[The Torah and prophetic readings in today's alert are taken from the final yearly readings which fall on Simchat Torah, the rejoicing of the Law, Sunday, Oct. 4th. This was the day on the Jewish calendar (Oct. 7th on the Gregorian calendar) when Hamas attacked in 2023.]
Praise:
That which the Torah reading says about Benjamin, applies to the saved in Messiah Yeshua as well:
Of Benjamin he said, 'the beloved of YHWH shall abide in safety by Him; YHWH shall shield him all the day long, and he shall abide between His shoulders.'
(Deut. 33:12)Abba, thank You for loving us so much that You sent Your only Son to die for us (John 3:16).
God of love, we rejoice that because You loved us first we can respond in love to You (1 John 4:19).
Lord God, we bless You for saving us and placing us in Your Beloved Son (Rom. 1:7a; Eph. 1:6).
Great Shepherd, what a joy to read that we dwell between Your shoulders as this is a wonderful image of how You carry us all the days of our lives (Isa. 40:11; 46:3-4).
Bless You Lord for dying to save us and for interceding to make that salvation complete (Heb. 7:25).
Government & society:
Israel's national election will be held in 25 days. The anti-PM Bibi Netanyahu parties and most of Israel's mainstream media continue blaming him for most of Israel problems, as they have been doing for the past four years, especially since the Hamas massacre on Oct. 7th 2023. While he carries the ultimate responsibility as the head of state, facts are being twisted to use against him as well as a total refusal from them to see the good that he and his coalition have done. May Israel's voters be protected from manipulation from all sides (Num. 23:23).
Lord Yeshua, burden Your Body to pray for Israel's elections, revealing to them the link between Israel's restoration in righteousness and Your return in glory (Isa. 46:13; Zech. 12:10; 14:3-4).
Lord, if there is someone other than Netanyahu whom You want to be Israel's next prime minister, please show us because as of now, we do not see any politician who can take his place (Dan. 2:21).
Creator God, unless You build the house man's labors are useless (Psa. 127:1); so please build the next coalition with many sons and daughters of Issachar and of Zion (1 Chr. 12:32; Zech. 9:13).
Lord God, as nothing is too hard for You, build a Zionistic coalition that does not need to depend on the Haredi [ultra-Orthodox] parties to survive and to legislate godly laws (Jer. 32:17, 27).
Abba Father, shield Israelis against manipulation by demonic forces from inside and outside of the nation during this chaotic election season (Deut. 33:29; Psa. 89:18; Isa. 54:17).
Lord, use the chaos to stir the pot and let the dross come to the surface to be taken away (Isa. 1:25).
God of justice, as Israel needs serious judicial reform, anoint the next coalition to do it, and at the same time, place more God-fearers throughout Israel's judiciary system (2 Chr. 19:6-7; Psa. 75:5-7).
Lord Yeshua, as many Israelis will be grieving over the three year anniversary of the Oct. 7th Hamas attacks this coming week, release Your Spirit to comfort and to save them (Isa. 61:1-3).
King of Israel, we thank You for the miraculous rescue of the FlyDubai flight that a terrorist tried to take over and crash with over 150 Israelis and others on board, and we bless You for how Israelis and even Israel's media are saying that this was a "miracle" (Jer. 32:17-20).
Foreign relations:
That which transpired at the annual UN General Assembly meeting last week was, for the most part, blasphemous, anti-Semitic, and another sign that we are in the last days. Many nations applauded terrorist murderers and terrorist governments and then walked out on Israel's leader. This is proof that much of the world has already turned its back on the Jews!
Lord Yeshua, may believers whose national representatives cursed Israel in one way or another – even if they did not walk out on Netanyahu – discern the great danger their nations are facing and stand in the gap crying out for mercy (Ezek. 22:30-31). [Mercy = what is undeserved]
Thank You for answering prayers and speaking a strong word from Zion through Bibi (Jer. 1:9).
King of Israel, anoint Israeli UN Ambassador Danon and his team to defend Israel in that modern Tower of Babylon and to boldly proclaim Your word (Isa. 55:11; Jer. 23:29).
Lord of lords, please reveal to the next Israeli government whether it is time to wipe the dirt off of Israel's feet and to walk out of that evil organization (Prov. 1:15; 4:14-15; Eph. 5:11).
