1. Praise:

    Shabbat's Torah reading begins the book of Deuteronomy. Moses retells Israel's journey from Egypt to the border of Canaan to the next generation of Israelis who would enter, conquer and settle the Promised Land. A large part of this book is Moses summarizing God's Law, His Teaching, and it is of great importance to note that he uses "love" 26 times and "heart" 46 times in doing this. You shall love YHWH your God with all of your heart… (Deut. 6:5a). Also, God's promise to Israel of the land is repeated 82 times, including 19 times when Moses reminds his people that God "swore" to give the land to Israel's forefathers and their descendants.

    • Lord, we praise You for Deuteronomy, and we recall that Yeshua quoted from it three times when He rebuked Satan in the wilderness – and then the Accuser left Him alone (Matt. 4:1-11).

    • We bless You for teaching us to use Your Word in prayer as the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17b-18).

    • Thank You for telling us that loving You is seen when we obey You (John 14:15, 21; 15:10-12, 17).

    • What a joy to hear You, Lord Yeshua, sum up the essence of the Law in two commandments: to love God and to love our neighbor as we already love ourselves (Matt. 22:36-40; cp. Eph. 5:28-29a).

    • We bless You for Your Spirit which helps us to fulfill the law's righteousness in our life (Rom. 8:4).

    • Lord Yeshua, thank You that through the New Covenant, You place the Law inside of us and give us a new heart and a new spirit so that we can follow You (Jer. 31:33; Ezek. 11:19).

    • Teach me Your way O YHWH, and I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name.Psa. 86:11; cp. John 17:17

  2. Government & society:

    Israel's mainstream media pursues an anti-PM Bibi Netanyahu and his right-wing coalition agenda, yet most of the readers' comments reveal a people fed up with the left's attempts to overturn a legitimate democratic election. The majority in Israel seems to be moving in a direction opposite of the way many of the West are leaning, and to this we say "Amen," and we persist in prayer for that direction to be biblical and not humanistic (Matt. 16:23).

    • Lord, the prophetic portion has these verses which we continue to lift up before You; please fulfill them sooner rather than later: I will turn My hand upon you and purely purge away your dross…And I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counsellors as at the beginning; after this you shall be called, 'The city of righteousness, the faithful city'. (Isa. 1:25-26)

    • We thank You that many of Israel's current leaders do take the time to read Your Word (Prov. 6:23).

    • Therefore, Lord, use Deuteronomy 1:16-17 in the Torah portion to convict Israeli judges today.

    • Use Isaiah 1:23 in the prophetic portion to confront every Israeli leader or judge who is corrupt.

    • God of Israel, rebuke the demonic spirits invading Israel today as seen in the hatred and rebellion of a minority of Israelis against the government and its actions (1 Sam. 15:23a; Prov. 8:16; Zech. 3:2).

    • Warn the leaders of this rebellion that they are doing that which You hate (Prov. 6:16-19).

    • Expose and cut off any foreign funds backing the demonstrations (Luke 8:17).

    • Help the police to quickly stop all illegal and/or dangerous actions of the demonstrators (Eccl. 8:11).

    • Anoint Netanyahu to lead Israel – until You say his time is finished (Dan. 2:21; 4:17b, 25b, 34-35).

    • Reveal to him Israel's true King, Messiah Yeshua – and then let him cry out to You (Psa. 5:2).

    • Lord, overrule in the hearts of the current coalition members so that they move in unity in everything that is Your will – while not being diverted to do anything that is not of You (Prov. 21:1).

    • God Almighty, turn Israel's mainstream media from supporting the West's liberal agenda unto Your biblical agenda (Psa. 110:3) and lower the rhetoric of their anti-government agitation (Prov. 18:21).

    • We bless You for the recent reports that a vast majority of IDF reservists, medical professionals and others are in fact against boycotting the government and will do extra service to make up any lack.

    • Warn Israel to not trust in America or any other nation but to trust solely in You (Psa. 118:8-9).

    • Protect Your chosen nation from the manipulations and threats that regularly come against it from US President Biden and most of his administration (Num. 23:23; 24:1).

    • Fill the mouths of all Israeli representatives in the nations and international NGOs – like the UN – with Your words which are able accomplish Your will (Psa. 81:10; Isa. 54:11; Heb. 4:12-13).

  3. Internal security:

    Israel is in a God-ordained situation where it must extend sovereignty over all the land west of the Jordan Valley in order to defeat the increase of deadly Palestinian terror attacks. Of course, possessing the land was commanded by Moses over 3,000 years ago in the Torah portion: Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which YHWH swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them. (Deut. 1:8)

    • Lord, remove all fear and discouragement from Israel in order that they will obey You (Deut. 1:21).

    • Remind them that as they heed Your will – You will fight for them (Deut. 3:22).

