For this month’s blogpost, I am re-posting an article I wrote for Intercessors for America in 2023 after the October 7th terror attacks happened in Israel. As the world becomes more antisemitic, I believe it’s important to remind people about what happened that day and what God says about the Jewish people. Please read and share it as a reminder that we need to pray for Israel and God’s covenant people.

LET’S BE WATCHMEN ON THE WALL….

Behold, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep (Ps. 121:4).

Recently my husband and I were walking through the beautiful mesa country of New Mexico on a clear fall day. The quiet, breezy and tranquil atmosphere of the forest stood in stark contrast with what was going on in the world at that very moment. The chaos and turmoil unfolding in the Middle East wasn’t far from my mind when all of a sudden, my husband and I saw something fly past us into a tree. Looking up, we gazed upon a wonderful sight–a Mexican spotted owl sitting gracefully on a branch. The owl immediately locked eyes with ours, swiftly moving its head in our direction. We assumed it would be frightened by our presence and fly away within seconds. But that’s not what happened. For at least fifteen minutes the owl watched our every move, following us with focused eyes as we walked back and forth near the tree. This fascinating bird of prey observed us from above with an unusual calmness while my husband snapped many photos. As I watched the owl who was watching us,  Psalm 121:4 came to mind. Behold, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep (NAS). The Hebrew word for watch in this verse is shamar, which means guard, keep, observe, preserve, protect and save.

God has always used His creation to remind me of his unfailing protection and love. This special encounter was no different. Before walking into the forest that day I had been listening to a podcast which detailed the horrific acts being committed by Hamas on innocent civilians. It was too much for my overwhelmed mind to handle and I felt like I wanted to scream. As I struggled with these feelings, the wings of the owl flew past me, and in the blink of an eye, everything changed. I suddenly remembered that the nation of Israel is carefully tucked under the wings of Jesus. He is observing every detail, listening to every prayer and acting on their behalf.

After leaving the forest, I started thinking about the owl again, who I nicknamed the Little Watchman. Shortly afterward, an image of Casper ten Boom came to mind. Like the owl, this humble man of God was an observant watchman. When the Nazis occupied Holland in 1940, Casper immediately saw the writing on the wall. As one of Holland’s most prized watchmakers, he had an eye for detail and early on, he understood that a greater battle lay on the horizon–one that would take the lives of countless Jewish citizens.

In her book The Hiding Place, Corrie ten Boom writes about her father Casper’s unfailing love for the Jewish people and his determination for saving them. She writes, “We talked often, Father, Betsie and I, about what we could do if a chance should come to help some of our Jewish friends. Each month the occupation seemed to grow harsher, restrictions more numerous.” Casper and Corrie carefully observed the progression of Nazi tyranny so they would be prepared to act when the time came. Corrie recounts, “The true horror of occupation came over us only slowly. During the first year of German rule, there were only minor attacks on Jews in Holland. A rock through a window of a Jewish-owned store. An ugly word scrawled on the wall of a synagogue. It was as though they were trying us, testing the temper of the country. How many Dutchmen would go along with them?”

When the Nazis required all Jews to wear the Star of David, Casper decided to wear one too. Even though he wasn’t Jewish, he wanted to stand beside his fellow brethren and share in their sufferings. Of course, over time, things got progressively worse. Jews were forcibly removed from their homes and businesses. Nazis made public spectacles of them as they were arrested in the streets. Men, women, and children were forced into trucks without mercy. Seeing the Jews being taken away one day, Corrie’s father Casper said, “Those poor people.” But he wasn’t talking about the Jews. He was referring to the Germans. “I pity the poor Germans, Corrie. They have touched the apple of God’s eye,” he remarked.

From their watch shop on 19 Barteljorisstraat, Casper and Corrie could see that the time had come. Someone would have to help the Jews. It would be risky, but absolutely necessary. One of the family’s favorite Bible passages was Psalm 91, so they decided to turn their home into a physical representation of this special dwelling place. Corrie’s bedroom would be the site of this secret refuge, where a simple hole in the wall would provide a hiding spot for up to six people at a time.

