Praise:
Succoth, the feast of Tabernacles, begins tonight. The prophetic reading of the first day is Zechariah 14, from which verse 9, while a bit cryptic, gives us hope for a glorious future and thus something about which to praise God:
YHWH shall be King over all the earth; in that day shall there be one YHWH, and His name one.
Reading verse 16 shows us that this is referring to You, King Yeshua, who now has all authority in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18), and with all of heaven, we bless and praise You (Rev. 5:11-14).
Lord Yeshua, we thank You for the blessed hope we have of You returning as the King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev. 19:11-16), and then ruling in perfect righteousness (Isa. 32:1a; Jer. 23:5).
Abba, we bless You for commanding us to rejoice before You over the seven days of Succoth (Lev. 23:40b); and ask that You would anoint us so that we can sincerely do just that (Neh. 8:8-10).
Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Messiah Yeshua concerning you.
(1 Thess. 5:16-18)
Salvation:
Succoth is celebrated in temporary booths with open roofs looking up at God's creation. It is an annual reminder to the Jewish people and to Messiah's Body, of how "temporary" our lives are and that only in God do we have any assurance of eternal existence.
Abba Father, as is written in Romans 1:19-20, during this feast use Your creation to remind Your people that there is a Creator (Psa. 19:1), and then by grace draw them unto You (Eph. 2:8-10).
God Almighty, as Jews consider how brief a man's lifespan is, place in them a desire to have a relationship with You, the Eternal One (Deut. 33:27a; John 17:1-3; 1 John 5:20).
Lord, as Jews read in the prophetic portion that You, YHWH of hosts, will reign on the earth as its King, let them wrestle with the mystery of their God being also a man (Zech. 14:16-17; 1 Tim. 3:16).
Messiah, in faith we thank You for all the Jews who were saved over Yom Kippur (1 John 5:14-15) and ask You to direct them to Your pre-ordained place for them in the Body to grow and glorify You.
King Yeshua, save Holocaust survivors and their families; survivors of terrorism; ex-hostages and their loved ones; IDF soldiers and families; loved ones of soldiers killed or severely injured; Israelis with PTSD; Israeli medical personnel; widows, widowers, orphans, traumatized children; Jewish politicians, judges, lawyers, diplomats; university students, teachers, professors; scientists; rabbis and Jewish anti-missionaries; Jews, including Jewish zealots, in Judea and Samaria; Jews on their death beds; Jews shamed by past abortions; Israeli archeologists and tour guides; Israelis in the nations; Jews who just made aliyah; alcoholics, drug-addicts, hippies, LGBTQ+, new agers; Jews in Iran, Ethiopia, India, Turkey; Jews married to gentile believers; unsaved loved ones of Messianic Jews.
Aliyah:
Let's pray that as Jews spend time in their temporary shelters, the waste of living their lives in "the captivity" when they could be living in their God-given inheritance, would become very real to them.
God of Abraham, regather a huge remnant of Western Jews to Your land (Jer. 31:10; Zech. 8:7-8).
In mercy Lord God of Israel, give to Your people dreams, visions, even nightmares, so that they see that now is the time to return to the land of their forefathers (Job 4:12-14).
Abba Father, we hear of many Jews "considering" making aliyah today, and we ask You to erase the "considering" from their thinking and replace it with an urgency to make aliyah (Jer. 31:21)!
Let the real fear of openly building a Sukkah in the West hasten the fulfillment of the above prayer.
Lord God, set more Jews free who are mentally, emotionally, or financially trapped in their so-called "comfort zones" in the captivity (Psa. 107:14-16; 124:7-8; 137:4-6).
Great Shepherd, send forth the good news of Israel's economic resilience over the past few years in order to encourage Your people to come home – with their
silver and gold
(Deut. 28:8; Isa. 60:9).God of Jacob, remove all stumbling stones from Jews who want to return but are held back by either circumstances, finances, or their current-nations refusal to let them leave (Ex. 8:1; Psa. 68:6a).
King Messiah, show Israel where to build new communities for new immigrants, especially outside of its main cities, and how to remove any blockages from Israel's construction industry in order to build more affordable housing for them, as well as for all Israelis (Obad. 1:17-20).
God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, pry open the gates to Your nation to all whom You perceive as Jewish, regardless of what modern Rabbinic Judaism teaches (Isa. 62:10; Mark 7:9).
