As children, we dream. We dream about things that, for whatever reason, have been placed in our lives. We may have seen a fireman in uniform on a large fire truck and thought, “I want to be a fireman.” In our youth, we may have been inspired by a pastor or maybe a rabbi. We dreamed that maybe one day, we would inspire people in the same way. Achieving a dream is what books are written about – what movies are made of.
Our surroundings, whether we know it or not (and whether we like it or not), limit and direct the fulfilment of our dreams. Joseph, whom we all know from the Scripture as a dreamer, seemed to be an exception to this rule. How could a shepherd boy ever achieve the greatness his dreams seemed to reveal? Yet with all the obstacles he faced – from pit to prison – he saw his dreams come true.
What kept him motivated when devastation met him around every corner? Obviously, Joseph loved God and he wanted desperately to please Him, but there was something more. We close out the book of Genesis with a clue to his relentless motivation. Joseph says to his family, “‘ I am dying, but God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.’ Then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, ‘God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.’” (Gen 50:24-25)
Joseph’s faith was so strong that he knew without a doubt that he would one day see the physical reality of God’s promise. As a testimony of his faith, his bones are buried in a tomb in the center of the biblical city of Shechem – today called Nablus. The bones of Joseph are waiting for a glorious resurrection!
Yeshua said, “…concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” (Mt 22: 31,32) It is interesting that Yeshua said, “this was spoken to you by God…”
The credibility of God’s word rests on this foundational truth. Yeshua – our Rabbi, our great Teacher – prefaces His rebuke in the Scripture above by saying two things: first, you don’t know the Scripture, and second, you don’t know the power of God. How many of us want both? Why would we resist the very thing that announces to the world the irrefutable proof of God’s existence and the plan of salvation – His resurrection power? If we resist, or worse – are indifferent to – the move of God in the place He chose, how will we ever experience the real power of God?
Why was HaYovel established? Because we believe the Word of God is irrevocable. (Rm 11:29) Hundreds of volunteers are coming every year to experience the overflowing power of God – to see the touchable signs of His promises unveiled, firsthand. His people are returning from the exile in droves, and the land is responding by shooting forth its branches. (Ez 36:8)
When we see God’s promises coming into fruition, what should our response be? When do we start dancing? Really, when do we start getting excited? When will our hearts become so in tune with God’s heart that our dreams begin to reveal a different narrative for our own lives?
Unfortunately, most of the world has no alignment with God’s heart. The sheer hatred for Israel – and especially Judea and Samaria – only underlines this truth. There is no area of land more contested in the world than the land surrounding Shechem, Hebron, and Jerusalem – or what the secular world would call the “West Bank.”
I wrote this blog on Thursday, Dec 22nd after hearing about a threat against God’s promise through a UN resolution 2334 that would delegitimize every community (and every vineyard) in this area. We found out the vote was postponed, but would take place at an undetermined time. Today, we were hit with the undetermined time – about an hour and a half before the vote took place. Legitimate sources told us that the US was planning to abstain and they were correct. Since a veto would be the only thing that would stop this demonic action from moving forward an abstention would be no different than a vote for the resolution. Everyone fully understood the intent of the US and President Obama.
For 50 years, the world has challenged the validity of God’s involvement in the miracle of the liberation of Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria in the Six Day War. I have yet to find one person who believes it was not a miracle. If it truly was a miracle, then we also must believe that God enabled the miracle. Let’s appeal to our leaders to lay down their fight against God. Any attempt to place ourselves equal with or even above God will always end in our own ruin. Just lay it down.
Like with Joseph, the vision, dreams and actions of HaYovel are wrapped squarely around the eternal promise made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Are you singing like Mary and Zacharias at the thought of this promise being fulfilled? (Lk 1:54, 55, 72, 73) No matter how difficult the road ahead may be, we and so many others are giving our lives for this certainty.
As you gather with your family over the next few days, don’t be afraid to share with them what God is doing in Israel – the place of His choosing – for the people of His choosing.
Please join us, and if you cannot join us, please consider investing financially. More than anything I’m asking you to invest your time in prayer for us as we literally walk in the uncompromising promise to Abraham – the dreams of the Prophets.
Sweet Dreams (חלומות מתוקים)
