In about two hours from now, I’ll be done with all of my finals.
Done with studying and memorizing every major city and geographical feature of Israel on a satellite map, as well as their connection to biblical events, and all of the ancient geographical routes used in biblical times…
Done with studying Rabbinic literature and levitical festivals. The intricacies of a synagogue service. The Holocaust. The Jewish view of eschatology and the Messiah…
Done with studying Hebrew verb tenses and vocab. Semitic sentence structure and syntax..
Done with studying the entire chronology of Christ’s life and ministry, from the early Judean ministry to the Passion Week and resurrection…
Done with writing a 15 page paper on Elisha’s impact on the foreign nations of Aram and Moab and on the Omride and Jehuide dynasties…
Done with studying the various time periods of the history of ancient Israel. The battles, and the psalms and prophecies in context. The kings with names I can’t even pronounce. The local and international situation during the exile…
Done, done, done…
Or am I?
I hope I’ll never be deceived into thinking that I’m “done” studying the Bible. “Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end.” (Ps. 119:33) That verse implies that I will always be a student- always learning the way of God’s statutes, always striving to keep them to the very end.
I am fully aware that I’ve only begun to scratch the surface during my time in Israel. I have a professor back at Master’s who always points out that the more you learn, the more you realize how much you DON'T know.
And that’s exactly how I feel right now. The more I study, the more I realize how much there is to learn, how ignorant and biblically-illiterate I am. There’s no room for laziness or complacency when it comes to learning God’s Word.
I’m not done. Not done studying, not done learning, not done applying. Praise God I’m not.
Finals week won't be over in two hours- not really.
I pray that my whole lifetime will be one long "finals week" spent pursuing God through His Word. And I pray the same for each of you.
a week from now...
You guessed it.
A week from now I'll be leaving.. on a jet plane.. don't know when I'll be back again :(
Just thought I'd let you know.
See you soon!!
Joey
A week from now I'll be leaving.. on a jet plane.. don't know when I'll be back again :(
Just thought I'd let you know.
See you soon!!
Joey
The year I learned to be thankful for Thanksgiving
Are you thankful for Thanksgiving? I know this sounds like a strange question, but take some time to let it sink in. I had always grown up taking Thanksgiving for granted- it was a holiday that I enjoyed and looked forward to, and a good reminder to be thankful for what we have... but being thankful for Thanksgiving? I don't think I ever was- until yesterday.
If you put yourself in my shoes for a second I think you'll understand what I mean. You've just experienced three amazing months of adventure, learning, and fellowship with fellow believers in the land of Israel... you've hardly had time to even let it all sink in, and just when you are starting to, you look at the calendar and realize you only have two and a half weeks left. But part of you is secretly excited about going back to normal life, real food, family, a regular routine, etc. You're physically and emotionally worn out, and on top of that, your diet is severely limited because you can only take so much of the bland kosher food, and the moshav has decided to serve you GIZZARD for the past week. And then comes Thanksgiving. And you walk into a beautifully decorated room complete with tables and tables of every kind of delicious, NON-KOSHER Thanksgiving food imaginable. And you glance over to the never-ending dessert table and notice the coffee- not instant Israeli coffee or disgusting Turkish coffee. Authentic coffee, complete with real cream, which you have been craving for three months. You are filled with pure delight as you take a seat next to your IBEX family and join them in meditating on Psalm 136 and God's lovingkindness... and then a wonderful silence fills the room as everyone savors each bite.
Do you get my picture now?
But that's not all. In a year from now when someone asks me to share a past Thanksgiving memory, I won't just repeat the scenario I have just described for you. I'll tell them about the Thanksgiving that I went on a hike in Adullam. That's right, Adullam, where David and his four hundred men hid out from Saul. Right after our Thanksgiving meal one of our profs took about fifteen of us to Adullam (on the Southeast corner of the Elah valley, where David fought Goliath). It was a nice, laid back non-academic field trip, and we were all excited about the amazing view of the Shephelah. We spent some time exploring some of the caves in which David could have hidden, and discussing the psalms which were written during this time. Two things especially caught my attention: the fact that God chose to start the Davidic dynasty, through which His Messiah would one day come, in such a lowly, humble place with four hundred nobodies, and the fact that fifteen goyim (Gentiles) were now worshiping God with Hebrew songs. In many of the psalms that David wrote while he was fleeing from Saul (like Ps. 57), he speaks of the glory of God coming to the goyim. Little did he know that three thousand years later, Gentiles would be worshiping in that very same land. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.
But of course, no Thanksgiving would be complete without Thanksgiving leftovers. And so, after the hike we all gathered into the miklat (the "bomb shelter," ie., the IBEX hangout) for Turkey sandwiches. But not just any Turkey sandwiches. These had BACON in them. And if you know anything about the Jewish diet, you know that there is absolutely no pork whatsoever.
A delicious Thanksgiving meal, a hike in Adullam, BLT's... what more can anyone ask for?
So yes, this was the year that I learned to be thankful for Thanskgiving.
The End.
If you put yourself in my shoes for a second I think you'll understand what I mean. You've just experienced three amazing months of adventure, learning, and fellowship with fellow believers in the land of Israel... you've hardly had time to even let it all sink in, and just when you are starting to, you look at the calendar and realize you only have two and a half weeks left. But part of you is secretly excited about going back to normal life, real food, family, a regular routine, etc. You're physically and emotionally worn out, and on top of that, your diet is severely limited because you can only take so much of the bland kosher food, and the moshav has decided to serve you GIZZARD for the past week. And then comes Thanksgiving. And you walk into a beautifully decorated room complete with tables and tables of every kind of delicious, NON-KOSHER Thanksgiving food imaginable. And you glance over to the never-ending dessert table and notice the coffee- not instant Israeli coffee or disgusting Turkish coffee. Authentic coffee, complete with real cream, which you have been craving for three months. You are filled with pure delight as you take a seat next to your IBEX family and join them in meditating on Psalm 136 and God's lovingkindness... and then a wonderful silence fills the room as everyone savors each bite.
Do you get my picture now?
But that's not all. In a year from now when someone asks me to share a past Thanksgiving memory, I won't just repeat the scenario I have just described for you. I'll tell them about the Thanksgiving that I went on a hike in Adullam. That's right, Adullam, where David and his four hundred men hid out from Saul. Right after our Thanksgiving meal one of our profs took about fifteen of us to Adullam (on the Southeast corner of the Elah valley, where David fought Goliath). It was a nice, laid back non-academic field trip, and we were all excited about the amazing view of the Shephelah. We spent some time exploring some of the caves in which David could have hidden, and discussing the psalms which were written during this time. Two things especially caught my attention: the fact that God chose to start the Davidic dynasty, through which His Messiah would one day come, in such a lowly, humble place with four hundred nobodies, and the fact that fifteen goyim (Gentiles) were now worshiping God with Hebrew songs. In many of the psalms that David wrote while he was fleeing from Saul (like Ps. 57), he speaks of the glory of God coming to the goyim. Little did he know that three thousand years later, Gentiles would be worshiping in that very same land. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.
But of course, no Thanksgiving would be complete without Thanksgiving leftovers. And so, after the hike we all gathered into the miklat (the "bomb shelter," ie., the IBEX hangout) for Turkey sandwiches. But not just any Turkey sandwiches. These had BACON in them. And if you know anything about the Jewish diet, you know that there is absolutely no pork whatsoever.
A delicious Thanksgiving meal, a hike in Adullam, BLT's... what more can anyone ask for?
So yes, this was the year that I learned to be thankful for Thanskgiving.
The End.
Egypt is not for the faint of heart.
Egypt and Jordan are not for the faint of heart. Sure, the pyramids and ancient tombs are spectacular. Petra is breathtaking. It’s fun, it’s an adventure, everything costs about half of what it does in the States… but I wouldn’t recommend it for everyone. You may qualify if…
• You think clothes and personal belongings are overrated, and are willing to pack your life into a very small backpack which you will carry around with you all week. You don’t mind wearing the same pants and shoes all week.