This was no easy task. This hiding place needed to be as inconspicuous as possible because the Nazis made a regular habit of raiding homes. Getting caught hiding Jews would invoke severe punishment, even death. Most were not willing to take this risk. In The Hiding Place, Corrie shares the story of a clergyman who decided that hiding a Jewish baby and its mother was too dangerous. Her father Casper, however, was undeterred. She writes, “Unseen by either of us, Father had appeared in the doorway. ‘Give the child to me, Corrie,’ he said. Father held the baby close, his white beard brushing its cheek, looking into the little face with eyes as blue and innocent as the baby’s own. At last, he looked up at the pastor, ‘You say we could lose our lives for this child. I would consider that the greatest honor that could come to my family.’”

As intercessors for the nation of Israel, it’s imperative that, like Casper ten Boom and his family, we pray for the protection and safety of the Jewish people. When terrorists invade Israel’s land and persecute its people, we must be the watchmen on the wall who are willing to do whatever it takes to help God’s chosen people. We cannot wait for time to pass, hoping that someone else will step in. The Hebrew word for violence is hamas and it’s no coincidence that these bloodthirsty militants are targeting the Jewish people for the explicit purpose of killing them. In Hebrew, hamas also means cruelty, unjust gain, unrighteous, false and oppressor.

Many might wonder how Casper and his family were filled with such an unwavering resolve to help the Jewish people. It didn’t just happen overnight. Years before war ever came to their doorstep, they prepared for that moment by becoming vigilant watchmen on the wall. In 1844 Casper’s father Willem had begun the tradition of faithfully praying for God’s chosen people. At the time, it was considered unusual for Christians to do something like this. The Jews were scattered throughout the world and they were not living in their biblical homeland. The city of Jerusalem was divided. The promises of Ezekiel 37 and Isaiah 66 had not come to pass yet. Nonetheless, for 100 years, and over the span of three generations, the Ten Boom family prayed for the return of the Jewish people to the biblical land that God gave them. Casper, Corrie and the rest of the family continued to intercede for the Jews, even at their own peril.

On February 28, 1944, the Nazis raided the Ten Boom home and arrested the entire family. Incredibly, the Jews they were hiding at the time were not discovered. They did find ration cards, however, and this was all they needed to prove the Ten Booms were guilty. Initially, they were taken to a local gym, where they were held with others who had also been arrested. In the midst of this, Casper held evening prayers as he’d always done. Corrie ten Boom describes this moment in The Hiding Place: “Every day of my life had ended like this; that deep steady voice, that sure and eager confiding of us all to the care of God. The Bible lay at home on his shelf, but much of it was stored in his heart. His blue eyes seeing beyond the locked and crowded room, beyond Haarlem, beyond earth itself, as he quoted from memory, ‘Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word…Hold thou me up…I shall be safe…’”

The hiding place that was built by Casper and his family was a picture of Psalm 91:1 which says, He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. The Jewish people were given a physical hiding place, but Casper and his family would rest in a spiritual one. The hiding place would be the Holy Spirit and the Word of God dwelling in their hearts. No one could take that away because their lives were hidden in Christ. Interestingly enough, the Little Watchman owl that was sitting peacefully on the branch of the tree was a great reminder of this truth because the name Ten Boom means “to the tree.” The calmness of this bird of “pray” mirrored the attitude portrayed by all of the Ten Booms as they dwelled in the shelter of Jesus. By the time the Ten Booms had been arrested, it had been 100 years since Casper’s father had begun the weekly prayers for the Jewish people, as well as the peace of Jerusalem. Miraculously, over 5,000 intercessory prayer meetings had been held.

A heavy price would be paid for this dedication. Corrie, her sister Betsie and Casper would be sent to Scheveningen Prison. Actually, Casper was offered a chance to avoid this fate. A Gestapo chief said to him, “I’d like to send you home, old fellow…I’ll take your word that you won’t cause any more trouble.”  Casper answered, “If I go home today, tomorrow I will open my door again to any man in need who knocks.” Casper would die in prison ten days later.

