The Sea of Galilee is still far below its minimum safe level, and the water crisis is just one of many which Israel is struggling to cope with all at once: environmental, political both within and without, financial, moral. The incoming government is already shuffling around deals and ministries simply to form a government. The outgoing government is already anticipating the eventual downfall of the new. Rather than cooperation, there is opposition and envy. These strange coalitions and alliances we see forming in Israel and globally between incompatible individuals and ideologies and ‘means to an end’ remind me more and more of the toes in the image of King Nebuchadnezzer’s dream which Daniel interpreted for him and us: there is no cohesiveness; it is the weakest element at the point of most need of support; the iron and clay will bring the whole thing down. The coming of the Lord draws near! It is very interesting to me that in Revelation, the coming of the Kingdom of God with the return of the Lord Jesus Christ is good news for those of Heaven and for those humans whose hope is set on God and His intent to establish His Son as King in Zion and over all Israel and the Earth. But it is considered a woe for those who are of the world, who are enemies of the true God and Father and of His beloved Son. (Rev 11).
The holiday of Purim is this week, and we remember God’s sovereign ways and power to deliver His people from the hands of those who would destroy them. Ultimately, it did require help and deliverance from another place for God to bring salvation to His people through the Lord’s death on the cross. And, despite all of our best efforts to ‘make the world better’ (tikkun) — and God will judge us on what we have done as believers, whether good or bad — we will still need help and deliverance from that same ‘other place’ for God to bring everlasting righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit to the world He created to be a habitable place.