• You have no real sense of time. Waiting on a crowded taxi as the taxi drivers, who are all in cahoots, yell at each other in Arabic for an hour sounds fun. You have no problem falling asleep to loud Arabic music and find the bumpy ride to be soothing.
• You love saving money. $10 for a hotel gives you a sense of satisfaction that supersedes your disappointment at the stark contrast between what the Lonely Planet guide said about the hotel and what you actually find: public bathrooms and showers, dark, smoky rooms and dirty sheets, hard beds and pillows, and a few meager breadsticks and jam in lieu of the “included breakfast” you were so excited about. And since you almost never have the time or money to eat during your trip, you don’t mind eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at least once a day.
• You have always secretly wanted to be a racecar driver. No, you still won’t fulfill this desire if you go to Egypt, but the crowded streets with absolutely NO lanes and no apparent speed limit will probably be the closest you’ll ever get.
• Just walking around the pyramids isn’t good enough for you. A ‘pleasant’ bumpy two-hour camel ride that your sore muscles won’t let you forget for days sounds much more appealing to you… despite the nagging feeling that you are being scammed beyond belief. And you think being proposed to (with a dowry of two camels!) by an Arab tour guide who already has four wives is hilarious.
• Crossing over crowded six “lane” streets of traffic every time you want to go anywhere- or pushing your way through dozens of Arab men to get onto an already overcrowded metro (even if it means sacrificing half of your toenail, as my roommate did) sounds thrilling to you.
• You like to use your imagination when you go to museums. This will be a very important asset for you when you walk into the Cairo museum and realize that there are hardly any labels for anything. In fact, it’s like one gigantic, two-story ancient Egyptian garage sale. And you find the idea of ancient mummified crocodiles, fish, horses, and every other kind of animal possible fascinating.
• You never liked the idea of bicycle helmets and riding on the sidewalks as a kid. Riding an old, rickety bicycle through the busy streets of Luxor, a city you have never been to before, with only a flimsy break to protect you appeals to you much more.
• You are known for your persistence. You don’t mind going to the train station not once, not twice, but five times to try to buy an overnight train ticket, and you don’t even mind when you realize that the tickets your hotel manager finally got you are to the wrong city, at the wrong time, and on a train that foreigners aren’t allowed on. You are bound and determined to get on that train, and excited when you finally do, despite the Arab officers waking you up every five minutes from your non-sleep to demand either more money or to see your ticket.
• You love trying new, unidentifiable food like “stuffed pidgeon” and “liver beans.” (No, we didn’t try these, but the Egyptian food we did try was delicious, in my humble opinion).
• Even when others tell you that you need at least four hours to see a particular site (Petra, in this case), you would much rather do it in two and a half, for the sake of getting out of Egypt, through Jordan, and back to Israel in a record time of 12 hours.
• You have never understood the concept of personal space, and don’t mind cramming five people into four already small seats in a taxi. You are creative and are able to think of a new way to rearrange yourselves every ten minutes in an attempt to find the most comfortable position.
• You are not afraid to approach strangers and ask for favors. After trying out every possible mode of transportation in Egypt and Jordan, you get back to Israel and realize that there is one you have not yet tried. So when you get to the Israeli border only to find that it will cost you about one hundred times what you have in your pocket, you have no qualms going up to a group of Israeli men and pleading with them to let you hitchhike with them to the nearest bus stop. You almost cry for joy when they agree.
If you found yourself nodding your head eagerly in affirmation to at least half of these descriptions, you should seriously consider fitting a trip to Egypt and Jordan into your life schedule. But if you are my mom or dad or anyone else reading this who probably just about had a heart attack as they pictured me living each of these experiences, you might want to keep on reading for the sake of your health. Part 2: How God protected me and blessed me every step of the way…
• I had the blessing of being accompanied by my two world travelers who just happened to be my roommates and dear friends, as well as two guys who were masters at staring down any Arab guy who tried to come close to us, and who took care of our budget the entire trip.
• As if that accompaniment weren’t enough, the Lord was pleased to provide two Egyptian friends who guided us through the massive city of Cairo and got everything we needed for about half of the price we would have had to pay. Praise the Lord that we were able to develop a precious friendship with Omnia, a nineteen year old Muslim girl whom we met through a past IBEXer, and clearly lay out the gospel for her. It was a very eye-opening experience, and we all learned a lot about Islam and the Arab culture.
• Even though sadly, most of the people we met were more concerned with emptying our wallets than with helping and welcoming us, we did meet several Egyptians and Jordanians who were sent from heaven to point us in the right direction or offer us a delicious cup of Egyptian tea, or just to smile at us when we needed it the most. We got everywhere we needed to go on time (which is a miracle in and of itself, as I’m sure you are beginning to realize), and had a great time experiencing the culture first hand. God is good.
• Etc. Etc. Etc. times one hundred. I have never been so intensely aware of how much I have to be thankful for, both at IBEX and back in the States. If this silly post has done nothing else for you, I hope it encourages you to count your blessings, as well.
• You think clothes and personal belongings are overrated, and are willing to pack your life into a very small backpack which you will carry around with you all week. You don’t mind wearing the same pants and shoes all week.
• You have no real sense of time. Waiting on a crowded taxi as the taxi drivers, who are all in cahoots, yell at each other in Arabic for an hour sounds fun. You have no problem falling asleep to loud Arabic music and find the bumpy ride to be soothing.
• You love saving money. $10 for a hotel gives you a sense of satisfaction that supersedes your disappointment at the stark contrast between what the Lonely Planet guide said about the hotel and what you actually find: public bathrooms and showers, dark, smoky rooms and dirty sheets, hard beds and pillows, and a few meager breadsticks and jam in lieu of the “included breakfast” you were so excited about. And since you almost never have the time or money to eat during your trip, you don’t mind eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at least once a day.
• You have always secretly wanted to be a racecar driver. No, you still won’t fulfill this desire if you go to Egypt, but the crowded streets with absolutely NO lanes and no apparent speed limit will probably be the closest you’ll ever get.
• Just walking around the pyramids isn’t good enough for you. A ‘pleasant’ bumpy two-hour camel ride that your sore muscles won’t let you forget for days sounds much more appealing to you… despite the nagging feeling that you are being scammed beyond belief. And you think being proposed to (with a dowry of two camels!) by an Arab tour guide who already has four wives is hilarious.
• Crossing over crowded six “lane” streets of traffic every time you want to go anywhere- or pushing your way through dozens of Arab men to get onto an already overcrowded metro (even if it means sacrificing half of your toenail, as my roommate did) sounds thrilling to you.
• You like to use your imagination when you go to museums. This will be a very important asset for you when you walk into the Cairo museum and realize that there are hardly any labels for anything. In fact, it’s like one gigantic, two-story ancient Egyptian garage sale. And you find the idea of ancient mummified crocodiles, fish, horses, and every other kind of animal possible fascinating.
• You never liked the idea of bicycle helmets and riding on the sidewalks as a kid. Riding an old, rickety bicycle through the busy streets of Luxor, a city you have never been to before, with only a flimsy break to protect you appeals to you much more.
• You are known for your persistence. You don’t mind going to the train station not once, not twice, but five times to try to buy an overnight train ticket, and you don’t even mind when you realize that the tickets your hotel manager finally got you are to the wrong city, at the wrong time, and on a train that foreigners aren’t allowed on. You are bound and determined to get on that train, and excited when you finally do, despite the Arab officers waking you up every five minutes from your non-sleep to demand either more money or to see your ticket.
• You love trying new, unidentifiable food like “stuffed pidgeon” and “liver beans.” (No, we didn’t try these, but the Egyptian food we did try was delicious, in my humble opinion).
