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Lesson 7 • Second Week

PRAYING FOR THE
PEACE OF JERUSALEM

Background Reading

Ezekiel 13:8-17; Psalm 122:7­8; Isaiah 52:9; 62:1-6; Jeremiah 8:11-15; 30:5; Zechariah 8:22

Devotional Reading

1 Samuel 7:3-12

Central Verse
"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.         "Pray for peace in Jerusalem. May all
They shall prosper that love thee."        who love this city prosper."
Psalm 122:6, KJV                                  Psalm 122:6, NLT

Key Terms
Migrated—To have moved from one country, place, or locality to another.
Seige—A military blockade of a city or fortified place to compel it to surrender: a persistent or serious attack.
Abrahamic Covenant—A promise that God made with Abraham. Accord­ing to the covenant, God would offer protection and land to Abraham and his descendants, but they must follow the path of God.

Introduction

According to Oxford Research Encyclopedias, The United Nations ap­proved a plan to partition Palestine into a Jewish and Arab state in 1947, but the Arabs rejected it. In May 1948, Israel was officially declared an in­dependent state. Following the announcement of an independent Israel, five Arab nations, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon, immediately invaded the region in what became known as the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Civil war broke out throughout all of Israel, but a cease-fire agreement was reached in 1949. As part of the temporary armistice agreement, the West Bank became a part of Jordan, and the Gaza Strip became Egyp­tian territory.

But in 1967, Israel defeated Egypt and Jordan. And Syria in six days. After this brief war, Israel took control of the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula, the West Bank, and the Golan Heights. These areas were considered "occu­pied" by Israel. Since that time, there have been constant wars and numer­ous acts of violence between Arabs and Jews.

This is a day when the word of the Lord has become a reality, for as I write, the peace of Jerusalem has been disturbed. Hamas, a Sunni Islamist mil­itant group that assumed Palestinian power in 2006, attacked Israel in a surprise deadly assault—killing hundreds and taking hostages in October 2023. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war on Hamas, and war is going on now in that area. Jerusalem is the home of God's peo­ple, for Jews have migrated back to that area from all over the world. It is imperative that the believers pray for the peace of Jerusalem. God promised to restore Jerusalem in Psalm chapter fifty-one. The prayer of the righteous avails much. God promised that the Israelites would once again occupy the land that they once deserted (Psalm 62:1-6).

Discussion

Jesus said that men ought always to pray and not to faint. Praying is the foundation of who the Jews are. They have always leaned and depended on God by making their prayers with Him.

After Samuel was made Priest and Prophet to God's people, one of the first things he did was to speak unto the House of Israel. He instructed them to get rid of the false god Ashtaroth, to seek God and serve only Him and He would deliver them out of the hands of the Philistines. He gathered all Israel to Mizpeh, he prayed for them, and they fasted before God. They confessed that they had sinned against God and needed His help.

When the Philistines heard that the children of Israel had gathered together at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines attacked Israel. The children of Israel were afraid of the Philistines, so they asked Samuel to continue to pray to God for them. Samuel took a lamb and offered it as a burnt offering unto God, prayed, and God heard and answered him. When the Philistines came near the Israelites to fight them, God sent a great thunder on that day upon them and caused them to become discomforted. They lost the battle to Is­rael. Samuel offered sacrifice to God and named the place Ebenezer, which meant "the Lord has helped us."

Believers need to pray for Jerusalem; God will always help when they repent to Him. God is a God of peace; His Son is the Prince of Peace, and they need Him in their business. The word of the Lord tells the believers that the wicked shall be turned into hell and all the nations that forget God.

So many of the people in Jerusalem have gotten so caught up in politics and greed that God is far from their agenda. But God is a jealous God, and He will allow other nations to come and afflict Israel until they recognize that God is yet God and He still rules this world. We, the believers, are blessed when we pray for Jerusalem, for God promised prosperity to the believers who pray for Israel.

God had Ezekiel to warn the people in his day who worked against Israel by using some type of witchcraft and black magic that His wrath would come upon them. The nations that support the nations against Israel are in trou­ble. God will be an enemy against them.

Jeremiah prophesied that terrible days would come for Jerusalem, and because of their sins, they would be punished. They will decree peace, but there will be no peace. He said that they would look for peace, and the peace would not come; they would look for health, but they would get in trouble. But God is yet saying to Israel and the believers that if they are really His people and are called by His name, they must humble themselves and pray. They must seek His face and turn from their wicked ways. Then would He hear from heaven, He would forgive their sins and heal their land.

Conclusion

Israel must do what is right to continue receiving God's blessings and pro­tection. For God's promises are based on conditions. If they obey, then God will do what He promised to do. In Jeremiah chapter thirty, he prophesied that God would restore Israel. God wants to restore Israel. But Israel has had such a disobedient heart. They have been so rebellious against His ways and His laws that there have been many times where He has turned away from them.

God allowed the Temple and other important buildings to be burned down by enemies. He allowed King Nebuchadnezzar to lay siege of Jerusalem. But He allowed Zechariah to prophesy that a fulfillment of the promise of Gentile blessing in the Abrahamic covenant would be fulfilled. So, saints, do not stop praying for the peace of Jerusalem, for the peace shall return to Jerusalem. God's word says so.

Questions

Why are believers encouraged to pray for the peace of Jerusalem?
What are the factors that cause the peace to be delayed?
What will happen to the nations that support Israel's enemies?
What is happening to Jerusalem at this time in history?

Essential Thought- "The peace of Jerusalem may be delayed, but it is not denied, for it shall come."