. If I were to ask
you what it means, you might
well answer: Peace, Greetings,
Hello, Goodbye, and all would
be correct. I would like to draw
your attention to another similar
sounding word by examining the three root letters of
the word Shalom. The word is Shalem, which means
‘whole’ or ‘perfect’. Each root letter of a Hebrew word
reflects some of the meaning inherent in a word that is
derived from it. In this case:
Shin - Lamed - Mem v l mi
The first letter is Shin v. Notice the three branches,
joined in one, each with a little flame. This letter indicates
the Name of God - El Shaddai - and also His Presence
by His Spirit - the Shekinah.
It, therefore, represents the
invisible dimension of the
spirit.
The third letter is Mem m,
which can represent a womb
that produces physical life.
A word chiefly associated with mem is mai’yim, water.
Also Mashiach, Messiah, God’s Presence physically
with us in His uniquely born Son - Immanuel.
The middle letter is Lamed l. It represents the mind,
and its meaning is lamad or lomed, to study or learn;
from which the word talmid, student or disciple, is
derived. Notice the shape. It is reaching up as if to
connect the physical earthly realm with the spiritual.
It even has a small flame at its crown. Situated as it
is, between the other two letters, it is the bridge that
connects the two. As those who believe that the Bible is
the revealed Word of God, and is the Truth upon which
we stand, we use our minds to study and learn in order
to connect and understand our physical existence with
the eternal realm of the spirit.
To be Shalem, whole and in harmonious balance,
perfectly fulfilled, is what we aim for as talmidim,
disciples of Messiah. We strive to learn, by the Spirit
of God, to live our lives more fully according to His
Word and purposes and to be constantly filled with His
Shalom! Amen? Halleluyah!
It is to this end, to learn and to live more Shalem in
His Shalom, that I have for some months been in quite
intense preparation for the weekly email series that was
introduced on Tuesday January, 3 rd , entitled: Ethics -
Now and Then. (The studies are sent out, without cost,
via email once a week. If interested you can sign up on
the ministry’s website: www.jcstudies.com
That is not intended to convey that we should consider
the matter of ethics only occasionally, now and then,
but rather that biblical ethics, God’s guidelines of how
to live a life pleasing to Him, should be affecting our
lives NOW - today - in the present. Also, on the other
hand, we need to be aware of THEN - both the future,
looking forward to eternity, and looking back to the
past. As Winston Churchill once said, “The further back
you can look the further forward you are likely to see”.
This concept is appropriate to consider as we now go
forward into the new calendar year of 2012 and it poses
at least two questions:
(1) Are we anticipating what lies ahead in faith and in
hope, according to the
promises of God, and
(2) What are we
learning from the
past that will help us
serve Him better in
the present - now?!
We need to know where we have come from in order
to clearly understand the present and to know how to
move forward purposefully toward the future.
I’d like to ask you to consider the word “ethics” for
a moment and see how you define it. Maybe as moral
conduct, decent behavior, rules of righteousness, fair
dealings? Rules of right living are all well and good;
however in the light of the Kingdom of God the question
of ethics, of living a righteous life as a priest or servant
of God, takes on far greater significance. It is not only
about being a “good person.”
Together with the foundation of the Hebrew Scriptures
and the teachings of Jesus and the Apostolic writings,
the basic reference used in the Ethics series is Pirkei
Avot, known in English as the Chapters, or Ethics, of
the Fathers (the Sages of Israel). Apart from the Bible,
Pirkei Avot is considered one of the greatest sources
of teaching on the practical development of character
and the elevation of the spirit in Hebrew literature. It
“God’s guidelines of how to live
a life pleasing to Him, should be
affecting our lives NOW - today - in
the present.”
8 // IN TOUCH

well represents the Second Temple milieu of learning
and debate in which Jesus and the first disciples were
immersed. Interestingly, the principle of an ethical,
moral life is discussed in Pirkei Avot and it is also
illustrated in its very composition. Each sage or teacher
quoted offers a personal and often different perspective
and yet considers the views of his colleagues with
patience, respect and tolerance.
