The other day, during my quiet time with the Lord, He showed me a sad picture of a man lying on a railroad track with an oncoming freight train bearing down, its loud airhorns blaring. But the man could not get up.....his legs were so weak, he could not. Then the Lord explained the vision he had given me: I was seeing the condition of our country, our world, Israel, and the church.We are in a desperate condition! “Whatever will be will be” seems to be the attitude of so many. Giving up. Mentally and spiritually losing hope. Might as well just lay down on a railroad track and await the end...Mark 2:1-9 tell us of a great miracle of healing Jesus performed in Capernaum. A man sick of palsy was let down from the rooftop of a house through a hole in the roof, borne on a litter. Jesus simply said, “Son, thy sins be forgiven thee”. Critics standing by were reasoning about that: who can forgive sins but God only? Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to fogive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.” And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all”.
Sickness, of any kind, can lead to dispondency, hopelessness, and even thoughts of suicide. Pain associated with sickness can become unbearable without medication. But Jesus healed this man by addressing and overpowering the consequences of sin in his life, then simply told him to get up, take up his bed, and walk—a great miracle of healing!Spiritual sickness is like a man lying down on a railroad track knowing a train is coming would cut him in pieces, but discovers he has no strength to rise to escape death. The spirit might be willing, but the flesh is weak.World events taking places as I write this article are like blasts from God’s airhorn; alerting us to quickly accept what Christ has already provided, arise, take up our beds, and quickly return back into our (spiritual) houses!
Just recently, the Israeli government set aside $29 million to encourage its farmers to return to the ancient Bibical practice of setting aside farming for a complete year. It is called a “Shemitah”, (or “Sabbath year”) We ask ourselves, why now? After all, the Shemitah has not been observed in Israel in any meaningful way since the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D!
In Exodus 23:10-11 we read:“And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof. But the seventh year thou shall let it rest and lie still, that the poor of thy people may eat and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard.”This law was to be a blessing, not a curse, for reading further in that chapter God made specific promises to those who would obey. They would find that He would be “an enemy to their enemies and an adversary unto their advesaries.” (verse 22). God would also bless “their bread and their water and would take sickness away from them. None would cast their young nor be barren in their land and He would “send His fear before thee ...and make thine enemies turn their backs to thee”.
Many other promises were made to these people before they entered the promise land...all of them conditional. We swho tudied the scriptures and lived during the very days that Jews which were scattered to the four corners of the earth, witnessed the fufillment of prophecy as they were drawn back to become the nation of Israel. We have marveled at the fufillment of prophecy before our very eyes; indeed, the entire world considers this a miracle.Now, as the enemy is positioning itself to sweep the Israel’s land, every Jewish citizen knows of this threat. It will affect the entire world....including ours.
In Israel, more and more farmers and consumers are expressing concern about fruits and vegetable intentionally grown and harvested in that seventh year – also known as the Shemitah year, or Sabbath year. Now the Israeli government and Jewish religious leaders are hoping to work together to reinstate the practice. The next Shemitah year on the biblical calendar begins Sept. 25, 2014 – Rosh Hashanah, the civil new year.
The new Shemitah budget will go to the Religious Affairs Ministry, which intends to use a portion of the funds for promotional materials, and educational assistance for farmers wishing to honor the commandment. Another small portion of the budget will be used for the special ceremony that marks the end of the Shemitah year Sept. 13, 2015 or Elul 29 on the Hebrew calendar. That ceremony will take place at the Western Wall, in Jerusalem during Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles.
The bulk of the appropriated funds will be used to support farmers who will suffer loss of income, but who nevertheless, choose to keep the Shemitah, allowing their fields to lie fallow in obedience to God’s law.
Despite the government’s assistance, concerns surrounding the observance of the sabbatical year are complex, and involve Jewish legal issues and opinions on how best to adhere to the command without negatively affecting the income of farmers who follow the Sabbatical law and to protect the fragile agricultural economy.
Additionally, observant Jews in Israel will need guidance on how best to purchase foods that have not been grown on Israel’s soil during the yearlong observance.
In the period when kings ruled in Israel, disobedience to the Sabbatical laws brought Divine punishment. Israel’s 70 years in Babylonian captivity were, in part, due to the failure of the Jews to observe the Shemitah for 70 years, according to II Chronicles 36:20-23.
More concerning this can be read at http://www.wnd.com/2014/06/israel-rediscovers-shemitah-in-time-for-blood-moons/#0UILAMSV5rSlSRoX.99
This article came about as I had that vision about the man on the railroad track about to be killed by an oncoming train bearing down. His only hope was to “rise and walk”. Deliverance could only manifest itself through obedience, and God alone would be the source of the strength that is needed as he was willing to call upon Him and obey. Jesus spoke the Word to that man lying on his bed, but the man had to obey first...then strength to rise and walk would happen.
We are not under Mosiac law. We are under a far more difficult choice to make. Our “fields” of toil; plowing, planting, and harvesting of souls into God’s kingdom will not end until the harvest-time has come.
It will be an act of faith for us to “rise and walk”.
MARY E. ADAMS
