Way of Peace

Dear Friend,

You are part of something very special in Israel. You partner with men and women of God across Israel who give their lives for the Gospel. It is a rare privilege.

Take for example Salvatore Zaitoon. He shows the Jesus film in the streets, schools and market places across Israel as an evangelism tool. Yet, he told me how he is often persecuted, mocked and even beaten as he conducts this evangelical work.

This week Nihad Salman from Bethlehem told us a young believer in his church was imprisoned for his faith.

Yes, this is really happening, today in Israel only 2.1% of the population are Christians. Those precious Gospel workers whom we support through Way of Peace Ministries are a beacon of hope and light to a lost nation. An unreached people group are said to be a group of people with whom less than 2% are believers. Israel is barely above that threshold.

The work we do through our partnership with Israeli ministers in 12 Israeli cities could not continue without your partnership.

The only hope for Israel is Jesus. “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus is not a central figure of our faith, He is our faith. He is the beginning and the end, the Alpha and Omega. Jesus is like a radiant diamond. Every which way we look at Him, we see beauty, majesty, grace and love.

Throughout the Bible, life/victory/healing came through “looking”. Whether the Old Testament or the New Testament, it is the same... we are instructed to LOOK & then we will LIVE.

God told the Children of Israel to look at a Bronze Serpent & LIVE!

“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole’ and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live. So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.” (Numbers 21:8-9).

Why were they to look at a bronze serpent after they had been bitten by poisonous snakes? What does the bronze serpent represent? Nothing is without purpose or significance in the Bible.

Let’s look at two aspects of this verse:

1. the Serpent = Satan, sin, destruction & death. (Genesis 3:1)
2. Bronze = Judgment. The altar in the tabernacle was covered in bronze, it was the only bronze item in the tabernacle. All other items were covered in gold. The altar was where the sins of the people were judged, and where the people were made eligible to receive God’s mercy and grace (Ex 38:30).

The children of Israel knew the serpent represented the Devil and bronze represented judgment. When they looked at the serpent, they knew the bronze covering the serpent meant their sickness was judged useless and impotent in their lives. They saw the devil defeated and all he brought with him.

CATCH THIS! Let’s not miss this powerful point. Look at 1 Samuel 17:4-6:

“And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. And he had bronze armor on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders.”

Into this scenario walks David. Goliath taunted the children of Israel, but because of his shear size, they are afraid to do battle with him. Why wasn’t David?

David knew that Goliath was already defeated. David would have heard the stories of the bronze serpent we just read about. He knew what bronze represented in the tabernacle. Let’s look at this verse one more time:

“And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. He had a BRONZE helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of BRONZE. And he had BRONZE armor on his legs and a BRONZE javelin between his shoulders.”

Remember that “bronze” in the Old Testament represented God’s judgment. With that in mind... When David saw the bronze on Goliath’s helmet, the bronze on his coat of armor, the bronze on his legs and the bronze on his javelin, David knew Goliath was ALREADY judged and that Goliath was impotent, useless. Victory was assured!

Goliath represented certain slavery leading to eventual death for the children of Israel. Had Goliath defeated Israel, they would have been slaves of the Philistines.

David said, “For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” David said, “How dare what God has judged defeated, try and impose its will on God’s children!” David was indignant that Goliath would even attempt to assert his rule over Israel!

You and I have a Bronze Serpent we can look at today AND LIVE!

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:14-16).

God tells us to look to Jesus now and live! Jesus, the Son of Man is being compared to a bronze serpent that Moses lifted up in the wilderness. JESUS IS OUR BRONZE SERPENT!

1. Jesus became the Serpent - Jesus became sin and all it represents.

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

“So Jesus was offered once to bear the sins of many.” (Hebrews 9:28).

2. Jesus became the Bronze – Jesus took the judgment we deserve.

“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.’) (Colossians 3:13).

NOW INSTEAD OF THE CURSE WE GET THE BLESSING!

“that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus.” (Colossians 3:14).

Jesus became sin and took the curse of the law upon Himself... So that we might be blessed with the blessings of Abraham! The blessings of Abraham found in Deuteronomy 28 encompass every area of life: Body, Soul and Spirit.

On the cross:

• Jesus became cursed so that we might have New Life and walk in His righteousness.

• Jesus became sickness so that we might have health in our bodies.

• Jesus became poverty so that we might have wealth in our lives.

• Jesus became shame so that we might have self esteem.

• Jesus became fear so that we might have love.

• Jesus became doubt so that we could have faith.

Are you facing a Goliath today? We can look at failures, sicknesses, lack, fears, inadequacies just like David looked at Goliath. JUDGMENT is written all over Goliath!

Jesus took the judgment we deserved...He covered all our sin, sickness, poverty, lack and shame... in “bronze”!

How dare sickness, sin, poverty, lack or fear try to impose its will in our lives! They are all defeated, and we have been given life! Be indignant that lack, sickness, bondage or fear would even try to defeat you!

Say right now like David, “For who is this uncircumcised Philistine (sickness, lack, bondage, fear, shame), that he (it) should defy the armies of the living God?”

The more we see and hear Jesus, the healthier and stronger we become! Our mortal bodies become infused with His resurrection life and power!

As we behold Him, we are transformed more and more into His likeness, full of unmerited grace and truth! When we feed on Him, we will be nourished physically, emotionally and spiritually!

The nation of Israel is no different. Israel must know Him who is the Prince of Peace. He is the only hope for the nation. When we follow the Great Commission and proclaim Jesus with clarity, Israel will LOOK & LIVE.

This gives us cause to rejoice! Nothing is impossible when we look at Jesus. Not even the salvation of a nation who has only 2.1% believing in Jesus.

Rejoice in the fact that Gospel workers lift Jesus high in 12 cities throughout Israel every single day through your partnership.

Today, would you do something extra special for the Gospel in Israel? Plant a financial seed for the Gospel in Israel.

Take the enclosed response form, and allow the Lord to speak to you today.

Shalom!

Nathan Thurber

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