There are six chapters in the book and I would like to
quote a verse in the last chapter as it provides a clue for
the reason we should be concerned with studying and
growing in character at all. As we constantly endeavor
to grow in truth as children of the Creator, may we
bring greater glory and honor to His Holy Name.
Avot 6:11 All that the Holy One, Blessed is He, created
in His world He created solely for His glory, as it is said:
“All that is created by My Name, indeed it is for My glory that
I have created it, formed it, and made it“ (Isaiah 45:37). And
it says: “God shall reign for all eternity” (Exodus 15:18).
When we work with the Lord, who as Paul tells us
in Romans 8:28, is “working all things together for
good”, and whose only aim and longing for one’s life is
for the best, then the moral and ethical development of
one’s character is not a demanding labour, or a chore,
or a “heavy load”. It will be, instead, a joy, a discovery
of who one is as a child created in His image. When
motivated by love, one looks more keenly to Jesus the
Shepherd of our souls, our Messiah, to learn of him and
to follow in the way of the Father that he came to teach
and to clarify by living the perfect will of the Father.
Jesus expressed it well when he said: “Father... not my
will but Thine be done!” (Lk.22:42) and also in the context
of the Disciples’ Prayer, “Let Thy will be done on earth
as it is in Heaven!”
As we go forward into the new year, 2012, with
gratitude, faith and hope and a determination to learn
more of Him and to grow in His image, may this portion
of a poem called Matins by Irish poet, John O’Donohue,
be the whisper of our hearts:
May I live this day
Compassionate of heart,
Clear in word,
Gracious in awareness,
Courageous in thought,
Generous in love.
For the sake of His Name and for His greater glory in
the earth, now and for all eternity!
For further study, please consider these audio CD teaching sets by the late Dr. Dwight Pryor:
Hebraic Renewal And
The Healing Of The Soul
In this 6-session set on 3
CDs, Dwight Pryor and Clay
McLean discuss together how
Scripture assures us that we
are complete in Messiah Jesus.
This set will assist
anyone seeking
personal growth
and wholeness in
their walk with God.
UK Price: £13.50 (incl. p&p)
Hebrew Spirituality
The goal of Christian formation is to
become more like Messiah Jesus. In this
3-part set, Dwight Pryor explores core
concepts in Hebrew spirituality for the purpose of
growing up in Messiah with the help of His Spirit.
UK Price: £13.50 (incl. p&p)
The Highest Form of Worship
Too often Christians have the attitude that prayer
and worship are ‘spiritual’
activities, but study is not.
In these 3 messages
Dwight Pryor
exposes this as not
Biblical and unwise.
He summons the
Church back to the
Biblical mandate of
study and obedience.
UK Price: £13.50 (incl. p&p)
CFI.ORG.UK // 9

10 // IN TOUCH
Lowliness
Hebrew Word Study with John C. P. Smith
Contrary to worldly thinking, in
God’s eyes humility is one of the
greatest attributes: “This is the
one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite
in spirit, and trembles at My word” (Isaiah
66:2). And, conversely, one of the worst
offences is pride: “Everyone who is proud/
arrogant/haughty in heart is an abomination
to Yahweh” (Proverbs 16:5).