    • Promote more people who will proclaim in clear terms the truth of Israel's right to all of the land, both biblically and in accordance to international law (Psa. 33:4; 40:10; 43:3; 54:5; 57:3; 60:4; 91:4).

    • Remove humanistic thinking which has many of Israel's political and military leaders convinced that Abbas' Palestinian Authority [PA] is actually beneficial to Israel's overall security (Isa. 36:6).

    • Let them see that the PA's existence interferes with Israel's extension of sovereignty and also blocks Israel from aiming for victory over the Palestinian terrorists – so that the PA is the biggest contributor towards Israel's current very dangerous security situation (Psa. 55:21; 120:7; Prov. 27:6).

    • As You do the above, prepare Israel for the day after Abbas and the PA's demise (Isa. 42:9).

    • Increase the divisions between the various Palestinian terrorist groups (Psa. 55:9; 129:5).

    • Erase all false expectations of receiving international backing for any actions Israel takes in the defense of its people and its land (Num. 23:9).

    • Raise up a new group of Israeli military leaders who reject humanistic thinking (Mark 8:33), and instead have a deep trust in You and in Your Word (Psa. 119:97-100).

    • Protect all Israeli security forces that are protecting Your people at this time (Psa. 140:7-8).

    • Lord, put pressure on Israel's current coalition so that the houses which have already been approved to be built in Judea and Samaria and Jerusalem – will actually be built (Neh. 2:20; Isa. 44:24-28).

    • Turn over the Palestinians' illegally built structures in Area C to Your people (Deut. 6:10-11).

    • Release angelic protection on Israel's roads against terrorism and traffic accidents (Deut. 28:6).

    • Save many Palestinians and let them impact their society for You, Lord Yeshua (Matt. 5:13-16).

    • We specifically ask that all Palestinians working secretly with Israel would be saved (Gen. 12:3).

  4. External security:

    Hizbullah, Iran's main Lebanese proxy is testing Israel's responses on its northern border with Lebanon. Many attribute this to that illegal Maritime deal which the Lapid-Gantz transitional government made with Lebanon in the face of Hizbullah's threats of war. The US also pressured Israel into doing that, and this was just before the last Israeli election.

    • If You are preparing the ground for Micah 4:11-13 to be fulfilled, then lead us as we intercede.

    • Lord of hosts, send forth angelic hosts to guard over all of Israel's external borders (Psa. 3:7; 68:17).

    • Arise and contend with those who contend against Your nation (Psa. 35:1; Isa. 49:25b-26).

    • Lord God Almighty, we thank You for defending Israel (Psa. 121:4), as well as for making the IDF an exceedingly great army (Ezek. 37:10).

    • Train Israel to fight against its Middle East enemies with a Middle East mindset - and to make its goal an overwhelming victory over all those who want to destroy it (2 Sam. 23:10; Rev. 15:2-4).

    • May Your wisdom prevail as Israel's military and political leaders consider what needs to be done to defeat Hizbullah's provocation and even to defeat Hizbullah as well (Prov. 8:14; 11:14; 19:21).

    • Lord God, guide Israel to respond to Hizbullah in such a way that this verse from the Torah portion becomes a reality today: This day I will begin to put the dread and the fear of you on all the nations who shall hear report of you, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of you. (Deut. 2:25)

    • King of kings, cast far off from Israel's northern border that demonic Hizbullah army (Joel 2:20-21).

    • Increase the gathering of accurate actionable intelligence – and improve Israel's ability to decipher what is true, what is false and what is disinformation (2 Chr. 12:32; Job 12:22; Prov. 12:20).

    • As in 1967 Six Day War, impart to the IDF courage, wisdom and an anointing to fight in any multi-front Iranian-inspired war that is very likely to come (Deut. 28:7).

    • Please use the IDF as Your weapon of war to destroy the Iranian regime (Jer. 49:38b; 51:19-24), and in doing that to open the way for the gospel to expand exponentially in Iran (Jer. 49:38a) .

    • Protect the Iranian church, and cause it to grow numerically and spiritually (Eph. 3:14-21).

    • Raise up more intercessors with a burden for the protection of Your land (Psa. 50:3; Isa. 62:6-7).

  5. Aliyah:

    The regathering of the scattered Jews is for God's holy name's sake (Ezek. 36:24-28). Therefore we see aliyah as God answering the church's 2,000 year old prayer today: Heavenly Father, may Your name be sanctified…on the earth… (Luke 11:2). Aliyah is also an answer to Israel's approximately 3,000 year old prayer that is found in Psalm 115:1-3.

    • Yes I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land most assuredly with all of My heart and with all of My soul. (Jer. 32:41) Lord, as this is the only verse in Your Word where You state You will do something with all of Your heart and soul, it is obviously important to You – and we bless and praise You for being alive to see it happening today (Isa. 32:3; Matt. 13:16).

