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“He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. As you do not know what is the way of the wind, or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, so you do not know the works of God who makes everything. In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening do not withhold your hand; for you do not know which will prosper, either this or that, or whether both alike will be good” (Ecclesiastes 11:4-6 NKJV).

We usually approach our Bible reading hoping to find something for our “spiritual” lives, but the Bible is not always “spiritual” in the way this word is often understood.

Many of the stories and wisdom sayings of the Bible represent the everyday reality of the people living in ancient Israel and Judah. They are not innately religious, but they can help us embrace a more holistic form of “spirituality” that encompasses all aspects of our lives.

And this, in part, provides the opportunity to teach us about biblical spirituality. It penetrated everyday life—the common, ordinary existence of the people. It did not solely pertain to those moments of religious practice and observance, but offered regular, commonsense wisdom. The book of Ecclesiastes is filled with this.

Ecclesiastes has an abrupt and abrasive outlook and message. The Teacher has sought understanding and wisdom and concludes that it really does not matter, since the end of everyone is the same. Along the way of his discovery, he shares practical wisdom. Our text for today offers one example.

His message: Do not sit idle waiting for the right moment or the right time. If the farmer waited for the proper wind, he would never sow. If he tries to time the rains, he won’t have seed in the soil when the rain comes because he waited for the proper moment.

The Teacher notes that the only way one can ensure he or she will prosper is to practice industry all day, sow in the morning and in the evening do not sit idle, for no one knows what will work, The Bible encourages a strong work ethic and sense of responsibility. This probably derived from the people living in a world where existence required daily effort and attention.

But even after the farmer labored sowing his seed and reaping his harvest, he blessed God who brought food from the earth. The farmer viewed God as being part of the common and ordinary aspects of his life.

So, too, our lives offer us the opportunity to continually invite God into our everyday moments. The writer of Ecclesiastes certainly viewed our labor, our work, and all of life as being spiritual. Why? Because God wants to be involved in our daily lives, and we are invited to welcome Him into all aspects of our existence.

PRAYER

Father, as we labor today and live our lives, may our work and energy be pleasing before You. May we seize every moment and bless You for all that You provide. Amen.

By Nicole Jansezian

Married just one month, Yovel was looking forward to relaxing with her husband Mor over the weekend after a hectic season of wedding celebrations and the series of Jewish holidays which were winding down on October 7.

But after some arm-twisting from their friends, they made a last-minute—and ultimately life-changing—decision to head to a music festival that was taking place in southern Israel. Ten minutes after they arrived, rockets started flying in and concertgoers fled in utter panic. 

Unbeknownst to them, rockets were the least of their worries.

They immediately jumped in their car and started speeding north, assuming they were almost out of harm’s way.

“After about five minutes, we saw one of the infamous white pickups used by Hamas that were in all the videos from that day. It was blocking the road and we had only a split second to decide what we should do. Mor said he was going to try to go around it. He said to duck and to start praying,” Yovel said.

Mor sped up and swerved but a rain of bullets pounded the car. Mor was struck in the head and the car flipped over landing in a ditch.

“I’m pretty sure I lost consciousness when the car flipped because I don’t really remember what happened in those first few minutes,” she said. But after Yovel regained consciousness, she started asking who in the car was alive. Mor didn’t answer.

“I just didn’t know what to do. I tried to save him. I put my hand on his chest and checked for a pulse. I felt that there was no pulse,” she recalled. “I pleaded with him, ‘Mor, get up, please. No, it can’t be that you’re dead. It can’t be. We just got married. There’s no way.’”

But Yovel had no time to grieve. Hamas terrorists were prowling the street shooting at the cars they struck to finish off anyone who survived. They pretended they were dead and waited for help. Help did not arrive for another five hours. During that time Yovel and her friends heard people being kidnapped and a woman being raped. The woman was killed afterwards along with her husband. 

When the army finally arrived, each passenger was taken to a different location until they could finally get them to a hospital later that night for treatment.

Now Yovel, 26, is dealing with anxiety attacks and nightmares and she can’t go back to work.

“I started a new chapter in my life. It’s like a baby learning to walk. They took everything from me, and I must start over again,” she said. 

