於2012-06-15發佈

為以色列時事禱告(June 12, 2012)

伯特利在攪動

顯我為義的神啊,我呼籲的時候,求祢應允我!我在困苦中,祢曾使我寬廣;現在求祢憐恤我,聽我的禱告!』(詩篇4:1)

伯特利(希伯來文:Beit-El或Bet-El,意思是神的家),位在耶路撒冷北方幾哩處,屬於便雅憫支派古時的領土,六日戰爭時從約旦佔領中奪回,於十年之後(1977)再次重建,現在是六千名正統猶太教徒的家園。以色列在1967年奪回後還有其他社區建造在這裡,國際社會認為此城鎮的存在是非法的,因為其位在未來(穆斯林)巴勒斯坦國的邊界。

伯特利在希伯來聖經至少出現六十六次,這是亞伯拉罕從哈蘭初到示劍後,第一次遷移的地方(創12:8)。他在那裡築了一座壇,求告耶和華的名。後來他又回到此祭壇敬拜,多年之後他的孫子雅各在這裡發現,他祖父曾禱告的天門仍敞開(創28:12)。這一次 神站在通往天的梯子上對他說:『我是耶和華─你祖亞伯拉罕的神,也是以撒的神;我要將你現在所躺臥之地賜給你和你的後裔。』(創28:13)。又過了許多年,主對遠在哈蘭的雅各再次顯現,說自己是『伯特利的神』,吩咐他回到迦南(創31:13)。回去之後,神吩咐他:『起來!上伯特利去,住在那裡;要在那裡築一座壇給神,就是你逃避你哥哥以掃的時候向你顯現的那位』(創35:1)。於是雅各順服神回去,神『又向他顯現』,再次向他確認這地是要給他與他的後裔的。『神又對他說:我是全能的神(El Shaddai);你要生養眾多,將來有一族和多國的民從你而生,又有君王從你而出。我所賜給亞伯拉罕和以撒的地,我要賜給你與你的後裔。神就從那與雅各說話的地方升上去了。雅各便在那裡立了一根石柱,在柱子上奠酒,澆油。雅各就給那地方起名叫伯特利-神的家。』(創35:9a, 11-15)。
 
幾百年過後,當以色列已經變成強大的國,從埃及回來並征服了迦南人。伯特利持續成為求問神的地方(士20:18);底波拉和撒母耳都在此替人做判斷(士4:5; 撒上7:16)。但在所羅門死後,以色列被分成南北國,耶羅波安造了金牛犢玷污了伯特利,要以色列人在那裡敬拜,藉此取代他們回到耶路撒冷敬拜神(王上12:28)。然而,到了以利亞的日子,在伯特利住了一群主的先知們(王下2:3)。因著人們的大惡,何西阿預言伯特利必有屬神的審判發生,以色列的王必全然滅絕(何10:15)。 

學習敬畏神的地方

在北國遭亞述驅逐後,外邦人被送到撒馬利亞居住,他們不敬畏神的行為促使主叫獅子進入他們中間,將『那地之神』的規矩指教那些民。於是亞述王將一個被擄的祭司送回以色列,『住在伯特利,指教他們怎樣敬畏耶和華』(王下17:28)。伯特利是教導敬畏主最合適的地方。雅各從夢中驚醒,說:『耶和華真在這裡,我竟不知道!就懼怕,說:這地方何等可畏!這不是別的,乃是神的殿,也是天的門。』(創28:16-17)。 

伯特利再次回到新聞焦點

我們六月初到美國,參加了幾場聚會,剛好都在強調『家』或『伯特利─神的家』。實際上,今年剛好是希伯來曆5772年,又稱為『家的一年』,這是因為最後一個數字2在許多希伯來文字典中,剛好與『家-beit』的希伯來文拼音一樣。我們回到以色列發現在耶路撒冷北部的伯特利(Beit-El)─神的家,正好成為新聞焦點。以色列高等法院上個月裁決,位在伯特利郊外一個稱為烏帕納(Ulpana)的定居點,有5棟公寓式建築沒有經過允許,蓋在巴勒斯坦所擁有的私人土地上。法院下令7月1日前淨空並拆除這些建築物。對於法院裁決此指控的真實性遭到許多人質疑,這些居民顯然完全不知情他們所搬進的公寓竟是違章建築。納坦雅胡總理建議在伯特利城內為這些居民蓋新的住處,遭到他們的反對。雖然總理尊重他們的訴訟,但他覺得有義務支持以色列政府的法律裁決,所以繼續阻止國會在拆除前通過這些建築合法化的提案。

