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Life can often distract us. It might be the unrelenting stress and busyness within our own lives, the whirlwind of anxiety often generated by a 24-hour news cycle, or the latest novelty being presented as the solution to our problems. We find ourselves consumed by the cares and worries of this world, and God gets lost in the distraction.

These are the real threats the modern world poses to our faith: the increasing demands on our valuable time, the constant worry over the chaos in our world, and the allure of comforts and conveniences that give us the illusion of self-reliance.

Each of these traps can cause us to lose sight of God, and we slowly fail to recognize the truth that “the Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is unsearchable” (Isaiah 40:28).

Keeping our faith in this modern world means choosing daily to expand our vision beyond our current situation or surrounding events and gazing into eternity, to the One who created everything. It means fixing our eyes on the God who has held the oceans in His hand, who has measured off the heavens with His fingers, who knows the weight of the earth, and who has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale (Isaiah 40:12).

Being a person of faith, however, does not simply mean acknowledging that God is our Creator. God is not merely the cause of all existence; He provides meaning to it. He is far more than a first cause; He is the author of love, truth, and life. “With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding? And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge, and informed Him of the way of understanding?” (Isaiah 40:14). The answer: no one.

He rules over all creation: “It is He who sits above the circle of the earth” (Isaiah 40:22). He elevates and brings low. He raises kings, nations, and leaders, and He also humbles and casts them down. But He never loses sight of the poor, the oppressed, the marginalized, and the weary. Instead, He is the one who strengthens them and lifts them up.

Our modern world so often captivates us with anything and everything that will steal our focus. If we’re not careful, we can spend our lives so consumed by the cares and worries of this world that we miss the opportunity to live with the hope and perspective that God is on the throne and that He is in control. God rightly challenges all of His people with the question, “To whom then will you compare Me that I would be his equal?” (Isaiah 40:25).

Living with true faith in the modern world means clearing away all of the distractions and beholding our God who is the source of love, truth, meaning, purpose, hope, and life. It means that we live each and every day in awe and wonder of Him—and Him alone.    

PRAYER

Father, overwhelm us with Your timeless and awesome presence. May we live each and every day in awe and wonder of You. No one is like You. May we never lose sight of that. Amen.

By Nicole Jansezian

Israelis desperate to return to routine since the Israel-Hamas war broke out in October encountered many obstacles not the least of which was whether buildings were equipped with bomb shelters.

Ilanit Gindi, who runs a private nursery school serving more than 100 children in central Israel, discovered this when she wanted to reopen a few weeks after the war began. Israel’s Homefront Command prohibited her and many others from operating their schools because they didn’t have protected spaces.

Daycare in Israel is not government subsidized for kids up to 3 years old, and so most of these private establishments do not have the advantage of public benefits such as bomb shelters.

“In order to install two bomb shelters in each nursery it would cost me hundreds of thousands of shekels,” Ilanit said. “And if I had to do it on my own, I would not be able to open the day care.”

Near the coast in central Israel, Rishon LeZion was one of the heaviest bombed cities absorbing the third highest number of rockets in the weeks after October 7.

“Rishon LeZion was under fire and it was extremely dangerous,” said the manager of Gan Anglit (English Daycare). “There were many missiles that impacted the city, and we were even hit here. We found a large piece of shrapnel on one of the climbing toys.”

With the weight of the situation and her son being called up to reserve duty to the war in Gaza, Ilanit realized she was sinking into depression and determined she needed to get back to work.

“I started to think of ways I could reopen for the kids, their parents, and my staff,” she said.

Ilanit found a less-than-ideal temporary solution, renting rooms in a community center. But with cramped space she had to limit the number of staff and hence the number of children that could come back. That also meant less income despite higher expenses.

Alice, head of CBN Israel’s Victims of Terror department, empathized with these parents’ concerns—especially since she herself is a mother of two young children.

Alice has long been part of CBN Israel’s efforts to provide bomb shelters in public spaces throughout Israel. But building five bomb shelters for private daycares presented some new and interesting challenges.

She learned an important lesson: Not all bomb shelters are created equal.

“The rockets that are being fired into central Israel from Gaza—60 to 80 kilometers away—are much heavier and stronger than the ones being fired into the Gaza envelope, which is only 7 to 10 kilometers away.”

Because Rishon LeZion is much further from the Gaza border, the construction of these bomb shelters did not fit the typical formula.

“We had to have the shelters custom made in order to achieve a certain thickness of the walls. The shelters had to have air filters, AC, and electricity. All of the bomb shelters have to be built to a certain standard to meet the requirements of the Homefront Command,” she said.

In fact, these new bomb shelters were so much heavier than usual the installation also required cranes to lift them over buildings and into place.