But she knows she has support and prayers from the CBN Israel family. Through CBN Israel’s partnership with the Jewish Agency, Yovel received financial aid so she could start the process of healing from this unfathomable trauma.

“Thank you for opening your hearts so that we can smile and laugh again. Thank you for thinking of us, and thank you for fighting for us,” she said. “It is not taken for granted how you are helping and standing with us.”

Nicole Jansezian is the media coordinator for CBN Israel. A long-time journalist, Nicole was previously the news editor of All Israel News and All Arab News and a journalist at The Associated Press. On her YouTube channel, Nicole gives a platform to the minority communities in Jerusalem and highlights stories of fascinating people in this intense city. Born and raised in Queens, N.Y., she lives in Jerusalem with her husband, Tony, and their three children.

Before the war with Hamas, more than 20 percent of Israelis lived below the poverty line. But since then, more than twice as many people have been driven to the brink of poverty. 

In fact, an estimated 200,000 citizens have been displaced throughout Israel—with many losing jobs or having to close their businesses. Some are living in temporary shelters, and unable to cook a hot meal, while others living in poverty are barely surviving with Israel’s rising prices. And local charities report a 58 percent increase in families asking for assistance since October 7.

So, what can be done for these hurting people in their time of crisis? Thankfully, friends like you have been there. Donors have enabled CBN Israel to partner with several food banks and distribution centers—and ramp up efforts to ensure these vulnerable people won’t go hungry.

One powerful partner is Latet—Israel’s largest food bank. This umbrella organization networks with 210 municipalities and local charities. In just four months, Latet distributed an additional 104,000 food packages. They have also provided food to soldiers and first responders on the frontlines, plus serving current beneficiaries—95,000 families and 1,450 Holocaust survivors.

Latet works with grocery stores and food manufacturers to salvage fresh and canned food and makes sure it goes to people in need. It also helps provide other essentials such as back-to-school equipment, hygiene boxes, and winter equipment.

And caring donors are helping to make this happen. Tal Avnet, head of resources development at Latet, is extremely grateful, saying, “Truly, we as the Latet team, would like to thank you all. You made us feel we are not alone in a very lonely and scary time.”

Your gifts to CBN Israel can give hope and aid to so many in need who feel alone. You can offer them hot meals, safe lodging, financial help, and more.

Please consider a gift to bless others!

GIVE TODAY

By Marc Turnage

The most dramatic geographical feature of the biblical land of Israel is the scar of the Rift Valley. Created by the tectonic plates, this forms part of the Syro-African Rift, the longest scar on the face of the planet. Within the land of Israel, the Rift Valley is referred to as the Jordan River Valley because the Jordan River flows through a large portion of it. Within this valley, Lot chose to settle in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, which God destroyed (Genesis 13:10).

The Jordan River begins south of Mount Hermon where three headwaters flow together to form the Jordan River. The Jordan River flows south through the upper part of the Jordan Valley, known as the Huleh Valley, then into the Sea of Galilee. It exits the lake on its southern end traveling south over sixty-five miles into the Dead Sea. Over its journey from the Sea of Galilee (656 feet below sea level) to the Dead Sea (1310 feet below sea level), the Jordan River carves a deep and winding course and meanders roughly two hundred miles over its sixty-five-mile journey. 

The Jordan River played a significant role in a number of biblical stories. The Israelites crossed the Jordan River, when it was at flood stage, to enter the promised land and began their conquest of the land (Joshua 1-4). Biblical Israel spanned both sides of the Jordan River, its east and west bank, so too did kingdoms that the kingdoms of Israel and Judah interacted with, like Ammon and Moab. 

Thus, characters in the Bible crossed the Jordan often traveling to the land on the eastern and western sides of the river (Judges 7:22-8:17; 1 Samuel 11; 31; 2 Samuel 2:24-32; 15-19). Elisha followed Elijah on his final day before being caught up into heaven across the Jordan River (2 Kings 2:6-13). After Elijah’s departure, Elisha crossed the river dividing it with Elijah’s coat. Elisha sent Naaman the Syrian to immerse himself in the Jordan River seven time (2 Kings 5:14) to cure him from his skin ailment. 

