God with Us 

“Adonai went before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead the way and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light. So they could travel both day and night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night never departed from the people.” 

––Exodus 13:21-22 

One of the things we are celebrating during the Feast of Sukkot is God dwelling with us. In the wilderness, Israel had a visible manifestation of God’s presence with them day and night: pillars of cloud and fire. At one point, when God was displeased with His people’s faithlessness, Moses pleaded with Him that He would not send them forward if His presence did not go with them.  

Thousands of years later, in a humble Bethlehem stable, the Messiah was born as Immanuel, God with us. After Yeshua’s (Jesus’) resurrection and ascension, dwelling with God took on a whole new form. God’s presence came to Believers through the Holy Spirit, given not among us, with us or near us, but right inside us. 

Can we fathom the depths and extent of this gift? God is as close as our thoughts, and He will never depart from us. He is there to guide us as He did the Israelites in the desert. He reveals Himself, teaching us and showing His compassion as Jesus did when He lived on Earth. And He comforts and helps us, empowering us to walk in God’s ways.  

As we focus this Sukkot on God dwelling with us, take some time to reflect on what it means to you that God dwells within us. Consider how you could become more aware and engaged with His presence. And rejoice at the wonders of God dwelling with you every day! 

“Therefore Adonai Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will conceive. When she is giving birth to a son, she will call his name Immanuel.”   

“…which means ‘God with us.’” 

––Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:23 

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.” 

––Revelation 3:20 

“Yeshua answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him.” 

––John 14:23 

Dwelling with God amid COVID-19 

With God, there’s no social distancing required. No masks, no advance appointments and no pre-ordering necessary. You can be as spontaneous as you want. He is always ready to meet with you and ever eager to carry your burdens. Spend extra time with Him. As singles and families have found creative ways to spend time productively, we can apply that idea to our relationships with God too. You could read through a book of the Bible you seldom turn to. Go for walks with God, praying for things you’re typically too busy to address. Praise Him for something before you ask Him for something. Choose a chapter of the Bible and read it each day for a week. What are some other ideas you could do to freshen things up in your time with Him each day? 

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.””

Philippians 4:19 NIV

Our week started with Yom Kippur and on Friday we begin Sukkot, the last of the annual Feasts for this calendar year. Sukkot reminds us of God’s provision for the Israelites in the wilderness and also of all He has provided in our lives today.

Let us together thank God for His provision for the Jewish people and also ask Him for protection and to provide a way out of the coronavirus crisis the world is experiencing. Again, this past week we are seeing record numbers of new cases in Israel, including an increase in patients needing ventilators. Hospital parking lots have been converted into temporary wards. The entire country is in a second lockdown to stop the spread of the virus.

There is good news regarding peace between Israel and other Arab countries, as you’ll read about in the news stories below concerning both Saudi Arabia and Sudan. Meanwhile, the U.S. has imposed sweeping new sanctions on Iran to curb the country’s nuclear, missile and conventional arms threat.

Thank you for continuing to stand with and pray for Israel and her people, especially in regard to the coronavirus.

Israelis mark Yom Kippur with second lockdown

On Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, Israeli life comes to a halt. Businesses shut down, roads empty, even TV and radio stations go silent as they faithfully fast for 25 hours and go to God with prayers of atonement.

This year a second lockdown to try and contain the spread of the coronavirus has already closed non-essential businesses and Israelis have been ordered to stay within 1,000 yards of their homes. This lockdown continues through mid-October.

The government responded to a significant spike in the number of daily cases and fear of hospitals being overwhelmed with this nationwide lockdown. Israel is experiencing one of the most severe outbreaks in the world, currently reporting more than 7,000 new cases a day – with a population of just 9 million, according to The Times of Israel.

In the spring, a lockdown largely contained the outbreak. The new daily cases dropped to around a dozen in May. Authorities then reopened schools and businesses quickly, leading to a surge in new cases. At the same time, the economy struggled to recover. An emergency government was formed at that time to manage the crisis caused by the pandemic. Unfortunately, infighting has only increased the public sense of despair.

Saudi king takes aim at Iran, talks of support for Middle East peace

During his debut last week at the annual United Nations meeting of world leaders, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman called for a united front to contain Iran and stop it from getting weapons of mass destruction.

"A comprehensive solution and a firm international position are required," the Saudi king, told the 193-member General Assembly in a video statement that was pre-recorded due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to U.S. News & World Report.

