Today marks the celebration of Yom Kippur - the Day of Atonement - for our Jewish friends. You will remember it being described in Leviticus 16:2-34, Leviticus 23:26-32, and in Numbers 29:7-11. This was a day for fasting before God, in fact, Leviticus 23:29 declares that anyone who did not fast on that day should be destroyed.
The Day of Atonement was the only day of the year when the High Priest was permitted to enter into the Most Holy Place, that sanctuary where the Ark of the Covenant rested and where the Shekinah Glory of God resided. On that day the High Priest took meticulous care as to how he was dressed, how he had addressed his own sins in his own life, and the attitude with which he was to enter into this most sacred place. Two goats were selected with one goat being offered as a sacrifice. The High Priest carried upon his heart the sins of the entire nation of Israel. Upon entering the Most Holy Place, he would sprinkle the blood of that goat upon the atonement cover atop the Ark on behalf of the nation. Then the second goat would be brought to him. He would place his hands upon the head of that living goat, transferring the sins of the people to that goat - the goat thus becoming the sin-bearer for the nation. That goat was then led away deep into the wilderness and turned loose, never to be seen again. It was an illustration and a reminder to the people of how God had removed their sins from them. King David would later exclaim, "As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us" (Psalm 103:12).
Praise God that Jesus Christ has borne the penalty for our sins and His blood, poured out upon the cross, removes those sins from our lives as we come to acknowledge and believe in Him as our Savior. I pause on Yom Kippur and say "Thank you, Jesus, for Your powerful sacrifice. You were truly the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world. Thank you for taking away my sins." Perhaps, on this holy day, you might want to pause and do the same.
Of course, even though it is Yom Kippur, the world continues to shake its fist in the face of the living God. I trust you are following the events at the United Nations this week. Yesterday our President addressed the General Assembly and once again reiterated that the United States would use its resolve to stop the Iranians from obtaining a nuclear weapon. He threatened the use of military force, if necessary. One wonders how those words were heard in both Tehran and Jerusalem. The President, in an interview over the weekend with CBS's Sixty Minutes, had said that he would not listen to all the "noise" coming from various regions about the status with Iran. Of course, everyone knew that the "noise" he was referring to was that of Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel. Personally, I am getting the feeling that the United States has no plan in place as to this pending crisis with Iran. I hope I am wrong - guess time will tell, but, if Israeli intelligence is correct, there is not much time left.
Today, the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will address the General Assembly. Over the weekend, he, too, gave us an insight into what he would be saying. He reminded the world that Israel has no historical presence in the Middle East at all - that they have only come into the area since the early part of the 20th century, whereas the Muslims have been there forever. Now, President Ahmadinejad never has excelled in history, otherwise he would know that Israel has been historically identified with the land since the time of Abraham over four millenniums ago. The Muslims can only trace their presence since the 7th century AD, or less than a millennium and a half.
Finally, on Friday, Prime Minister Netanyahu will speak. I will be paying close attention to what he has to say. I believe he is a man who understands what a war with Iran could do to his nation, yet he also understands what a nuclear Iran could do as well. More next week about the United Nations.
Finally, I have received e-mails from many of my readers that included an e-mail stating that there was a lot of military activity going on in Israel and wondered if something was up. A friend of mine, David Dolan, who has spoken to several of our tour groups while in Jerusalem, and is a former CBS reporter from Israel, wrote this in his blog: "Reports went out around the world via the Internet during September that Israel was in the final stages of massive war preparations, said to be in anticipation of an imminent Israeli military strike upon Iran's nuclear facilities. However government and military spokemen said that while Israel is indeed preparing for war, this has been the case for some time, and nothing unusual has been occurring in recent months or weeks. Well placed Israeli sources have informed me that this was an accurate assertion, although all also realize that growing regional instability means that war could break out at virtually any time. .... Some of the spreading war rumors may have been sparked by an unusual Israeli military drill held during the month. IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz put out an unexpected order to many army unit commanders to immediately rush their forces to Israel's northern border with Syria on the Golan Heights. Once they got there, live fire exercises and other drills were carried out under conditions that simulated an enemy attack upon the area. .... Although the drill was quite unusual, the IDF later issued a bland statement claiming, 'This drill is part of a routine program of checks and surprise exercises held throughout the year.' Despite this, many Israelis said the drill was another indication that the escalating internal war in Syria, which has left an estimated 20,000 people dead, may soon grow to directly involve Israel."
Yes, there was a movement of troops. Yes, Israel continues to prepare for war. But if one looks at the pages of history since the UN Resolution creating the State of Israel on November 29, 1947, Israel has always been preparing for war. Even when there have been those times of peaceful interludes, the preparations for war are never removed from their hearts. I know those of you who sent me the e-mails are diligently praying for Israel - its leaders, its people, and its lands. Keep on praying, remembering that it was King David who challenged us to "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels" (Psalm 122:6-7).
Thought for the Week: "Some minds are like concrete: Thoroughly mixed up and permanently set."
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