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Caption transcript for Psalms of Ascent (2018): “Psalms 122 & 123” (2/8)

• 00:05 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved,
• 00:12 for there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek,
• 00:14 for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him.
• 00:39 Hi friends, I'm David Hart.
• 00:40 Thank you so much for joining us today on Zola Levitt Presents.
• 00:43 And I'm Kirsten Hart.
• 00:44 We are in out series "Psalms of Ascent" which first aired in 2010
• 00:49 with Dr. Jeffrey Seif as our main teacher.
• 00:51 The Psalms of Ascent were Psalms 120 - 134
• 00:55 that were sung or spoken by those
• 00:58 going up to the Temple in Jerusalem.
• 01:00 We will have messages today from
• 01:02 Eitan Shishkoff, Chaim Malespin,
• 01:05 our weekly Hebrew Lesson with Sarah Liberman.
• 01:07 They are all on location in Israel.
• 01:10 We'll also have a song by Marty Goetz.
• 01:14 Today, Dr. Seif will be teaching us from Psalm 122 and 123.
• 01:20 Psalm 122 should sound familiar to our viewers.
• 01:23 First, let's go to our dramatic re-enactment in Israel.
• 01:30 "I was glad when they said unto me,"
• 01:32 "let us go into the House of the LORD."
• 01:35 "Our feet shall stand within thy Gates O Jerusalem."
• 01:40 "Jerusalem is built as a city that is compact together."
• 01:45 "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem."
• 01:47 "They shall prosper that love thee."
• 01:50 "Peace be within thy walls and prosperity within thy palaces."
• 01:55 "For my brethren and companion's sake,"
• 01:58 I will now say, 'Peace be within thee'."
• 02:05 "Our feet have been standing within thy Gates O Jerusalem."
• 02:10 A word uttered in the Psalms way back when,
• 02:14 words that are uttered in this very day,
• 02:18 not just by the pilgrim's that frequent this place,
• 02:21 and by "this place" I mean "Jerusalem"
• 02:23 where I'm coming to you in front of
• 02:26 one of the more famous gates...the Zion Gate.
• 02:30 If you look in those holes in the wall behind me,
• 02:33 those weren't done by kamikaze pigeons,
• 02:36 no, there was a battle royal that was engaged in here,
• 02:43 going back to the Six Day War
• 02:45 where the Jordanians were very spirited.
• 02:48 Oh, and the fighting was intense
• 02:52 at what's called "The Lion's Gate",
• 02:54 at "The Dung Gate" the battle royal raged here
• 02:58 until finally after so many years
• 03:01 separated from the heart of Judaism.
• 03:04 Finally, as it says in another Temple holiday,
• 03:08 " nes gadol hayah sham ",
• 03:10 "a great miracle happened".
• 03:11 What was it in this case?
• 03:13 Jerusalem fell back into Jewish hands
• 03:16 with the net result that Jews can now say,
• 03:19 "Our feet are standing within thy gates O Jerusalem."
• 03:26 and if you stand here long,
• 03:29 because we're in a Jewish State,
• 03:31 you discover its not just Jewish feet
• 03:33 that walk through the Gate,
• 03:35 the doors are swung open to people that profess different religions,
• 03:39 be it Islam,
• 03:41 be it Christianity,
• 03:43 be it something else,
• 03:45 be it no religion,
• 03:46 certainly Jewish people.
• 03:48 The doors are swung wide open
• 03:51 with no litmus test of acceptability.
• 03:54 That's because this real estate
• 03:56 finally and fully is in Jewish hands,
• 03:59 and you know, I'm excited,
• 04:01 and so was the psalmist who
• 04:03 in chapter 122 said in his language,
• 04:06 let's walk through it slowly.
• 04:19 Oh what a thrill it is to be able to say that.
• 04:22 Let me tell you, the fact that I can say it
• 04:25 is attested to the fact that many paid a great price
• 04:29 in order that people like me and you can say it.
• 04:32 Let me encourage you by the way
• 04:34 to come here and say it as well.
• 04:36 I've been around long enough and
• 04:38 I've seen the faces of Christian people light up
• 04:44 when they walk the streets of Jerusalem,
• 04:47 and when they walk through this Gate and others like it,
• 04:51 it is such a thrill.