• Even when others tell you that you need at least four hours to see a particular site (Petra, in this case), you would much rather do it in two and a half, for the sake of getting out of Egypt, through Jordan, and back to Israel in a record time of 12 hours.
• You have never understood the concept of personal space, and don’t mind cramming five people into four already small seats in a taxi. You are creative and are able to think of a new way to rearrange yourselves every ten minutes in an attempt to find the most comfortable position.
• You are not afraid to approach strangers and ask for favors. After trying out every possible mode of transportation in Egypt and Jordan, you get back to Israel and realize that there is one you have not yet tried. So when you get to the Israeli border only to find that it will cost you about one hundred times what you have in your pocket, you have no qualms going up to a group of Israeli men and pleading with them to let you hitchhike with them to the nearest bus stop. You almost cry for joy when they agree.
If you found yourself nodding your head eagerly in affirmation to at least half of these descriptions, you should seriously consider fitting a trip to Egypt and Jordan into your life schedule. But if you are my mom or dad or anyone else reading this who probably just about had a heart attack as they pictured me living each of these experiences, you might want to keep on reading for the sake of your health. Part 2: How God protected me and blessed me every step of the way…
• I had the blessing of being accompanied by my two world travelers who just happened to be my roommates and dear friends, as well as two guys who were masters at staring down any Arab guy who tried to come close to us, and who took care of our budget the entire trip.
• As if that accompaniment weren’t enough, the Lord was pleased to provide two Egyptian friends who guided us through the massive city of Cairo and got everything we needed for about half of the price we would have had to pay. Praise the Lord that we were able to develop a precious friendship with Omnia, a nineteen year old Muslim girl whom we met through a past IBEXer, and clearly lay out the gospel for her. It was a very eye-opening experience, and we all learned a lot about Islam and the Arab culture.
• Even though sadly, most of the people we met were more concerned with emptying our wallets than with helping and welcoming us, we did meet several Egyptians and Jordanians who were sent from heaven to point us in the right direction or offer us a delicious cup of Egyptian tea, or just to smile at us when we needed it the most. We got everywhere we needed to go on time (which is a miracle in and of itself, as I’m sure you are beginning to realize), and had a great time experiencing the culture first hand. God is good.
• Etc. Etc. Etc. times one hundred. I have never been so intensely aware of how much I have to be thankful for, both at IBEX and back in the States. If this silly post has done nothing else for you, I hope it encourages you to count your blessings, as well.
Archaeology is sanctifying.
I am having a lot of trouble writing these words. Not because I am tired (although I am), or because I can’t think of anything to say, but because I have been working for two days straight in an archaeological dig, and now I can hardly bend my fingers. To be completely honest, I had been dreading this day… I know how helpful archaeology can be for biblical studies, but I had this image in my head of bending over in the hot sun all day with a pick axe, an image which did not particularly appeal to me. I tried to have a good attitude about it, though, and was ready with my water bottle and baseball cap at 6:15am for the bus. A half hour later I found myself being ushered down an unstable wooden staircase to a narrow tunnel in the City of David, dating to the Second Temple Period (around the time of Jesus). “Oh, wow,” I thought, “This looks neat. Kind of like Indiana Jones. Maybe it won’t be so bad after all.” Next thing I knew, someone tossed me a plastic bag full of heavy rocks and dirt and told me to pass it to the next person in line. And then another. And another. “You have got to be kidding me,” I thought. This is what they’ve brought us here to do? Manual labor? I kept on tossing bags, trying to think positively: surely these bags contain dozens of pieces of potsherds and other pieces of important clues about what this tunnel might have been used for, and archaeologists will later be able to examine each piece because of our labor. But when I asked someone about this later on, I was told that no, this was just rubble that needed to be cleared out of the tunnel. Those big tractors outside were taking them to the garbage dump. Sad day.
Sometimes the job would change a little bit. Like being the first in line, and getting to play “Jenga” with an enormous pile of bags, hoping the rocks that held them down wouldn’t fall on top of you as you pulled one out and passed it to the next person. Or hauling bags up the stairs outside, and actually being able to breathe again. Or my favorite part: catching the buckets of dirt and rocks that the Arabic workers threw to you, and swinging them to the next person, who loaded them onto the tractor. And eventually we thought of creative ways to make the bag-hauling a little more entertaining. Like giving each bag a ridiculous name, or playing telephone as we passed the bags, or singing Christmas carols as we worked. Fun stuff, right?
At this point you might be wondering about my title… how on earth does sanctification relate to archaeology? Believe me: it does. For eight hours I hauled bag after bag, trying to work as a team with thirty-eight other sinners, thirty-eight of whom wanted to give their own input about how it should and should not be done, fighting my own frustration and complaining spirit, as well as dehydration and physical pain (I still have a lump on my head from hitting the ceiling of the tunnel so many times!) And I won't even mention how disgustingly filthy we all were. If all of that is not sanctifying, I don’t know what is. I had to do everything I could to replace my thoughts with Scripture and to find joy in Christ even in the midst of such a tedious job. To smile at my fellow laborers and encourage them, instead of complaining that they were going too fast or too slow. To redeem the time and engage in profitable conversation with other students I don’t get to talk to very often…And to force my aching body to get up the next morning at 5:30 to do it all over again, this time knowing exactly what I was getting myself into. But with every bag it got easier, and I can truthfully say that I not only enjoyed the experience, but profited from it. “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” (Col. 3:23-24)
Besides all of this, I have a newfound respect and appreciation for archaeology, because I know how much labor goes into every project, and how tedious the work really is, no matter how exciting the final product.
Yes, friends, archaeology is sanctifying. And every other job we are given to do can be, too, if we look as it as an opportunity to serve Christ wholeheartedly.
Sometimes the job would change a little bit. Like being the first in line, and getting to play “Jenga” with an enormous pile of bags, hoping the rocks that held them down wouldn’t fall on top of you as you pulled one out and passed it to the next person. Or hauling bags up the stairs outside, and actually being able to breathe again. Or my favorite part: catching the buckets of dirt and rocks that the Arabic workers threw to you, and swinging them to the next person, who loaded them onto the tractor. And eventually we thought of creative ways to make the bag-hauling a little more entertaining. Like giving each bag a ridiculous name, or playing telephone as we passed the bags, or singing Christmas carols as we worked. Fun stuff, right?
At this point you might be wondering about my title… how on earth does sanctification relate to archaeology? Believe me: it does. For eight hours I hauled bag after bag, trying to work as a team with thirty-eight other sinners, thirty-eight of whom wanted to give their own input about how it should and should not be done, fighting my own frustration and complaining spirit, as well as dehydration and physical pain (I still have a lump on my head from hitting the ceiling of the tunnel so many times!) And I won't even mention how disgustingly filthy we all were. If all of that is not sanctifying, I don’t know what is. I had to do everything I could to replace my thoughts with Scripture and to find joy in Christ even in the midst of such a tedious job. To smile at my fellow laborers and encourage them, instead of complaining that they were going too fast or too slow. To redeem the time and engage in profitable conversation with other students I don’t get to talk to very often…And to force my aching body to get up the next morning at 5:30 to do it all over again, this time knowing exactly what I was getting myself into. But with every bag it got easier, and I can truthfully say that I not only enjoyed the experience, but profited from it. “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” (Col. 3:23-24)
Besides all of this, I have a newfound respect and appreciation for archaeology, because I know how much labor goes into every project, and how tedious the work really is, no matter how exciting the final product.
Yes, friends, archaeology is sanctifying. And every other job we are given to do can be, too, if we look as it as an opportunity to serve Christ wholeheartedly.
Ten Reasons why I loved the Negev
This week we took a four-day field trip to the biblical Negev (meaning “south” or “dry” in Hebrew) which, as its name implies, is the southernmost region in the Promised Land.
