by Pastor Afolabi Oladele
The year 2020 continues to be one to watch and we shall get to why shortly.
The first supermoon of 2020 appeared on Monday evening 10th of March as the holiday of Purim ended and the second day referred to as Shushan Purim began.
The Shushan Purim supermoon (10th march 2020) was followed by two more in consecutive months:
- Wednesday, April 8; and
- Thursday, May 7.
The next supermoon will be the morning of September 17, arriving in time to begin Rosh Hashanna, the Hebrew New Year, entering the Shmitta.
Rabbi Yosef Berger noted the political significance of the supermoon falling on Purim, Passover, and Rosh Hashanna. He said “the moon represents malchut (מלכות; kingship). Every kingdom rises and falls and eventually disappears. Only Israel and the Davidic dynasty is eternal. That is because other kingdoms grab power by virtue of their strength; but the moon, kingship, does not have a strength of its own. Like the moon, kings must reflect the glory of the sun, of hashem (God; literally the name). The only king who did this was King David and so the Davidic dynasty is eternal, like the glory of God it channels into the world.”
After three inconclusive elections, the Israeli supreme court gave assent to something unparralled in the history of Israel that resulted in a joint prime-ministership of Netanyahu and Gantz. Netanyahu would rule first for the first 18 months before Gantz, and a transition that puts the nation plum inside the schmitta/superschmitta. The swearing in was to have coincided with the May supermoon, aligning with Rabbi Yosef’s prognosis.
Why is this of interest to you and me as believers? The preacher loudly declared in Ecclesiates 8:5b-7 (NLT): Those who obey him will not be punished. Those who are wise will find a time and a way to do what is right, for there is a time and a way for everything, even when a person is in trouble. Indeed, how can people avoid what they don’t know is going to happen?
And for those who were grafted in to become fellow heirs, Romans 11:17-18,24-25 NLT speaks: But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree. But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root….You, by nature, were a branch cut from a wild olive tree. So if God was willing to do something contrary to nature by grafting you into his cultivated tree, he will be far more eager to graft the original branches back into the tree where they belong. I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ.
And here then is the poser for us, are we in the season of ‘fulness of the gentiles be come in”? What should we be doing as Israel goes through this uncharted territory? This is the relevance of the declaration of the preacher. One thing we know for certainty was expressed by the psalmist and should be the desire of every believer.
Remember me, Lord, when you show favor to your people;
come near and rescue me.
Let me share in the prosperity of your chosen ones.
Let me rejoice in the joy of your people;
let me praise you with those who are your heritage. Psalm 106:4-5 NLT
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