• 04:53 Sleepless are the nights,
• 04:55 not just because of jet lag,
• 04:57 but because of the ecstasy that accompanies Bible readers,
• 05:00 who after reading the story for years
• 05:03 can now walk in affect back in time
• 05:06 and into the pages of theB iblical testimony.
• 05:10 What a place!
• 05:11 I thank God for it.
• 05:13 I'm so thrilled there's a Jewish presence here in it.
• 05:15 If we go through Psalm Chapter 122
• 05:18 we come to an exhortation.
• 05:20 Beyond simply rejoicing that we can be here,
• 05:23 there is a petition for prayer.
• 05:25 It says,
• 05:31 And let me tell you that the need for that is as great now
• 05:37 as it was when it was uttered back then.
• 05:41 Interestingly pilgrims were making their way to Jerusalem then as now.
• 05:47 Once here they're hearing levitical choirs
• 05:50 sing these various Psalms of Ascent.
• 05:54 Beyond that, they themselves are
• 05:56 participating back and forth in it all,
• 05:59 and they're beckoned to pray for the peace of Jerusalem
• 06:04 Friends as a battle royal rages around Israel,
• 06:09 Israel's very right to exist,
• 06:13 goodness Israel needs prayers,
• 06:15 Israel needs cares.
• 06:18 And let me tell you when Jews visit Israel
• 06:21 Jews expect Jews to come to the ancestral homeland
• 06:24 but I've seen it on more than one occasion
• 06:26 where Jewish people are thrilled when Christians come.
• 06:29 And why is that?
• 06:30 Because many Jewish people feel
• 06:33 that Christians have abandoned them outright here.
• 06:36 Oh the press is pressing against Israel.
• 06:40 When Christian people come and spend their money
• 06:44 in the restaurants and in the hotels
• 06:46 and walk the Land and share and care and offer a prayer,
• 06:48 it doesn't go unnoticed.
• 06:51 The likes of Prime Ministers and Generals
• 06:54 come out to greet Christian groups.
• 06:58 And why is that?
• 07:00 Because your presence is appreciated here,
• 07:03 and your prayers are appreciated here.
• 07:06 I don't say that simply because it's
• 07:08 an extension of my own sentiment...no.
• 07:10 The Bible beckons us to do that.
• 07:13 By the way if you'll permit
• 07:16 a little parenthetical excursion here,
• 07:18 inasmuch as the Bible encourages us to
• 07:20 pray for Jerusalem and for the Israelite State here,
• 07:24 I'm hard pressed to understand how any Bible reading person
• 07:27 could disavow a Jewish presence in the ancestral homeland.
• 07:32 And as is the case today,
• 07:33 many are rooting for the people
• 07:35 that are trying to drive Jews into the sea.
• 07:38 Christian people claiming to be Christian,
• 07:40 claiming that Israel has no right to exist,
• 07:43 Israel is a mistake,
• 07:44 it's a fluke in history,
• 07:47 It's an extension of western colonialism,
• 07:49 God is through with the Jew,
• 07:51 it's all about you.
• 07:53 The Jews are non-existent
• 07:54 and they're insulted by the fact
• 07:56 that there's a Jewish presence here.
• 07:57 Let me tell you something.
• 07:58 That is not the sentiment of the
• 08:00 person who writes this Bible, who wrote this passage,
• 08:03 and it has nothing to do with
• 08:04 the spirit within which it is written.
• 08:07 Oh friends, today now more than ever,
• 08:09 we need to in fact pray for the peace of Jerusalem
• 08:13 and stand behind those minded to contend for it.
• 08:27 Are Gentile believers meant to adopt the Mosaic Law?
• 08:30 Is there a separate salvation Covenant for Israel
• 08:32 that removes the necessity of faith in Yeshua?
• 08:35 Eitan Shishkoff tackles these questions and more
• 08:38 in today's Resource "What About Us?"
• 08:41 In this book Eitan uncovers
• 08:43 concrete Scriptural evidence
• 08:45 of God's original plan
• 08:46 for Jews and Gentiles
• 08:48 to become One in Messiah
• 08:50 and work together for salvation of National Israel.