In reference to U.S. peace efforts in the Middle East, Salman said, “the kingdom supports all efforts aimed at advancing the peace process.”

Salman did not explicitly express support of the recent normalization agreements between both the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain with Israel, but it is believed both countries likely received Saudi Arabia’s blessing, The Times of Israel reported.

Sudan and U.S. discuss Arab-Israeli peace

A Sudanese delegation and American officials met in the UAE and discussed how peace could stabilize the region, according to the Reuters news agency.

The discussions were held on the future of Arab-Israeli peace, which would lead to “stability in the region and preserve the right of the Palestinian people to establish their state according to the vision of a two-state solution,” a council statement said after the return of the delegation.

The two sides also discussed “the role that Sudan is expected to play in achieving this peace,” it said. Further details were not provided.

U.S. imposes sweeping new sanctions on Iran

After asserting that the United Nations arms embargo on Iran be reimposed indefinitely, the United States imposed sweeping new sanctions on Iran to curb the country’s nuclear, missile and conventional arms threats.

President Trump’s administration is imposing new sanctions and export control measures on 27 entities and individuals connected to Iran’s nuclear weapons program, according to VOA (Voice of America) News. Iran's Defense Industries Organization (DIO) and its director, Mehrdad Akhlaghi-Ketabchi, and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro are among those being sanctioned.

"For nearly two years, corrupt officials in Tehran have worked with the illegitimate regime in Venezuela to flout the U.N. arms embargo. Our actions today are a warning that should be heard worldwide. No matter who you are, if you violate the U.N. arms embargo on Iran, you risk sanctions," said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, alongside other top U.S. officials from Trump's national security team, last week during a press briefing at the State Department.

Let us pray together

Please pray with me for:

• Israeli citizens to follow the nationwide lockdown regulations and for coronavirus cases to decrease
• Hospitals in Israel to be able to provide treatment for all who need it
• Additional Arab countries to seek peace with Israel – possibly Saudi Arabia and Sudan
• Protection from threats to Israel by Iran and any other countries opposed to peace in the Middle East
• Jewish people to recognize during Sukkot that Yeshua (Jesus) is God’s ultimate provision for us and accept Jesus as their Messiah

Consider a generous gift

Thank you for praying with us for Israel and the Jewish people. You can also show your support with a financial gift.

Your generous gift will meet urgent needs for the most vulnerable Jewish populations in Israel – who are suffering even more because of the pandemic. You’ll help come alongside elderly men and women, recent immigrants, widows, orphans and others who are struggling with even basic necessities.

Your support today will also be used to reach the “Lost Tribes of Israel” scattered around the world with humanitarian aid, clean water and medical, dental and eye care.

Meeting physical needs opens the door to share the love and hope of Yeshua (Jesus) with Jewish people, bringing spiritual healing to hurting hearts.

Your gift will also help engage the Church concerning Israel and the Jewish people through our publications and social media presence, the new A Jew and a Gentile Discuss podcast, leadership training and more.

Sukkot is the last of the three Fall Feasts and begins five days after Yom Kippur. The word Sukkot means “booths” or “tabernacles,” so the seven-day holiday is also known as the Feast of Booths and the Feast of Tabernacles. 

Sukkot is one of three pilgrimage feasts in which all physically able Jewish men traveled to Jerusalem to make their offerings. The holiday falls around the time of the year’s final harvest and is associated with the ingathering of crops and God’s provision for His people. Therefore, Sukkot is sometimes called the Feast of Ingathering.

Sukkot is also a commemorative holiday in which God commanded the Jewish people to build and live in booths for seven days. These temporary structures consist of at least three sides and a loosely woven, leafy roof through which the stars can be seen at night. The sight serves as a reminder that God has kept His promise to make Abraham’s descendants as countless as the stars in the sky. Families build their sukkot in backyards, on porches or balconies depending on their type of home. Sukkah (singular of sukkot) decorations often include hanging fresh fruit from the ceiling and incorporating other natural beauty that reflects God’s bountiful provision. A family will typically have meals in their sukkah, often inviting guests to join them. Some families choose to sleep in their sukkot.

Sukkot remembrances

Along with the reminder of God’s faithfulness to His covenant to Israel, Sukkot stirs our memory about God’s provision for the Israelites in the wilderness. He performed wonders to provide His people with food and water in a dry and barren land. Aside from this, for 40 years, their clothing and shoes did not wear out.