My top ten favorite things about the Negev:
1) Its rich history. The Negev, with its “maybe-you-can-make-it-maybe-you-can’t” atmosphere, is a visible reminder of God’s provision for the patriarchs, the Israelites during their wilderness wanderings, and individuals such as Hagar and Elijah.
2) Wearing dorky hard hats at Beersheva. ;)
Actually, one of the most interesting things to see at Beersheva is the horned altar, which is a good example of the high places which Hezekiah destroyed. The horns on each corner of the altar represent power as well as mercy. Adonijah and Joab both took hold of the horns of the altar to beg for mercy. Understanding this concept really brought Luk 1:69 to life, which describes Christ as the horn of our salvation.
3) Avdat, a Nabatean city. The Nabateans were a group of nomadic traders who displaced the Idumeans from Avdat and settled there. Unlike most of the tells (layers of remains stacked on top of each other) we had seen, most of Avdat was remarkably in tact, and its beautiful architecture was still very evident. At Avdat I was surprised to see two Christian churches, one with a baptismal! These can be explained by the arrival of the Byzantines, who forced the Nabateans to convert to Christianity.
4) Machtesh Ramon, a large crater carved out by water, in the wilderness highlands near Kadesh Barnea. At night after dinner we all hiked to a little cave where we huddled around and praised God through song and reflected on how deep His love for us is. As remarkably deep as the crater was, His love is infinitely deeper.
5) Time of reflection in the Wilderness of Paran, where many of the events associated with the Wilderness Wanderings took place. This was our first real taste of the desert, and served as a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the lessons of the wilderness that Israel was to learn. Meditating on Deuteronomy 8 while looking out over the Wilderness of Paran was an incredible experience, and helped me to better understand the context.
6) Our hike up the beautiful Red Canyon, with its unbelievable rock formations and crevices. Every direction I looked, every step I took, everything I saw, was absolutely breathtaking.
7) At the Red Sea I got to snorkel for the first time in my life. Even though I was very clumsy and had to come up every few seconds to empty out all the water that accumulated in my breathing mask, I had a blast. It was definitely a wonderful reminder of the beauty and perfection of God’s creation, some of which man will never even see. It is all for His glory.
8) Visiting the life-sized replica of the Tabernacle at Timnah. The Tabernacle had always seemed so abstract to me, and the measurements and cubits and endless details overwhelmed me. Now I feel like I have a much better understanding of the layout and significance of the Tabernacle and all of its contents, and deep gratitude for Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice for sin. Contrast this to the bloody mess and slaughterhouse aspect of the Tabernacle, and you suddenly understand the implications of Christ’s atonement.
Psalm 84:1 How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!
9) Masada!!! Out of all of the hikes we went on during our time in the Negev, the hike through the mineral mountains at the foot of Masada, which were made of spongy chalk, was definitely the most interesting. Kind of like a cross between walking on snow (not cold, though) and sand.
We ended the day by gathering on one of these mountains and praising God through reflection on His Word and through “psalms, songs, and spiritual songs.” The next day we got up at the crack of dawn and hurried to Masada just in time to catch the sunrise as we went up. Although it was an incredibly difficult hike, it was well worth it. Check out the previous post to see more pictures of Masada and learn about its fascinating history. (I realize that I sound like a commercial).
10) The fellowship. Each night we had different roommates, and although I love my roommates at the moshav, it was fun to get to know some of the other girls better and bond with them. In between our huffing and puffing on the hikes, we also shared some great conversations, as well as during our long bus rides (which were also great for naps!)
Hine mah tov umah naim shevet achim gam yachad!! Ps. 133:1 (Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!)
My top ten favorite things about the Negev:
1) Its rich history. The Negev, with its “maybe-you-can-make-it-maybe-you-can’t” atmosphere, is a visible reminder of God’s provision for the patriarchs, the Israelites during their wilderness wanderings, and individuals such as Hagar and Elijah.
2) Wearing dorky hard hats at Beersheva. ;)
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| Negev Trip |
Actually, one of the most interesting things to see at Beersheva is the horned altar, which is a good example of the high places which Hezekiah destroyed. The horns on each corner of the altar represent power as well as mercy. Adonijah and Joab both took hold of the horns of the altar to beg for mercy. Understanding this concept really brought Luk 1:69 to life, which describes Christ as the horn of our salvation.
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| Negev Beersheva altar |
3) Avdat, a Nabatean city. The Nabateans were a group of nomadic traders who displaced the Idumeans from Avdat and settled there. Unlike most of the tells (layers of remains stacked on top of each other) we had seen, most of Avdat was remarkably in tact, and its beautiful architecture was still very evident. At Avdat I was surprised to see two Christian churches, one with a baptismal! These can be explained by the arrival of the Byzantines, who forced the Nabateans to convert to Christianity.
4) Machtesh Ramon, a large crater carved out by water, in the wilderness highlands near Kadesh Barnea. At night after dinner we all hiked to a little cave where we huddled around and praised God through song and reflected on how deep His love for us is. As remarkably deep as the crater was, His love is infinitely deeper.
5) Time of reflection in the Wilderness of Paran, where many of the events associated with the Wilderness Wanderings took place. This was our first real taste of the desert, and served as a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the lessons of the wilderness that Israel was to learn. Meditating on Deuteronomy 8 while looking out over the Wilderness of Paran was an incredible experience, and helped me to better understand the context.
6) Our hike up the beautiful Red Canyon, with its unbelievable rock formations and crevices. Every direction I looked, every step I took, everything I saw, was absolutely breathtaking.
7) At the Red Sea I got to snorkel for the first time in my life. Even though I was very clumsy and had to come up every few seconds to empty out all the water that accumulated in my breathing mask, I had a blast. It was definitely a wonderful reminder of the beauty and perfection of God’s creation, some of which man will never even see. It is all for His glory.
8) Visiting the life-sized replica of the Tabernacle at Timnah. The Tabernacle had always seemed so abstract to me, and the measurements and cubits and endless details overwhelmed me. Now I feel like I have a much better understanding of the layout and significance of the Tabernacle and all of its contents, and deep gratitude for Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice for sin. Contrast this to the bloody mess and slaughterhouse aspect of the Tabernacle, and you suddenly understand the implications of Christ’s atonement.
Psalm 84:1 How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!
9) Masada!!! Out of all of the hikes we went on during our time in the Negev, the hike through the mineral mountains at the foot of Masada, which were made of spongy chalk, was definitely the most interesting. Kind of like a cross between walking on snow (not cold, though) and sand.
We ended the day by gathering on one of these mountains and praising God through reflection on His Word and through “psalms, songs, and spiritual songs.” The next day we got up at the crack of dawn and hurried to Masada just in time to catch the sunrise as we went up. Although it was an incredibly difficult hike, it was well worth it. Check out the previous post to see more pictures of Masada and learn about its fascinating history. (I realize that I sound like a commercial).
10) The fellowship. Each night we had different roommates, and although I love my roommates at the moshav, it was fun to get to know some of the other girls better and bond with them. In between our huffing and puffing on the hikes, we also shared some great conversations, as well as during our long bus rides (which were also great for naps!)
Hine mah tov umah naim shevet achim gam yachad!! Ps. 133:1 (Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!)
Masada: I came, I saw, I conquered.