But the installation was a game changer for dozens of families and an entire neighborhood.

“From the moment that Alice said this is possible, I felt for the first time in a long time that I could see the light at the end of the tunnel and smile and be happy again,” Ilanit said.

CBN Israel enabled many families to return to work with renewed peace of mind, Alice noted.

“Parents want to feel safe and want to know their kids are safe,” she said. “The emotional burden of sirens and war and the fear is overwhelming. I praise God and thank every CBN Israel partner for thinking of the kids here and the families here.”

Ilanit said the shelters will also provide protection for the neighbors who live nearby in unprotected homes.

“I feel so safe now and I’m not worried,” she said. “If something happens, my staff are protected, and the parents will not be worried. This gives me enormous confidence to open the daycare every morning and to be able to ensure the protection of everyone—the children and my staff.”

Despite coming under frequent rounds of rocket fire in the south and the north, some 60% of Israeli apartments do not have a shelter, according to a real estate database in Israel.

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.

By Marc Turnage

The land of Israel did not merely provide the stage upon which biblical events too place, its flora, fauna, climate, and geology provide the images, metaphors, and vocabulary that biblical writers used frequently to communicate their message whether in narrative, poetry, or prophecy.

There are places within Israel today where one can stand within the geography used by the biblical writers and feel and hear, within the setting, the message they sought to communicate. The Dan Spring is one of those places. 

The spring acquires its name from the biblical site of Dan, the northernmost city within biblical Israel. Located at the base of the foothills of Mount Hermon, it provides the largest of the three springs whose tributaries come together south of the site of Dan to form the Jordan River.

The Dan Spring produces roughly 240 million cubic meters per year. With such a large amount of water coming from the spring, especially in the winter and spring of the year when the rains and snowmelt add to it, the sound of the Dan tributary roars as it flows towards the meeting point to form the Jordan.

The psalmists use this setting and the sound created by the waters in a couple places. Psalm 29 proclaims: “The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD, over mighty waters. The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty. The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire. The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the LORD causes the oaks to whirl, and strips the forest bare; and in his temple all say, “Glory!” The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD sits enthroned as king forever. May the LORD give strength to his people! May the LORD bless his people with peace!” (29:2-9; emphasis added).

The highlighted bold type shows the psalmist’s use of the waters of the Dan spring to describe the voice and glory of the Lord. How do we know he meant the Dan Spring? Because of the geographic detail provided, which is italicized. These locations—Lebanon, Sirion, and Kadesh—surround the northern area of Israel and the Dan Spring.

When the psalmist listened to the raging waters of the spring and its tributary, he found himself moved to comparison with the voice and glory of the Lord. He communicated his message through the physical setting of the Dan Spring and the surrounding countryside.

In Psalm 42, we find another use of the Dan Spring for the psalmist’s poetry: “As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God? … My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. Deep calls to deep at the thunder of your cataracts; all your waves and your billows have gone over me” (42:1-7; emphasis added).

The psalmist begins by likening his desire for God to a deer craving the streams of water from springs, like the Dan. Although lush with vegetation, the summer heat and humidity of the region of the Dan Spring is difficult for animals and humans. He finds himself in the region of the Dan Spring (the italicized portions) and feels overwhelmed with the roar of the gushing spring. 

Traveling to the land of Israel is more than visiting sites. It should transform how we read and interact with the physical reality of the land of the Bible.

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

“A man with two sons told the older boy, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ The son answered, ‘No, I won’t go,’ but later he changed his mind and went anyway. Then the father told the other son, ‘You go,’ and he said, ‘Yes, sir, I will.’ But he didn’t go. Which of the two obeyed his father?” (Matthew 21:28-31 NLT).

Jesus told this parable in order to firmly illustrate the importance of doing God’s will; not simply saying “yes” to God.

Biblically, obedience does not refer to the intent of one’s heart or good desires. Obedience, which is doing God’s will, is all about action.

Our modern Christianity can sometimes spiritualize the Bible unnecessarily, even to our detriment. Moreover, we tend to relegate behaviors to emotions and feelings.

The biblical world viewed obedience as action: Love is an action, faith is an action, hope is an action. Emotions do not capture them. Feelings do not express them. Doing does.

The first son had no intention of helping his father, but “he changed his mind.” The second son had the right intention but did not act. Which of the two sons did the will of the father? The first son. Why? Because he acted.

Living according to God’s will means acting according to God’s will. It means doing the will of the Father.

Jesus places our obedient response and action as the key to entering the kingdom of Heaven—His movement—here and now. Our purpose as followers of Jesus is to pursue obedience to the will of the Father in all we do.

