The Trump & Netanyahu Meeting in DC: What the Bible Teaches Us Now - Jeremy Gimpel: Land of Israel

This week, all eyes were on DC as Netanyahu meets with Donald Trump in Washington. And exactly that week, we learned about the downfall of Moses. God instructs Moses famously to speak to the rock. And instead, he strikes the rock and for that act, he is told he will not lead the people into the land of Israel. And famous question is why such harsh consequence? I mean, until this point, Moses had performed miracles through dramatic gestures. Raising his staff, striking the Nile, parting the sea, raising the bronze serpent. And now, on the threshold of the promised land, something new was required, a new kind of leadership. And it had to empower the nation. Life in Israel was not going to be based on miraculous interventions, but rather on personal spoken prayer. The people were being prepared for life in the land where water wasn't going to flow from rocks at the command of a prophet, but it was going to flow from heaven as a response to heartfelt prayer. Each person would be called to pray personally. Moses was being called to lead the nation from a life of miraculous intervention into spiritual maturity. And God wanted Moses to teach the people this new model to show them that in the land their connection to Hashem would be through speech, through prayer, through relationship. He was being called not to give a lesson about the law, but to give over a national lesson in prayer. But Moses struck the rock using the old model, not because of defiance, but perhaps because he was just not the one meant to lead the people into this shift into this new phase. The punishment wasn't really a punishment at all. It was just the natural consequence. He could not lead the people into the next chapter because he belonged to the one before. And the message to Israel today is clear. We stand between two chapters as well. We are living at the seam before a new era in history. The last chapter, the modern state of Israel was born with a secular vision to be a refuge, to be a safe haven, with a strong army. And for decades, that was enough. Survival, defense, strength. But now in this generation, something new is being asked of Israel. It's being called to destiny. And as our soldiers are being killed in Gaza still almost after 2 years and Iran is already recovering and regrouping from the military strike, it seems as though our leaders simply aren't able to lead us into a new way. It's not enough to destroy Hamas or to delay Iran's nuclear ambitions with tactical strikes. Israel needs a new vision, a new way of speaking, a spiritual one. And now as BB was meeting with Trump, before the eyes of the nation and before the eyes of the world, our leaders are being called to speak before the nation to teach the nation how to pray. The leader of communal prayer in Hebrew is called Kazan, which literally means the one who gives people vision. Kazone. The people of Israel need leaders to speak before them, to give them a new vision for Israel, a new vision for the Middle East, a new Kazone. Tactical victory is not enough, and we need to aim for an entirely new world, a new Middle East that will impact everyone around us. Netanyao was quoting, "I'm against the two-state solution because Israel will not commit suicide." That's just not enough anymore. That alone will not bring long lasting peace or any real recognition of God. Only a transformation that's rooted with a vision in the Torah. And the prophets of Israel will do that. And I was hoping that maybe through this war and through the war with Iran, Israel's leaders would grow, mature, and transform. But it seems like just like in the times of the Torah, it's like that for us now. We need a Joshua. We need a new leader. And the chapter we are entering into, that leader will teach the nation to pray because he gives the nation a vision to strive for and to pray for. A leader that sees our return to the land of Israel not just as a political event, but a spiritual one. leadership that doesn't settle for short-term military victories, but is seeking for complete redemptive transformation that will sanctify God's name in the eyes of the entire world. And so, may we merit a leader who will lift us to a new chapter. And may Israel enter into the final chapter of our purpose of prophecy and of true lasting peace. Hey friends, that was a highlight from the Land of Israel Fellowship. And if you liked that, you will love the Land of Israel Fellowship. We gather together every Sunday with people from over 50 countries around the world. Check it out at the landofisrael.com. The link is below. [Music]