• 08:53 Learn the importance of how the Gentile Church
• 08:55 should relate to the remarkable Messianic movement
• 08:58 of Jews accepting Jesus.
• 09:00 An important read for believers of all walks of life.
• 09:03 Please call us, or go online
• 09:05 and ask for the Resource "What About Us?
• 09:10 Called "Psalms of Ascent"
• 09:12 "Ascent" comes from the word meaning "to go up".
• 09:14 "Transcend" means "to cross over and go up".
• 09:18 Help us to cross coast to coast.
• 09:21 Television isn't cheap.
• 09:23 We don't want to just ascend, we want to transcend.
• 09:26 We got a great message.
• 09:28 We need your help in telling it.
• 09:30 Please be gracious and make a kind donation
• 09:33 to Zola Levitt Ministries.
• 09:44 This ministry continues to stand strong for Israel
• 09:47 and the return of the Jewish people to their Homeland.
• 09:50 Now let's open our Bibles as we return to Israel.
• 09:56 A maid servant awaits her reward.
• 09:59 Totally dependent upon her master she waits.
• 10:05 "Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hands of their masters"
• 10:09 "and as the eyes of a maiden upon the hand of the mistress,"
• 10:14 "so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God"
• 10:17 "until he has mercy upon us."
• 10:21 "Have mercy upon us O Lord."
• 10:24 "Have mercy upon us."
• 10:29 The key word here is the word "dependence".
• 10:34 That's what the psalmist is talking about when
• 10:37 he likens Israelites to a servant and God being the master.
• 10:43 Inasmuch as servants are dependent on their master
• 10:47 so too are Israelites dependent on God.
• 10:53 It was a Psalm that was framed in turbulent times.
• 10:58 Speaking of turbulent times,
• 11:00 I'm coming to you from a place where
• 11:02 indeed the times were ones very turbulent.
• 11:06 Harking back to the battle of Jerusalem,
• 11:09 Jerusalem was under siege
• 11:11 and new immigrants were just basically given a gun and some basic training
• 11:15 and marshaled into the fledgling Israeli defense forces.
• 11:20 They did the best they could but
• 11:22 they came from different nations,
• 11:24 they didn't communicate well
• 11:26 and shy of 150 of them were slaughtered
• 11:28 here at a place called "Latrun".
• 11:32 Here in Latrun commemorated on these plaques
• 11:36 are soldiers that died in the armored division.
• 11:40 I want you to hear some of these names
• 11:42 because I want you to understand
• 11:43 how Jews remember the Bible
• 11:45 in the way that we do our names.
• 11:47 Daniel ...well first,
• 11:49 Naphtali over here.
• 11:51 Daniel
• 11:52 Yisrael , Israel.
• 11:56 Yoseph , that's my name in Hebrew.
• 11:59 My English name Jeffrey Seif,
• 12:01 Yoseph Levi , my Hebrew.
• 12:03 Avraham , Abraham.
• 12:06 Do these names sound familiar?
• 12:09 Even if the sounds don't sound familiar,
• 12:11 the context of Psalm 123 may indeed be familiar to you
• 12:18 if you have ever found yourself in trouble.
• 12:22 The psalmist as I've said, speaks from troublesome times.
• 12:26 I want you to hear him and feel him.
• 12:29 In verse 1, he says,
• 12:31 [Speaking in Hebrew first]
• 12:53 and while the eyes are looking the heart is speaking.
• 12:57 in verse 3, oh it's so passionate
• 13:00 [Speaking in Hebrew first]
• 13:10 Surely it was the heart cry of those who fought and died here.
• 13:17 In fact, here in Latrun I interviewed Avigdor Khahalani some time ago,
• 13:22 a very famous general, right on top of his tank.
• 13:25 I asked him if he prayed and he smiled and he says,
• 13:28 "Well in the middle of a battle I don't' always have time, but listen,
• 13:32 "At the beginning of the day it wasn't uncommon to start with a prayer."
• 13:37 Not everyone is an enduring prayer warrior through the course of their day,
• 13:41 but still people lift their laments, their challenges God-ward.
• 13:46 In the case of the psalmist here,
• 13:49 the context of its penning was
• 13:52 the Israelites have come back from captivity,
• 13:55 and the peoples round about are giving them the dickens of a time,
• 14:01 a really, really hard time.
