I recently heard one American make the comment that, “Being Jewish is a political liability for the Democrats” who most Jews vote for. Yet the anti-Semitism within the USA that is growing with alarming speed is not confined to one place or country but permeating throughout the entire world. This hostility which targets first and foremost Israel and then by default the Diaspora goes beyond the manifestation of an ancient and demonic hatred. Because, by turning on the Jewish people, it is, in effect, turning on itself by attacking its own identity.
First, by rejecting biblical values and Judea-Christian core values it distorts everything that’s evil – calling what is good, bad and vice versa. In other words, Western civilisation in its most complete and fullest expression owes its greatness ultimately to Judaism that it’s now systematically throwing away into the trash can.
Perhaps even more concerning generated by many Diaspora Jews are those who counteract that while antisemitism is bad, anti-Zionism is acceptable because Zionism is political not religious.
However, the fact remains that anti-Zionism is a demonic ploy focused against Israel —systematic falsehoods, demonisation and double standards designed to delegitimise and destroy it— meted out to no other country on earth. I wonder why?
Zionism is not and has never been merely something political because Judaism is intrinsically connected and inseparable from the land of Israel.
Scripture clearly states that the Jews are a covenant people with a Divine command to be custodians in the land bestowed to them by God. Scripture provides countless references to Zion, the ancient Hebrew name for the land. Therefore, although Zionism emerged in modern times as a political movement in the 19th century, by Theodore Herzl, it cannot be separated or isolated from Judaism. As someone has said, “Trying to pluck Zionism out of Judaism is to destroy it by plucking out its heart.”
One may wonder why many Diaspora Jews refuse to acknowledge this, and I believe it’s because the implications are too devastating. And so they continue (by what virtue I cannot fathom) to sign up to anti-Jewish liberal ideologies thereby beating themselves up by following policies that are aimed directly against them – just as it was in Germany and Austria in the 1930’s: Germany first, Jewish last. It is a denial that Paul defines as a spiritual blindness not unlike the refusal to accept Yeshua as Messiah.
But there are a growing number of people within Jewish communities who recognise what they see developing who feel like homeless Jewish orphans because God is calling His people home to their land – their real home because soon there will be no other place to run. God is working quietly behind the scenes…
I want to link this up with something else. 1,000 days ago the Jewish old world ended – and a new one began. That new world was born in the flames of the old – more than 1,200 people were murdered, hundreds were taken hostage, and every moment was filmed, uploaded, and celebrated in real time as Israel’s enemies gloried in the massacre. That was Oct,7th 2023. For those first hours, Israel could do nothing but watch.
The infamous conceptzia – the belief that Israel’s enemies could be deterred or bought off – collapsed that day. The very foundation of the State of Israel as a place where Jews would never again face massacre was deeply shaken. The nation was stunned – exposed, traumatised, and uncertain of how to process what had happened or where to go from there.
Yet, since the events of Oct. 7, Israel continues to survive and prosper against all odds. Its military and intelligence ability is the best in the world, combined with the bravery of the IDF that makes it a formidable force against her enemies. But on the flip side this small piece of real estate the size of Wales or New Jersey surrounded by enemies on each side has to cope with the trauma of those who have sacrificed their lives in battle. This is the high cost where life is considered sacred rather than expendable where a whole nation mourns the death of one person. Yet in the midst of this God is using unimaginable personal tragedies that will ultimately bring Israel to her knees so she might acknowledge their Messiah in fulfilment of His eternal plans.
So it becomes clear that a person who defines himself as a conditional Israeli with a hyphenated identity (i.e., Israeli first, Jew second) cannot coexist unlike some Jews in the Diaspora because in Israel, a Jew is a Jew. And in the wake of this something extraordinary is emerging. Israelis are increasingly realising that it is not by their own merit that is the cause of their survival but solely through the Divine Hand of God! And alongside this, current statistics provide us with the staggering evidence that well over a million Israelis are earnestly asking questions about the identity of the Messiah amid a growing remnant of Messianic believers! These things are just a prelude and just so happen to coincide with this week’s parasha as we will later see.
