An Eternal Covenant

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all lay varying claims to Jerusalem and the Land of Israel. Although Jerusalem is not mentioned in the Koran, Muslims have a fantasy about Mohammed and his flying horse leaving Earth 1,400 years ago from what Jews and Christians call the Temple Mount. In reality, historians can identify actual places where Jesus walked in Jerusalem and throughout the Land 2,000 years ago.The Jews have a 4,000-year presence in the Holy Land. Israel’s very name comes from the Jewish patriarch Jacob, whose name was changed to “Israel” by God Himself.

The Menorah Represents God’s Eternal Covenant with Israel

I love the symbol of the menorah, which represents God’s eternal covenant with Israel and the Jewish people. The menorah illustrates God’s light, presence, blessings, and anointing. The menorah is part of the blueprint for the wilderness tabernacle, which Moses received by revelation on Mount Sinai. It was part of the Almighty’s instructions about how the Hebrews were to meet with Him.Beginning with “You shall make a lampstand of pure gold...” the Lord gives detailed instructions on how to fashion the menorah. Exodus 25:31 and the following verses describe the magnificent work of this essential article of God’s house.

The menorah has such a powerful historical and spiritual meaning that I was overcome with thanksgiving when I read of a recent discovery at the foot of the Temple Mount. Third generation archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Institute of Archaeology was directing a “routine” excavation when the team uncovered a seventh-century medallion inscribed with a menorah, a shofar, and a Torah scroll, all in excellent condition!

I thought of our TV series The Stones Cry Out. Yeshua warned us that if we did not proclaim Him, the very stones of the Earth would do it! (Luke 19:40) This archaeological find tells us that there is more to come, and that God is confirming His Word as well as His gift of land to the Jewish people.The dramatic size of the piece (approximately 4 inches in diameter) and the inscribed menorah, shofar, and scroll indicate that it was not likely personal jewelry, but may have been a decoration for a Torah scroll.In 1947, just before the rebirth of Israel as a nation, God’s “birthday present” in the form of the Dead Sea Scrolls verified the Bible’s authenticity. Now, God is once again confirming His choice of the Jewish people and the Land itself.He calls the Jewish people (and those of us grafted in) to be a light— a menorah— to the world.Indeed He says,“It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.” — Isaiah 49:6