• 14:03 You can recall in the days of Ezra, and Nehemiah
• 14:06 how the neighboring peoples were trying
• 14:10 to prevent the Israelites from getting a toehold in the fledgling State.
• 14:17 The psalmist goes on to say,
• 14:18 "We're the scorn of people round about."
• 14:21 "They're just humiliating us."
• 14:23 "They're doing everything they can to thwart us."
• 14:26 And in the midst of all that they're crying,
• 14:28 "Lord be gracious unto us",
• 14:31 "Lord be gracious unto us."
• 14:33 Isn't this a Psalm for today
• 14:38 as Israelites like yesterday here in the modern land today
• 14:43 are looking to make a bid to secure
• 14:46 residency in the ancestral, God-given Homeland?
• 14:52 Lord, help us.
• 14:54 Lord,be gracious unto us.
• 14:57 Lest you think this Psalm only applies to Jews,
• 15:00 let me speak to you for a moment
• 15:02 and say that the cry of many of the Righteous
• 15:04 has been "Lord, help us."
• 15:07 The Scripture says that those that
• 15:08 look to him will not be disappointed.
• 15:13 And so I began on something of a sour note.
• 15:15 Sour...or somber would be a better word I think,
• 15:18 and of course that would be the case.
• 15:20 I'm standing in front of a memorial to those who have died,
• 15:24 But truth be known, people come to these memorials.
• 15:27 Children come on field trips.
• 15:29 Soldiers come and visit and remember those that paid the ultimate sacrifice.
• 15:35 It's designed to encourage us to be bold and to contend.
• 15:41 I think that's the intention of the psalmist endeavoring as he is
• 15:45 to give voice to the quest to seek God
• 15:47 amidst turbulence of trying times.
• 15:50 The Good News is that those who seek Him find Him.
• 15:54 Difficulties notwithstanding,
• 15:56 challenges being what they may,
• 15:58 still, if we persevere, if we seek Him we'll find him,
• 16:03 if we seek him with all of our heart.
• 16:08 Thank you Jeff for that insight.
• 16:10 If you today,
• 16:11 if you are going through a difficult time
• 16:14 we just pray that you will seek the Lord,
• 16:17 and we believe that in your seeking of Him,
• 16:19 that you will hear Him.
• 16:21 Amen.
• 16:22 We also know that the Word of God is
• 16:23 being fulfilled daily in Israel.
• 16:25 Our own Chaim Malespin is in the middle of it all
• 16:29 at the Aliyah Center.
• 16:31 Here's Chaim.
• 16:37 What's new at the Center?
• 16:39 Well I'll tell you.
• 16:40 Not only have we received
• 16:42 a mountain of donated clothes,
• 16:44 which we're able to distribute
• 16:46 to the new immigrants
• 16:47 who are coming back
• 16:48 from all over the world
• 16:50 to their Homeland,
• 16:51 to the Promised Land.
• 16:52 We were able to receive them
• 16:53 in warm hospitality.
• 16:54 Yeah, I'm taking B'nai Manasseh , the sons of Manasseh.
• 16:56 Those are those ones who look like Indian with the dot,
• 16:59 from Northern India from the City of Manipur
• 17:02 where thousands of years ago they were carried away as slaves,
• 17:06 and now to see them return to the Homeland
• 17:08 and be able to bless them,
• 17:09 There's people coming from Brazil,
• 17:11 from all over the world,
• 17:12 and we're working with the City, with the Mayor,
• 17:14 with the Municipality,
• 17:16 with the Aliyah absorption.
• 17:17 It's fun times.
• 17:19 Yes, the Center is growing,
• 17:21 I mean the buildings are becoming renovated,
• 17:25 and the prophecies are being fulfilled.
• 17:33 Thank you Chaim.
• 17:34 It's exciting to see
• 17:36 how things are progressing
• 17:37 at the Aliyah Return Center.
• 17:39 God is calling His people back to His Land.
• 17:42 Stay with us.
• 17:45 Isaiah 14:1 says it clearly
• 17:47 The Lord will bring them back to settle once again in their own Land,
• 17:51 and people from many Nations will come and join them there,
• 17:53 and unite with the people of Israel.