In the region of the Jordan, John the Baptist baptized Jesus (Luke 3:3). Modern pilgrims today visit a location identified as the traditional site of Jesus’ baptism near Jericho, and just north of the Dead Sea. The identification of this site began in the Byzantine period (4^th-6^th centuries A.D.) to enable Christian pilgrims to Jerusalem to also visit the Jordan River, which is a day’s walk from Jerusalem. The Byzantine Christians, however, did not know that Jewish ritual purity laws of the first century considered the waters of the Jordan River south of the Sea of Galilee impure for ritual immersion (Mishnah Parah 8.10-11). 

It seems unlikely, then, that John would have baptized anyone in the Jordan south of the Sea of Galilee; however, the waters of the Jordan north of the Sea of Galilee are considered pure for immersion. This geographically fits Jesus’ meeting Philip coming out of Bethsaida (on the northeast corner of the Sea of Galilee) the day after his baptism (John 1:43-44). Such a meeting would have been impossible in Bethsaida the day after his baptism if Jesus had been baptized near Jericho.

The Jordan River serves as one of the central geographic boundaries and features that plays so prominently in so many biblical stories. 

Marc Turnage is President/CEO of Biblical Expeditions. He is an authority on ancient Judaism and Christian origins. He has published widely for both academic and popular audiences. His most recent book, Windows into the Bible, was named by Outreach Magazine as one of its top 100 Christian living resources. Marc is a widely sought-after speaker and a gifted teacher. He has been guiding groups to the lands of the Bible—Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, and Italy—for over twenty years.

Website: WITBUniversity.com
Facebook: @witbuniversity
Podcast: Windows into the Bible Podcast

“For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things” (1 Corinthians 4:9-13 NKJV).

The striking image Paul chose to use to describe apostles, as being exhibited last, like men sentenced to die, came from the victory processions within the ancient world, and particularly those of the Roman Empire.

After an army won a great battle or war, the conquering general led a victory procession through the streets of the capital city. Following the general’s chariot and soldiers came the spoils of war, and last of all came the prisoners of war, whose fate usually resulted in death.

In fact, as part of the victory ceremony upon arriving at the end of the procession, they often executed many of the prisoners of war. Not a very noble position or end. Yet Paul compared God’s exhibition of apostles to such a situation.

He continues contrasting the situation of the apostles with the Corinthian believers. The apostles are weak, fools, held in disrepute. They find themselves poor, yet they respond to the abuse of others with blessing. The lives of the apostles contrast with everything people tend to want in life: material substance, favor among people, a life of peace and ease.

So why did Paul choose to remain faithful to such a life? Because he understood that the best way to serve God means being last, for God will reverse the current situation of things and the last will become first. Paul understood that his faithfulness in the midst of the present reality meant future reward and blessing from God. In other words, Paul remained faithful because he kept the end in sight.

Being an apostle or prophet in the Bible was not a pleasant experience. It often meant ridicule and revilement. It meant losing in the present to win in the end. It meant sacrificing the desires of the present for obedience to God’s ultimate plans and purposes.

This is a very different outlook than our modern world has. It’s a very different outlook than many in our churches have, including some of our leaders. If your prayer is genuinely to serve God best, then trust Him with your life even if it means hardship and suffering on this side of eternity.

PRAYER

Father, we trust our lives into Your hands. We are Your servants, and so do with as You please. May we serve You best, even if it means our discomfort and foolishness. Amen.

By Nicole Jansezian

Tucked into a back alley in the industrial area of a desert city in southern Israel, Coffee Studio unintentionally found itself a popular destination after October 7.

Just days after the Hamas invasion, Anna Lane’s artistic Bohemian cafe flooded with Israeli soldiers heading to nearby military bases after being called up to fight the war in Gaza.

“There was just a huge call up of soldiers who weren’t on active duty,” Anna said. “And so, I saw this and I was like, ‘This is such a great way to support our soldiers because it happened so fast.’”

Anna joined the many Israeli businesses which began donating to soldiers and internally displaced residents. Anyone in uniform got a free meal when they showed up at Coffee Studio.

But it was more than just coffee and a meal she offered. Anna had long been cultivating an atmosphere of tranquility and refuge in her off-the-beaten path cafe.

“Living here in Israel can be very intense,” she noted. “We don’t realize it until we come into a different environment. People are always saying just how wonderful and joyful it is here (at the cafe) and I know that it’s an environment that everyone can feel comfortable in.”

