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WOMEN OF VALUE

BETHLEHEM: Sunday night, Nancy Zaboun’s husband had beaten her and the police were called to the scene.  The police asked the husband to sign a pledge promising he will not do it again.

The next day, in broad daylight, before witnesses, Nancy’s husband slit her throat and stabbed her to death.  She was the 4^th woman to be murdered by relatives in the PA controlled areas of Judea, Samaria and Gaza in the past 2 weeks.

Meanwhile, around the same time, a blonde Olympic tourist plops a big kiss on the cheek of an Arab reporter as he is speaking in front of the camera.  

Everyone is laughing – including the reporter – but would they be laughing if it happened in an Islamic country under Sharia law? Not likely. The blonde and the reporter would be severely punished…..we won’t get sick guessing how.

So what is the difference between countries whose laws have a biblical foundation and those nations with Islamic foundations?  ….especially as it pertains to women?

Let's begin with G-d's Word. Are there any important women in the Bible? I mean important like leaders, history makers, entrepreneurs?  The Bible is full of influential woman who impact history through their wisdom and deep commitment to G-d. They inspire the nation of Israel by providing the people with examples of integrity, courage, and leadership that is to be admired even today.  Several, laid their lives down risking all to lead the nation of Israel into victory.

Two women in the Bible who stand out as awesome examples of people who live fully for G-d, and thus shape the world around them for good, are Deborah and Esther (Hadassah).  Deborah was a judge, prophetess and military leader during the time Israel had judges leading them.  Esther was an orphaned minority living in a foreign land, who, through her obedience and faithfulness, saved her entire nation.

Deborah was an authority figure, making decisions for her nation based on G-d’s wisdom and prophetic insight. She judged Israel at a time of great oppression. The Canaanites had huge military superiority and were severely oppressing the Israelites.  One day, Deborah calls for Barak, the commander of the Israelite army. She prophesies that G-d will deliver the Canaanite army into his hands. This, in the natural, did not seem possible, but G-d was speaking through Deborah so Barak tells her, “I’ll only go if you go with me.”  He wanted to make sure she wasn’t just using “wishful thinking” which could cost him his life.

Deborah prophesies a second time in response to Barak and lets him know that she will go, but because he responded as he did, G-d will defeat the Canaanite leader, Sisera through the hands of a woman. And, that is exactly what happened!  Sisera’s army falls at the hands of Barak. Not one warrior is left standing except Sisera who escapes on foot.  He stops to rest in the tent of Jael who ends his life with a tent peg through the head.

Sisera was dead and the Canaanite king, Jabin was destroyed. Deborah sings a beautiful song about her victory that is forever recorded in G-d’s word (Judges, chapter 5). The Israelites have rest and peace for forty years.

Esther, was not a leader in Israel. She was an exile, a minority, living without her parents, being raised by her uncle.  She was young and had a very obedient spirit. She honored her uncle and did not question his love for her.  When asked to enter a beauty contest to choose a new queen, she does so willingly, perhaps leaving behind any dreams she had for a normal future. Once she is part of the king’s harem, her destiny is decided. Esther , like Deborah, walked with great integrity. She didn’t follow the crowd or pursue selfish gain. She followed wise instructions and was eventually chosen to be queen.

When an edict is sent out throughout the kingdom to slaughter the Jews on an appointed day, she is asked by her uncle to use her position in royalty to reverse the death sentence on her people.  Esther is living the epitome of a Cinderella story, yet is asked to risk it all, even her own life, to save the Jews in Persia. Understanding her own inability, she calls for a fast……and I mean a real fast! No food, no water for 3 days! At the end of the fast, she promises to approach the king, understanding that her life may end at that point.

Esther implements a supernatural strategy given to her during her fast. The result is victory beyond what she could have dreamed. The enemy of the Jews is destroyed and the Jews are given authority in the land and the edict is reversed. Esther’s uncle even ends up being given great responsibility by the king!

What f these women had been thought of as “second class” or “only for men’s pleasure”. What if they were denied a real and powerful relationship with the true G-d? What if no one had considered their potential? In both cases, Israel would have been condemned to a meager existence and possibly total destruction.

This is worth your careful consideration when you are comparing the G-d of Israel to any other god. He alone gives honor and blessing to both men and women. He alone places great value on every life.

WHAT ABOUT G-D?

