1. We began with Exodus 24:4 in this week's Shabbat portion, noting that according to the Torah – Moses wrote down all the words he heard from the Lord. So the traditional rabbinic view that there was another set of spoken instructions – the oral law – has no biblical basis.

    • And Moses wrote all the Words of YHWH, and rose up early in the morning, and built an altar below the mountain and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel.

      Exodus 24:4

    • We bless and thank You for giving us Your Word.

    • Forever, O YHWH, Your Word is settled in the heavens.

      Psalms 119:89

    • Your Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

      Psalms 119:105

    • We are so grateful for the living Word Yeshua whom You sent to rescue us (John 1:1-4).

    • We thank You for making sure Your Word accomplishes that which it is sent out to do (Isaiah 55:11).

    • We are very grateful that You have used the Jews to preserve the Word of God. Then what is the superiority of the Jew? Or what is the profit of circumcision? Much in every way, especially because to them was entrusted the words of God. (Romans 3:1-2)

    • We praise You for sending Your Spirit to aid us in knowing Your Word (1 Thessalonians 1:5).

    • Open my eyes, so that I may behold wonderful things out of Your Law.

      Psalms 119:18

  2. As we watch the two-state solution apparently dying a slow death, the question then becomes what next? Yes, we see this as an answer to prayer, but how should we now continue in prayer?

    • Lord Yeshua, teach us how to pray into this specific area (Luke 11:1).

    • Is now even the time for an alternative solution, or is this "zombie" peace process not yet 100% dead?

    • Remove fear from the Israeli government as it plans for what to do the day after Two-State's death.

    • Impart to Israel's leaders wisdom to know what to do and not do during this time of transition.

    • Forbid that they make their plans based on the fear of man (Proverbs 29:25).

    • Enable them to make plans based on the light of Your Word (Psalm 119:130).

    • Expose the snares of all the reasons behind the push for solving this Israeli-Palestinian conflict by the creation of another Islamic terror state (Psalm 38:12; 141:9).

    • Abba, as the ultimate choice for the Palestinians is either salvation or destruction (Jeremiah 12:14-17), we ask You to give Israel's enemies as much mercy as possible (Matthew 5:44).

    • Save them and turn them into powerful Christian Zionists! (Psalm 126:1-3)

    • Bless Defense Minister Liberman's plans to help those Palestinians who want to work with Israel and to cut out from all benefits all those who only want to see Israel destroyed (Numbers 24:9b).

  3. The next generation of Palestinians has been brainwashed to see all Jews and the nation of Israel as enemies of Allah and all Palestinians. This is no different in Gaza under Hamas as it is in Judea and Samaria under the Palestinian Authority. No wonder their teenagers pick up knives and scissors and try to kill Jews. This past week a school in an Arab Jerusalem community was exposed to be teaching the Hamas curriculum, and has been shut down.

    • God Almighty, have mercy on the Palestinian children (Mark 10:14).

    • Deal with those who brainwash them with demonic lies about You and Your people (Luke 17:2).

    • Thank You for closing that Hamas run school in Jerusalem. Replace it with a school that teaches truth.

    • Alert Israel's security forces to whatever violent response Hamas has in store (Job 12:22).

    • Lord, why are the Western nations still contributing funds to the PA? Do they not see what the PA is doing with this money? Or is it that they just do not care?

    • We ask the same thing about the churches in the West. Wake them up to the danger they are in if they allow their finances to be used in this unrighteous manner (Luke 16:10-11).

  4. This led us to pray for the Israeli school system which is often very humanistic and unbiblical in what it teaches the next generation.

    • Abba, please replace the worldly wisdom in Israeli schools with Your wisdom (Job 28:28).

    • Use Educational Minister Naftali Bennett to make a major shift in what Israelis children are taught.

    • Raise up more godly teachers and remove all teachers who are stones of stumbling (Isaiah 62:10).

    • Train up a child in the way he should go. When he is old, he will not depart from it.

      Proverbs 22:6

    • Let Israeli students – from elementary school to universities – learn from at least some teachers who truly believe that the Bible is Your Word.

    • Enable Israeli students to read Your Word and not just men's words about Your Word.

    • Sanctify them through Your truth. Your Word is truth.

      John 17:17

  5. The sentencing of that IDF soldier convicted of manslaughter in the killing of an apparently restrained terrorist in Hebron was handed down this past week. We have prayed a lot about this as the situation has torn at Israeli society's cohesion. We felt the 18 month jail sentence was just – yet it did leave many questions and produced many demands for the soldier to be pardoned.

    • Lord, thank You for this sentence that while not satisfying to all, yet seemed to be trying to bridge the gap and heal a wound in Israeli society.