God with us

Looking back to the Israelites life in the desert, we also remember that God’s presence dwelled with them. He never left them, day or night. He had called them out to be a people unto Him and promised that He would be their God. He dwelled among them in a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night. He commanded the building of the tabernacle as a place for His glory to dwell among them. The booths of Sukkot speak of God’s presence with us today.

Sukkot is celebrated at harvest time, adding to the array of reminders of God’s bountiful provision for us.

Sukkot rejoicing

The Torah spells out God’s commands for Sukkot in Leviticus 23, Numbers 29 and Deuteronomy 16. Sukkot is unique in that it is the only feast in which God commands us to rejoice. Israel was to do no work on Sukkot’s first day, and God instructed them to rejoice for seven days. One symbol of this rejoicing is called “the waving of the lulav.” God told Israel, “take choice fruit of trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and rejoice before Adonai your God for seven days” (Leviticus 23:40). Today, this bundle of vegetation is called a lulav and includes an etrog, a large lemon-like fruit, and branches from each of the three kinds of trees God commanded.

Celebrating for the future

Like all the biblical Feasts of the Jewish year, Sukkot contains a prophetic image of God’s plans to complete our redemption. As a harvest feast of gathering in crops, Sukkot depicts the fulfillment of God’s promise to regather the Jewish people to the Land of Israel, something He began in an exciting way in 1948 when the State of Israel was reborn overnight. He continues calling His people from the corners of the Earth, placing in them a burning desire to go “home” to the Land of their forefathers. Sukkot also depicts His final gathering together as His family at the end of the age when we will dwell with God forever.

The seven days of Sukkot 2020 begins at sunset Friday evening, October 2 and ends at sundown Friday, October 8. God gave commandments for an eighth day as well. The seven-day period of rejoicing and living in a sukkah is finished, and on this eighth day, God commanded a Shabbat rest and a holy assembly, as He did on the first day of Sukkot. This eighth day is called Shemini Atzeret, and serves as a conclusion to the Feast of Sukkot. Shemini Atzeret is observed one day in Israel but two days in the Diaspora. The second day is called Simchat Torah.  Shemini Atzeret 2020 begins at sundown Friday, October 8 and ends at sunset on October 9 as Simchat Torah begins.

With all that’s going on in our world this year, I can think of no better time for you to take your support to the next level and give each month to provide real help and the eternal hope that only comes from knowing our Messiah. Because of all of the challenges caused by coronavirus, many Jewish people are searching for meaning as never before. Shalom Partners are responding, giving monthly to share the Good News of Jesus with Jewish people in Israel and around the world, many of whom are suffering. They are desperately hungry for the lasting hope only our Savior can offer.

For people like you and me who care deeply about God’s people, this is a huge opportunity to take action!

Together, in the name of Jesus the Messiah, we can provide real HELP and eternal HOPE to the Jewish people.

Shalom Partners are, first and foremost, committed friends of the Jewish people. They are also highly valued friends of Jewish Voice and the backbone of our ministry. By pledging to give each month, Shalom Partners enable us to care for Jewish people in need and share the Good News.

When you make an automated gift each month, you’ll make an even greater difference for Jewish people in Israel and Africa who are fighting to survive against poverty and even persecution in some places. You’ll help meet both critical physical and spiritual needs.

As a Shalom Partner, you’ll provide consistent support that allows our ministry to meet needs without interruption, even in times of uncertainty like we are experiencing now.

Joining Shalom Partners also has important benefits for you. And the Jewish Voice Prayer Cube you’ll receive is only the beginning. Your Prayer Cube includes five different prayer inspirations, including the Shema and the Lord’s Prayer, to help you pray for Jewish people with even greater impact.

As a Shalom Partner, you’ll also receive:

• The Shalom Partner Update which will share updates and incredible stories from the field with you every month
• Our Jewish Voice digital magazine, where you can read about current events in light of the Scriptures
• Our weekly Middle East Update email which will keep you in the know about developments in Israel and throughout this region – and how they may affect you
• The Insider’s Report, which is special “insider” information that I only share with our most valued partners

Become a Shalom Partner today and help bring us one step closer to the day when, by God’s grace, all Israel will be saved!

On this holiest day of the Jewish year,

may God bless you with:

An easy fast

Insightful reflection

Humble repentance

Joy of your salvation in Yeshua, and

Rest in the confidence that your name

is written in the Lamb's book of life.