Lord Yeshua, wake up Your Body to intercede for aliyah as its goal is Your glory (Ezek. 36:20-24).
King Messiah, show believers that Isaiah 43:5-6 tells them to co-labor with You to bring Jews home.
Government & society:
God controls who rules the nations (Dan. 4:17). He also uses them for His goals – whether we understand this or not. While we can question His choices, still we are told to pray for them (1 Tim. 2:1-3). Israel's national elections will be on Oct. 27th and it is important that the Body of Messiah worldwide would pray that the outcome will further God's kingdom goals.
Lord God, we stand in the gap for Israel asking You to have great mercy (Ezek. 22:30) and to raise up a new government that will bring You much glory (Psa. 115:1-3).
Abba, please prevent Gadi Eisenkot from becoming Israel's next prime minister as both he and the politicians he has joined hands with tend to be sons of Greece, that is appeasers towards the world and humanistic in their thinking concerning how Israel should function (Prov. 16:5; Zech. 9:13).
God, block a lukewarm "unity" government and create a zealous Zionistic coalition (Psa. 75:4-7).
Lord God, as Israelis hear what the various parties say on crucial issues, such as sovereignty over the land and judicial reform, move in them to vote for those who will do Your will (Prov. 16:9).
God of Solomon, strengthen, encourage, protect and anoint PM Bibi Netanyahu with Your wisdom for as long as You have him in the position of being Israel's leader (Job 12:13; Prov. 2:6; Dan. 2:21).
King Messiah, give to Netanyahu, and all other current ministers, godly advisors, and let them speak Your counsel to them in the time they have left in office (Prov. 9:9; 11:14; 24:6).
Lord God, enable the next government to orchestrate judicial reform in a manner that lines up with Your righteousness as revealed in Your Word (Deut. 16:18; 25:15; Isa. 1:25-27)
Thank You Almighty Provider, for miraculously aiding Israel's economy to do better than expected despite what Your nation has faced since Oct. 7th 2023 (Psa. 132:13-15; Ezek. 36:8-11).
Foreign relations:
At the annual UN General Assembly meetings this past week, many nations condemned Israel for its current aggressive stance against its surrounding enemies. Yet Hamas' Oct. 7th murders, rapes and hostage takings were barely mentioned, or if it was, nations still rejected Israel's right to defend itself, as it is doing today!
King Yeshua, show believers the link between the
gross darkness
overtaking their nations (Isa. 60:2) and their leaders, people, and even churches cursing and/or betraying Israel (Num. 24:9b).Abba Father, reveal Yourself to many of today's world's leaders, including Trump, Netanyahu, and even Arab leaders, as You did with so many of powerful leaders in biblical days (Dan. 4:34-35).
God of Jacob, turn every curse that was spoken against Your people in the UN (Psa. 2:1-5) into blessings simply because You love them (Deut. 23:5; 33:3).
Almighty Righteous Judge, arise and judge these leaders who dare to curse Your nation and reveal to them that they are not gods, but just men (Psa. 9:19-20; 63:11b).
We praise You for answering our prayers that if Netanyahu spoke at the UN he would bring a strong word from Zion – and Lord You actually "roared" through him (Joel 3:16a).
[In this excellent op-ed, Fiamma Nirenstein summarized what Bibi said and how it was an open accusation against many nations, especially in the west.]
God Almighty, give Israel wisdom to know if remaining a UN member is a waste of time, effort and money, or if it is time to wipe the dirt off its feet and depart (Psa. 1:1; 26:4).
Lord Yeshua, write on the UN's walls what You wrote to Belshazzar (Dan. 5:25-28) and remove this anti-God/anti-Christ organization from off Your world (Psa. 73:18-19).
Help Israel strengthen its ties, yet not in a dependent way, with non-Western allies like Azerbaijan, India, Argentina, Slovenia and others, who truly appreciate what Israel has to offer (Deut. 4:6).
Gaza:
Trump's July announcement of his "Board of Peace's" 15 point plan for "peace and security" to Gaza, Israel and the Middle East [ME] is dangerous for America and for Israel. Its ultimate goal is the establishment of a "Palestinian State" on God's land that He swore to give to His people. Also, the Bible warns that those who cry "peace and security" and who try to divide His land are setting themselves up for sudden destruction (Joel 3:12; 1 Thess. 5:3).