Oct. 7 redefined the Jewish Israeli spirit, and its aftermath has left Diaspora Jews terrified and uncertain. Where does one go from there? They are being forced with their back to a wall with no place left to sit. God is making things increasingly uncomfortable. Remaining where they are geographically is increasingly becoming less of an option for Diaspora Jews who realise that like the Holocaust, whatever stance they take, they will nonetheless be branded as dirty “Jews”. Israel is fast becoming the only safe option as end time events are looming.
The current month of Tammuz in the Hebrew calendar is a dark month in Jewish tradition with a minor fast on the 17th day only yesterday. Tammuz was a Babylonian god, the son of Nimrod (‘Baal’) and Semiramis the ‘Queen of Heaven.’ God is reminding us of the one in twelve principle, that although the number twelve represents governmental perfection, as with the months of the year there can also exist ungodliness and rebellion in the midst of something holy, as for example we see with Yeshua’s disciples in Judas Iscariot’s betrayal that is also reflected in today’s parasha.
This is something Yeshua specifically warned us to guard against before His return, when many believers will fall into deception and their love for Him will grow cold.
The first of four minor fasts in the Hebrew calendar commences in the 4th month of Tammuz. There are no feasts throughout the 29-day period but rather it marks the entrance of an extended period of deep introspection, leading to Yom Kippur in the 7th month. Here we see the number four cropping up several times that represents God’s created works. Since we know that everything God creates is goos and perfect, (James 1:27) the month of Tammuz reflects the imperfection of man who left alone to his devices invariably leads to destruction.
This month marks the beginning of a three-week period of mourning over the darkest events that have occurred in Jewish history highlighted by the destruction of the 1st and 2nd Temples. It commences from the 17th of Tammuz to the 9th Av and this period is known as “navigating the straits” – “Bein ha Metzarim” a phrase taken from Lam.1:3 when Jewish people mourning the many tragedies that occurred between these dates. It additionally marks occasions in Israel’s history when godliness was exchanged for something brazenly counterfeit choosing unrighteousness scarcely camouflaged in Satan’s playground of delights.
The first of the three “haftarot” studied during this 3-week period is taken from the opening chapter of the prophet Jeremiah a descendant of Rahab who the sages referred to as the reformed “zonah” (prostitute) of Scripture. And this fact was weaponised by the enemies of Jeremiah in order to belittle him.
Jeremiah was initially reluctant to be one of Israel’s prophets because he knew where this would be heading and no wonder since when we examine his life we can see why he is referred to as the “Weeping Prophet” – appointed by God during a time of great apostasy.
God ironically reassures Jeremiah that he had nothing to fear because even in the midst of his suffering, He would never leave nor forsake him – almost like Job’s comforters. In one sense it was small comfort considering the measure of his suffering yet it was sufficient to be the making of him within God’s eternal perspective. Our suffering in this life is incomparable to the reward that God has stored up for us in Heaven. And here we can also see comparisons with Phineas who intervened against an ugly, ungodly situation within the Israelite camp when everyone else was tearing out their hair but doing nothing about it.
Phineas’ action was politically incorrect but ultimately led to God rewarding him ways he never have imagined. He is mentioned 25 times in the Bible, with the same gematria of YHWH indicating that Phineas was a man after God’s heart – a person who applied the Word of God in his life regardless of the consequences.
This week’s Haftara records two scenes that introduces the beginning of Jeremiah’s visions. The first was of an almond branch. The Hebrew word for an almond is “shaked”. This Hebrew (שקד) word also serves as the root for “diligence” or “haste,” and the name is given to the almond and its tree due to its “haste” in the process of producing fruit.
Here is the connection. It takes three weeks from the time the almond tree buds till the almond ripens. And so, it would take three weeks from the time Jerusalem succumbed to the siege (from the 17th of Tammuz) to when the Temple would be destroyed and Jerusalem with it on the 9th of Av. Here we see illustrated the consequence of failure to stand up against unrighteousness.