851戶新建築

就在總理強制法院裁決拆除烏帕納違建戶,並重新安置其居民的同時,他接著釋放一個令人震驚的消息,就是他的政府同意三百戶新建在伯特利,另外551戶新建在西岸另五個猶太社區─一次同意851戶新建築!(當然,幾個小時內就收到來自美國預期中的回應:『以色列在西岸持續進行新建屯墾區,有損和平努力,抵觸以色列的承諾與義務,包括2003年的路線圖。美國對以色列屯墾區的立場非常清楚,我們不接受以色列新建屯墾區的合法性,也反對將屯墾區的定居點合法化。』)同樣令人震驚的是,納坦雅胡總理宣布在伯特利的新建案,竟是由國防部長巴拉克所做出的陳述。同樣的巴拉克在2000年是當時的總理,他與阿拉法特在大衛營和談,願意放棄近乎全部的猶大與撒馬利亞區域(當然也包括伯特利),以及耶路撒冷的一半。星期二巴拉克說以色列會擴建伯特利和奧菲拉(Ofra),這已達成最後協議,又說:『我認為需要做一些事來強化伯特利,它是非常重要的社區,我看好伯特利的未來。』

我們必須禱告

我們感到此時在此古老神聖之城所攪動的甦醒意義非凡,我們必須尋求明白『伯特利的神』正在說什麼。現在正發生的事到底有何重要性,我們又該如何禱告?很重要的是,我們需要瞭解爭戰已經在此領土上方開打,神要開始前進,祂顯然有了計畫,但當祂開始前進,很重要的是,凡有血氣的都要在祂面前靜默無聲(亞2:13);『人的怒氣並不成就神的義。』以色列屯墾區居民認為他們被錯誤對待,他們的行動不能只因為他們是大發熱心的猶太人,而成就『公義』。不法就是不法和殘忍的暴力(希伯來文:hamas),其來自魔鬼,這樣的人是在魔鬼的掌控下。過去兩天,極右派的猶太激進份子蓄意破壞了兩個阿拉伯社區,在車子輪胎上鑽洞,在無辜阿拉伯人的產業上塗鴉『去死吧,阿拉伯人』、『為烏帕納(Ulpana)報仇』與『價格標籤』等字眼,這些阿拉伯人與以色列政府的裁決完全無關。如此充滿復仇暴力的靈,在示劍時也曾出現在雅各兒子的身上,當時神命令雅各回到伯特利,但首先要『除掉你們中間的外邦神,也要自潔,更換衣裳。我們要起來,上伯特利去,在那裡我要築一座壇給神,就是在我遭難的日子應允我的禱告、在我行的路上保佑我的那位。』(創35:2-3) 

請禱告:

*神的國降臨,祂的旨意行在伯特利。
*為住在伯特利和烏帕納英勇的猶太居民禱告,使他們不服在不法與暴力的靈。禱告目前住在烏帕納的猶太人會服在政府的權柄下,不需被強制遷移。
*求主賜給伯特利的猶太人啟示,讓他們知道是公義使國高舉,不是出於律法,而是出於聖潔的主。
*在以色列的信徒瞭解聖靈藉由在伯特利發生的事對教會說的話,求主賜下該怎麼做與如何禱告的指示。
*敬拜讚美的井可以在伯特利再次被挖開,『天開了』的經歷可以再次在那地發生;禱告在此城市神所召聚的人,再次學習古時族長對主的敬畏與關係。
*『顯我為義的神啊,我呼籲的時候,求祢應允我!我在困苦中,祢曾使我寬廣;現在求祢憐恤我,聽我的禱告!』(詩篇4:1)。倘若總理的計畫執行後,伯特利的居民很快將發現他們的狹窄之地『變寬了』─多了300戶新建築。禱告他們將認識這位『公義的神』,是祂成就這事,祂也是『伯特利的神』,是那位當他們呼求時回應他們的神! 

