I will also gather all nations,
And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
And I will enter into judgment with them there
On account of My people, My heritage Israel,
Whom they have scattered among the nations;
They have also divided up My land.
Joel 3:2
The Bible says that in a future day the nations will brought to the Valley of Jehoshaphat and will enter into judgement according to how they treated Israel and the Jewish people and also on account of their dividing the land. King Jehoshaphat, whom the valley is named after, was the king who appointed judges in Israel. His name means YHWH (Yahweh) has judged or Jehovah has judged. The valley is also called the ‘Valley of Decision’. It will be an appointed time when justice will be dispensed on behalf of Israel; Israel’s enemies will be humbled, and he will be blessed with much-anticipated restoration and peace.
Today, when we see nations deliberately advocate for the diving of the Land of Israel; or we see mistreatment of Israel and the Jewish people it reminds us of this final judgement and wonder, how long Lord? The Bible says in Genesis 12:3 that those who bless the nation of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – the nation of Israel – will be blessed, and those that curse Israel will be cursed. In other words, it is possible to see the foreshadowing of God’s judgement on account of His people today. How do we respond to this as Christians? Do we revel in nations being judged? Do we gloat in seeing blessing withdrawn in place of cursing – certainly not! Rather, our heart aches for the nations that turn their backs on Israel, and we cry out that leaders will surrender in repentance and turn from their wicked ways. Our heart is for the Lord to heal our land, but we must first recognise the depth of which we (the nations) have strayed from His ways.
Our prayer today is that Emmanuel Macron, President of France, will realise the error in wanting to recognise a Palestinian state. There is still time before September to change direction. Let us intercede on behalf of Israel….and behalf of France! The decision to succumb to the calls of those on Paris’ streets calling for globalising the intifada is not God’s will for France. They will not stop at a recognition of a Palestinian state – they want ‘from the River to the Sea’, the removal of the Jewish state. Macron needs to heed this warning and realise that rewarding Palestinian terrorists with a state as a legacy of October 7th is a betrayal of the Jewish people. Recognising a state with no recognition of borders, people or conditions is also a betrayal of Israel. One condition would be to release hostages, forever lay down arms, and recognise the State of Israel – but even this in its simplest form is far from the lips of Macron. Ultimately the Land belongs to Israel and it was given by God. Jehoshaphat – God is the judge!
We must also pray about the serious escalation of propaganda against Israel surrounding the misinformation on aid for Gazans. Words like “starvation” and “malnutrition” continues to demonise Israel. These are modern-day blood libels. Interestingly, both Keir Starmer and Sadiq Khan have condemned Israel this week and used the allegations to form the basis for a Palestinian state. This is a dangerous route to take. In Germany in the 1930s, policies against the Jewish people were easily introduced after a nation had become immune to intense propaganda against Jews. It feels very much like the mounting demonisation concurring at the same time as calls for a Palestinian state are not coincidental.
Let us continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem! And may the Lord heal our land.