The metaphor often used in the Bible
for both these attributes is elevation, preserved in English
words such as ‘lowly’/’lowliness’ (clearly deriving from ‘low’)
and ‘haughty’/’haughtiness’ (derived “from Middle English
haute ‘high in one’s own estimation’ [1430]... from Old French
haut ‘high’, from Latin altus” 1 ). Even the origin of the more
commonly used words ‘humble’/’humility’ conveys a picture
of low elevation. It dates to the mid-thirteenth century,
deriving “from Old French humble, earlier humele, from Latin
humilis ‘lowly, humble’, literally ‘on the ground’, from humus
‘earth.’” 1
There are a number of Hebrew verbs which can be
translated “be humble” (William Wilson’s Old Testament
Word Studies lists ten, p. 223). The most common are hn'[' anah,
[n'K' kana and lpev' shafel. There is overlap in meaning and “no
thoroughgoing distinction is possible between” these three
terms, though “slight distinctions may be drawn”. 2
Anah, ‘to afflict, oppress, humble’, seems to stress the
aspects of forcible humiliation (including rape), enforced
submission, punishment and infliction of pain. For example,
“[the Egyptians] appointed taskmasters over [the sons of Israel]
to afflict/oppress/humble [anah] them with hard labour” (Exodus
1:11). A special occurrence of this verb describes Messiah’s
willing submission, allowing Himself to be afflicted and
humiliated: “He was ill treated, whilst He bowed Himself
(=suffered voluntarily) [anah], and opened not His mouth” (Isaiah
53:7, translation by F. Delitzsch) 3 . Other words derived from
the same root include wn'[''' anav ‘humble, meek’; hw'n'[] anavah
‘humility, gentleness’; tWn[/ enut ‘affliction’; ynI[' ani ‘poor, weak,
afflicted, humble’; ynI[\ oni ‘affliction, poverty’; tynI[]T; ta‘anit
‘humiliation’ (by fasting, Ezra 9:5). The name of the New
Testament village Bhqani,a (‘Bethany’, Matthew 21:17, etc) is
thought to mean “Poor-House”—either from Hebrew ynI['-tyBe
Bet-Ani or Aramaic ay'n>[;-tyBe Beth-Anya—as it “may have been
the site of an almshouse... caring for the sick and aiding the
destitute pilgrims to Jerusalem” 4 .
Kana, ‘to be humbled, subdued; be brought down, low,
under; be brought into subjection’, compares dominion and
subjection, the submission to another’s will. “It denotes
bringing a proud and recalcitrant people or spirit into
subjection” 2 . Half the 36 occurrences of this verb refer to
spiritual submission, e.g. “Do you see how Ahab has humbled
[kana] himself before Me? Because he has humbled [kana] himself
before Me, I will not bring the evil in his days...” (I Kings 21:29). The
other half refer to military subjection, e.g. “So the descendants
went in and possessed the land, and [Yahweh] subdued [kana] before
them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites [Kena‘anim], and
gave them into their hands... to do with them as they pleased”
(Nehemiah 9:24). There appears to be a play on words here
since ~ynI[]n:K. Kena‘anim ‘Canaanites’ shares the same root letters
as [n:K' kana, and one plausible meaning for the name ‘Canaan’
is “The Submissive One” 5 . Certainly, this verse testifies to the
fulfilment of Noah’s pronouncement, with descendents of
Ham’s son Canaan (i.e. the Canaanites), being subdued before
descendants of Shem (i.e. the Israelites): “Cursed be Canaan; A
servant of servants he shall be to his brothers... Blessed be Yahweh,
The God of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant” (Genesis 9:25-
26).
Isaac Mozeson suggests an interesting link between [n:K'
kana and the English word ‘knee’ (and hence ’kneel’), which
share the root consonants k-n-‘ 6 . Certainly, one expression
of humility is bending the knee: whether a voluntary and
effective aid to humble, submissive prayer and worship (as,
also, is lying prostrate); or a compulsory eschatological event:
“…for I am God, and there is no other… Before me every knee will
bow” (Isaiah 45:22-23).
Shafel, ‘to be low, sink, be humbled’, contrasts height and
lowness, and describes the objective state or condition of
being low and/or humble. Other words derived from the
same root include lp,ve shefel and hl'p.vi shiflah, both meaning
‘lowliness, low estate or position’; lp'v' shafal ‘low, humble’;
and hl'pev shefelah ‘lowland, the Shephelah’. In contrast to the
kind of humility which is enforced upon a person by another
or by their circumstances, there is a meekness which can be
chosen. For example, king David was unashamed to make
himself “humble” (shafal) before the Lord and his people (II
Samuel 6:22).
Indeed, the very author and perfecter of our faith, Messiah
Yeshua, “humbled Himself” (Philippians 2:8) and declared that
“whoever humbles himself as [a] little child is the greatest in the
kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:4). James and Peter both urged
their readers to “humble” themselves (James 4:10, I Peter 5:6).
Why? “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who
humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11). “God is the Judge:
He puts down [shafel] one, and exalts another” (Psalm 75:7
[Hebrew v. 8]).
