Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem
The Names and Titles of God (Deliverer) Romans 11:26
26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
King James Version
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Mom, reading the local newspaper, looked up at twelve-year-old me at the kitchen table.
"Hey ML, there's a really SWELL movie playing at the Rialto today. Here's two dollars. Take your little brother with you and go see it. There will be enough for you both to get in and some popcorn and two cokes. It's a long movie, but I think you'll LOVE it."
Tom didn't want to go, so I had enough for more than popcorn, and, prepared to feast on Milk Duds and Jelly Beans as well as the large size buttered popcorn, I walked the mile to "Rozzie Squayah" (Roslindale Square for you non-Bostonians)
I managed to find a seat that didn't have straw splitting through the leather, and settled in with my popcorn and Milk Duds. The majestic music started, and the curtain opened to reveal...ANOTHER curtain with an old man standing in front of it. He talked about Freedom and Slavery. What had I stumbled into?
Then, the real movie started. It was The Ten Commandments.
The popcorn, the Milk Duds, and the Coke were soon forgotten, but the Movie has remained among my favorites for sixty years. I can recite whole scenes of it for you, but I won't.
After I saw it on the Wide Screen, the Movie became a yearly TV offering, usually around the Passover/Easter Season. Of course, the TV couldn't convey the majesty of the Special Effects, even with our new Color TV.
One of the themes of the movie was the People's Longing for A Deliverer. It comes up again and again, spoken by Joshua, Pharaoh, Dathan, and others. One of my favorites is the character of Dathan, played by Edward G. Robinson. One can almost imagine him chomping on a cigar as he taunts "Where is your deliverer NOW?" in his typical Gangster accent. Pharaoh's guards whisper in fear about "the Deliverer" coming to rescue the slaves, and Moses appears quite reluctant to be placed in that role. But, "Deliverer" Moses becomes, and leads his People to Freedom.
Later, in Moses's memoirs, which we now call The Torah (The First Five Books of the Bible) we hear the narrator speak of another "Prophet", like Moses, but greater. (Deuteronomy 18: 15-19).
This Coming Prophet would Deliver the People again from slavery, and was eagerly anticipated. After all, the Romans in the First Century were just as oppressive as the Egyptians had been, so this was as good a time as any for The Deliverer to come. It wasn't at all unreasonable to expect The Deliverer to swoop down on enslaving, impious, Rome and free the People from its clutches.
But Jesus came to deliver the people from a far more insidious kind of slavery. That was the slavery of sin and death. This is a slavery that is often hidden, and some of its worst victims don't even see it happening. They think they are free to do whatever they want, and the Culture empowers them to feel that way. This is nothing new. The Pharisees retorted to Jesus:
They answered him, “We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?” (John 8:33 NIV)
These men were so enslaved by their own Self-Righteousness and Pride that they couldn't even see that they needed redemption.
In The Book of Acts, Deacon Stephen is brought before the Sanhedrin on Trial. In his own Defense, Stephen gives a summation of the History of Israel, including the People's rejection of their Deliverer. (Acts 7:35).
Charlton Heston brilliantly conveyed the reluctant Moses as the deliverer of his People. Moses knew that the REAL Deliverer was God Himself. Moses didn't bring the plagues that broke Pharaoh, God did. Moses didn't part the Red Sea, that was God too. Moses had such a hard time controlling his temper that he didn't even get to enter the Promised Land.
But, rejoice! One Greater Than Moses is here. He is the True Deliverer, and he's Coming Back Soon.
Come and Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.
For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. (Mark 4:22)
God Bless America.
Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.
Hallelujah and Amen
ML/LTOS