April/June 20 No. 46 Nisan/Iyar//Sivan 577 - Moriel Ministries

Moriel Israel
Editorial
It’s Been Raining Here
Passover has just finished here, and we thank
God indeed for the rainfall that we have had
here. It was totally undeserved considering the
sinful state of the nation, and it was a welcome
blessing to a water starved country like Israel.
Rain here is rarely drizzle like in Europe. In fact
its a fairly violent affair with very loud thunder
and spectacular electrical storms. It is easy to
see why the Psalmist exclaimed when he saw
the glory of God in His creation: “the voice of
the LORD is upon many waters, the God of
glory thunders... the voice of the LORD is powerful,
the voice of the LORD is full of majesty”
Just recently we returned from a trip down to
Eilat. The desert is a strange place indeed, and
at times breathtakingly beautiful as the light
and shadow change the rocks in hue throughout
the day. (It’s also probably the only place in Israel
where you can get some peace and quiet.)
Being in Israel is like living in a Bible Encyclopedia.
You get to see things that enhance your
understanding of the Scriptures right in front of
your own eyes. On a little jaunt into the desert,
we visited one or two of the camping sites of
the Children of Israel before they crossed the
Jordan river. It was a very hot day, and as we
stood there in the heat our guide was explaining
to us about the species of Acacia tree that
we stood under, that in some cases its roots
could go down to 150 feet below the surface,
where it could reach the water even in the driest
summers. Israel, unlike, for example, the U.K
(where it rains nearly all the time) enjoys rain
only on a seasonal basis. This is particularly so
in the Aravah (from a Hebrew word meaning
“dry”) desert, where the rivers too are seasonal.
In the rainy season these river beds (Hebrew:
Nahal, Arabic wadi) can be raging torrents,
washing away roads, bridges and anyone foolish
or unfortunate enough to be caught in their
path. The sky may be blue and cloudless overhead,
but it may have rained in the mountains
miles away and the unsuspecting hiker will
know nothing until a raging flood some metres
deep comes racing down the wadi smashing
them against its rock walls and carrying them
off. People die every year from not taking heed
to the warnings. This has something to teach us
too. In Isaiah 59:19 in the context of the LORD
marching forth in judgement we read:
“And so shall they fear the name of the
LORD from the West and from the Rising
of the Sun (the East) His glory, for He (i.e.
the LORD, or “it” meaning His judgment
both are possible renderings from the Hebrew),
shall come like a pent up river which
the Spirit of the LORD drives along.”
This reminds how vitally important it is that
we know the times and seasons and be watchful
to avoid being swept away. That day should not
overtake us like a thief if we remain awake (see
1Thess. 5:1-6, and in Luke 21, Jesus commanded
us to watch for the signs of His coming and
when we saw certain things we would know
that the season of our redemption draws nigh.).
During the dry season the surface river water
dries up and the only water is deep underground.
Only trees that have deep roots can survive.
This illustrates for us the need to be rooted
and grounded in the LORD and His Word to
survive in a hostile enviroment.
“Blessed is the man that trusteth in the
LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For
he shall be as a tree planted by the waters,
and that spreadeth out her roots by the
river, and shall not see when heat cometh,
but her leaf shall be green; and shall not
be careful in the year of drought, neither
shall cease from yielding fruit.”
May we be deep-rooted and fruitful for Him.
Our Prayer Needs – General
It will not have escaped anyone’s notice that
the political environment around Israel is becoming
increasingly more unstable and hostile.
We may be seeing the beginnings of Islamic
radicalisation of our immediate neighbours
with whom we have enjoyed at least a cessation
of hostilities (if nothing more) for many years.
Coupled with this we have the distinct possibility
of a violent “Palestinian” state being forcibly
created by the UN (Unwanted Nuisance)
on part of our territory, leaving us with borders
that offer us no strategic depth in case of an outbreak
of hostilities, -something that is certain to
happen if such a state is created, as it will quickly
be filled with Iranian-backed terror groups,
and an unrestricted flow of munitions for them
to use against us. We also face a Europe that
grows ever more inimical as each day passes,
and an America that is a broken reed governed
by a weak and useless president who seems like
some kind of Islamic stooge, bent on destroying
the very nation he governs, so the chances
of help from over there are slim indeed. War is
not a pleasant prospect, particularly as here in
Nahariya, we are almost right next to the border
and in 2006 the town was plastered by Katyusha
rockets. Thankfully in the past we have had
very few casualties. Mostly these things have
made a lot of noise, damaged buildings and
upset the dog, but if they land near you in the
open or hit your car (or some of the older buildings
with thin walls) with you in it, they will kill
you.. The Hizbullah have spent the last 5 years
however upgrading their arsenal with new and
better toys which do far more damage, so the
next war could get very nasty indeed here on
the border. (Of course if this “Palestinian” terror
state is created EVERYONE will be near the
border.) Please pray for us, both nationally, and
locally here in Nahariya for wisdom and protection.
While we may be seeing the possible
lining up of the nations against Israel portrayed
in Ezekiel 38, 39, this is not some theoretical
debate about prophecy for us, here in the Land.
It’s very real and people will die.
Congregation
Because of some recent difficulties, we felt
June 2011 • Moriel Quarterly 25