ARTICLES

This week’s Torah reading is Parashat Vaera (Exodus 6:2-9:35). Read on Shabbat, January 17, 2026 / 27 Tevet 5786. The following is a special devotional drawn from this week’s reading.

“God spoke to Moses and said to him, I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by My name the LORD I was not known to them” (Exodus 6:2-3).

Parashat Vaera marks a turning point in the story of redemption. God reveals Himself more fully to Moses and declares His commitment to deliver Israel from slavery. Though the people are discouraged and Pharaoh’s heart is hardened, God remains steadfast. He repeats His promises and reaffirms His covenant, reminding Moses that liberation is rooted not in human strength but in divine faithfulness.

The plagues that follow are not random acts of power. They are signs meant to reveal who God is and to expose the emptiness of false authority. Each plague confronts Egypt’s confidence and challenges its gods. At the same time, God is shaping Israel’s identity, teaching them to trust Him even when deliverance seems slow or costly. Redemption unfolds step by step, often amid resistance and uncertainty.

This portion speaks to seasons when progress feels stalled and hope feels fragile. Moses struggles with self doubt. The people grow weary of waiting. Yet God continues to act, revealing His presence and power in ways that cannot be ignored. Vaera reminds us that God’s timing is purposeful, and His promises remain firm even when circumstances appear unchanged.

Some may be facing obstacles that seem immovable or voices that resist change. This portion encourages perseverance rooted in trust. God sees the full story when we see only a moment. Others may be witnessing small signs of movement after long waiting. Let these moments strengthen your faith and remind you that God is at work even when the process feels slow.

As this Shabbat arrives, take time to remember where God has already revealed His faithfulness in your life. Speak gratitude for past deliverance, even as you wait for new freedom. Choose one way to trust God more deeply this week, whether through patience, prayer, or obedience. 

Let your heart rest in the truth that the God who appeared long ago still acts with power and mercy today.

PRAYER
Lord, thank You for revealing Yourself as faithful and strong. Help me trust Your promises when the path is difficult and the outcome unclear. Strengthen my faith as I wait for Your deliverance, and let my life reflect confidence in Your redeeming power. Amen.

Luba had high hopes for a better future, as she and her husband Yevgeny left Ukraine and immigrated to Israel in 2010. This fitness trainer and mother of two had overcome a number of challenges to make a home for her family. And then, Yevgeny relapsed back into drug addiction.

It took its toll on her kids. “He was very aggressive, and would verbally attack me and my children,” Luba recalled. “My youngest started having hysteria attacks, where he would become unresponsive. My oldest was constantly stressed—she didn’t want to see or talk to him.”

Soon, Yevgeny’s addiction worsened. When he lost his job, he deserted his family, taking whatever items he could. “He started taking things from home—my jewelry, even my wedding ring,” Luba cried. “With the war, I couldn’t find work.  It got so bad, I didn’t have enough money to pay for electricity or buy food.” Feeling alone and ashamed, she struggled for months.

Yet when a church friend pointed her to CBN Israel, friends like you were there for her. “I felt like I did not deserve it—but they helped me, and it was quick,” she exclaimed. “I could finally pay off debts, and they brought us food. It’s winter, and I couldn’t dry the children’s clothes. To my surprise, they bought me a dryer!” She added, “Your organization makes a big difference. You don’t leave people behind, or leave people hungry. Now I know everything will be alright!”

Your gifts to CBN Israel can help so many desperate Israelis survive and move forward with emergency aid, food, housing, and finances. You can extend hope to thousands!

And your support can offer life-giving assistance to more single moms like Luba, as well as Holocaust survivors, terror victims, and refugees.

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By Stephen Faircloth

Rising from the northeastern edge of the Jezreel Valley, Mount Tabor stands alone, its rounded shape visible from great distances. Unlike the surrounding hills, it rises abruptly from the valley floor, its steep slopes leading to a broad plateau at the summit measuring roughly one thousand meters by four hundred meters. This solitary mountain marked the meeting point of the tribal territories of Zebulun, Issachar, and Naphtali, placing it at both a geographic and symbolic crossroads within ancient Israel.

