September 20th, 2020

​Yearly, an organization called HaYovei (The Jubilee) has been helping farmers with small properties in the regions of Judea and Samaria harvest their grapes.  A recent story by Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz in "Biblical News" told about the organizations faithfulness in bringing more than 3,000 Christian volunteers from 30 countries to Israel for the past 15 years.  As they helped pick grapes, these Christians breathed life into the Biblical prophecy in Isaiah 61:5.  "Strangers will shepherd your flocks; foreigners will work your fields and vineyards."
 
This year was different from all others.  Israel's Health Minister placed travel restrictions on the country so that their borders were closed to all non-citizens.  It is reported that about 400 tons of grapes were in danger of rotting on the vines because of the restrictions.  The leaders of HaYovei pulled out all the stops to get the Israeli government to relax their regulations.  Eventually, 50 volunteers were permitted to enter the country as long as they committed to staying for three months, with the initial two weeks being set aside for quarantine.  On September 2, the first group of volunteers began harvesting the grapes.  Pickers came from The United States, Canada, and Germany.
 
When the harvesters are finished, it is expected that approximately 500 tons of grapes from 10 farms in the Biblical heartland will have been picked.  Some of the HaYovei volunteers are motivated by the prophecy in Ezekiel 36:36.  "Then the nations around you that remain will know that I the Lord have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate..."  Although the volunteers may not proselytize, their generosity in assisting with the harvest demonstrates the love of God.
 
What a blessing it is to be alive during a time when so much Biblical prophecy is coming to life!  The grapevine is a symbol of the Jewish people.  As the grapes mature, so are the Jewish people as they come to know their Messiah.  God told King Hezekiah to look for a sign from Him.  "This year you will eat what grows by itself, and the second year what springs from that.  But in the third year, sow and reap, plant vineyards, and eat fruit.  Once more a remnant of the kingdom of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above.  For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors.  The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this." (Isaiah 37:30-32)  I would imagine that the Jews who own the vineyards in Israel's heartland and the Christians who are helping with the harvest will join together to celebrate and give thanks to God (the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) for bringing in the crop.
 
The Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah) began on Friday evening.  Saturday, September 19, is the first day of the new year and Tishrei, the seventh month on the Jewish calendar.  Typically, families gather together in their synagogues and read Leviticus 23:23-25 and Numbers 29:1-6.  They also read the story of Abraham taking Isaac to Mt. Moriah to sacrifice him as instructed by the Lord. (Genesis 22)  God rewarded Abraham's obedience and provided a ram as a substitute sacrifice.  It is the ram's horn that is blown on the New Year as a reminder of Father Abraham's obedience to God.  Those farmers in Judea and Samaria who have help with harvesting their grapes have another reason to celebrate God's goodness.
 
The "Grapevines" continue to thrive despite efforts by the enemy to kill them.  God is invested in and committed to HIs covenant with the Jewish people.  He has made and kept His promises to His people and uses the Christian community to help in their fulfillment.  "...New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills, and I will bring my people Israel back from exile.  They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them.  They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit.  I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them." (Amos 9:13-15)
 
As the Jews celebrate their new year, we as Christians should be praying for their prosperity and taking our places as harvesters for the Kingdom of God.  God looks with favor on those who help His chosen ones.