During “Bein ha Mitzorim” we are reminded of Yeshua’s words who described the times we are currently living in as one of travail as related to the phrase “Bein ha Mitzorim” used to describe labour leading to childbirth. When a woman is in full labour she is said to be “beyn ha Mitzarim.” Just as her physical travail leads to childbirth, so too spiritually when we will receive our eternal reward in the ‘Olam haba’. As Zechariah prophesied, “… it will become a joyful and glad occasion…” (Zech 8:19) when God will turn our mourning into dancing, remove our sackcloth and clothe us with His joy unspeakable! Ps.30 12-13
It is in this knowledge that we must stand firm like Phineas who took the law into his own hands that strictly speaking made him guilty of murder according to Torah. However, God didn’t punish Phinehas but instead rewarded him and made him the chief of Israel’s army. Why would this be?
God creates the rules but is not bound by them. To paraphrase the words of Joseph Shulam: “God will surprise you every time when you act outside the box with a pure heart and good honest motives and pursue godliness in season and out of season. We can and must break out of the box that is called “church” and step up to do what we are called to do as individuals. We can step out of the normal church behaviour and challenge the status quo when we challenge the traditions of men above righteousness.” And this was exactly what Phinehas did.
Beyond this we see how in these end times sin is being increasingly tolerated and sometimes even embraced and applauded within the church, that is running rife because of the ready acceptance of ungodly seductions which will inevitably result in a spiritual plague.
Only one man, Phinehas, son of Eliezar the priest, and grandson of Aaron stood against the flow after 24,000 people had been destroyed by a plague God sent them as a direct result of sin within the camp. “Phineas” can be translated as “the bronze coloured one.” Bronze is symbolic of God’s judgement concerning sin. We see how a few chapters earlier in Num 21 Moses fashioned a bronze serpent that was lifted up to save Israel after they had been bitten by poisonous snakes as a consequence of their rebellion.
God created us to be participators of His righteousness rather than spectators or gullible consumers. Standing for righteousness will always result in a direct clash with the principalities and powers of this world. Yeshua warned us in Matt.11:12 that “… from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force” (spiritual warfare).
In order to seek God’s best in our lives we must appropriate it passionately with godly aggression. The opposite of love is passivity and apathy, not hatred that is a character trait God abhors.
We are called to be a people who are zealous for God’s honour who share in the “fellowship of His sufferings” – to restore and maintain His order, His shalom, against the backdrop of spiritual compromise and delegitimisation – abortion: gay lifestyles and all other expressions of immorality: anti-Semitism and every type of brutal racism: All New Age expressions including spiritual witchcraft be destroyed in Yeshua’s name: preaching an incomplete Gospel and a false Jesus – one can continue to expand the list ‘ad infinitum.’
Phinehas’ action turned away God’s wrath from Israel and is the first occasion where the phrase “covenant of peace” is mentioned in Scripture. The Hebrew word for “peace” is shalom referring to relationships between others and between God with men. In the ancient Hebrew script it means to destroy the authority that binds us to chaos that places Phinehas’ actions in perspective and brought order out of chaos that threatened the entire destruction of Israel.
Phineas’ actions were an ‘all-or-nothing’ response. Anything less would have composed only the scraps under the table and a slow-working poison that would paralyse all who drink from its cup.
We gain nothing by passively gazing intently into the eyes of good intentions. In these perilous times, as the return of the Lord draws ever close, we must actively engage the satanic hordes of evil because unless we do, the victim unaddressed becomes the aggressor. Said Martin Niemöller,
“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.” The Israelites were commanded to seek the ancient paths of righteousness, yet many times they failed to do so for this very reason. So may we be spurred on to promote God’s solution against the plague of sin that runs rampant in our midst: to release God’s order and truth zealously in the spirit of love with limitless compassion, without compromise or discrimination.
The name of Phineas’ meaning ‘violence’’ is a type and shadow illustrating the importance for us to live our lives wholeheartedly for God. The consequences of sin are dreadful. The wages of sin is death but spiritual death is far more terrible than the physical equivalent. The most terrifying thing anyone can experience is spiritual apathy that is one of our greatest enemies. Yeshua’s act of voluntarily laying down His life as a propitiation for our sins was the most radical and violent expression of love in history that no person can escape for which each one of us is accountable.