Precious Savior, release revivals upon nations that bless Israel – such as India, Ethiopia, Slovenia, Somaliland, Argentina, Colombia, Vietnam, and many states in America (Gen. 12:3a; Psa. 117:1-2).
Abba, show Israel where to export its products as many more nations, including in the West, are beginning to boycott products sold by Jews – like the Nazis did in the 1930s (Job 19:14, 19)!
Wake up the Body in nations who are boycotting Israel to realize the danger this is to their nations' economies as they are cursing Israel and could easily reap what they sow (Num. 24:9b; Job 4:8).
Gaza:
The current situation has gone on for far too long. If it were not for President Trump's ceasefire which he essentially forced on Israel, the IDF would have defeated Hamas a while ago. This open sore still presents a threat to Israel and it needs to be excised (Rev. 6:10).
Lord God of justice, fulfill Deuteronomy 32:41 and Isaiah 34:5, and
render vengeance
on Your enemies in Gaza – those who hate You and hate Your people (Psa. 83:1-4).God of Israel, as Gaza is part of Judah's inheritance, watch over Deuteronomy 33:7 in the Torah portion, and help him against his enemies (Psa. 20:2; 146:5).
King Messiah, confound all nations on Trump's "Board of Peace" who are openly or secretly Israel's enemies – such as Turkey, Qatar, Pakistan, and many EU nations (Psa. 129:5; 144:7-8; Isa. 33:7).
Almighty God, increase Your overall protection for Israel's soldiers stationed in Gaza, in particular forbid that any kidnapping attempts would be successful (Psa. 3:5-8).
God, thank You that for the most part since 1948 Deuteronomy 28:7 has come to pass, and we ask You to fulfill that over all that remains of Hamas, both inside and outside of Gaza (Jer. 1:12).
God of Jacob, show more Israelis that Gaza belongs to the tribe of Judah and repossessing it is the only "day-after" plan that is pleasing in Your sight (Josh. 15:1, 47; Judg. 1:18; Prov. 16:9).
King Yeshua, let Your light shine through Gazan believers and save many Muslims (Matt. 5:16).
Internal security:
The readings for Simchat Torah are full of promises concerning God's land, as well as commands for Israel to destroy its enemies in that land. One such verse, if read fully, would shock many believers:
The Eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the eternal arms; and He shall thrust out the enemy from before you, saying, 'Destroy them'.
(Deut. 33:27)Messiah, wake up believers to the reality that this verse comes from the part of God's Word that You loved, read and trusted and if it was kosher for You, then it should be kosher for us (Matt. 5:17-18)!
Lord God, remove all of Israel's and Your enemies from off of Your land so that Deuteronomy 33:28 becomes fully manifest (Psa. 10:16; Jer. 12:14-17).
God of Moses, may what You said to him on his last day on earth about the land be planted deeply into the hearts and minds of Jews in Israel and in the captivity:
This is the land which I swore unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, 'I will give it unto your seed.'
(Deut. 34:4b)Abba Father, as we hear You describe the boundaries of the land to Joshua, we realize that "from the River to the Sea" is only a part of what You promised to give to Your people (Josh. 1:2-4).
Therefore arise God and fulfill that which You swore to Israel and let them take to heart what You say to Joshua in the prophetic portion:
Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be dismayed: for YHWH your God is with you wherever you go.
(Josh. 1:9; cp. 1:5-6, 13)We thank You for Finance Minister Smotrich saying that the Palestinian Authority is Israel's enemy and ask that his demand for the IDF to fight them as they do Hamas will be implemented (Num. 10:9).
Lord of hosts, promote in the ranks of the IDF more Zionist warriors and have them replace any humanistic commanders that weaken the fighting ability of the IDF (Zech. 9:13-15; 10:3-7).
Abba Father, support and hasten the completion of Israel's plans to build more settlements and IDF bases all along the Jordan Valley (Psa. 69:35; Isa. 65:21-22).
God of Isaac, place in Israel's next coalition influential biblical Zionists who are as zealous as You are to see all of the land of promise come under Israel's rule (Psa. 75:6-7; Ezek. 36:5-12).
King Messiah, hedge in the zealots among the settlers and forbid their violent acts from ruining the excellent character of the vast majority of Israelis who live in Judea and Samaria (Gal. 5:9).