Therefore, we need to make sure that we call people to action. Repentance is an action in the Bible, not a feeling. Our behavior displays our repentance.

The first son showed his repentance when “he changed his mind and went anyway.” Of the two sons, he is the one who chose to obey his father’s will. May we do the same.

Let our actions mark us as doers of God’s will, and may we be children who pursue doing the will of our Father.

PRAYER

Father, we confess our desire to do Your will in everything that we say and do today. May our obedience glorify You. Amen.

By Nicole Jansezian

It has been two years since Russia invaded Ukraine and while that war still rages, refugees and immigrants attempting to rebuild their lives in Israel are facing several battlefronts here. 

Natalia Esther, who was living in Mariupol when the Russians attacked, is now reliving war with her son serving in the Israeli military.

“My son started the army right before the war and is stationed in the south” close to the Gaza border, she said. “It is very difficult for me.”

But Natalia said she feels safer in Israel where at least there are bomb shelters.

“Back in Mariupol we had to hide in a well, which is not much of a shelter. We felt like no one cared,” she said. “Everyone had to fend for themselves.”

Another war isn’t the only challenge these new immigrants are facing. Finding work, assimilating into a Middle Eastern culture, and leaving loved ones behind, Ukrainians who made their way to Israel are still struggling on many levels. 

Julia Morskoy had to start her life over from scratch. She fled the bombings in Ukraine with two kids, a few suitcases and a cat. Her husband, however, had to stay due to Ukraine’s emergency laws preventing military age men from leaving the country. 

“It was scary in the beginning. I did not know the language and had no idea what to do next,” Julia said. “Money was a problem, and things were tight. The kids always needed something, and they faced difficult challenges at school. There were all kinds of adaptation problems.” 

“It’s hard for me to find work because my Hebrew isn’t good,” she said. “It’ll take some time to learn, and you need Hebrew to get a good job.”

Some of the refugees faced another problem: They already had Israeli citizenship and were not eligible for the benefits that come with immigration. 

“Their economic situation became much, much worse,” said Dmitry Schneidmann, Project Manager at CBN Israel. “With no income and no government support because they are already (former) immigrants, many of them, in their current situation, are even worse off.”

The war began on February 24, 2022 sparking massive emigration from both Ukraine and Russia. Many of these refugees sought shelter in Israel. More than 43,000 Russians and 15,000 Ukrainians made Aliyah in 2022 accounting for almost 80% of Israel’s total immigration that year. In fact, emigration from Russia is trending so high that half of the Jewish population of Russia will be gone in seven years, according to a report released this week by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research.

For Natalia, the war started back in 2014 traumatizing her daughter and causing a cascade of health issues. Natalia and her children came to Israel, but her mother didn’t make it out of Mariupol when this recent war brought out. 

Julia is praying that her husband will be released and able to join the family soon, but in the meantime, her children are adjusting and support from compassionate friends like you through CBN Israel is helping her make ends meet. 

“When someone helps you it’s a great feeling. Your help was a great support,” she said. “You gave us a refrigerator, you gave us a washing machine, and you brought us food. It would have been hard without this help. The support is moral as much as financial. You’re not alone, you feel there’s someone there for you.”

“Everything will be fine, it will get better,” she said. “My kids are with me, we are safe.”

Natalia was so encouraged by the support she received, she wanted to help others herself. 

“When I received your help, I started telling others,” she said. “I would see people in need, and I would tell them they can get help.”

CBN Israel supports new immigrants and refugees through a number of different programs in Israel both financially and in promoting absorption efforts. 

“Our support is very important, critically important,” said Schneidmann. “It is also encouragement.”

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.

On October 7, 27-year-old Oshri woke up early in Sderot to go fishing with his father, Eliyahu. But his dad was too tired, so he went to Zikim Beach alone. As he arrived, suddenly sirens blared, rockets flew overhead, and Hamas terrorists in boats were firing machine guns.

Panicked, Oshri and others fled to a bomb shelter. Terrorists lobbed grenades inside and gunned down everyone. A bullet went through Oshri’s arm, eye socket, esophagus, and stomach. Miraculously, he survived, but barely. Buried under dead bodies, he cried for help. No one came.

So, he forced himself to stand, and somehow began the long drive to a medical center in Ashkelon. When the police stopped him, they saw his condition, and sped him to the hospital.

Meanwhile, his family hadn’t heard from him, and feared the worst. Dodging gunfire, Eliyahu was thrilled to find his son alive at the hospital, though gravely wounded. To the staff’s amazement, Oshri quickly recovered from multiple surgeries. Yet he still has a long road ahead.

But friends like you were there for Oshri. Thanks to caring donors, CBN Israel partnered with the Jewish Agency after October 7 in a special outreach, to assist terror victims and families of hostages. They supplied financial aid for Oshri and his family, along with trauma counseling.