On the last day of our Negev trip, my roommates and I got up at five thirty and hurried to Masada just in time to catch the sunrise as we went up. Although it was an incredibly difficult hike, it was well worth it. According to the historian Josephus, Masada was originally built by the Great High Priest Jonathan during the Hasmonian (Macabbean) period and fortified by Herod the Great as a winter palace and as refuge against his enemies. Herod knew that the Jews were planning to revolt and wanted to be prepared. And of course, knowing Herod, we were not surprised to see the splendid palaces, storerooms, cisterns, and fortified walls he built. During the Great Revolt of the Jews against the Romans (beginning in 66 AD), a group of Jewish rebels called the Sicarii conquered Masada and along with other Jewish sects were led by Eleazar Ben Yair. The rebels built a synagogue and mikvehs (ritual baths), which were some of my favorite things to see at Masada, especially after learning so much about them in my Jewish Thought and Culture class. A few years after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, the Romans laid siege to Masada. The 960 members of the community decided that it would be better to commit suicide than allow the Romans to capture them as slaves. They chose ten men by lots to be the executioners, and by the time the Romans arrived, no one was left. One of the most interesting things to see at Masada was the ten pieces of stones (ostraca) on which the names of the ten executioners were written. Every single one of the names was found. Another fascinating artifact that was found at Masada was scroll fragments under the synagogue, including Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones. I also enjoyed going to the Byzantine church, with its intricate mosaics and pottery designs in the walls. All in all, Masada was a unique experience, and it helped me to better understand the devastating effects of the Roman siege.
The Joy of the Torah
Have you ever thought about the JOY that God’s Word brings? The delight and the pleasure of His teachings? This is a central part of Judaism. In fact, they dedicate an entire day to it. They have this seven day long holiday called Sukkot, or Tabernacles, which is considered the most joyful time of the year, and they build booths outside where they eat and spend time together as a family. But those seven days aren’t enough for the Jewish people. And the Bible mentions that there should be an eighth day in addition to the days of Sukkot. So the Jewish people have come up with something called Simchat Torah: The Joy of the Torah. In their synagogues all around the world, they have a “Read-the-Torah-in-one-year” plan, and they just happen to finish with the last verse of Deuteronomy on Simchat Torah. So they take their “Sefer Torah” (Torah scroll) and the men take turns unrolling the scroll back to Genesis. And then they play cheerful music and dance around the Torah scroll for hours, rejoicing in God’s commandments.
Right before we left for Galilee, we got to experience the Joy of the Torah. Our Jewish Thought and Culture professor managed to get an ancient Torah scroll (keep in mind, these things are worth tens of thousands of dollars!!) and we got to take turns unrolling it. As we unrolled, others read from Psalm 119. I can’t describe what a sober and yet joyful experience it was for me to unroll the scroll, to praise God for His mercy in giving us His Word and preserving it throughout history… and a renewed desire to know God’s Torah and obey every single word in it. We just don’t thank Him enough for this. After we finally reached Genesis, us “Hebrew scholars” (ha!) each got to read a verse from the scroll. It sounds easier than it really was- the ancient script looks completely different from today’s Hebrew script. But it was an incredible experience to be a part of this. And then we all grabbed each other’s hands and swung around and around in a circle, trying to learn the steps and laughing until tears came.
Yes, the Torah is something to be joyful about. But we shouldn’t just dedicate one day a year for rejoicing in God’s Word. We should rejoice every single minute of every day… remembering the 300 million people who do not have the Bible in their own language and praising God for the treasure of His living and active Word.
Right before we left for Galilee, we got to experience the Joy of the Torah. Our Jewish Thought and Culture professor managed to get an ancient Torah scroll (keep in mind, these things are worth tens of thousands of dollars!!) and we got to take turns unrolling it. As we unrolled, others read from Psalm 119. I can’t describe what a sober and yet joyful experience it was for me to unroll the scroll, to praise God for His mercy in giving us His Word and preserving it throughout history… and a renewed desire to know God’s Torah and obey every single word in it. We just don’t thank Him enough for this. After we finally reached Genesis, us “Hebrew scholars” (ha!) each got to read a verse from the scroll. It sounds easier than it really was- the ancient script looks completely different from today’s Hebrew script. But it was an incredible experience to be a part of this. And then we all grabbed each other’s hands and swung around and around in a circle, trying to learn the steps and laughing until tears came.
Yes, the Torah is something to be joyful about. But we shouldn’t just dedicate one day a year for rejoicing in God’s Word. We should rejoice every single minute of every day… remembering the 300 million people who do not have the Bible in their own language and praising God for the treasure of His living and active Word.
Day 6
10/11 ……Today on our Life of Christ field trip we went up to a lookout point onto the Sea of Galilee, and we were given precious time to pray and meditate on Scripture by ourselves. I’ve been going and going so much that I haven’t had much of a chance to just stop and let the magnitude of being on the Sea of Galilee, where over 1/3 of Jesus’ ministry took place, sink in and affect me. I read through as much as I could of Mark 1-5 in Greek… being there and actually seeing the various cities and places His miracles took place at made such a difference. Afterward Abner pointed out that as real as Tiberias is, or the Arbel Cliffs are, or the Sea itself, Jesus Christ is more real. I have never been so struck by His reality before, or so grateful that I serve the TRUE, living God and not some irrational, unrealistic one.
…… Nice dinner and boat ride around the lake tonight. Amazing to look out on the very place where Jesus calmed the sea and walked on water tonight… Oh LORD, help me never to lose my wonder.
10/12 The more I gaze out onto the Sea of Galilee, the more I think about it and picture it in my head, the more I am reminded of the joy of the gospel, the joy of salvation. But the Sea of Galilee did not always represent joy, as Abner pointed out from Isaiah 9 in chapel tonight. It used to be a symbol of gloom and anguish, of contempt and darkness. I never connected the fact that the Sea of Galilee is on the North with the fact that the North is where Israel has almost always historically been invaded. Why then would Jesus choose to come to this very region to do most of His mighty works and make His name known? Because just like all of the other invasions- Assyrian, Babylonian, etc., this, too, was an invasion, by God Himself, only this time it brought joy, not sorrow. And He overturned the entire world through a child. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness (lit., in the shadow of deep darkness or death, cf. Ps. 23), on them has light shined.” Is. 9:2 God truly has ‘made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.’
As I stood with my feet in the water, thinking about all that Christ did here and all that He has done in my own heart here this week, knowing that this would probably be my last time in my life to look out onto the Sea of Galilee, I prayed that I would not forget these things, that they would not remain as facts and figures in my head, but that their reality would forever transform my life, my heart, my worldview. I pray that this lake would always hold a special place in my heart, that its image would forever be engraved in my mind as a symbol of how God changed sorrow into joy and shone His light on t entire world through His Son. I pray that all of this would compel me to take this joyful news of salvation to the nations who are still dwelling in the valley of the shadow of death, just as the Jews once brought the message of salvation to us, the Gentiles.
I also praise You, Father, for pleasure derived from Your magnificent creation, which I was able to experience this morning, rafting down the Hapzini River. I thank You for enjoyable times, and pray that I would never take them for granted.
That's pretty much it... there you have it- the random ramblings from the journal of Joey Moore. I hope they have served their purpose.
Thanks again for your prayers and encouragement!!
Days 3, 4, and 5
10/8 ….. This morning I had my first devotional on the Sea of Galilee. At first my heart was so dull and my mind was so distracted that I was completely numbed to God’s Word and to the significance of my surroundings, but after a while the LORD graciously captivated my heart with the gospel accounts. How amazing to look out on the very place where Jesus walked on water, calmed the sea, healed myriads of people… how unworthy I am to be able to experience such things.
Today was yet another reminder of Christ’s power and glory… from Capernaum to Hepta Pegon to the supposed Mount of Beatitudes to rafting down the Jordan River, everything pointed to Christ. To Christ’s WORTH. God, make me a worshiper of Christ, in spirit and in truth.
….
10/9 …. Another great field trip today- very thought-provoking, esp. going to Caesarea Philippi where all the pagan places of worship are, and realizing that around here is where Peter’s confession of Christ took place when Jesus asked him who others said He was… such immorality and gross perversion, and yet Christ uses it to draw a genuine confession from Christ. And right after that, the Transfiguration!... all pointing to Christ, the Son of God. My favorite part of the trip was when we went to the Baneas Spring, which was absolutely breathtaking. As I looked out onto the beautiful waterfall and gushing spring, I read from Psalm 42, which could have been written from here, and I had a sweet time worshiping the God of creation, the God who satisfies my thirst and provides fountains of living water.