• 17:56 That's exactly what's happening
• 17:57 at the Aliyah Return Center in Galilee, Israel.
• 18:00 We invite you to partner with us
• 18:02 in helping to renovate this abandoned boarding school
• 18:04 into a place where Jewish people from around the world
• 18:07 will be welcomed home.
• 18:09 Please send your donation to
• 18:14 Let's work together for Israel
• 18:16 and witness the fulfillment
• 18:17 of Isaiah's prophecy.
• 18:21 For insightful perspectives on Israel and Bible Prophecy
• 18:25 ask for our free monthly newsletter, the "Levitt Letter"
• 18:29 At levitt.com you can read the newsletter,
• 18:32 watch the TV program,
• 18:34 or visit our online store.
• 18:37 Stay current with us on social media via Facebook and Twitter.
• 18:40 Come with us on a Tour of Israel or Petra,
• 18:43 or a Cruise to Greece and Ephesus.
• 18:46 Please contact us for more information.
• 18:52 I've recently heard it said
• 18:53 that all of Israel is one huge archaeological dig.
• 18:57 And we found that to be true.
• 18:59 Every time we go there's always
• 19:00 a new discovery, and something new that's being found.
• 19:04 Don't miss the opportunity
• 19:06 to enjoy God's Holy Land.
• 19:08 levitt.com is our website.
• 19:10 We go two times a year,
• 19:11 in the Spring, and the Fall.
• 19:13 Right now let's go to our weekly Hebrew Lesson
• 19:15 with Sarah Liberman.
• 19:22 Shalom Havarim !
• 19:23 We're here in the City of Jerusalem
• 19:25 talking about the Names of God.
• 19:27 One of the beautiful names of the Lord
• 19:30 Lee Leeshoah
• 19:32 Moses in Exodus Chapter 15 verse 2 says,
• 19:35 "The Lord is my strength and my song,
• 19:38 He has become my Salvation.
• 19:41 Yeshua is a word derived from the
• 19:44 Name of Jesus in Hebrew.
• 19:46 Yeshua , which means "Salvation".
• 19:49 So, as we worship and as we pray and we praise God
• 19:53 we can say,
• 19:54 "God, You are my Salvation"
• 19:57 "Adonai ata-Lee Leeshoah"
• 20:01 Thank you so much Sarah.
• 20:03 Okay, this word is a little bit longer
• 20:05 but I love what it says,
• 20:06 God, You are my Salvation.
• 20:08 In Hebrew - You ready?
• 20:10 Yes
• 20:10 Let's do it together.
• 20:11 Adonai ata-Lee Leeshoah
• 20:14 Not too bad!
• 20:16 It's a long one
• 20:17 but we're trying
• 20:18 and we love learning the Hebrew Names of God.
• 20:20 Amen!
• 20:21 Now let's go up north to Haifa to hear from Eitan Shishkoff.
• 20:30 Shalom, I'm Eitan Shishkoff
• 20:31 and we're standing in our humanitarian aide
• 20:33 warehouse in Kiryat Yam near the Haifa Bay.
• 20:36 And what you see surrounding me
• 20:38 are many green bags
• 20:41 filled with all kinds of food and supplies for Passover.
• 20:46 We are going to be distributing these
• 20:48 bags to needy families here in the area
• 20:51 in cooperation with local city authorities
• 20:56 because we really believe in what the Scripture talks about
• 21:00 when it says that he who honors the poor,
• 21:03 honors the Lord.
• 21:04 In addition to that, we see this pattern in the original
• 21:09 Messianic Jewish community in the Book of Acts.
• 21:12 As the influx of believers came to faith in Yeshua
• 21:19 they created a community in which it was of a primary importance
• 21:25 to share what they had with each other.
• 21:27 And, in fact, it said that they shared with each other
• 21:29 to such an extent that no one had want.
• 21:31 Well, we're not going to be able to supply all of the Haifa Bay area
• 21:35 with the supplies for Passover
• 21:38 but I think it will be very pleasant for some families to receive
• 21:41 Passover cookies, they're Kosher,
• 21:44 and to be able to share some of what God has given us.
• 21:49 The logo on the side of the bags
• 21:52 is our Oasis symbol
• 21:54 which comes from the book of Jeremiah
• 21:56 that talks about God, bringing His people back, in mercy.