Also Lord, hedge in all reports that exaggerates what these settlers have done yet never reports on what the Palestinians might have done to provoke a reaction (Psa. 50:19-20; Prov. 10:18).
God, You are planting Your people back in Your land with all of Your heart and soul (Jer. 32:41), as well as for Your name's sake (Ezek. 36:21-24), so let the Body see how vital this is to Your end-time plans and burden them pray untiringly for this to be accomplished (Luke 11:2; 1 John 5:14-15).
External security:
Psalm 83:1-5 is another excellent description of what occurred in the UN last week. As Psalm 2:1-5, these verses expose that the real object of hatred of the anti-Zionist nations is God Himself. Yet since Satan and his minions cannot harm God, he directs these nations' leaders and influencers to try and harm God's chosen nation.
Once again Lord, Micah 4:11-13 comes to mind, so please guide us as we pray (Amos 3:7).
Faithful One, fulfill 1 Samuel 2:9-10 from Hannah's prayer and judge Israel's enemies.
God, encourage Israelis that You are the same One they read about in the Tanach, which means that there are always angelic armies with them against their enemies (2 Kin. 6:15-17; 2 Chr. 32:7-8).
Iran: We thank You Lord God that Iran is on the verge of a total economic collapse and ask for You to use this to destroy its leadership as You said in Jeremiah 49:38b.
At the same time Lord, provide Israel with accurate actionable intelligence about the progress of Iran's nuclear weapons program (Job 12:22; Psa. 139:12).
God, as with the Chaldeans, let the Iranian regime be destroyed suddenly (Dan. 5:30).
Abba Father, please have great mercy on the Iranians themselves and especially on our brothers and sisters in Messiah – and supply all of their needs (Psa. 12:5; 35:10).
Lord Yeshua, use Your Body in Iran as a spiritual Trojan Horse, anointing them in prayer to advance Your Kingdom via the destruction of the Shi'ite Islamic spirit (Psa. 33:22; 118:4; 123:3).
Lord, direct the American Body to pray for Trump to support that destruction and not to be swayed to try and make another useless deal with the current Iranian regime (Isa. 28:18a; 2 Cor. 6:16a).
Hizbullah in Lebanon: God, use Iran's financial crisis to drain Hizbullah's finances (Psa. 12:2-4).
Messiah, we prayed for You to fulfill Joel 2:17-21 and to remove Hizbullah from Israel's northern border, and we praise You for using the IDF to answer those prayers (1 John 5:14-15).
Now we ask for a biblical solution to the Lebanese situation, with Israel possessing its possessions in southern Lebanon, and we pray against all politically-correct solutions (Psa. 33:10-11; Isa. 14:24).
King Yeshua, teach the Lebanese Body how to pray for their nation (1 Tim. 2:1-4).
Other: Arise, God; set Your Angel to fight against the Houthis (Psa. 35:1-6; 68:1, 30b).
Thank You Lord, that Israel now views Qatar as a hostile-state; please burden American believers to pray for Trump's eyes to be opened to this reality as well (Est. 8:3; Prov. 21:1; Luke 12:2).
Lord Yeshua, also speak to believers in the US to pray against Trump's "love-affair" with Turkey's President Erdogan before their nation helps to upgrade Turkey's army (Prov. 16:5).
Sovereign Lord, hold back Israel from agreeing to any treaty with Syria based on the desires of the US administration that are not in line with Your will (Psa. 29:11).
Lord God, be glorified in Israel's relations with the Syrian Druze and the Kurdish people who reside in Syria, Turkey, Iraq, and Iran (Isa. 48:11).
Aliyah:
The return of the Jews to Israel is linked not only to their salvation but also to God's healing of their deep wounds:
YHWH builds up Jerusalem; He gathers together the outcasts of Israel. He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds.
(Psa. 147:2-3)Thank You Lord for allowing us to see You fulfill Your prophecies of Israel being regathered and to watch as Your covenant love for Your people is displayed so openly today (Jer. 31:3; cp. Isa. 43:5-7).
God of Jacob, You said You would gather Your people back with
great mercies
(Isa. 54:7-8), yet Your hunters are hunting Your people today (Jer. 16:16), especially in the West, so we ask You to use these Jew-hating hunters to increase the effectiveness of Your mercy (Rom. 8:28).Abba Father, rebuke Jewish pride that says, "They will not chase us out!" and let them see that You are the One doing the chasing in order to bring them home (Prov. 16:18; Isa. 43:5-7; Jer. 31:3-5).
