Recently in a prayer meeting with some of our friends at Watchmen for the Nations, I had a sense that the time had come for a certain fulfillment of the "stake prophecy" in Isaiah 22, at least for me personally.
I have been carrying this in my heart for almost 4 decades. The stake in Isaiah 22:20-25 speaks of a man named Eliakim who became a government leader in Jerusalem in the time of Isaiah and Hezekiah. The stake is also symbolic of the cross of Yeshua, who would come to be crucified on a stake and then rule on the throne of David from Jerusalem.
For me the stake also represents the remnant of Messianic Jews in these last days, who stand in faith for the prophecies about Jerusalem and Yeshua. In any case, I have always felt a personal identification with this passage as a calling to serve the Lord in Jerusalem.
This month Betty and I are moving back into downtown Jerusalem to strengthen our base there. While only a 10-kilometer move, it is significant to us personally. It is a fulfillment of our calling; a spiritual "alignment" with God's plan for us and our ministry.
The symbolism of the stake is then universalized in Isaiah 54:1-3 to: "enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your cords, strengthen your stakes." Actually, this passage was the Haftarah at my Bar Mitsvah, and I remember the melody to this day.
I have a recurring picture in my heart of a tent that is covering the whole world. This is the people of God, from every tribe and tongue. The stakes are the people in each nation; the cords between them are our relationships; the tent is who we are as a global family.
When the tabernacle or temple was built, the presence of God came to fill the place. The real tabernacle is not made of stones but of people. If we can become a loving and unified body of people, I believe God can fill us in a special way as never before.
The stake is a claim of inheritance by faith in every land. Put your stake in the ground. Believe for your nation. Take dominion in spirit and prayer. Let's stretch our tent and strengthen our cords. This tent has a central "stake" in Jerusalem, which helps to bring unity and alignment to the rest of the stakes.
The stakes are connected to keys (Isaiah 22:22; Matthew 16:16-19; 18:18-20). The stake represents a faith claim toward the earth. The keys open the windows of heaven above. Wherever you are, put your stake in the ground beneath and open the heavens above.
Let's become this living tabernacle, stretched out all over the world. May His kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And may the glory of the Lord fill the tent!
In Yeshua's love,
Asher