Have you ever heard been a victim of gossip? Have you ever heard something about someone and found it hard to believe? 

This happens to all of us, no matter what culture we live in. Most of us either ignore it ….or, if we are really troubled by what we hear or read, we go right to the person.

Often, when we go directly to that person, we find out that what was said was not the truth or was partially true.  Often the victim feels maligned, like an injustice was done against them and their true character was presented incorrectly. This happens every day in the news, on television and over the internet. In fact, much of what sells news is not always firsthand, truthful reporting!

Perhaps the one who has been most “maligned” throughout time has been G-d! Yes, G-d! The G-d of the Bible! The G-d of Israel! Much of what we write about in this blog has to do with man’s religious understanding of G-d and how it lines up with who he says He is in His Word. Many people have misunderstood who He really is.

Not everyone takes the time to find out exactly what G-d says, and many just believe what others who claim to know Him say about Him and His Word.

 I am suggesting in this little post here that if you really want to know G-d, personally seek Him out, don’t rely on what others say about Him.

For some, this is easier than it is for others. Not everyone on the planet has access to the Bible. So, I’ll give you a few things G-d says about Himself to help you understand who He is.

                                   

In Exodus chapter 34, verses 6-7, the Lord comes down in a cloud and stands with Moses and proclaims His Name – Yahveh. He passes in front of Moses proclaiming:

The Lord, The Lord, the compassionate and gracious G-d, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to 1000’s and forgiving wickedness and rebellion and sin.

Wow! What an amazing way for G-d to reveal who he is! He could have said a zillion different things….creator, provider, holy…..but these are the words he chooses to say in front of Moses!

David says in psalms 108:4 :

For great is your love
higher than the heavens
Your faithfulness reaches to the skies!

In Solomon’s Poem, Song of Solomon, he refers to The Lord taking us to His banquet hall and His banner over us is LOVE. (Song of Solomon 2:4)

In Psalm 34, verse 18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those crushed in spirit.

He promises in Psalm 91, verses 14-16 that –

“Because he (you) loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him for he acknowledges my name.
He (you) will call upon me and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble
I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him
And show him my salvation.

The Prophet, Jeremiah, even says G-d doesn’t have “bad” plans for us. In Chapter 29, verse 11 G-d says:

For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and NOT to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.

So many people argue about buildings, property, yet the G-d of the Bible says:

The highest heavens cannot contain Him! (1 Kings 8:27, 2 Chronicles 2:6)

What does the G-d of the Bible, the G-d of Israel want us to do with His presence and His blessing? In Isaiah chapter 61, verses 1-3 He says:

The Lord has anointed me to proclaim Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and
the day of vengeance of our G-d,
to comfort those who mourn
and provide for those who grieve in Zion-
to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes
the oil of joy instead of mourning
and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.

What a beautiful picture these words paint!  In the same chapter, verse 7, G-d goes on to give even more blessings :

Instead of your shame, you will receive a double portion,
Instead of disgrace, you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion of your land,
And everlasting joy will be yours!

Who else offers mankind everlasting joy?

Now, maybe you are not Jewish. Maybe you are reading this and you are from another culture, another religion. Can you know the G-d of IsraeL? Does he care about you?

In chapter 42 of the book of Isaiah, G-d is introducing His servant. He says:

“Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
My chosen one, in whom I delight.
I will put my Spirit on Him and
He will bring justice to the nations,
He will not shout or cry out or
raise His voice in the streets,
A bruised reed  he will not break, and
a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness, he will bring forth justice:
He will not falter or be discouraged till
He establishes justice on earth.
In His law, the islands will put their hope.
This is what G-d, The Lord says-
He who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it,
Who gives breath to its people and life to those who walk on it,
I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;
I will take hold of your hand,
I will keep you and will a make you to be a covenant people
and a light to the Gentiles,
to open eyes that are blind, to set captives free
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

I read these words and I read about a G-d who cares about people.

I read about a G-d who is for people, not against them.
I read about a G-d who is not demanding me to do things for Him, but
instead, continually declares what he will do for those who love Him.
Maybe His character is best summed up in Psalm 23:

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me besides still waters.
He restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for you are with me.
Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil.
My cup overflows.
Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever!

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION - Why is it such a problem in Israel and the United States?