He [Yeshua/Jesus] entered into the Holies once for all—not by the blood of goats and calves but by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.

—Hebrews 9:12

At this holy time of year, please join us in praying for Jewish people worldwide to come to know the complete atonement of Messiah Yeshua, who is both the sacrifice and our great high priest. (See Hebrews 7–9.)

If there’s a message our world — and especially the Jewish community — needs today, I believe it’s this: “Life is hard. But God is good.”

In my own life and ministry, God has proven Himself to be loving, true and good. Sometimes He calls on us to wait on Him and listen. Other times He calls on us to act.

That’s why I’m writing — to ask you to stand with Israel, to act on behalf of Jewish people today.

As you know, Jewish communities are constantly under fire — from enemies that surround Israel, to a recent increase in anti-Semitism. And the coronavirus continues to be a problem in Israel and other countries where Jewish Voice ministers.

Thankfully, we need to look no further than Scripture for a compelling reminder of God’s faithfulness.

An ancient lament

Lamentations is an amazing glimpse at the heart of a prophet, the gripping response of God’s servant Jeremiah — his lament — as 2,600 years ago he surveyed the ruined city of Jerusalem, destroyed by the Babylonians.

In what can almost be called a poem, Jeremiah’s words are full of anguish as he describes the terrible devastation, the loss of life and the starvation of a city under siege.

But then, he turns from pain to promise, from horror to hope in the certainty that God will redeem the city and restore His people:

“This I recall to my heart therefore I have hope: Because of the mercies of Adonai we will not be consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning! Great is Your faithfulness”

(Lamentations 3:21-23).

Just imagine. Amid this great suffering, God shows through Jeremiah that He is a God of mercy, grace, and truth. He is good! If only we will trust Him.

I want to invite you to be part of God’s enduring promise — so dramatically foretold by Jeremiah — to bring eternal redemption to the Jewish people, especially those who are struggling to survive in Israel right now.

God wants to do so much good for His people! But I believe He is looking to you and me to join Him in faith to help deliver that good. There’s no better time than now for us to do so. But we need to trust Him.

What’s more, as I write you today, the coronavirus continues to cause serious problems in Israel. The government has struggled to stop the spread and move the economy toward recovery.

Sadly, among the most at risk is the elderly population. Because of their advanced age and preexisting medical conditions, they’re among the most vulnerable people in Israel.

And, finally, a fascinating development presents us with even more opportunity for ministry. Israel is experiencing an influx of Jewish immigrants from Ethiopia and other nations. Many are among the Beta Israel, one of the “Lost Tribes of Israel,” who are being allowed to move back to Israel. Jewish Voice is highly committed to meeting their spiritual needs.

What trust in God looks like

Because we care so much about the future of Jewish people in Israel, and because we believe in the redemption promised by God in Lamentations, Jewish Voice is stepping out in faith with a promise to provide $1,335,500 by year’s end to support Messianic ministries in Israel.

It’s a huge commitment, I know. We want to do everything we can to bring the saving message of Yeshua (Jesus) to the lost sheep of Israel — before it’s too late.

That is why we need your help! Your gift now will be put to work immediately to bless the Jewish people through dozens of kingdom-building partnerships in Israel to provide:

•            Humanitarian relief essentials like food, medical support and dental care

•            Ministry to widows, orphans and single moms — especially those who face crisis

•            Training for Messianic congregations to raise up the next generation of Messianic leaders

•            Discipleship and evangelism to advance the Gospel

•            Much-needed support and services for new immigrants to Israel who are struggling to make a new life in Israel

I’m counting on your participation now more than ever. The simple fact is, we can’t do it without you.

This is a tangible, practical way to truly bless the Jewish people. It isn’t about dollars and cents. It’s about introducing them to their Messiah, Yeshua.

Won’t you stand with me now — with a gift of $20, $40, $60 or even more? You’ll demonstrate your faith and compassion for the Jewish people.

God has a plan for His people. He’s carrying out that plan right now, just as He has since before time. What a joy to be part of it — to help bring the Jewish people to Yeshua, leading to a dramatic, worldwide restoration.

This is what you’ll be a part of when you join us to support Israel and her people with your gift today.

Please don’t wait. We’ve promised to provide $1,335,500 by December 31 to support our Messianic ministry partners in Israel. And we must follow through.

That’s why I believe God is already moving in hearts now. And I hope in yours too. Thank you. And God bless you.