Lord God, may Jewish Americans understand the repercussions of the anti-Semitic spirit that is now acceptable with politicians, media personalities and often with their neighbors (Isa. 53:1a).
Lord God, touch the hearts of all Jews who travelled to Israel for the fall feasts, unsettling them as they go back to the captivity until they decide to return and settle in Your land (Psa. 137:1-6).
Abba Father, help the next Israeli government to raise up a generation of Zionist gatekeepers who will open wide the gates of Your land to multitudes of Your people regardless of their financial state, skin color or religious beliefs (Psa. 122:2).
Messiah Yeshua, Shepherd of Jacob, speak to Israelis who live in the nations, especially those who have been saved by You while there, that now is the time to return home (Isa. 35:10; 51:11).
Lord Yeshua, speak to Your Body to pray for Jews in their nations to make aliyah (Ezek. 36:37).
Almighty Shepherd, aid more gentile believers to hear Your voice and to help to carry Your Jewish family home – whether physically, financially, or through intercession (Isa. 49:22; John 10:27).
Salvation:
Zechariah 12:2-3 is coming to pass today, as we saw in some way at the UN last week. Therefore to expect Zechariah 12:10, when God saves
all Israel,
to come to pass as well in our day is not an unreasonable expectation.Lord, as You initiate salvation by grace (Psa. 80:3; Zech. 4:6-7; 12:10), we ask You to do that by removing the partial blindness over Your people's eyes concerning Messiah Yeshua (Rom. 11:25).
Abba Father, show Your people that You want a personal relationship with them (Jer. 31:34).
God of Israel, in line with Ezekiel 36:26-27, give to the Jews who are back in the land a new heart, a new spirit, and Your Spirit, and let the fruit of their repentance be evident to all (Ezek. 36:31-32).
Messiah Lord, speak to many gentile believers to intercede for Jews to be saved (Rom. 10:1-2).
Abba Father, 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.
Body of Messiah:
Yeshua challenged the Jewish rulers in His day with their failure to discern the signs of the times (Matt. 16:2-3). Is He challenging His Body today with their failure, or worse, their lukewarmness, about the signs/miracles that He has fulfilled, and is fulfilling, concerning Israel?
Lord Yeshua, show Your Body the many "signs" that have accompanied Israel's restoration: the land flourishing again (Isa. 27:6); the IDF is that
exceedingly great army
(Ezek. 37:10); Jews are making aliyah from over 100 different nations (Isa. 43:5-6); there are more Messianic Jews today than at any time since the book of Acts; huge revivals in many non-Western nations (Psa. 22:27-28), plus more!King Messiah, gift Your Body with more
sons of Issachar
who can discern the signs of the times and know what Israel, and Your Body, are supposed to do (1 Chr. 12:32).Abba Father, place on many gentile believers the spirit of Jethro who rejoiced when he heard Your goodness to Israel when You delivered them from their enemies (Ex. 18:8-9).
Almighty God, raise up more voices in the Body who openly condemn rising anti-Semitism and the spread of lies in their nations – about Your nation (Rom. 11:16-24; 15:27; Eph. 2:11-13).
Messiah Yeshua, rebuke any elders who consciously avoid speaking about Israel because of fear of causing division in their congregations (Gal. 4:16).
As the main issue is not trusting in the Tanach today, Lord God arise and rebuke all the "wise" elders and theologians who are responsible for this denigrating of Your Word (Jer. 8:9).
Water:
The weather in Israel has become cooler with some light rain falling in various parts of His land. We love praying from Isaiah 41:17-20, for there we see that God's goal in providing not just the water, but also in renewing Israel's land is so that Israelis
may see and know and consider that YHWH's hand has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.
Amen!
IFI: We so appreciate all of your prayers, words of encouragement and your financial support. Please continue so that we, by His grace, are able to persist in interceding for His nation, in order that our Lord and God will be glorified (Psa. 115:1-3).
Shabbat shalom from Zion
Chuck Cohen, for the IFI team
Deut. 33:26 [from the Torah portion; "Yeshurun" = upright one; symbolic/prophetic name for Israel. All the redeemed in Messiah Yeshua are included.]