Scripture

What sorrow awaits the proud city of Samaria— the glorious crown of the drunks of Israel. It sits at the head of a fertile valley, but its glorious beauty will fade like a flower.

~Isaiah 28:1, NLT

Quote

The greatest Jewish tradition is to laugh. The cornerstone of Jewish survival has always been to find humor in life and in ourselves.

~Jerry Seinfeld

I don’t agree with Jerry but I know that many of my readers are entertained by his humor. The survival of the Jews is a God thing. I appreciate their contributions in medicine, science, music {especially music}, industry and entertainment but their above average intellect and talent is not why they have survived. What is happening in our world today is very interesting and I think related to what Isaiah said 2,700 years ago. Of course, they were not known as Jews in those days, and many believe that the term Jew is a direct reference to the tribe of Judah, but I think it includes all the Jews living in the South which would be Judah, Benjamin and parts of Simeon and Levi. Isaiah was addressing the Israelites in the Northern Kingdom where Samaria was the capital. Isaiah referred to Samaria as a city of drunks. He felt the same way about Samaria as we do Washington D.C., the proud city of political parasites. Isaiah warned them about the impending judgment…Your pride will bring you down. The Lord will send a mighty army against you…it will burst upon you like a mighty flood, and you will be swept away and will be trampled beneath your enemies’ feet. {Isaiah 28-2-3}

You know the history; the Assyrians came in 722 BC and destroyed Samaria and deported the Ten Northern Tribes. They are referred to by many as the Ten Lost Tribes because we cannot track their whereabouts. Unfortunately, the South did not learn from the North’s fatal error, and they were defeated by the Babylonians in 586 and many were deported to Babylon. Seventy years later, many of the Jews returned to Judah and rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem and restored the Temple and Temple worship. Sixty-three years before the birth of Christ the Roman invaded and put Israel in subjection. A little over 60 years after Jesus was born, they rebelled again and this time the Romans came in and destroyed everything: the Temple, the priesthood, the ruling class, the whole nine yards. According to Josephus, the Romans sold 97,000 Jews as slaves and deported another 30,000. Those who were left migrated quickly to avoid the wrath of the Romans. Most of these went to locations around the Mediterranean Sea: North Africa, Spain, and Western Europe. There was a huge colony of Jews in Rome. After Israel was declared a State in 1948, all Muslim countries expelled the Jews. Other countries who have expelled them include England, Spain and Germany.

The bottom line is this: there are colonies of Jews all over the globe. There is 1.5 million Jews in New York City. Tel Aviv has fewer Jews than New York City making New York City the largest Jewish city in the world. They are everywhere, all over the globe. Now the next part is pure conjecture, or maybe wishful thinking. We are not doing a very good job with the GREAT COMMISSION. It is a sad reality but our once promising IMB has lost its cutting edge. We are not getting the job done and I think we need help. I am praying for another flood to hit the Jews, a flood of Light. I pray for God to open their blind eyes so they can see that Jesus is the Messiah. We need their help. What kind of Missionary did Paul make? The very best, right! What kind of missionary would Jerry Seinfeld make? A very good one would be the right answer. They have that tenacious bulldog spirit; they don’t give up. I believe we need their help, and I am praying for a mass turning to Jesus among the Jews.

Extra

A very busy day yesterday and we praise the LORD for His marvelous blessings. We went back to our normal schedule with a breakfast at 8:30. We cooked 60 biscuits and they were all eaten. After preaching twice yesterday morning and then doing the valentine party at the Cottage, June and I were give out. When did get very concerned about Carol Southern who found out yesterday that it was her heart, not covid but they got her fixed last night at HH. Thank God for HH and the procedure. Bill and Carol do not miss church without a reason. So glad you are better Carol.

Next Sunday will be even busier for me as I will be going to Athens at night teaching the January Bible Study at my home church where Dr. T. Ray Keenum is the pastor. I also enjoyed the Party at DBC last night. It is always good to see my old friends. Old Gregg looked good and I seen him go back for seconds which is a good sign. Catfish had the game on a giant screen but I never got into it. I don’t even know who won.

Have a good day and thanks for reading the blog.