I also had a sweet, refreshing time this morning reading from Luke 4-9 on the Sea of Galilee with a friend this morning. We prayed for God to make the stories come alive to us and for His Word to cut to our heart, and it did…..
10/10 This morning a friend and I got up early and prayed together beside the Sea of Galilee….. Today we went on a fun hike with Uncle Randy. More than fun, though, it was a massive display of God’s beauty and creativity.
…… Went to a lecture tonight by a Jewish American who lives on this kibbutz, about life on a kibbutz. Very heartbroken to learn that no one on this kibbutz (probably many others, too) has ever changed their religion (ie. converted to Christianity)- no one. Oh LORD, send missionaries to these atheistic, humanistic kibbutzim and to share Your gospel. Pour out Your truth on these people and open their eyes.
Today was yet another reminder of Christ’s power and glory… from Capernaum to Hepta Pegon to the supposed Mount of Beatitudes to rafting down the Jordan River, everything pointed to Christ. To Christ’s WORTH. God, make me a worshiper of Christ, in spirit and in truth.
….
10/9 …. Another great field trip today- very thought-provoking, esp. going to Caesarea Philippi where all the pagan places of worship are, and realizing that around here is where Peter’s confession of Christ took place when Jesus asked him who others said He was… such immorality and gross perversion, and yet Christ uses it to draw a genuine confession from Christ. And right after that, the Transfiguration!... all pointing to Christ, the Son of God. My favorite part of the trip was when we went to the Baneas Spring, which was absolutely breathtaking. As I looked out onto the beautiful waterfall and gushing spring, I read from Psalm 42, which could have been written from here, and I had a sweet time worshiping the God of creation, the God who satisfies my thirst and provides fountains of living water.
I also had a sweet, refreshing time this morning reading from Luke 4-9 on the Sea of Galilee with a friend this morning. We prayed for God to make the stories come alive to us and for His Word to cut to our heart, and it did…..
10/10 This morning a friend and I got up early and prayed together beside the Sea of Galilee….. Today we went on a fun hike with Uncle Randy. More than fun, though, it was a massive display of God’s beauty and creativity.
…… Went to a lecture tonight by a Jewish American who lives on this kibbutz, about life on a kibbutz. Very heartbroken to learn that no one on this kibbutz (probably many others, too) has ever changed their religion (ie. converted to Christianity)- no one. Oh LORD, send missionaries to these atheistic, humanistic kibbutzim and to share Your gospel. Pour out Your truth on these people and open their eyes.
Day 2
10/7 I am amazed… and very convicted… at how little I know about my Savior’s life and ministry. Sure, I may (somewhat) understand theological truths about His righteousness, death and resurrection, etc., but I have hardly ever even thought about the geographical and chronological significance of what He did. Today’s field trip helped to clarify some of that, but I still have so much to learn. I pray that when I go back to the States I would not lose this desire to learn about the life of Christ. Out of all the things we did today, like visiting Kefar Kana (maybe Cana of Galilee!) and Sepphoris, my favorite thing was when we stood on a mountain in Arbel, overlooking the Sea of Galilee, and I got to read Matthew 28, when Jesus commissions His disciples, out loud for the group. It made me think a lot, especially about why Jesus told the disciples to meet Him in Galilee, of all places? The answer to this question became so clear as I stood there. When they looked out onto the region of Galilee they would automatically remember Jesus’ mighty works and glory displayed through all He did in the region. They would understand that all exousia- all authority- truly has been given to Him, and that even though evangelizing the world was a massive responsibility, it would be on Christ’s strength, who promises to be with them unto the ages!! Oh LORD, spread Your gospel to every nation! And turn hearts to You, to repent and place their faith in You. Do this with the 80 Mormons from BYU here at the same resort we’re staying at. Convict those girls we talked to who seemed so confident in the lies they believe… show them the truth.
a peek into my journal... Day 1
I've been thinking about the best way to communicate all that I've learned this week in Galilee to all of you, and as I looked over all of my journal entries from this week, I found my answer. So here you go: a peek into the journal of Joey Moore. Of course, you will understand that I cannot share everything with you (you would not want to see everything!!) but I think this will give you a good understanding of what life was really like for me this week.
10/6 This morning we left for our 7 day trip to Galilee. I was tired and had trouble staying awake on the bus, but was thrilled more than anything. Today we visited Megiddo, one of the most crucial cities to control in biblical times. I enjoyed it all, but one of the most interesting things was seeing the ancient Canaanite high place of pagan worship. How quickly the Canaanites, originally descendants of Ham, departed from the true God!
We also visited the Jezreel Valley and talked about many important biblical accounts, such as Ahab and Jezebel, and Jehu’s “mad dash,” and then visited Mount Carmel, where Elijah proved that God was supreme over the non-god Baal. We also saw two rolling-stone tombs which were similar to the one Jesus was buried in. As I stooped down into the tomb it suddenly struck me that Jesus was actually dead for three days- His body was decomposing… and yet God raised Him from the dead. Amazing. Tonight we had a precious time of worship through singing in the chapel of the hotel we are staying at in Nazareth. Before that we got to walk the streets of Nazareth- streets where our Lord Jesus almost definitely walked! What an awesome privilege this is. May I never lose sight of that.
10/6 This morning we left for our 7 day trip to Galilee. I was tired and had trouble staying awake on the bus, but was thrilled more than anything. Today we visited Megiddo, one of the most crucial cities to control in biblical times. I enjoyed it all, but one of the most interesting things was seeing the ancient Canaanite high place of pagan worship. How quickly the Canaanites, originally descendants of Ham, departed from the true God!
We also visited the Jezreel Valley and talked about many important biblical accounts, such as Ahab and Jezebel, and Jehu’s “mad dash,” and then visited Mount Carmel, where Elijah proved that God was supreme over the non-god Baal. We also saw two rolling-stone tombs which were similar to the one Jesus was buried in. As I stooped down into the tomb it suddenly struck me that Jesus was actually dead for three days- His body was decomposing… and yet God raised Him from the dead. Amazing. Tonight we had a precious time of worship through singing in the chapel of the hotel we are staying at in Nazareth. Before that we got to walk the streets of Nazareth- streets where our Lord Jesus almost definitely walked! What an awesome privilege this is. May I never lose sight of that.
a how-to guide on praying for Joey in Israel
I just want to say how thankful I am for my faithful blog readers. :) And blessed as I am with all of you, I cannot think of a better opportunity to ask for prayer. I know many of you are already praying for my time here, and I praise God for that, but it is always helpful to give clarity and specificity to our prayers. So here goes:
-That God would fill me with all “joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit [I] may abound in hope.” Please pray that my joy would be deeply rooted in the Person of Christ, rather than in external circumstances and trivial pleasures. It is so easy to get into so much of a monotonous routine that I get to the end of the day and realize that I have wasted an entire day existing rather than living for His glory.
-That God would instill in me a passion for His Word, to never be satisfied with what I have already learned but to always be striving to know God more through His Word.
-That all of this knowledge would not remain in my head, but that it would affect my life and most of all, that God would somehow use what I am learning here to spread His kingdom and glory among the nations. Pray that my zeal for missions and evangelism would not wane but would increase as I live in a different culture among millions who desperately need the Messiah. -Pray for discernment for me. I am constantly having to sift through different teachings and beliefs here, and it is sometimes difficult to discern what is “good and acceptable and perfect.”
-Pray for continued health. Sickness seems to spread faster here. Pray that I would get a good night’s sleep each night so that I can have energy to learn and serve the Lord.
-Pray for wisdom as I seek to encourage the girls here. Many of them are facing doubts and trials I have never dealt with before.
-Pray for my future when I go back to Texas and then California. I will need a job and a roommate. Pray for ministry opportunities, as well.