Corrie and Betsie were eventually sent to Ravensbruck–the notorious death camp for women. Despite the unfathomable living conditions, blistering cold, starvation and sickness all around them, Corrie and her sister would share the gospel throughout the camp, bringing many souls to a saving knowledge of Jesus. Later, Corrie would be released on a technicality but sadly, her sister would perish. Yet even after her harrowing ordeal, Corrie would travel the world, telling others about forgiveness and her unfailing love for the Jewish people. In the end, however, she always thanked her father Casper for instilling this resolve within her to do whatever it took to help God’s chosen people and to share Jesus’ love.

As intercessors in the Kingdom of God, what are we willing to give up for God’s chosen people? Here in America, we are used to our many comforts and many of us do not know what true persecution feels like. As we watch liberal news outlets demonize Israel and witness pro-Palestinian groups in the United States and other countries side with Hamas, what should we be doing on our end? Casper ten Boom saw the violence happening from his own watch shop and he could not sit by idly as his Jewish brethren were mocked, beaten and rounded up. I ask you prayerfully to consider what the Lord Jesus would have you do at this crucial time in history.

Corrie’s book Father ten Boom, God’s Man, details Casper’s last words as shared by his grandson Peter. “The long hours crept by slowly as we stood there facing the yellow brick wall. My heart was full of questions. I kept thinking of the Psalm which Grandfather had read the evening before. After our imprisonment we had been taken to the police station at Haarlem. In the gymnasium there, with thirty other prisoners lying and sitting on the floor around him, Grandfather had taken his Bible and read the Ninety-first Psalm. How peaceful those words had sounded to our anxious souls…But now, standing in the corridor of Scheveningen prison, doubt filled my heart. ‘A thousand shall fall at thy side,’ Grandfather had read, ‘and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.’ But tragedy had struck. Where was the host of angels we had prayed for so often? Had God forgotten us? Then I glanced over at Grandfather sitting in the corner. There was such an expression of peace on his pale face that I could not help marveling. He actually was protected. God built a fence around him. Suddenly, I knew: The everlasting arms are around all of us. God does not make mistakes. He is at the controls. At last, they took me to my cell. As I walked past Grandfather, I stopped, bent over him, and kissed him goodbye. He looked up at me and said, ‘My boy, are we not a privileged generation?’ Those were his last words to me.”

Intercessors, are we not also a privileged generation? Right now, we have the PRIVILEGE of praying for the Jewish people. Our “such a time as this” moment is here. Thus, the challenge I give to each of you is this. When the time comes to speak up for the Jewish people, DO IT. When the time comes to help a Jewish person, DO IT. Do not hesitate and do not be afraid.  We cannot not let Anti-Semitism flourish. Let the words of Genesis 12:3 resound in your heart. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

Casper ten Boom and his family are an inspiration for the entire world. They knew that praying for the peace of Jerusalem and the Jewish people was the key component for saving the whole world through Messiah Jesus. They understood God’s heart and became a beautiful illustration of Psalm 91 by dwelling in the shelter of the Most High, and by helping others to do the same thing. It’s fascinating to note that Corrie ten Boom–a woman who lived by the words of Psalm 91– died on April 15, 1983, on her 91^st birthday. In Judaism it’s considered a blessing to die on the same date that one was born.

The watchful owl I saw in the tree is a great reminder that we all need to be watchmen on the wall for the nation of Israel. With calmness and confidence that comes from the Lord, we watch and then we act, knowing that the Prince of Peace hears our prayers and will respond accordingly. A quote from The Hiding Place tells us, “If God has shown us bad times ahead, it’s enough for me that He knows about them. That’s why He sometimes shows us things, you know–to tell us that this too is in His hands.”

Lord Jesus, our times, and the times of the Jewish people, are in your hands. You will rescue your people from their enemies and persecutors as Psalm 31:15 boldly proclaims. We trust your sovereignty and we ask you to give us the courage and strength to do our part as watchmen on the wall.

Fellow watchmen, how can we follow the example of Casper ten Boom and his family? How are you praying for the peace of Jerusalem and for the protection of God’s chosen people?