FROM SARAH, OUR SABRA
ON THE GROUND IN ISRAEL
Dear Friend,
Greetings to you from the Holy Land. I would like to thank those of you who have written to me and who are praying for the new Believers (“Believers” is short for “believers in Yeshua/Jesus as Messiah”) here in Israel and in our community. Over the past few weeks, the persecution from their families has intensified as they continue to make daily decisions to follow Yeshua. These decisions cause life changes that widen the gap between their nonbelieving family and friends and their new walk with the Lord.
The new Believers, excited by their joy and freedom in the Lord, desperately want their loved ones to come to the same realization — that Yeshua is the Messiah and the Son of God. However, most of their families reject the notion entirely and don’t want to even hear about Yeshua.
REJECTION: GOD’S PERSPECTIVE
In my life here in Israel, I have witnessed this dynamic many times. As I encounter nonbelievers and share my faith with them, I watch to see their reaction. It is rare to receive a positive response and rarer still that someone wants to discuss the Good News of Yeshua.
My work producing worship albums has provided me with opportunities to witness to many musicians and music producers in the Land. In some cases, I have seen God “surround” an unbelieving person with an increasing number of Believers — as if God is reaching out to that person repeatedly with His free gift of salvation. Yet almost every one of these nonbelievers keeps rejecting God’s plan of redemption through Yeshua.
Yeshua teaches us that a good shepherd will leave the flock of 99 to go after the lost one (Matthew 18:12–14, Luke 15:3–7). Imagine if, when the shepherd finds the one, the sheep says to the shepherd, “Sorry, I’m not interested in following you to safety.”
Perhaps the sheep doesn’t understand the lengths to which the shepherd has gone to reach him. Perhaps he doesn’t understand the pain and suffering the shepherd has endured. Yet, even if the sheep were to gain this understanding, some would still walk away.
When you consider this rebuff from God’s perspective, it is hard to imagine. God, the Creator of the Universe, the all-powerful God, is being rejected by us mortals. If you are a parent, you can perhaps catch a glimpse of God’s heart in this situation: The Father desperately wants to bestow His love on His children, and yet they reject Him and do not accept His love for them.
This rejection is possible because, though the Almighty could make us love Him, along with the gift of salvation, He also gave us free will. In the Book of Genesis, we learn that we were created in the image of God for the purpose of a relationship with Him. Each day, God came down and walked with Adam in the Garden of Eden. Even in this paradise, man had the freedom to choose to whom he would listen: God’s word or the serpent’s.
FREE WILL FROM GOD
God does not force us to follow Him. The ramifications of this freedom to choose have led humans to abuse the planet, each other, natural resources, power, money, etc. through all the ages. This destructive behavior was not God’s intention when He created Adam and Eve. Humanity is hopeless without the hope of Yeshua. However, most people prefer to believe the lies of the enemy rather than turn to God’s truth. Moreover, they will choose to “shake their fists at God, defying the Almighty” (Job 15:25).
We may look upon those who reject God and forget that we, as Believers, are held accountable to the same standards. “Free will” means that we determine the extent of God’s blessing over our lives. God does not bless sin. We cannot blame God for the consequences of our choices if we do not follow Him and His Word.
God’s plan of redemption through the perfect sacrifice of Yeshua on the cross atones for our sin and restores us to right standing with God. It does not, however, change the consequences of our disobedience.
The Bible is full of examples of people’s free-will choices and their consequences — Moses, Cain, Abraham, David, Joshua, and Rahab to name a few. The prodigal son is a well-known illustration that immediately springs to mind. We also find some less famous examples, like Orpa, whose study will benefit us.
Orpa, the Moabite, is a daughter-in-law of Naomi and Elimelech. She and Ruth are married to Naomi and Elimelech’s two sons, who both subsequently die. After a time in Moab, Naomi (now a widow herself), decides to return to Beit Lechem (Bethlehem, lit. the House of Bread) in Israel. Before they enter the Promised Land, however, a decision must be made.
Naomi stops partway along the journey and gives her daughters-in-law the option to return to their own homes and people. While Ruth decides to go on with Naomi (and eventually becomes a grandmother of Yeshua), Orpa kisses her mother-in-law and turns back. Orpa’s choice means that she will likely never come into contact with the One True God of Israel. It means that she will never find the Bread of Life, who is Yeshua.