I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your prayers and encouragement. Tomorrow morning I leave for Galilee, where I will spend 7 days learning about the life of Christ, traveling and hiking and enjoying God’s creation. I have been looking forward to this trip for the longest time. I pray that it will be a time of spiritual growth and fellowship.
Lila tov (Good night),
Joey
the ShfayLAH
Although most people have never even heard of the Shephelah, it is by far one of the most important places in the Bible. In Old Testament times, having control over this region symbolized power and military strength. The Shephelah is usually translated into English as “rolling foothills” or “lowlands,” and acted as a buffer zone between the Coastal Plain and the Judean Hill Country. However, not only did Israel need this zone for purposes of protection, but also for its agricultural benefits. Because of its geographical location and importance, all throughout the Bible we see the Israelites and the Philistines fighting over it.
We traveled through the Shephelah via the diagonal route, which goes southwest from Aijalon to Lachish. We started our field trip in Beth-Shemesh, or “house of the sun.” Since the Sorek Valley is famous for being the setting of most of the story of Samson, we mostly talked about his life. We all know that Samson took a Nazirite vow and could not drink wine, but being there and realizing that the Sorek Valley is famous for its vineyards makes this vow much more admirable. In fact, Sorek means “a choice vine.” Judges 13:25 tells us that the Spirit of the Lord began to move in Samson between Zorah and Eshtaol, both of which we could see from Beth-Shemesh. From this city we were also able to see Timnah, the place where Samson meets his Philistine girlfriend. To take vengeance on the Philistines when they give his wife away to his friend, he burns the vines, the grains, and the olive groves. This was a major blow to the Philistines, because the olive groves took years to plant and grow. Later, the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon Samson and he killed a thousand Philistine men with a “fresh jawbone.” We had a chance to re-enact this story at Beth-shemesh with a real jawbone, and we realized how incredible this feat was.
While we were there, we also talked about how the Ark of the Covenant returned from Ekron to Beth-shemesh via the Sorek Valley (1 Sam. 6:10-7:3). The Israelites lost the Ark when they tried to manipulate God, and it is somewhat ironic that God used two cows to bring it back. When the Israelites from Beth-shemesh run out to the cart, because of their presumption, God kills many of them. Finally, the men of Kiriath Jearim came down to the Sorek Valley and brought it back to Kiriath Jearim, where it stayed for twenty years.
Next, we traveled to Azekah in the Elah Valley, where David defeated Goliath. We saw where the Philistines spread out across the south side of Elah Valley, in the hills of Socoh and Azekah, and the Israelites camped on the hills on the other side of the valley. We were able to visit the Brook Elah, where David gathered five smooth stones, and re-enact the story with an ancient slingshot and a stone from the brook. We also passed by Adullam, where David hid when the king of Gath pursued him. David would have traveled via the Valley of Elah when he went from Gath to Adullam.
Mareshat Gath, hometown of the prophet Micah, was the next on our itinerary. Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah, who prophesied about the Assyrian threat as the punishment for Judah’s sin. However, there was still hope for the nation; as he looked up to the Judean Hill Country, he prophesied that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem Epaphrah. We also got to visit some amazing caves at this city. After lunch, we visited some more caves at Mareshah, where King Asa of Judah stops the invasion of Zerah and the Ethiopians and has victory over them.
Our next stop was Lachish, one of the cities which attacked Gibeon after Joshua made a treaty with the Gibeonites. The Lachish Valley is famous for grapes, which is evidenced by the grapes in Sennacherib’s relief. We were able to pick delicious grapes at Lachish, and see the tell there, which is one of the biggest Iron Age structures in Israel. We discussed Isaiah 10 and 37, which discuss how the Assyrian siege affected King Hezekiah, and how the Lord gave him a miraculous victory. We also learned about the Lachish letters, which name both Lachish and Azekah and mention that Azekah had been captured during the Babylonian conquest. Lachish was to follow shortly. It is always interesting to see how archaeology and the biblical account so often perfectly correlate; at a gate in Lachish they have found potsherds mentioning Lachish and Azekah.
As a grand finale to our Shephelah field trip, we visited the Philistine city of Gath, which guards the mouth of the Elah Valley. Many important biblical events took place here (such as the Ark stopping here), but we mostly talked about the account of David fleeing here and pretending to be a madman so that the king of Gath would let him live (1 Sam. 21:10-22:2). David flees to Gath thinking that he will find refuge from Saul and at the same time trying to protect his people from having to betray him. 1 Samuel 21 says that David was very much afraid of King Achish, but when David writes psalms 34 and 56, we see that a complete change has taken place in David’s heart. “When I am afraid,” David cries out, “I put my trust in You, in God whose Word I praise...What can flesh do to me?” David has learned to praise God through His Word rather than put his trust in men. He also writes Psalm 34 during this time and talks about fear again, but this time in a different context: “O fear the LORD, you His saints, for those who fear Him have no lack.” David’s fear of man has been channeled into a righteous fear of the LORD. At Gath, we were given a chance to look at the sunset and spend time praying and reflecting on these passages. I thought about how Psalm 56:4 was my favorite verse as a little girl, and how it comforted me countless times growing up. Understanding the context behind this verse and attempting to put myself in David’s shoes for the first time brought this passage into a whole new life. God was faithful to David and continues to be faithful “to those who love Him and keep His commandments, to a thousand generations.” How can we do anything but praise Him through His Word and fear and worship Him?
P.S. sorry there aren't pictures... hopefully I'll get some up soon.
Shalom :)
We traveled through the Shephelah via the diagonal route, which goes southwest from Aijalon to Lachish. We started our field trip in Beth-Shemesh, or “house of the sun.” Since the Sorek Valley is famous for being the setting of most of the story of Samson, we mostly talked about his life. We all know that Samson took a Nazirite vow and could not drink wine, but being there and realizing that the Sorek Valley is famous for its vineyards makes this vow much more admirable. In fact, Sorek means “a choice vine.” Judges 13:25 tells us that the Spirit of the Lord began to move in Samson between Zorah and Eshtaol, both of which we could see from Beth-Shemesh. From this city we were also able to see Timnah, the place where Samson meets his Philistine girlfriend. To take vengeance on the Philistines when they give his wife away to his friend, he burns the vines, the grains, and the olive groves. This was a major blow to the Philistines, because the olive groves took years to plant and grow. Later, the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon Samson and he killed a thousand Philistine men with a “fresh jawbone.” We had a chance to re-enact this story at Beth-shemesh with a real jawbone, and we realized how incredible this feat was.
While we were there, we also talked about how the Ark of the Covenant returned from Ekron to Beth-shemesh via the Sorek Valley (1 Sam. 6:10-7:3). The Israelites lost the Ark when they tried to manipulate God, and it is somewhat ironic that God used two cows to bring it back. When the Israelites from Beth-shemesh run out to the cart, because of their presumption, God kills many of them. Finally, the men of Kiriath Jearim came down to the Sorek Valley and brought it back to Kiriath Jearim, where it stayed for twenty years.
Next, we traveled to Azekah in the Elah Valley, where David defeated Goliath. We saw where the Philistines spread out across the south side of Elah Valley, in the hills of Socoh and Azekah, and the Israelites camped on the hills on the other side of the valley. We were able to visit the Brook Elah, where David gathered five smooth stones, and re-enact the story with an ancient slingshot and a stone from the brook. We also passed by Adullam, where David hid when the king of Gath pursued him. David would have traveled via the Valley of Elah when he went from Gath to Adullam.
Mareshat Gath, hometown of the prophet Micah, was the next on our itinerary. Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah, who prophesied about the Assyrian threat as the punishment for Judah’s sin. However, there was still hope for the nation; as he looked up to the Judean Hill Country, he prophesied that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem Epaphrah. We also got to visit some amazing caves at this city. After lunch, we visited some more caves at Mareshah, where King Asa of Judah stops the invasion of Zerah and the Ethiopians and has victory over them.