    • Do not allow this to in anyway hinder the effectiveness of the IDF from defending this nation.

    • Give Israeli PM Bibi Netanyahu wisdom on what to say and not to say about this case (Psalm 141:3).

    • Hedge in the media on how they report this – both in Israel and abroad (Job 15:6).

    • Remind all those who think that this sentence is too light to remember that if the dead Palestinian had not gotten up that morning and decided to kill a Jew – he would still be alive (Genesis 9:5-6).

    • You who are the Judge of all the earth, may true justice be seen to be done (Psalm 89:14).

    • You shall not raise a false report. Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. You shall not follow a multitude to do evil. Neither shall you speak in a cause in order to follow many in order to wrest judgment.

      Exodus 23:1-2

    • Bring peace to the soldiers distraught family.

  6. A partial answer to pray was manifested this past week when four new Supreme Court judges were announced – at least three of which are conservative.

    • Abba, we thank You for Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked who endured and pushed this through.

    • Lord, now we ask for the full answer to our prayers by making the Israeli Supreme Court less interactive and more biblically based in their decisions (Isaiah 1:26).

    • May the influence of these new judges grow immensely and quickly.

    • Use them as leaven to leaven the whole group (Matthew 13:33).

    • Establish biblical justice in Israel's gates. Hate the evil, love the good, and establish judgment in the gate. (Amos 5:15a)

    • These are the things that you shall do. Each man speak the truth to his neighbor, and judge with truth and justice for peace in your gates.

      Zechariah 8:16

    • Increase a positive interaction and cooperation between Israel's legislature and its judiciary.

  7. PM Netanyahu is visiting Australia and will not return until after the Shabbat. So far, it has been a very fruitful and encouraging time – which follows on the heels of another fruitful time in Singapore.

    • Lord, thank You for Netanyahu being Israel's first sitting leader to visit Australia.

    • May his trip influence many there to support Israel in its fight against Islamic terror.

    • As he brings forth truth from Zion, open Aussies eyes to hear and respond (Psalm 67:7).

    • Wake up the Church in Australia to see how vital their stance with Israel is for their nation.

    • May Your kingdom purposes for the relationship between Israel and Australia be realized (Psalm 98:3).

    • We pray the same thing about Israel's excellent relationship with Singapore.

  8. Aliyah – the return of the Jews from exile, including Australia, back home to Israel – was dealt with by Netanyahu in a very diplomatic fashion. Australia's PM Turnbull talked to the Aussie Jewish community about how much of a blessing they have been to that nation. Then Bibi, while agreeing, added that he hoped to see them all in Jerusalem. A Western humanistic mindset has crept into much of the church, sowing confusion as to where you want the Jews to be. Is it that you want your nation to be blessed, so that you do not want to see all the Jews return to Israel? Or do you have a Kingdom of God mindset and realize that for His holy name's sake, it is imperative that all the Jews return home?

    • Lord Yeshua, please speak to Your people who are holding onto their nation's Jews because they see how much of a blessing the Jewish people are to their nation, and let them know that it will be more of a blessing to release them to come back home (Acts 20:35b).

    • In fact, reveal to them that it will be even more of a blessing to their nation if they, as Your Church, helps them to return (Isaiah 49:22).

    • Impart to the many national intercessory prayer movements that they need to pray the Jews out of their nations (Isaiah 62:6, 7, 10).

    • Sanctify Your name by bringing Your people home (Ezekiel 36:23-24).

  9. We finished by praying for Israel's security. The threats are still real and still surround this nation. Yet Israel continues to have breakthroughs in weapons developments and has increased its security cooperation with Egypt and Jordan, and possible other Arab nations in a hidden manner.

    • Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

      Psalms 121:4

    • Thank You Lord, for aiding the Israeli Air force to shoot down a Hamas drone this week (Isaiah 31:5).

    • As there are threats from the north, from Hizbullah, and from Hamas and ISIS in the south, please give the IDF wisdom to know which are more immediate and where to place its equipment.

    • And your eyes shall see, and you shall say, YHWH will be magnified beyond the border of Israel.

      Malachi 1:5

      Amen.

    • Watch over the above verse in a very open and obvious way as You expose and destroy all the plans of Israel's enemies (Exodus 14:25b; Joshua 2:9-11).

    • Keep Israel's young soldiers alert and away from all distractions.

    • When Netanyahu visits Putin in a few weeks, help them come to an agreement that there will not be any Iranian base of operations left in Syria as part of any deal ending that vicious war.

    • There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against YHWH. The horse is prepared for the day of battle; but safety is from YHWH.

      Proverbs 21:30-31

Blessings and Shabbat shalom from Zion,

The IFI Team