Mount Tabor entered the biblical story most clearly during the time of the judges. Deborah and Barak gathered the Israelite forces on this mountain before facing the Canaanite army led by Sisera, the general of Jabin king of Hazor. The choice of Tabor was strategic. The steep slopes limited the effectiveness of Sisera’s iron chariots, which required flat terrain to maneuver. From this elevated position, the Israelites descended to meet the enemy, turning the landscape itself into an instrument of deliverance. The victory celebrated in Judges 4 and 5 became a testimony to how God used both faith and geography to bring freedom to His people.

Beyond military strategy, Mount Tabor may also have held religious significance. Biblical passages suggest that the mountain was associated with worship and pilgrimage, which may explain why the tribes gathered there before battle. It was a place where allegiance to God was affirmed before action was taken. In this way, Mount Tabor functioned not only as a stronghold but also as a place of decision, where trust in God preceded victory.

In later centuries, Mount Tabor continued to play a role in the region’s history. During the Hellenistic and Roman periods, it served as the site of several conflicts. Josephus records that he fortified the mountain during the First Jewish Revolt against Rome, recognizing once again its defensive advantages. Even in these later struggles, Mount Tabor remained a place where power, resistance, and survival intersected.

Christian tradition eventually turned its attention to Mount Tabor as well. From an early period, some believers identified it as the possible location of the Transfiguration of Jesus. The Gospels describe the event as taking place on a very high mountain but do not name it. Early sources, including quotations preserved by Church Fathers such as Origen and Cyril, associate the Transfiguration with Mount Tabor. If this tradition reflects material from the late first or early second century, it shows how early Christians sought to anchor moments of divine revelation within the physical landscape of the Holy Land.

At the same time, not all early Christian pilgrims treated Mount Tabor as a sacred site. Writers like Eusebius and the Bordeaux Pilgrim do not single it out in their accounts. This suggests that while the tradition existed, it was not universally emphasized in the early Byzantine period. Over time, however, devotion grew, and today a church crowns the summit, marking the mountain as a place of reflection and remembrance.

Mount Tabor reminds us that God often meets His people in elevated places, both literally and spiritually. It was a mountain of battle, of worship, and possibly of revelation. Whether in moments of conflict or moments of glory, it stands as a reminder that God acts within real places and real history. The same God who brought victory through Deborah and Barak, and who revealed His glory to the disciples, still calls His people to trust Him when standing at the heights of decision and faith.

Stephen Faircloth is the President of CBN Israel, an initiative dedicated to sharing the true story of the Jewish nation and inspiring a global community of Christians to stand with Israel and support her people in need. Our vision is to reshape the global conversation about Israel by fostering understanding, hope, and healing between Jews and Christians around the world. For more than 50 years, the Christian Broadcasting Network has supported Israel. By joining CBN Israel, you become part of this enduring legacy, transforming lives today and strengthening Christian support for Israel for generations to come.

This week’s Torah reading is Parashat Shemot (Exodus 1:1-6:1). Read on Shabbat, January 10, 2026 / 20 Tevet 5786. The following is a special devotional drawn from this week’s reading.

“These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household” (Exodus 1:1).

The book of Exodus begins by naming the people of Israel. Though generations have passed and circumstances have changed, God remembers them by name. What starts as a list of families soon turns into a story of growth, oppression, and suffering. The Israelites multiply, and fear grips the Egyptians. Slavery replaces hospitality, and harsh labor becomes daily life. Yet even in affliction, God’s promise continues to unfold.

Parashat Shemot reminds us that God’s purposes are often advancing quietly beneath visible hardship. The cries of the people rise from the brick pits to heaven, and God hears them. At the same time, God begins to prepare deliverance through unexpected means. Women such as Shiphrah, Puah, Jochebed, and Miriam act with courage and compassion. A child is hidden, saved, and drawn from the water. Redemption begins not with power, but with faithfulness in small acts of obedience.

Moses grows up caught between two worlds. He knows both privilege and pain, belonging and exile. When he flees to Midian, it appears as though his calling has failed before it begins. Yet God meets him in the wilderness, where a burning bush reveals divine presence and holy purpose. God sees suffering, remembers His covenant, and declares His intention to rescue His people.