The prophet Isaiah foresaw this on a grand scale: “For the
day of Yahweh of hosts shall come upon everything proud and lofty,
upon everything lifted up—and it shall be brought low [shafel]...
The loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of
men shall be brought low [shafel]; Yahweh alone will be exalted on
that day... Every valley shall be raised up and every mountain and
hill brought low [shafel]... For thus says the High and Lofty One
Who inhabits eternity, Whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and
holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble [shafal] spirit,
to revive the spirit of the humble [shafal], and to revive the heart of
the contrite ones’” (Isaiah 2:12, 17; 40:4; 57:15).
And in response to the humble obedience of Messiah
Yeshua, “God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the
name that is above every name, that at the name of Yeshua every
knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and
every tongue confess that Messiah Yeshua is Lord, to the glory of
God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).
Notes
1) Online Etymology Dictionary, definitions of ‘haughty’ & ‘humble’ http://
dictionary.reference.com, accessed 3/1/2012.
2) Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, entry on [n:K' kana (see also
entries on hn'[' anah and lpev' shafel in the same book).
3) C.F. Keil & F. Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, Volume 7
(Isaiah), p. 512.
4) Wikipedia article on ‘Bethany (biblical village)’, http://en.wikipedia.org,
accessed 7/1/2012.
5) C.F. Keil & F. Delitzsch, ibid., Volume 1 (Pentateuch), p. 99.
6) Isaac E, Mozeson, The Word: The Dictionary That Reveals The Hebrew
Source Of English, p. 209.
“A man’s pride will bring him low [shafel], but the lowly [shafal] in spirit will obtain honour” (Proverbs 29:23)

CFI-UK RESOURCES
Our Lost Legacy
In this reissued paperback, Dr.
John Garr urges the Church to
recover its Hebrew heritage,
and its connection with the
Jewish matrix from which
it was produced. Our Lost
Legacy calls Christians back to
the Bible, to the roots of faith
that enrich lives and equip
Believers to achieve greater
maturity through a more
complete knowledge of Jesus,
our Jewish Lord.
B435 (Paperback: 246 pages)
UK price: £14.50 incl. p&p
Israel Who Cares?
This teaching DVD was
recorded during a day
conference, attended by
over 300 people, at St.
Aldates Church, Oxford in
November 2011. It is made
up of Biblical teaching to
help you understand what
God has to say about the
Land of Israel, the Jewish
people, and what God is
doing among the peoples of
the Middle East today.
D111 (2 DVDs: 5 hrs approx.)
UK price: £16.50 incl. UK p&p
This booklet was originally written
and published in Israel as a response
to the DVD-based documentary “With
God On Our Side” which in its content
is a direct attack upon Israel and upon
‘Christian Zionists.’ The content of this
publication seeks to provide historical,
legal and Scriptural answers in this
ongoing struggle for truth.
BT109 (Booklet: 52 pages)
UK price: £4.50 incl. p&p
Crimes Against
Humanity
This new booklet is a
compilation of songs and
poems originally written to
coincide with the “Anne Frank
In The World Exhibition”,
which was brought to the
UK’s North East some
time ago. It is a gathering
of written works by David
Soakell, which try to reflect
something of the horror of
The Holocaust and beyond.
BT99 (Booklet: 30 pages)
UK price: £4.00 incl. p&p
The Destiny of Israel
and the Church
This book, by the late Derek Prince, is
a thorough study of God’s prophecies
concerning the land and people of
Israel.
B436 (Paperback: 160 pages)
UK price: £7.50 incl. p&p
CFI.ORG.UK // 11

CFI-UK @ PAST EVENTS
Christian Friends of Israel has recently been invited to contribute to a number
of advocacy events with the Jewish community. Here are some photos...
Jacob Vince at a Zionist Federation event in Leeds
Israel’s
Ambassador to
the UK, Daniel
Taub, speaks in
Manchester
Alan Aziz from the Zionist Federation gives the opening address in London
Prof Eric Moonman and Jacob Vince talk
about the joint ZF & CFI-UK Lobby Day
Former Editor of the Jerusalem
Post, David Horovitz
12 // IN TOUCH
Eli Ovits from The Israel Project