Is it important to stand with Israel and why should we do so? In a series of 10 blogs, Benjamin Kroese who lives in Israel, will share about the importance of developing a love for God’s people Israel. This week part 7: ‘Now is the right time to do it!’
Psalms 102 is one of the most powerful prophetic scriptures in the Bible. When I read the first 11 verses of this Psalm, it reminded me of the crematoria of Auschwitz and the emaciated bodies of (Jewish) people. It is a cry of hopelessness, where the psalmist sees his people wither like grass. But suddenly the tone of this Psalm changes dramatically and it becomes a prayer of restoration, culminating in the Lord building up Zion and appearing in glory (Psalm 102:16-17).
Appointed time
Verse 13 is an important verse. Here you see God suddenly taking action: ‘You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favor to her; the appointed time has come’ (Psalms 102:13). The Hebrew word for “appointed time” is mo’ed, which is also used for the annual holidays of Israel. They are the appointed times of the Lord. We should see them as eternal entries in God’s agenda of appointments. And here the psalmist sees that God has set a day for the restoration of Israel to come.
You don’t have to be a prophecy expert to see that this appointed day has arrived. For 100 years the Lord has been restoring Zion. Especially the last (almost) 75 years are noteworthy. Jews have a home again. Every time I walk at the squares of Jerusalem, I am touched and reminded of this verse from Zechariah: ‘Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each of them with cane in hand because of their age. The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there’ (Zechariah 8:4-5). This is literally the streetscape of Jerusalem today.
God has risen to actively show mercy to Zion. That is why it’s time for us to stand up and join what God is doing!
This blog is written by Benjamin Kroese. Benjamin is married to Rebecca and together with their three sons they live in Israel. They have their own video production company ‘Frontline Media’ and are founders of ‘Until He Returns Ministries’. Benjamin and Rebecca have a passion for revival in Israel and have a desire to reach other nations to stand with Israel.