Perhaps the most extreme example of free will is found in the story of Job. Job’s entire life unravels before him in waves, yet at no time does Job succumb to the temptation to blame God. Even his own wife advises him to “curse God and die” (Job 2:9). Yet Job chooses God’s will over his own.
Bob Sorge, a pastor and worship leader who suffered a debilitating injury, created one of the most encouraging videos I have ever seen. In the video “God Could Have Left Job Alone,” Sorge unveils one of the most important lessons we can learn about how God deals with us. You can see his five-minute video at youtu.be/9FZ5uM_YfB4.
Jonah’s story also shows us how free will plays out in our lives. Jonah chooses not to do what God asks of him and suffers the consequences. Few children who hear Jonah’s story in Sunday School can >picture what it’s like to be thrown over the side of a ship in the middle of a massive storm. Surely Jonah is terrified as he faces certain death!
Yet God is merciful and gives him another chance to make the right choice. The inside of a whale cannot be a comfortable place to live for three days. As a person who is sensitive to smells, I cannot imagine surviving a full minute in the dark, stinky belly of a submerged marine mammal.
Finally, Jonah decides to obey God. Jonah’s preaching in Nineveh produces a revival as the people of the city repent and turn to God. Jonah’s choice to obey God brings about enormous blessing. Since God can effect such a result through Jonah, he certainly can accomplish wonderful outcomes through me and you!
FREE WILL IN THE WORLD
The world constantly celebrates freedom as the superior option of “doing as I please.” God’s Word teaches us that though we are free, we should not exercise this freedom by making choices that go against His Word.
In Deuteronomy 28, God lays out a long list of blessings for following Him and curses for turning away from Him. He gives the people of Israel the freedom to choose their own paths. In chapter 30, Moses exhorts the people to use their free will to choose life and blessings:
See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to Him, and to keep His commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed… — Deuteronomy 30:15–18.
One of our community’s new Believers and I met recently with one of his family members. For over two hours, we and others shared with him about Yeshua. Once a self-professed atheist, this young man listened intently as we told him about the free gift of salvation and God’s plan of atonement through the Messiah.
As we spoke with him, I silently prayed, asking God to reveal Himself to this young man. I considered that he may never again agree to have a conversation like this. I was struck by the fact that God, in that very moment, was giving him a choice to pursue Him further. However, he could equally choose to walk away. God has given all of us the freedom to choose. The question is, what choice will we make with that freedom?
Im tirdefu lada-at oto —
“Press on to know HIM!” (Hosea 6:3 NLT),
Sarah Liberman
P.S. Do you have a testimony of God giving you the freedom to choose? Write to me at staff@levitt.com and tell me your story. I would love to hear it! 
: Let My People Go … to the Holy Land on a study tour!
Moses was adamant to Pharaoh concerning God’s mandate. It was time for His people to pack up and GO. Aren’t we all yearning for the Holy Land to be able to accept travelers once again? At Zola Tours, we’re arranging everything for our upcoming Fall Tour. This will be a visit of celebration and rejoicing!
We’re hearing from our travel partners in Israel that the country is starting to reopen. Having missed three touring opportunities due to the pandemic, we expect our next tour to rapidly fill to capacity. There’s no time like the present to contact our tour manager, Sandra, at 214-696-9760, travel@levitt.com, or levitt.com/tours. Sandra is available to make your dream pilgrimage a reality.
A completed registration form and refundable deposit will hold your space. Kirsten and I will be your hosts throughout the tour, and our second-to-none Jewish Israeli tour guides will bring the Bible to life! Seize this opportunity to be one of the first groups back in the Holy Land!
| Deluxe (Israel) | Oct. 18–28 | $5,288 |
| Grand Petra (Israel & Petra) | Oct. 18–31 | $6,488 |
| Deluxe (Israel) | March 14–24 (tentative) | prices TBD |
| Grand Petra (Israel & Petra) | March 14–27 (tentative) | prices TBD |
A Note from David and Kirsten Hart
The older we get, the more we realize that we need to simply be the light of Yeshua to those around us. Surrounding people with unconditional love speaks volumes to those who don’t know our Savior. We are thankful for Sarah’s calling, vision, and love for all humanity.