    • Thank You for fulfilling prophecy and answering many prayers by You drawing so many of Your people home in our day – including approximately 30,000 so far this year (Isa. 60:4-10).

    • Remove all blindness from believers about this current prophetic fulfillment (Psa. 146:8a; Isa. 35:5).

    • Lord, stir up believers to boldly tell their Jewish neighbors it is time to return to Zion (Zech. 8:16).

    • Let them also be willing to help in anyway needed – prayers, finances, contacts, etc. (Isa. 49:22).

    • God, show Western Jews that today they can return to Israel with their wealth – but they may not be able to do that tomorrow (Isa. 60:9).

    • Open the eyes of many more Jews in the captivity to understand that "anti-Zionism" is just a more politically correct term for "anti-Semitism" (Psa. 35:19; 38:19; 69:4; 86:17).

    • We pray for a change in Israel's Law of Return, making it more in line with Your Word so that those with only Jewish fathers are seen as Jewish as those with only Jewish mothers (Matt. 1:1-16).

    • Remove all bureaucratic obstacles – both in Israel and in its many diplomatic overseas missions– which hinder the process of Jews getting their citizenships (Isa. 62:10).

    • Inspire Israel's authorities to encourage new immigrants to settle in all of Your land (Obad. 1:19-20).

  6. Salvation:

    In Shabbat's prophetic portion, God speaks to Israel about its sins: Come now, and let us reason together, says YHWH. Although your sins are as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow (Isa. 1:18a). We would normally see our sins as black, but here God sees them as scarlet which means when the blood of Yeshua is placed over them – all that the Father sees is His Son's blood sacrifice.

    • Abba, as Jews read this verse, cause them to ask You to make their sins white (Psa. 51:7; Isa. 43:26).

    • Lord, watch over Your promise to save Your people as they return to the land (Ezek. 36:25-28).

    • Lord Yeshua, once again walk through Your land, opening eyes, ears and hearts (Lev. 26:12).

    • Destroy the demonic lie in both Jewish and Christian thinking that says that if a Jew believes in "Jesus" – then they are no longer Jewish (Acts 24:14-15).

    • Bring a harvest out of the seeds believers have planted and watered in Jewish minds (1 Cor. 3:6-8).

    • YHWH, save Your people, the remnant of Israel. (Jer. 31:7) Lord God, save a significant remnant of Haredi [ultra-Orthodox] men, women and even rabbis; Israeli politicians from both the coalition and the opposition; Jewish judges and lawyers; Israeli security forces – in the IDF, the police and in Mossad; professors, teachers, scientists, doctors, nurses, and hi-tech workers; many Israeli Ethiopians and Jews from India [Beni Menashe]; Israelis and Jews living in gentile nations – especially many from the thousands who are trapped in Iran; Israelis who are demonstrating against the government; unsaved loved ones in Messianic Jews families.

    • Embolden more Israeli believers to move out in the gifts of the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:4-12).

    • Thank You for bringing millions of Middle Eastern Muslims out of the Islamic kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of Your Son (Col. 1:12-13). We ask for more, Lord (Matt. 5:44).

    • Turn many ex-Muslim believers into provokers to jealousy of unsaved Jews (Rom. 11:11).

  7. The Body of Messiah:

    In these "exciting" days, it is imperative for us as His Body to filter all that we see or hear – or even feel – through His Word. Yet this means having a good overall grasp of His whole Word, from Genesis to Revelation, because if believers are unaware of what the Tanach says about the last days, then they are in serious danger of being deceived (Isa. 8:20).

    • Lord, pour out a love for the truth of Your Word upon Your Body (John 17:17; 2 Thess. 2:8-13).

    • Provoke Your Body with the heart of the Bereans who carefully studied Your Word, and remind them that the only Scriptures the Bereans had was the "Old Testament" (Acts 17:10-12)!

    • Gift Your Body with more elders who will boldly preach the full counsel of God and replace all elders who only teach from the New Testament (Acts 20:26-27; 2 Tim. 3:16-17).

    • Reveal to Your children how to share the good news of Yeshua – from the Tanach (2 Tim. 3:15).

    • Confront believers who reject parts of Your Word and yet think they are so full of wisdom (Jer. 8:9).

    • Shield the Israeli Body from all modern "fads" or deceptions being imported from outside (Deut. 11:16; Matt. 24:4-5, 11, 24; 2 Tim. 3:12-13).

  8. IFI:

    One of the last things that Lance Lambert said to us before he graduated to glory was, "Grace; without grace no one will make it!" And this is what we at IFI need both for the ministry and for our personal walk with Him. Thank you for standing with us and asking our God to shed His amazing grace abundantly upon us (Ex .33:13; Zech. 4:6-7).

Shabbat shalom and blessings from Jerusalem

Chuck Cohen, for the IFI team

2 John 1:3; Rev. 22:21