God of Israel, we thank You that Israel's current government has insisted that Hamas be disarmed and disbanded before any part of Trump's plan to revitalize Gaza moves ahead (Ezek. 3:8-9a).
Eternal Commander, remove from the IDF's leadership all sons of Greece and release Israel to fight for total victory without being hindered by the humanistic leanings of men (Psa. 44:4-6; Matt. 16:23).
God, in line with the above, erase any rules of engagement which prevents the IDF from gaining a total victory against Hamas (Psa. 60:12; 68:35; Zech. 10:5).
Lord Yeshua, fulfill Deuteronomy 32:35 over Hamas and destroy them (Rom. 12:19).
Abba Father, we pray for Your "day-after" plans to come to pass; not anyone else's (Num. 23:19).
God, use Iran's financial crisis to cut off much of Hamas' and Islamic Jihad's finances (Prov. 11:4a).
Lord God, Hamas refuses to keep its promises, and then twists them for their benefit, so we ask You to use this to completely end Trump's latest Gaza plan (Psa. 28:3; Jer. 9:8).
God, remove Israel's fear of repossessing Gaza by the greater fear of disobeying You (Judg. 2:1-4).
Internal security:
As Israel starts to celebrate Succoth tonight its security situation becomes an even more urgent matter for prayer. Israel's enemies – including Satan – love to create havoc and mass murder over God's ordained feasts, and even this past week successful terror attacks have brought great grief to God's people.
Almighty King, once again we pray for You to be a wall of fire around Jerusalem at this time (Zech. 2:4-5), as well as a pillar of fire between Israel and its enemies (Ex. 14:19-20).
We thank You Lord of hosts for the counterterrorism operations that Israel's security services have been executing in Samaria recently and the miraculous success that they are having (Psa. 44:4).
As terror attacks have increased with some having unfortunately success, Lord arise and thwart them (Psa. 68:1-2) and bring comfort and healing to those who need it (Isa. 35:3-4; 51:3).
God, enhance Israel's efforts to guard its roads, checkpoints and public transportation (Psa. 121:8).
Lord God of wisdom, anoint Israeli intelligence people who search through social media with divine discernment to perceive all genuine threats from those that are satanic diversions (2 Sam. 21:10).
Abba, as per Shabbat's prophetic portion, set the Palestinian Authority PA forces against Hamas throughout Your land and let them war against each another (Zech. 14:13a).
God, reveal how the PA's rule over their people is as wicked as Hamas' rule in Gaza (Psa. 55:9-11).
Lord Yeshua, change the thinking of believers who do not understand, or refuse to accept, how the physical land of Israel is vital to Your Kingdom purposes on the earth (Zech. 12:2-9; 14:1-4).
Abba Father, by Your Spirit, create in both the Body of Messiah and in Your nation a zeal for Your land that matches, at least to some degree, Your zeal over it (Ezek. 36:5-15; Zech. 8:1-2).
King of kings, increase the number of Knesset [Israeli parliament] members in the next governing coalition who are determined to extend Israel's sovereignty over more of Your land (Isa. 54:2-3).
Lord God of Israel, since You are jealous over Your land (Ezek. 36:5-7), destroy all plans to create a "Palestine" on it – especially from Israel's so-called "friends" (Psa. 125:3; Zech. 14:1-3).
External security:
Israel has maintained its offensive actions against its attackers. Despite the world condemning Israel's responses to Hizbullah, and Hamas, God has strengthened Bibi and the security cabinet to release the IDF to strike hard. Turning the other cheek was not addressed to nations and especially in Israel's neighborhood it is seen as a sign of weakness which only encourages even more attacks against the Jewish State.
Lord Yeshua, reading Zechariah 14:1-4a in the prophetic portion, we see that things will inevitably get more dangerous for Israel until You return, so please aid us as we pray (Amos 3:7).
Yet until we come to the time of Your return, You are still
a Man of war;
arise and lead Israel as it wars against all its current foes (Ex. 15:3a; Psa. 68:1, 30; Isa. 42:13; Joel 3:16; Rev. 19:11-16).Messiah Yeshua, increase the paranoia among Israel's Middle East enemies making it impossible for them to trust each other and let that lead them to make major geo-political mistakes (Psa. 129:5).
Lord God of Jacob, use the Islamic principality's eternal hatred of Your people to drag it down into eternal destruction (Prov. 16:18; Ezek. 35:5-6).