This portion speaks to seasons when life feels heavy or direction unclear. God is not absent in times of hardship. He is attentive to every cry and mindful of every name. Even when deliverance seems distant, God is already at work, shaping hearts, preparing leaders, and aligning events according to His timing. Faithfulness in obscurity becomes the soil from which freedom will grow.

Some may feel weighed down by circumstances that seem unchanging. Let this portion remind you that God sees and hears. Others may find themselves in positions where small choices carry great weight. Like the midwives of Egypt, acts of courage and integrity matter deeply to God. Every faithful response participates in His unfolding plan of redemption.

As this Shabbat arrives, take time to reflect on where God may be calling you to trust Him in unseen ways. Notice the quiet moments where obedience is possible. Speak gratitude for His presence, even when answers are not yet clear. Let your life testify that the God who calls His people by name remains faithful in every generation.

PRAYER
Lord, thank You for knowing me by name and for hearing every cry of my heart. Teach me to trust You in seasons of waiting and to walk faithfully in small acts of obedience. May my life reflect confidence in Your presence and Your redeeming power. Amen.

By Stephen Faircloth

Hebron stands among the most significant cities in the biblical story, especially within the Old Testament. Long before Jerusalem became Israel’s capital, Hebron served as a place where God’s promises were lived out, tested, and anchored in the soil of the land. The city is closely tied to the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to the faithfulness of Joshua and Caleb, and to the rise of King David, who ruled from Hebron during the earliest years of his reign.

Hebron’s importance begins with its geography. Located about twenty miles south of Jerusalem in the heart of the Judean hill country, the city sits along the primary north south route through the central highlands of Israel. It also stands at the meeting point of two major roads that ascended from the Negev. One route came from Beersheva to the southwest, and another rose from Arad to the southeast. These roads converged at Hebron, which rises to more than three thousand feet above sea level, making it the highest city in the southern hill country and a natural hub for travel, trade, and settlement.

The surrounding region is fertile and well suited for agriculture. The iron rich soil supports vineyards, olive groves, fruit trees, and terraced fields for grain. Pastures around the city provide grazing land for sheep and goats. These natural resources made Hebron an ideal place for long-term habitation and help explain why it appears so frequently in biblical narratives tied to land, inheritance, and promise.

The ancient city of Hebron is identified with Tel Rumeideh, a modest mound of about seven and a half acres. A spring on the eastern slope supplied water to the settlement. Just east of the tel stands one of the most revered sites in the biblical world, the Cave of Machpelah, also known as the Tomb of the Patriarchs. The massive structure visible today dates to the first century before and after Christ and was built over the cave that Abraham purchased as a burial place for Sarah.

That purchase marked a profound moment in the biblical story. Abraham, a nomad living in tents, deliberately bought land in Hebron to bury his wife. In doing so, he laid a permanent claim rooted not in conquest but in faith. According to biblical tradition, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Leah were all buried there. Because of this, the site has been revered for thousands of years and remains a place of prayer for both Jews and Muslims.

Hebron also played a role in Israel’s journey from promise to possession. The spies sent by Moses explored the land around Hebron, and it was Caleb who later claimed the city as his inheritance because of his faithfulness to the Lord. Centuries later, Hebron became the place where David was anointed king over the tribe of Judah. For seven years he ruled there before moving his capital to Jerusalem and becoming king over all Israel. Even Absalom’s rebellion against his father began in Hebron, underscoring the city’s lasting political and symbolic weight.

Hebron reminds us that God often works through places of patience and perseverance. It was here that promises were buried, waited for, and eventually fulfilled. The city stands as a testimony that faith is not only spoken but lived over generations. Hebron teaches us that God’s purposes unfold in real places, through faithful obedience, and over time that demands trust.

Stephen Faircloth is the President of CBN Israel, an initiative dedicated to sharing the true story of the Jewish nation and inspiring a global community of Christians to stand with Israel and support her people in need. Our vision is to reshape the global conversation about Israel by fostering understanding, hope, and healing between Jews and Christians around the world. For more than 50 years, the Christian Broadcasting Network has supported Israel. By joining CBN Israel, you become part of this enduring legacy, transforming lives today and strengthening Christian support for Israel for generations to come.