馬汀和娜瑪‧賽維士(Martin & Norma Sarvis) 
於耶路撒冷


Prayer Update From Israel (June 12, 2012)    

THINGS ARE STIRRING IN BETHEL

 "Answer me when I call, my righteousness-God! In a narrow place you have made wideness for me; grace me and hear my prayer!" (Psalm 4:1). 

Bethel (Modern Hebrew: Beit-El or Bet-El-"House of God") is an Israeli community a few miles north of Jerusalem within the ancient territory of Benjamin. Re-established in 1977, ten years after the land was taken from the occupying Kingdom of Jordan in the Six Day War, it is now home to almost 6000 mostly Orthodox Jewish Israelis. As with other communities built on territory taken by Israel in 1967, the town's existence is seen as illegal by the international community, which sees it as lying within assumed borders for a future (Muslim) Palestinian state. 

The name Bethel appears at least 66 times in the Hebrew Bible. It is the place where Abraham removed to after first arriving at Shechem from Haran (Gen. 12:8). He built an altar there and called on the name of YHVH. He would return to worship at this altar, and many years later his grandson Jacob would arrive to find the heavens where his grandfather (and likely his father Isaac) had prayed still open (Gen 28:12). It was at this time that a Being stood above the ladder rising into heaven and said, "I am YHVH God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants" (Gen. 28:13). Years later in far away Haran, the LORD, referring to Himself as "the God of Bethel", would again speak to Jacob, commanding him to return to Canaan (Gen. 31:13). Back in the Land, God commanded him, "Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother." Upon Jacob's obedient return, God "appeared to Jacob again", affirming once more to whom this land would be bequeathed: 'I am El Shaddai. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you;' and to your seed after you I give this land.' Then God went up from him in the place where He talked with him.And Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke to him, Bethel-House of God" (Genesis 35:9a, 11-15). 

Hundreds of years later, when Israel, now a mighty nation, had returned from Egypt and conquered Canaan, Bethel would continue be a place of inquiring of God (Judges 20:18). Both Deborah and Samuel would make judgments in the area (Judges 4:5; I Sam. 7:16). Yet when the Kingdom was divided after the death of Solomon, Jeroboam defiled the Bethel by erecting a golden calf to be worshipped there in place of journeying to Jerusalem to worship YHVH. Yet even in the days of Elijah there remained a contingent of prophets of the LORD in Bethel (II Kings 2:3). Because of great wickedness, Hosea predicted divine judgment to take place at Bethel, when the king of Israel would be completely cut off (Hosea 10:15). 

A PLACE FOR LEARNING THE FEAR OF THE LORD

After the Northern Kingdom was taken into exile by Assyria, foreigners were sent to inhabit Samaria. Their godless behavior resulted in the LORD sending lions among them. To teach the rituals of the "god of the land", the Assyrian king sent a priest from the exiles back to Israel, who "came and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the LORD" (II Kings 17:28). Bethel was a fitting place to be taught the fear of the Lord. Jacob, upon first awakening from his dream there had been filled with it: "Surely YHVH is in this place, and I did not know.' And he was afraid and said, 'How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!" (Gen. 28:16-17)