“That is really been the heartbeat of this coffee shop is to give a place where people can feel like they’ve been heard or seen and just have their day elevated just a little bit,” Anna said.

When Anna decided to open her business, she learned from a Korean coffee maker who taught her to sort through the beans by hand and pick out the moldy and rotten ones. This method keeps the coffee fresher longer, she said.

She was the first and perhaps still the only coffee provider in the country that sorts beans by hand.

“I’m very proud of that. That’s what I wanted to bring to Israel,” she said.

She also learned the art of roasting.

Anna met CBN Israel during COVID when government-mandated lockdowns were bleeding her business dry. Though she pivoted and started selling her coffee and baked goods to supermarkets since she couldn’t open the cafe, she was still not making enough.

“Everything still had to be paid, all the taxes had to be paid, all the property taxes, the rent,” she said.

CBN Israel’s business development department helped Anna with a grant and some much-needed encouragement.

“To have an organization come alongside and just to be supportive and just to hear me and where I’m at in this process of running a business in Israel was so supportive and so I could just trust in it and trust in the people and the organization,” she said.

CBN Israel has also helped Anna acquire much needed equipment to run her business better including a larger coffee roaster which has enabled her to expand her business. During the war, CBN Israel also pitched in to pay for soldiers’ meals.

Yigal Miller, head of CBN Israel’s business development department, said support like this is crucial.

“Supporting businesses in times of war and crisis is necessary and existential for Anna’s establishment and, with her help, we were able to feed soldiers and give the space and time to relax, disconnect and, for a moment, enjoy delicious food, coffee and love directed towards them,” Yigal said.

Anna said that during the first weeks after the war people were dazed, somber and some would randomly start to cry. She shared with the soldiers that organizations such as CBN Israel and Christians around the world were supporting them.

“They didn’t have any words to express just how much that meant to them. Some of them would cry… some of them would just be completely dumbfounded. Some would pay it forward and pay for the next soldiers that would come,” Anna said.

Ravit Stav was on her way to drop off her son at his army base just before he was heading into Gaza. They happened upon Studio Coffee having no idea they were about to be treated to a cup of coffee.

“It’s very touching that someone cares. I will leave here feeling strengthened,” she said. “Until now I didn’t shed a tear. And today I was very emotional. It touched me deeply.”

One soldier who couldn’t be named because of his position in the army said that soldiers have always felt supported there.

“They really try to help and lend a hand to all the soldiers here. It’s a wonderful gesture,” he said. “It’s nice to see that people from abroad are also trying to contribute to us, trying to help us. Soldiers come here to be distracted and they get some quiet here and financial support.”

Nicole Jansezian is the media coordinator for CBN Israel. A long-time journalist, Nicole was previously the news editor of All Israel News and All Arab News and a journalist at The Associated Press. On her YouTube channel, Nicole gives a platform to the minority communities in Jerusalem and highlights stories of fascinating people in this intense city. Born and raised in Queens, N.Y., she lives in Jerusalem with her husband, Tony, and their three children.

As Israelis continue to process the Hamas atrocities of October 7, which left 1,200 dead, tens of thousands displaced, and 240 as hostages in Gaza, CBN Israel has been providing trauma counseling to victims of war and terror while also preparing to deal with an expected “tsunami” of desperately needed psychological and emotional counseling in the weeks and months ahead.

“It wasn’t just those injured, and people directly affected that were impacted by this war—it affected the whole nation,” said Arik Pelled, director of CBN Israel’s Family Department.

Experts told CBN Israel that more people are experiencing increased anxiety, fear, and insecurity. And, in addition to those personally affected by the horrific attacks, an estimated 120,000 displaced residents are living in hotels or temporary shelters. Many still endure the threat of rocket fire, and every resident is bombarded with tragic news of the war regularly.

So how can a nation in trauma find healing? Friends like you are meeting that need, through CBN Israel’s partnership with the Israel Trauma Coalition—by training more therapists, introducing emergency early-intervention treatments, and building mobile therapy units. Thanks to caring donors, more people will receive trauma care, for emergency and long-term situations.