Is it just me? Or does anyone else ever wonder why despite Israel’s struggles with violence and terrorism and America’s failing economy, people from all over the world are still willing to risk their lives and enter these nations illegally!

We never read about “massive” floods of immigrants into China, or India or Russia!
In fact, many countries make it “impossible” to leave, forcing their own citizens to stay in the nation against their will.

Ever wonder what it is that makes these two nations so attractive?

Why do people risk their lives on boats, rafts, walking days through hostile deserts to be smuggled into Israel? America?

                                             

Why do people come as visitors, yet never leave, forfeiting opportunities to see their families again back in their native lands?

Both countries get pretty bad international press. They are often written about as the “enemy” of the world, the problem, even America’s current President travels the world apologizing for his nation, yet people keep coming. So great is the influx of people who illegally enter America and Israel that both nations are now facing serious social and economic problems.

    

 There is a huge demand placed on the “Goodwill” of both nations beyond what they are able to do.

As is the case in all nations, America and Israel have laws that have been democratically determined to establish criteria for people from other nations to live legally within their borders. These laws help to keep the native citizens safe and help avoid huge demands on the economy. They also help preserve the qualities unique to each culture and are far more liberal than most countries.

Both America and Israel have their foundations in the Bible. Is it possible that this may be the root of the attraction? Of course, not everyone would recognize that, but, if we dig deep enough we may find that principles from G-d’s word have helped make these two nations become magnets to hurting people throughout the world.

So let’s look beyond “job opportunities” or “health care” or even “freedom” to why these three things even factor into the equation.

Nature and the Bible both present clear laws about reaping and sowing. Anyone who has ever planted a seed can tell you the plant that grows from that seed is identical to the plant the seed comes from and contains even more seeds for planting.  For example, an apple seed produces an apple tree with hundreds of apples that have hundreds of seeds!

When citizens of a nation believe this principle, whether it is applied to agriculture or finances or benevolence they will prosper.

Ever ask why the tiny nation of Israel was one of the first nations to fly medical surgical units across the Atlantic to Haiti after the devastating earthquake?

Ever ask why America trains certain groups to bring crisis relief to hurt areas of the world?

Just wondering……where were the wealthy Saudis when Haiti was suffering? Where were the industrialized Chinese?

Another principle in G-d’s Word that greatly affects the culture of both America and Israel is their foundation is the 10 Commandments.  These provide a moral structure for how people respond to G-d and how they treat each other.

Now, I totally understand that both societies have stretched the limits in recent years regarding these laws, and some people would vote to abandon them, yet they still stand as the basis of the law in both nations and have proven to be a beneficial foundation from which to build healthy communities and cultures. In fact, so healthy that thousands of refugees want to live under their umbrella.

Yes, freedom is a real attraction to people who come from nations where it does not exist, however, freedom in itself, without some standard of right and wrong will result in greater oppression and tyranny. History has proven this to be true.

I am not in any way saying America and Israel are perfect nations……is there one? Can there ever be one if imperfect people are governing? But, we must ask ourselves what is the attraction? Why against all bad reports concerning these two nations do the people keep coming?

It is not just money! The Arab nations are rich in oil money, they have gold dripping in their market places.  

Opportunities? Maybe. There are biblical principles about hard work that
G-d watches over to enforce, like in Proverbs 14, ALL HARD WORK BRINGS A PROFIT or Proverbs 10, THE HAND OF THE DILIGENT MAKES RICH.  Hard work is surely what has caused Israel to become a leading nation to invest in, in only 64 short years.

The opportunity to work hard is also what has attracted to many people to come to Israel and to America. However, maybe the most attractive foundation to both cultures is the value placed on every life. This permeating truth is found throughout the Bible, but beautifully expressed in Psalm 139.

This is the motivation behind rescue aid, medical aid, educational assistance, and many other benevolent actions that are core to the heart of both Israelis and Americans.

Obviously, neither country can ignore immigration laws. For the protection of their legal citizens, laws must be enforced regarding how people enter Israel and the United States or any other country.

But, it is impossible to any longer ignore the attraction these two nations have and the lack of attraction it’s enemies have. It is time for the world to recognize that Biblical principles work in life. They produce healthy, prosperous societies that have opportunities and reward hard work and achievement. Maybe if other nations followed Israel and the United State’s examples, their citizens would stop risking all to leave their countries, and become key players to its success!