Searching Up to the Sky and Looking Beneath the Ground

I'm still rolling over last night's magnificent CNN report on Jews with Balls. Love it. I love it because it is that humorous and that ironic on so many levels. I love it because it shows that when Israel acts in accordance with the Word of HaShem, the world reacts in awe. I love it because it's a fulfillment of Psalm 64:6-9 that reads:

As they plot their crimes, they say,
"We have devised the perfect plan!"
Yes, the human heart and mind are cunning.

But G-d himself will shoot them down.
Suddenly, his arrows will pierce them.

Their own words will be turned against them, destroying them.
All who see it happening will shake their heads in scorn.

Then everyone will stand in awe,
proclaiming the mighty acts of G-d,
realizing all the amazing things he does.

In an email conversation, a fellow blogger recently questioned whether we'll be the generation to see prophecy fufilled, or just another generation down the line who receives strength from prophecies yet to be fulfilled. My response was this: It is up to us. It is up to us to act, to call upon G-d, before HaShem reacts to save us. If Judaism teaches us anything it is this: we play the lead role in our existence. We are not powerless creatures, dependent upon an unseen, all-powerful entity-- we are indepedent people with free will who make choices: we can choose to follow HaShem, the all-powerful one and only G-d who reveals Himself to those who love Him, and prosper, or we can choose to disobey HaShem and perish. Hence, the Torah concludes with, I have set before you today life and death, blessing and curse, therefore, choose life so that you may live!

This is not to say that the thoughts of others don't have a great impact on the way we choose to live. Many Jewish scholars argue that we are still living in the ghetto mindset of a thousand years ago, that we are still functioning on the "give up and give in" philosophy, that Jews are losers who don't have a hope of crushing their enemies after thousands of years of oppression, assimilation, and concession. We see these arguments lived out in today's media reports on the war in Lebanon. Israel can't possibly be winning; they can't really say why, except, well, Jews don't win things, right? They're powerless, right? These terrorists are big, scary enemies, right? Right?

The blogosphere is no better. This is largely due to the fact that the blogosphere, while acting as a fantastic critic and watchdog of the MSM, still relies on the MSM for the bulk of its news reporting. Therefore, blogger commentary is dependent upon reports coming through even the most untrustworthy of news outlets. Very few bloggers have the kind of "inside sources" mainstream journalists do-- the most bloggers can do to get a clear, honest perspective on things is to rely on primary source bloggers, located at or near the scene of the battle. Often, as with the case of the war in Lebanon, these bloggers are average civilians who have as much "insider information" as the rest of us; the benefit of their perspective is that it hasn't been filtered by the standard journalistic prejudices so common in the MSM. That doesn't mean, however, that these bloggers aren't just as influenced by the negative reports of the MSM as the rest of us.

Of course, we all know by now that the MSM is prejudiced against Israel and is therefore untrustworthy. However, the one thing CNN's Apocalypse report proved was that the Mainstream Media knows absolutely nothing about what is really going on between Israel and Lebanon, "insider sources" or not. When you have the major cable news network devoting a significant amount of time at the bottom of the prime time news hour to a theological view of the book of Revelation, you know that they are desperate for some concrete answers, and they know they aren't going to get them from Lebanese civilians, heads of State, or Harvard grads. In other words, the MSM is lost for words, knocked off their pedastal and woozy from the impact of knowing that they are not the gatekeeping gods of information after all.

So, stop listening to them, Israel! Stop listening to these negative reports that contradict everything HaShem is doing in your midst! You can't hope to have a clear mindset when approaching this fight if you're basing your prayers on the shifty words of shifty human beings! Forget what the news is saying and what the blogs are analysing-- listen to HaShem, because He is the only one who knows what's going on, because He is the one who secures our victory. Trust in HaShem, not the words of men!

O G-d, I praise your word.
I trust in G-d, so why should I be afraid?
What can mere mortals do to me?

They are always twisting what I say;
they spend their days plotting ways to harm me.

They come together to spy on me--
watching my every step, eager to kill me.

Don't let them get away with their wickedness;
in your anger, O G-d, throw them to the ground.

You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
You have recorded each one in your book.

On the very day I call to you for help,
my enemies will retreat.
This I know: G-d is on my side.

O G-d, I praise your word.
Yes, L-RD, I praise your word.

I trust in G-d, so why should I be afraid?
What can mere mortals do to me?

Psalm 56:4-11


"As in the days when you came out from the land of Egypt,
I will show you miracles."
Nations will see and be ashamed
Of all their might
They will put their hand on their mouth,
Their ears will be deaf.
They will lick the dust like a serpent,
Like reptiles of the earth
They will come trembling out of their fortresses;
To the L-RD our G-d they will come in dread
And they will be afraid before You.

Micah 7:15-17

DON'T FORGET TO PRAY FOR THE ZAHAL, 7 PM ISRAELI TIME/12 NOON EST!!!


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