• 22:00 The demonstration of mercy is something
• 22:04 that's very, very essential.
• 22:06 It goes all the way back to the Torah
• 22:09 where the Lord instructs Israel
• 22:12 to leave the corners of a field available for the poor people to glean
• 22:18 and to bring in a harvest so they'll have something to eat.
• 22:21 So we believe that in renewing the Messianic Jewish Community in Israel
• 22:25 that it's essential for us also to be distributing aide to those in need,
• 22:31 and we're very grateful to be able to do it.
• 22:34 It's part of our identity.
• 22:35 It's part of who we are both as Jewish Israelis and as Messianic Jews,
• 22:41 and we're grateful for those from outside of the Land
• 22:44 that join us and help us to do this.
• 22:46 If you are interested in doing that you can contact us.
• 22:49 The information will be available.
• 22:51 Todah Rabah - Thank you so much.
• 22:55 ♪ One thing I have asked of the Lord ♪
• 23:00 ♪ that will I seek after ♪
• 23:05 ♪ that I may dwell in the House of the Lord ♪
• 23:11 ♪ all the days of my life. ♪
• 23:18 ♪ For one day in Your Courts Oh Lord is to me far better ♪
• 23:27 ♪ than any treasure this world could afford ♪
• 23:32 ♪ in a thousand days of this life. ♪
• 23:38 ♪ Oh to behold the beauty of the Lord, ♪
• 23:43 ♪ the beauty of the Lord. ♪
• 23:45 ♪ You're beautiful my Lord. ♪
• 23:49 ♪ And to inquire in Your Temple, ♪
• 23:54 ♪ to inquire in Your Temple, ♪
• 23:58 ♪ That's my desire Oh Lord, ♪
• 24:03 ♪ my desire Oh Lord. ♪
• 24:08 ♪ And one thing You have asked of me Lord ♪
• 24:13 ♪ that will I seek after. ♪
• 24:17 ♪ I will seek Your face my Lord ♪
• 24:22 ♪ Every day of my life."
• 24:28 ♪ I need to behold the beauty of the Lord, ♪
• 24:32 ♪ the beauty of the Lord, ♪
• 24:35 ♪ You're beautiful my Lord. ♪
• 24:38 ♪ To be Your child pure and humble, ♪
• 24:43 ♪ Just a child pure and humble, ♪
• 24:48 ♪ That's my desire Oh Lord, ♪
• 24:52 ♪ all that you require my Lord. ♪
• 25:01 ♪ Orchestra ♪
• 25:17 ♪ Oh to behold the beauty of the Lord, ♪
• 25:22 ♪ the beauty of the Lord. ♪
• 25:25 ♪ You're beautiful my Lord. ♪
• 25:28 ♪ Keep the fire in this Temple, ♪
• 25:33 ♪ Keep the fire in this Temple burning higher my Lord, ♪
• 25:43 ♪ ever higher, my Lord, ♪
• 25:48 ♪ For one thing I have asked of you Lord, ♪
• 25:53 ♪ that will I seek after, ♪
• 25:58 That I may dwell in the House of the Lord all the days of my life, ♪
• 26:10 ♪ piano ♪
• 26:14 ♪ All the days of my life. ♪♪
• 26:37 "And I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever and ever.
• 26:41 What a powerful message today through song.
• 26:43 Thank you, Marty Goetz.
• 26:44 It's a good word, isn't it?
• 26:45 Yes.
• 26:46 Psalm 122 is also a great passage of Scripture.
• 26:49 Psalm 122 starting at verse 6 says,
• 27:12 [Singing] Sha alu Shalom Yerushalayim
• 27:16 Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem
• 27:22 Our monthly newsletter, the Levitt Letter is free
• 27:24 and full of insightful articles and news commentary
• 27:27 from a Messianic perspective.
• 27:29 Visit levitt.com to find our Newsletter
• 27:32 along with current and past programs,
• 27:34 our television schedule and much more.
• 27:38 Don't forget to order this weeks Resource
• 27:40 by calling 1-800-WONDERS,
• 27:43 or you can purchase it from our store at levitt.com
• 27:47 Your donations to Zola Levitt Ministries
• 27:49 help these organization bless Israel.