Your gifts to CBN Israel can evacuate war victims, and give them safe lodging, meals, trauma therapy, and more—while delivering food and essentials to those still in harm’s way.

Plus, you can provide assistance across the Holy Land to single moms, Holocaust survivors, and refugees who need our help.

You can make a difference in Israel—please join with us today!

GIVE TODAY

By Marc Turnage

Mount Carmel is a limestone ridge that bisects the coastal plain of the land of Israel branching off from the mountains of Samaria west towards the Mediterranean coast. It is most famous as the location for the confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Ba’al (1 Kings 18:19).

Today, the Carmelite monastery of Mukhraka (Arabic meaning “burned place”) remembers that event. The mountain’s geographic location along the Mediterranean coast makes it fertile for agriculture (600mm average rainfall a year), which also led biblical writers and prophets to herald Carmel as a place of agricultural abundance (Song of Solomon 7:6; Isaiah 33:9; 35:2; Amos 1:2). Its fertility, rainfall, and proximity to the Phoenician coast, just to its north, made Carmel an appropriate location for the worship of Ba’al, the Phoenician god of storms and fertility. Even after Elijah, people continued to worship Ba’al of Carmel. 

The fertility, precipitation, and location of Mount Carmel play a key role in the story of Elijah and the prophets of Ba’al. Agriculture in the land of Israel proved difficult in the ancient world. The people depended solely upon God for rain to water their fields and crops due to the topography of the land (see Deuteronomy 8; 11:10-20). 

For this reason, God promised that as long as Israel obeyed Him and His commandments, He would send rain in its season; if Israel disobeyed, He would shut the heavens, so it wouldn’t rain. The concern for rain in its season (at the appropriate time) lead the Israelites to often look also to other local deities, like Ba’al, to provide rain, just in case.

The people had turned from God by worshipping Ba’al during the reign of King Ahab, and therefore, God sent drought on the land. Elijah called the children of Israel, together with the prophets of Ba’al, to gather on Mount Carmel. Mount Carmel receives some form of precipitation 250 days a year; it sits on the southern edge of Phoenicia where Ba’al worship originated. It also provided a high place. 

Ba’al is often depicted walking on the mountains, a god of high places. The drought that God sent offered a direct challenge to the god of rain. Elijah’s challenge, the god who answered with fire was God; Ba’al’s symbol was a lightening bolt. The heart of the story lies within the geographic setting of Mount Carmel. 

Of course, after God sends the fire upon Elijah’s sacrifice, and the people turn to the Lord as God, then He sends the rain. The setting and background of this story underline the challenges of daily life faced by the ancient Israelites; these challenges that raised the fundamental question that Elijah posed to the people, “If the Lord is God, then serve Him.”

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

“I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky, I will give your offspring all these lands, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring, because Abraham listened to My voice and kept My mandate, My commands, My statutes, and My instructions” (Genesis 26:4-5 HCSB).

Abraham never saw the fulfillment of God’s promises to his offspring. Yet, because he listened to God’s voice and kept His commandments, God extended the covenant with Isaac and his descendants.

We tend to think about our spiritual lives through the lens of ourselves, through the finiteness of our lives. God needs to bless me. He needs to fulfill His promises to me. If Abraham had had our shortsightedness or self-focus, God could not have used him or his offspring.

Abraham, however, understood legacy. He had a role to play in God’s plan, but when his time was up, he understood that by playing his part, listening and keeping God’s commands, God would continue to bring about His plan, which would bring blessing to all humanity.

Abraham allowed God to give him a big vision of what He wanted to do through him and his offspring. And Abraham trusted God. Isaac, too, did not see the promise fulfilled, but he likewise was faithful to the vision and the promise.

In our individualistic Western society, our vision often begins and ends with ourselves, even our vision of God. Such smallness does not allow God to achieve what He desires through us. He wants us to understand the power of legacy that will benefit future generations because of our faithfulness, because we listened and kept His commandments.

What legacy are you leaving to future generations? Will God be able to renew His promises and say about you, “he or she listened to My voice and kept My mandate, My commands, My statutes, and My instructions”?

Think of the impact of Abraham’s faithfulness: the children of Israel, Moses, David, the prophets, Jesus, Peter, and Paul.

We are still able to participate in the blessing of God’s promises to Abraham. Why? Because Abraham listened to God and kept His word. God still wants to show Himself to our world and future generations.

What legacy will we leave that will enable Him to do so?

PRAYER

Father, may we daily listen to Your voice and obey Your commandments, so that You can bless the world through our obedience for generations to come. Amen.