BETHEL IS RETURNING TO THE NEWS

While traveling in the US earlier this month, we attended a number of meetings in which the word "house" or "Bethel, the House of God" were emphasized. Indeed, the present Hebrew year 5772 has been called the "Year of the House". This is because the year ends in a "two", and, as may be shown in any Hebrew dictionary, the Hebrew word-number for "two" is identical in spelling to the Hebrew word for "house"-beit. We returned to find the literal "Beit-El" north of Jerusalem at the center of our news. The Israeli Supreme Court had last month ruled that five apartment buildings of an outpost called Ulpana lying just outside Bethel's limits had been built without proper permits on land privately owned by Palestinians. The court had ordered that the inhabitants be removed and the five buildings demolished by July 1st. The veracity of the allegations behind the court's ruling has been questioned by many, and there is certainly little doubt that the current inhabitants of the buildings were unaware that they had been illegally constructed when they moved in. A suggestion by Prime Minister Netanyahu that new buildings would be built for the inhabitants within Bethel's recognized limits was rejected by the settlers. The Prime Minister, who has great respect for the settlement cause, but who also feels obliged to uphold the rule of law in Israel's government then proceeded to block passage of legislation in the Knesset which sought to retroactively "legalize" the land to a time prior to the court's ruling.  

851 FOR ONE

The Prime Minister then released the astonishing news that, while enforcing the court's ruling against the Ulpana settlement and relocating its inhabitants, his government is also authorizing 300 new housing units to be built within Bethel itself as well as 551 units in five other Jewish communities within the contested West Bank-851 new building permits in all! (Of course, within hours the expected response arrived from the US State Department, "Continued Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank undermines peace efforts and contradicts Israeli commitments and obligations including the 2003 road map. The US position on Israeli settlements is clear. We do not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity. We also oppose any effort to legalize settlement outposts."). Almost as astonishing as Prime Minister Netanyahu's announcement about building up Bethel was a statement made this week by Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak. This is the same Barak who as Prime Minister in the Camp David talks with Yasser Arafat in 2000 was willing to give up almost all of Judea and Samaria (including of course Bethel) and half of Jerusalem. On Tuesday Barak said that the communities of Bethel and Ofra would be annexed to Israel under any final-status agreement, adding, "I think there are things that must be done to strengthen Beit El (Bethel). It's a very important community, Beit El. I have no doubt about the future of Beit El."

WE MUST PRAY

We sense the stirrings awakening at this time in and regarding this ancient holy site to be of extreme significance. We must seek to know what the Spirit of the "God of Bethel" is saying. What is the significance of what is happening and how should we pray? It is important to realize that there is a battle already going on over this territory. God is beginning to move, and He obviously has a plan. But when He begins to move, it is essential that all flesh be hushed before Him (Zechariah 2:13); nor will "the anger of man work the righteousness of God." The actions of Israeli settlers who feel they are being wronged are not made "righteous" simply because they are committed by zealous Jews. Lawlessness is lawlessness and cruel violence (Hebrew: hamas) is demonic, whoever comes under its control. In the past two days far-right Jewish activists have vandalized two Arab communities, puncturing holes in tires and spray-painting "Death to Arabs", "Vengeance for Ulpana" and "Price Tag" on property of innocent Arab citizens who had nothing to do with the rulings of the Israeli government. A similar spirit of vengeful violence had been unleashed by Jacob's sons on Shechem when God commanded Jacob to return to Bethel. But first, "Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments. Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone" (Gen 35: 2-3). 

PLEASE PRAY:

*That God's Kingdom come and His will be done in Bethel.
*Against the courageous Jewish settlers in Bethel and Ulpana submitting themselves to spirits of lawlessness and violence. Pray that those presently living in Ulpana will submit to a governing authority and not have to be forcibly removed. 
*For revelation among the Jews in Bethel regarding the righteousness which exalts a nation-a righteousness not of the Law, but of the Holy One.
*For understanding amongst Believers in Israel regarding what the Spirit is saying to the Congregations through what is happening in Bethel-and for instructions as to what to do and pray.
*That the wells of worship and praise would be reopened in Bethel, that an "open heaven" would be granted there once again; that both the fear and fellowship of the Lord experienced by the Patriarchs would be taught anew to those God gathers in that city.
*"Answer me when I call, my righteousness-God! In a narrow place you have made wideness for me; grace me and hear my prayer" (Psalm 4:1). If the Prime Minister's plan goes into effect, the inhabitants of Bethel will soon find their narrowness "made wide" within them-with the addition of 300 buildings. Pray that they will come to know the "Righteousness-God" who accomplishes this, who is also the "God of Bethel" who answers when they call!

Martin and Norma Sarvis
Jerusalem