Iran: Almighty God, as Psalm 46:9 says You cause wars to cease, we ask that You, and not Trump, would determine when the war against Iran's radical Shi'ite regime ends (Psa. 76:3-6; Mic. 5:10).
Lord, as King Ahab, let all Iranian leaders who try to hide meet their end anyway (1 Kin. 22:34).
We thank You for Bibi openly stating that Israel's goal is for regime change in Iran (Jer. 51:20).
We praise You for him also declaring that regardless of the results of the war between Iran and the US, Israel will never allow Iran to possess nuclear weapons (Acts 26:25).
Messiah Yeshua, protect and guide Iranian believers as they pray for their nation (Jam. 5:16b).
Hizbullah in Lebanon: Almighty, confront the Lebanese government to decide if they want to be a sovereign nation or a proxy for Iran – and if the former show them how Israel can help (Deut. 30:19).
Lord God, as Israel is not satisfied with how the Lebanese Army has dealt with Hizbullah in the pilot zones, support its refusal to withdraw any further from any other areas in Lebanon (Psa. 30:7a).
Speak Lord, and break Hizbullah, today's proud
cedars of Lebanon
(Psa. 29:5; Isa. 2:12-13).God, reveal all of Hizbullah's weapons caches, tunnels and hiding places to the IDF (Job 28:11b).
Messiah Yeshua, protect and guide Lebanese believers as they pray for their nation (Jam. 5:16b).
The Houthis: Lord God, direct Israel as to Your will for them in relation to the Houthis and their threats to Israel and the rest of the Middle East (Prov. 21:30-31).
Almighty King, if Israel should not help Saudi Arabia in its war against the Houthis, then hold them back from being pushed by America to get involved (Prov. 26:17).
Other: God, as Turkey President Erdogan's severely cursed of Israel from the podium of the UN this past week, we ask You to watch over and fulfill Numbers 24:9b and repay him in kind.
King Yeshua, reveal to Israel what Turkey's plans are in both Syria and in Gaza (Job 12:22).
God, maintain Israel's skepticism of Syria's current radical Islamic leaders (Psa. 140:1-2).
Abba Father, open Trump's eyes to see why Israel views Turkey, Syria and Qatar as hostile nations and not as "allies" of either Israel, America, or the West (Psa. 55:19-21).
Lord God, encourage and enable Israel to remain in their buffer zones in Syria, Lebanon and Gaza as they are all part of the land that You promised to Abraham and his descendants (Gen. 15:18).
Body of Messiah:
It is essential for believers today to "see" the Lord Yeshua as He is revealed in the Word – from Genesis to Revelation. He loves little children, yet hates those who lead them astray. He rebukes His disciples as needed, which is more often than we care to admit. His return will not end all wars until His enemies submit to Him or are destroyed. He is still the God of Israel and Israel is still His chosen nation, regardless of what heretical teachers say or deceived believers think.
Lord Messiah, enable us to "see" You as You really are today, which is portrayed most clearly in the first five chapters of the Book of Revelation!
Lord God, help Your Body to see You as the same God of whom Moses declared,
For YHWH your God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God,
(Deut. 4:24; cp. Heb. 12:29) and that You are still aMan of war
today (Ex. 15:3; Isa. 42:13; Rev. 19:11-16).King Messiah, we await Your return and rejoice with what is said in this week's prophetic portion,
YHWH my God shall come, and all the saints with Him.
(Zech. 14:5b)Abba Father, teach the Body that what the Torah portion states is still true, that the eight feasts mentioned in Leviticus 23 are not Jewish feasts – but Your feasts (Lev. 23:2).
Lord Yeshua, thank You for the growing remnant in Your Body who stand with and pray for Israel, and who desire for You to be glorified through Your nation (Isa. 43:7, 21).
King Messiah, use them as "leaven" to influence many others in the Body (Luke 13:20-21).
Water:
We are asking for God to supply all of Israel's water needs during the soon-to-start rainy season. If our prayer for an increase of aliyah will be answered, Israel will need more water to sustain an increased population (Ezek. 34:26). Please agree in prayer with us for this (Matt. 18:19).
IFI: May the Lord enable you to rejoice before Him during Succoth. After all, if for nothing else, our names are already written in heaven (Luke 10:20). We also treasure your prayers and support for this ministry. Thank you.
Shabbat shalom v'hag Succoth sameach from Zion
Chuck Cohen, for the IFI team
Lev. 22:31-33 [from the Torah portion]