Kirsten and I are into our fifth year with Zola Levitt Ministries. Time has flown! Our hair might look different from when we started taping Zola Levitt Presents (now Our Jewish Roots), but our hearts remain steadfast in the pursuit of learning about our Jewish Savior and seeing the Gospel message through the “eyes of the Jews.” A special thanks to all of you for warmly embracing the two of us. We may not have grown up in Jewish households, but God Himself drew us to those who are the “apple of His eye” many years ago. What an honor to join forces with a ministry that has such a love for people and a passion for Israel!
We say on almost every Our Jewish Roots broadcast that we couldn’t do what we do without you. A ministry surviving decades on television from viewer support alone is an outstanding miracle. We send our monthly newsletters at no cost to tens of thousands of subscribers. Did you know that we also send thousands of Levitt Letters to prisoners? Your generous and steady donations set prisoners’ hearts free. However, preparing, printing, and posting them is expensive. Would you be willing to help underwrite mailing Levitt Letters to prisoners?
When you give to this ministry, you also ensure that unadulterated, Biblically relevant news reaches into households around the world. Talk about making your donation dollar count! We appreciate every affirmation, contribution, and commitment to pray for ZLM. More importantly, God sees your cheerful giving and rejoices. Thank you in advance.
And the Oscar goes to …
… Ken Berg, who directs and produces Our Jewish Roots (formerly Zola Levitt Presents) and has since its inception in December 1978. While you rarely see Ken, you reap the fruits of his unending creativity and deep love for all things Israeli. God has blessed him with supernatural energy and drive all these years to spread the “Good News through the eyes of the Jews.”
Ken is naturally at home in the TV studio and at the production office. “Israel Ken” loves to bring the land of the Bible alive every week on our program. (He recently published a photo book, Heaven and Earth.) Ken also writes and directs all the dramatic Biblical re-enactments that distinguish our program from the others. If we could, Kirsten and I would hand Ken an Oscar for his devotion to detail and beauty in visually telling Yeshua’s life-changing story. Ken is a profoundly gifted artist, and we’re eternally thankful for him and his talent.
Our Jewish Roots TV programs in May
We always enjoy bringing you a “letters” program. (We really read all the letters that our viewers and readers send in!) In this stand-alone program, we toss Dr. Seif some of your questions — and, as always, he honestly and insightfully answers them. Here’s what’s coming up in May.
- Letters and Joshua Preview
- Dr. Jeffrey Seif and the Harts answer letters from ZLMers and then preview our upcoming series.
In the eight-part series Joshua: More than a Conqueror (with Bearded Bible Brother Joshua in the title role) we explore Joshua’s rise from Moses’ dependable apprentice to faithful leader of Israel. Dr. Jeffrey Seif offers valuable leadership lessons from corresponding Holy Land locations. Following dramatic re-enactments from Joshua’s life, David and Kirsten Hart discuss each lesson’s meaning and application with Jeff.
- At Sinai
- Viewers meet Joshua with other recently freed Hebrew slaves at the foot of Mount Sinai, waiting for Moses to descend with God’s laws. Joshua’s years of leadership training begin as he apprentices with Moses.
- The Spy
- Twelve men are sent to investigate Canaan. Only Joshua and Caleb return with hopeful accounts while the other ten give pessimistic reports.
- At the Jordan
- Joshua succeeds Moses as leader of the Israelites as they prepare to cross the Jordan River to battle for the Promised Land. God demonstrates that He will be with Joshua just as He was with Moses.
Some of us are creatures of habit. We go to the same restaurant and order the same meal because it’s good enough to enjoy again and again. Kirsten and I feel that way about certain Our Jewish Roots series. Joshua: More Than A Conqueror is still just as captivating as the first time we aired it. If you’ve seen these fine programs before, you may gain even more insight and knowledge this next time around.
Sha’alu shalom Yerushalayim! —
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!” (Psalm 122:6),
David & Kirsten
P.S. Page 14 of the May Levitt Letter lists internal funds and sister ministries to which ZLM relays 100% of designated contributions. Since January 2019, ZLM has distributed more than $110,000 to the listed recipients. Giving to ZLM supports our mainstay outreaches — thanks for your ongoing generosity.
Zola Levitt Ministries is ECFA approved and has Charity Navigator’s top rating of 4 stars.