And with so many residents scattered or displaced, donors are supporting this team in creating a national call center, which can connect people to the nearest therapist in their new location.

Plus, CBN Israel has hosted workshops for Israeli therapists, to teach them an innovative method for treating and even preventing PTSD. Leading the workshops was Dr. Gary Quinn, a psychiatrist who pioneered ISP, Immediate Stabilization Procedure—a treatment that has already proved successful in Ukraine.

CBN Israel has also been building a similar program for leaders of congregations around the country and equipping them to deal with these unprecedented traumas.

This is just one way your gift to CBN Israel can share God’s love—while also offering food, housing, and more to those in need.

Please join us in blessing Israel’s people at this time!

GIVE TODAY

By Marc Turnage

The Sea of Galilee is the lowest freshwater lake on earth. It sits 600 feet below sea level. It is a lake, and not a sea; thus, the Evangelist Luke correctly describes it often as a lake (5:1; 8:22, 33). 

The Lake of Galilee sits in the Jordan River Valley, which is part of the Syro-African Rift Valley. The Jordan River flows through the lake from the north where its three headwaters converge south of the ancient site of Dan to form the Jordan River and flow south into the lake. The river continues out of the south end of the lake on its southward journey towards the Dead Sea. The modern exit of the Jordan River on the south end of the lake is not the ancient exit of the river; the modern exit was created for the dam used to regulate the flow of water out of the lake.

Hills surround the lake on its western, northern, and eastern sides. To its south, one finds the continuation of the Jordan River Valley. On its northwest and northeast corners sit two fertile valleys into which water runoff from the surrounding hills flow. The northwest valley is known as the Gennesar Valley, which the first century Jewish historian Josephus says was the name given to the lake by the locals (see Luke 5:1). The valley on the northeast side of the lake is the Bethsaida Valley, so called for the ancient site of Bethsaida, the home of Jesus’ disciples Peter, Philip, and Andrew, which was located in the valley along the shoreline of the lake. 

The Bethsaida Valley, while fertile, has three large water tributaries, including the Jordan River, flow through it, which made it more challenging for travel by foot. Two of these tributaries flow out of the Golan Heights feeding the water of the lake along with the Jordan River. Between the Gennesar Valley and Bethsaida Valley ninety-five percent of Jesus’ ministry recorded in the Gospels took place. He fed the 5,000 in the Bethsaida Valley (Luke 9:10). Within this area, one finds the villages of Capernaum, Chorazin, and Bethsaida, which Jesus cursed (Luke 10:13-16). 

South of the Gennesar Valley sits the modern city of Tiberias, which was built by Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great, in the year 19-20 A.D. Antipas moved his administration from Sepphoris to Tiberias, which was where he resided during the ministries of Jesus and John the Baptist. 

The lake itself provided a fishing industry for the locals. The water off the Bethsaida Valley provided excellent fishing, especially for the local tilapia. People used the lake not only for fishing, but also for travel. Both Josephus and the Gospels indicate that people traveled around the lake by boat much more than they did by foot.

The Gospels record the sudden storms that occur on the lake. The topography of the surrounding hills and canyons create wind funnels across the lake, particularly the northern part of the lake. Storms on the Lake of Galilee are serious, especially the wind storms that blow in from the east off the Golan Heights down onto the lake. The easterly wind storms that hit the land of Israel are quite severe, and even in the present day, can cause damage to property and agriculture, even the loss of life. These easterly winds are known as sharkia, from the Arabic “shark” (east). They are most prevalent from October-May. They turn the lake’s waters into churning, violent swells, easily 10 to 12 feet high. 

The Lake of Galilee provides the setting for many of the stories in the Gospels, sayings and actions of Jesus. On its shores, He taught the people about the kingdom of Heaven and performed many miracles. 

Marc Turnage is President/CEO of Biblical Expeditions. He is an authority on ancient Judaism and Christian origins. He has published widely for both academic and popular audiences. His most recent book, Windows into the Bible, was named by Outreach Magazine as one of its top 100 Christian living resources. Marc is a widely sought-after speaker and a gifted teacher. He has been guiding groups to the lands of the Bible—Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, and Italy—for over twenty years.

Website: WITBUniversity.com
Facebook: @witbuniversity
Podcast: Windows into the Bible Podcast