Hi and welcome to another look inside Israel as our sis in Jerusalem shares about the preparations taking place as Passover approaches. This is the second have of last weeks letter. Hope that isn’t too confusing!Thank you and God bless you! Now, here she is . .. .
Actually, all of the cleaning and changing over that families do at this time of year is excellent opportunity to examine our hearts and the story of Pesach as we are on our knees scrubbing. The religious families and many others take the full month to recount the meaning with their children. In the synagogues the weekly readings are leading up to the Pesach itself.
It is so much easier, in a practical way, to ‘keep the Pesach’ here in Israel, then it was in the ‘exile’. In all of the stores and even in the open markets and our shuk, every shelf and bit of equipment is being scrubbed clean and/or exchanged for equipment kept in storage specifically, year after year, for Pesach. Many markets boil their shelves. Food items with any trace of leaven are already being removed completely from shelves or are being placed in a single area that will be cleaned just before Pesach. Later, just before Pesach itself, certain food shelves and full aisles in stores will be sealed in shrink wrap, and other shops will close completely during the full holy day. The actual Pesach is observed for 8 days when no leaven is supposed to be seen at all in the land. Even though MOST Jews and most Israelis observe Pesach, sadly more and more of the secular Jews are casting it aside and more and more leaved items are available – though it is illegal for a Jew to sell them – (although many Arab stores often make a huge display of their leavened goods during Pesach, knowing that they will bring in many of the secular Jews).
The Bible (the first covenant or old testament) is part of our regular school curriculum here, so the children in school are also reading the account and learning the traditions that go along with it, including the order of the seder. While our Grandchildren were in school here, it delighted me to hear their accounts of what they were learning.
Over the years that I have lived here I began to notice that the Passover account is referred to, scripturally, in just about all of the prescribed holy days. I didn’t realize that before. I began to delight in discovering another reference to the Passover. At each holy day we are told to remember the exodus and rejoice in it.
Living here has also driven me to pray constantly for increased discernment; not because of physical danger, but more so spiritual. Often I have referred to my first Pastor’s admonition that we remember that not every spirit that wiggles is The Holy Spirit. How true! As each holy day approaches, the wide array of self proclaimed prophets that often join themselves to the local body here for a season or more, begin to announce that ‘this is ‘it’’. If you have been a believer for more then a year, you have likely stood before The Lord on several occasions, holding the current ‘warning’ before Him and asking Him if indeed He is coming – and or judging – at this time. It is usually as a particular Jewish holy day approaches. Generally I have heard most pronouncements at Passover, Rosh h’shana, Succot and Shavuot…usually influenced by the events going on around the world. It is surely a tumultuous season that we are in and a dangerous one, and the decay of morals and polarization of populations has increased. One would be concerned just in the natural, and of course we are told to ‘not despise prophecy’; but to discern which prophecy is of God and which is of the flesh or even of another spirit…this is most important if we are truly going to be lead by His Spirit. It brings me much fear to recount what the discipline for a false prophet should be…and to see how LITTLE false prophecy seems to be dealt with today…or even repented of! God help us to walk before Him and to know Him.
So, in this atmosphere I am hearing clearly to ‘prepare’, and so I walk. Prepare my heart, prepare my home, prepare different things as He seems to lead, to prepare my mind by casting down vain imaginations and EVERYTHING that exalts itself above the knowledge of Him… follow Him!
And…I plan to share more with you concerning the preparations for this Pesach as the time approaches.
Thank you for your prayers concerning our family. To update you concerning my husband’s hip, we were happy to learn that it was not a new fracture, but apparently when his other hip was fractured when he was hit by the motorcycle 2 years ago, there was an undiagnosed fracture on this side as well and it has developed bursitis. J We are beginning to function again at our previous pace. Whew!
Thank you so much, dear brothers and sisters, friends…body of Messiah! What a privilege I have to walk with you! I LOVE getting mail and email and I DON’T get a lot, but I admit to sometimes having NO time to answer and I do so apologize. May The Lord be glorified in His body worldwide. May He find us waiting, watching and reflecting Him…and finishing the work that He gave us to do. May each of us be full of Him where ever He has placed us.
I send MUCH MUCH LOVE! Your sis
A small p.s.: many jokes are going around right now about a locust plague that has descended upon Egypt just 3 weeks before Passover…even as we spray against them in our Southern Negev (they have begun to arrive). There are some stunning videos of them if you google ‘locusts in Egypt 2013’. It brings the book of Exodus very much to life.
ani b’derek
Deb's Blog 