Israeli PM Netanyahu Leads Bible Study

This is actually pretty amazing and comforting at the same time. It also leads a prophecy watcher to the understanding that God has placed Mr Netanyahu at this particular time and place in history.

Joel Rosenberg introduces this story:

Netanyahu Hosts Two-Hour Bible Study In The Book Of Ruth: Says "The Bible Is The Foundation Of Our Existance"

You may recall that in December 2011, I posted a story from theJerusalem Post that gave me fresh hope about the future of Israel. “Taking a page out of David Ben-Gurion and Menachem Begin’s playbook, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will begin hosting a regular Bible study group in his official residence for researchers, public officials and invited guests,” reported the Post.

“Netanyahu announced the establishment of the study circle on Friday at a ceremony marking 30 days since the passing of his father-in-law, Shmuel Ben-Artzi. The study group will be named after Ben-Artzi, a noted poet and Bible teacher. Both Ben-Gurion and Begin, when they each served as prime minister, hosted regular Bible study groups. Netanyahu said he was establishing the class to perpetuate love of the Bible.”

Apparently, it took awhile to make it all happen, and since then Mr. Netanyahu also experienced the death of his own father. But on Wednesday, Mr. Netanyahu, his wife, his sons, and several close friends and Jewish scholars kicked off their first home Bible study. It was scheduled to last for an hour, but went on for two — and focused on the Book of Ruth.

• “On Wednesday afternoon in Baghdad, a few thousand kilometers away from the Prime Minister’s Jerusalem Residence, the world powers known as the P5+1 – the US, China, Russia, France, Britain and Germany – sat down for much anticipated talks with the Iranians about their nuclear program. At the same time, just a few hundred meters away from the Prime Minister’s Residence, 100 or so people loudly demonstrated for the rights of Ethiopian immigrants and against discrimination. And all the while, for two hours on a mild afternoon, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu – with a small black kippa on his head – sat in the covered courtyard of his home with 16 rabbis, academics, Bible scholars, archeologists and linguists, and discussed the meaning of the Book of Ruth, which will be read on Shavuot on Sunday in synagogues around the world. His wife, Sara, sat next to him, and his two sons sat on a bank of chairs set to the side.

“There was something at once heartening and slightly humorous about Netanyahu setting aside precious time in the late afternoon to talk about Biblical figures Tamar and Yehuda, Naomi and Boaz, Ruth and David, while Iran loomed so large, and domestic issues beckoned so seriously. It was heartening in that it is uniquely elevating seeing the prime minister of the Jewish state taking time out to study the Bible, the heart of Jewish existence. One cannot talk about Jewish historic rights to this place, which the prime minister does constantly, without appreciating and understanding the Bible….

And Netanyahu made clear what the message was: ‘Ben-Gurion and Begin believed that the Bible should be the heritage of the entire nation – secular and religious, young and old, men and women. The Bible is the foundation of our existence. It unites the Jewish people, as it has throughout the generations. It also serves not only as a foundation but also as a map and compass,’ he said. ‘The Bible is always relevant vis-à-vis today’s problems and challenges. It inspires, it is a source of life for our people and I think that it is important to expand Bible study and love of the Bible among all parts of the nation. This is also the goal of this circle.”

Reporter's Notebook: Studying Bible With Bibi

A tale is told that one Saturday evening Begin was studying the weekly Torah portion with his group, when a call came in from the White House. US president Jimmy Carter was on the line. Begin is said to have replied that he was in the middle of studying verses from Deuteronomy, and that Carter should call back in a couple of hours.

Apocryphal or not, the story sends a message that certain things are important, like calls from the US president, and other things are even more so. That seemed the message Netanyahu was trying to send as well.

But the significance of the afternoon was less in the insights given – talk about how the Bible is both law and spirit, full of complexities reflecting life’s contradictions and compromises – and more in the very fact that Netanyahu decided to resurrect Ben-Gurion and Begin’s tradition. While an absorbing discussion ensued, Wednesday’s prime ministerial study circle shed more light on Netanyahu – his psyche, world view and the way he sees his role – than it did on the Book of Ruth.

To add to the articles above, we cannot forget the fact that PM Netanyahu also knows biblical prophecy and he is acutely aware of the growing threats to Israel. He is also aware of his role in Israeli history, and most likely his role in biblical prophecy.

These are most certainly interesting times.

At the same time, we have an Iranian leader who is determined to fulfill Islamic 'prophecy' which included the destruction of Israel.

Sometime soon, these two views will lead to direct confrontation. When that happens, the race to the concluding events in biblical history will begin to move at light speed.