©January 25, 2013 Revive Israel Ministries

Desperate Widows

By Asher Intrater

Some of the greatest men of faith and power in the gospels were not men at all, but women – often women in desperate situations.

There is the Canaanite woman whose persevering faith received deliverance for her daughter (Matthew 15:27) even though she had to humble herself like a dog licking crumbs under the table. Let us get the crumbs of deliverance and restoration for our children as she did.

There is the woman with the issue of blood (Mark 5:30) who touched the hem of Yeshua's (Jesus') garment. She pulled out of him the power of God for physical healing, while the rest of the disciples missed what was happening.  Let us get the power for healing as she did.

There is the sinful woman who wept at Yeshua's feet, kissed them and wiped them with her hair (Luke 7:38). She touched His heart with a depth of passionate love that the religious leaders could not come close to. Let us touch Yeshua with the greatness of our love as she did.

There is the widow whose persistent prayer serves as a model for all generations to pray without losing heart (Luke 18:1-5). Let us learn to pray tirelessly as she did.

There is the poor widow who put two small coins in the offering, with greater faith than all the wealthy (Luke 21:2). Let us give all we have with the supernatural generosity she had.

There is Miriam (Mary) from Migdal who searched for Yeshua and clung to Him after the resurrection (John 20:17), while the apostles were hiding away. Let us have that same tenacious faith to lay hold of the Lord in seemingly hopeless situations.

One of the secrets to seizing the power of God is to see ourselves in their position as desperate widows, focusing our faith 100% on Yeshua alone.

By Roni Rejuwan

God chose David to be king over Israel and set him on a throne with authority to rule the government from Jerusalem.  David's throne later passed on to his son Solomon (Shlomo).

I Kings 2:12 – Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was greatly established.

As David's son, Solomon established the kingdom in a greater way. Yeshua (Jesus) is the great, great… grandson of David and Solomon. He established their throne in a way that they never could have imagined (II Samuel 7:12 - 19). Yeshua was born as David's son (Matthew 1:1, 2:2). He was destined to sit on David's throne forever (Luke 1:32-33) and expand the kingdom without end (Isaiah 9:5-6).  The disciples had this in mind when they asked Yeshua if He would "restore the kingdom to Israel (Acts 1:6)."

The inauguration of Solomon is described a second time.  The description is of the same event but with a slight (!) change of wording.

I Chronicles 29:23 – Solomon sat on the throne of YHVH to be king in place of his father David, and he prospered.

The throne in Jerusalem is called in I Kings "the throne of David" and in I Chronicles "the throne of YHVH."  It is the same throne with two dimensions of authority and two perspectives of the kingdom. That throne was destined for Yeshua, who is both the Son of God and the son of David (Romans 1:3-4).

Mysteriously, the throne of Israel is also the throne of God. It is His throne.  He is the "God of Israel."  All the kings of ancient Israel sat on God's throne.  God "loaned" His throne temporarily to sinful men, even though they rejected Him (I Samuel 8:7).  God gives to us the leaders that we choose so that we may learn from our mistakes.

Government today is temporary, man-made, and sinful. Ultimately, all governments will be transformed into the kingdom of God (Revelation 11:15).  (Religious Jews pray 5 times per day, "May the throne of David be established quickly in Jerusalem.") National Israel is a preliminary stage leading up to the true and eternal kingdom.

The big surprise of the election was the 19 seats won by Yair Lapid's party, promoting a mainstream social-economic platform. They are likely to form the coalition under Prime Minister Netanyahu, whose party led with 31 seats (less than expected).

The second surprise was the 12 seats won by Naphtali Bennet's party, a right-wing Zionist modern Orthodox party. The fact that they beat out the two big ultra-Orthodox Haredi parties, along with the fact that the number 2 man in Lapid's party is a rabbi with a more pluralistic worldview, may mean that there is hope for curtailing some of the religious coercion and corruption.

The big question now is who will enter the coalition with them.  Both Lapid and Bennet are new to the political realm.  Pray for wisdom and righteousness for Netanyahu, Lapid, and Bennet as they seek to form a coalition and define the government's priorities for this coming term.

Some surprising demographics: of the 120 Knesset members, 49 will be first-time members, 39 will be Orthodox Jews, 27 women, and 11 Arabs.

Set your calendars for Thursday, February 21, for the traditional "Ta'anit Ester" (Esther fast). In Israel, several congregations and prayer houses will be joining together to fast and intercede for Israel, the Church and the Nations, according to the themes in the book of Esther. We invite you, in churches and synagogues wherever you live, to join us on that day for 12 continuous hours (6:00 AM to 6:00 PM Israeli time) of prayer, praise, and prophecy. Details of prayer topics will follow.

Don't miss Asher's message "Victory in Tribulation" recorded at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City! To watch, click here.