Our next stop was Lachish, one of the cities which attacked Gibeon after Joshua made a treaty with the Gibeonites. The Lachish Valley is famous for grapes, which is evidenced by the grapes in Sennacherib’s relief. We were able to pick delicious grapes at Lachish, and see the tell there, which is one of the biggest Iron Age structures in Israel. We discussed Isaiah 10 and 37, which discuss how the Assyrian siege affected King Hezekiah, and how the Lord gave him a miraculous victory. We also learned about the Lachish letters, which name both Lachish and Azekah and mention that Azekah had been captured during the Babylonian conquest. Lachish was to follow shortly. It is always interesting to see how archaeology and the biblical account so often perfectly correlate; at a gate in Lachish they have found potsherds mentioning Lachish and Azekah.
As a grand finale to our Shephelah field trip, we visited the Philistine city of Gath, which guards the mouth of the Elah Valley. Many important biblical events took place here (such as the Ark stopping here), but we mostly talked about the account of David fleeing here and pretending to be a madman so that the king of Gath would let him live (1 Sam. 21:10-22:2). David flees to Gath thinking that he will find refuge from Saul and at the same time trying to protect his people from having to betray him. 1 Samuel 21 says that David was very much afraid of King Achish, but when David writes psalms 34 and 56, we see that a complete change has taken place in David’s heart. “When I am afraid,” David cries out, “I put my trust in You, in God whose Word I praise...What can flesh do to me?” David has learned to praise God through His Word rather than put his trust in men. He also writes Psalm 34 during this time and talks about fear again, but this time in a different context: “O fear the LORD, you His saints, for those who fear Him have no lack.” David’s fear of man has been channeled into a righteous fear of the LORD. At Gath, we were given a chance to look at the sunset and spend time praying and reflecting on these passages. I thought about how Psalm 56:4 was my favorite verse as a little girl, and how it comforted me countless times growing up. Understanding the context behind this verse and attempting to put myself in David’s shoes for the first time brought this passage into a whole new life. God was faithful to David and continues to be faithful “to those who love Him and keep His commandments, to a thousand generations.” How can we do anything but praise Him through His Word and fear and worship Him?
P.S. sorry there aren't pictures... hopefully I'll get some up soon.
Shalom :)
David's unshakable joy
My roommate described this weekend as 24 hours of fun. I couldn’t agree more. We went to the Dead Sea, had a great time floating, and then covered ourselves in Dead Sea mud from head to toe, and then floated some more
.That was definitely all a blast, but my favorite part was the devotional that Abner, one of our profs, gave on the wanderings of David when he fled from Saul. As he read Psalm 56 and 57 (one of which David wrote while camping out near the Dead Sea) and explained the context, we looked up at the stars and the moon shining down on the sea, and the beautiful mountains in the background… I can’t explain it, but the sky just looks bigger in Israel. The stars look brighter, and the moonlight is incredible. I began to understand why David thought the way he did, why he was so fearful for his life, and why he fought so hard for joy. Abner challenged us to examine our hearts, whether we really seek to give glory to God during the trials or just pray for an escape from our problems. David truly sought God’s glory above his own. He cries out passionately for God to be exalted over the heavens.
After a hard-core night of sleeping under the stars along with a hundred sticky flies, we got up and set out to hike up to the Ascent of Ziz, which is the ascent that the Moabites and Ammonites used when they came against Jehoshaphat at Engedi (2 Chron. 20).
Most of the hike was straight uphill, and by the time we got to the first spring, we were already worn out and excited to splash the cold water on our faces and drink water. As we gulped down our water, Abner read to us from Psalm 63. David most likely wrote this psalm envisioning a spring just like the one we were being refreshed by. I could imagine him, worn out and thirsty as he fled from Saul, coming up to a spring and crying out to God: “As thirsty as I am for this water, I thirst for You, God, so much more. As much as I enjoy this refreshing water that You have given me, I enjoy You so much more.” Could I truly say that to God? I long for this to be my prayer! God IS so much more satisfying than anything else. Let us never forget that. We continued our hike up the Nahal David (a ravine leading to Engedi) and enjoyed God’s creation, 
stopping along the way at pools and springs and beautiful waterfalls.
After a hard-core night of sleeping under the stars along with a hundred sticky flies, we got up and set out to hike up to the Ascent of Ziz, which is the ascent that the Moabites and Ammonites used when they came against Jehoshaphat at Engedi (2 Chron. 20).
Most of the hike was straight uphill, and by the time we got to the first spring, we were already worn out and excited to splash the cold water on our faces and drink water. As we gulped down our water, Abner read to us from Psalm 63. David most likely wrote this psalm envisioning a spring just like the one we were being refreshed by. I could imagine him, worn out and thirsty as he fled from Saul, coming up to a spring and crying out to God: “As thirsty as I am for this water, I thirst for You, God, so much more. As much as I enjoy this refreshing water that You have given me, I enjoy You so much more.” Could I truly say that to God? I long for this to be my prayer! God IS so much more satisfying than anything else. Let us never forget that. We continued our hike up the Nahal David (a ravine leading to Engedi) and enjoyed God’s creation, 
stopping along the way at pools and springs and beautiful waterfalls.I was so encouraged as I thought about David’s unshakable joy in the midst of intense trials and years of fleeing, all the while knowing that he had been chosen to be the next king of Israel. Next time you read one of David’s psalms, spend time studying the context and trying to put yourself in David’s shoes. It makes all the difference in the world.
Yom Kippur: The most serious day of the year
In one of my last posts I talked about Rosh Hashanah, when Jewish people welcome in the new year and prepare their hearts for Yom Kippur. Well, today is Yom Kippur. And I am so grateful to be in Israel for such an important biblical holy day. It’s the most serious day of the year, and on it all of the country basically shuts down. We went for a walk on the highway and there was hardly a car to be seen.
Yom Kippur is a day of serious prayer, fasting, and synagogue attendance, a time to seek God’s forgiveness and atonement for their sins. When the temple was still standing, two goats were brought to the temple each year. One was slaughtered as judgment for sin, and the other was the “scapegoat.” The high priest would lay his hands on this goat and then he was taken into the wilderness, to “bear all their iniquities on itself” (Lev. 16:22). Everything rested on the high priest. This was the only time anyone could enter into the Holy of Holies…If he didn’t do everything exactly right, the nation was doomed. But if he did, then all was well, and the people were forgiven… until the next year. There is just one problem with all of this. The temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. Which means that there are no sacrifices, no high priest, no scapegoat. So the rabbis have made it into a day of introspection and pleading with God to forgive one’s sins. Atonement must be achieved before the end of Yom Kippur, because the Book of Life is then closed until the next year, according to rabbinical thought. Which means that instead of everything resting on the shoulders of the high priest, it rests on each individual. Next week if Shlomo dies, his friends and neighbors will assume it was because he did not repent enough, or do the right things on Yom Kippur. What a horrible burden for these people! Today many of us fasted along with the Jewish people. We got together throughout the day and prayed and repented and praised God for His atonement. Only there’s one major difference. “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come… he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption… Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean…” (Heb. 9:11-12; 10:19-22)
Yom Kippur is a day of serious prayer, fasting, and synagogue attendance, a time to seek God’s forgiveness and atonement for their sins. When the temple was still standing, two goats were brought to the temple each year. One was slaughtered as judgment for sin, and the other was the “scapegoat.” The high priest would lay his hands on this goat and then he was taken into the wilderness, to “bear all their iniquities on itself” (Lev. 16:22). Everything rested on the high priest. This was the only time anyone could enter into the Holy of Holies…If he didn’t do everything exactly right, the nation was doomed. But if he did, then all was well, and the people were forgiven… until the next year. There is just one problem with all of this. The temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. Which means that there are no sacrifices, no high priest, no scapegoat. So the rabbis have made it into a day of introspection and pleading with God to forgive one’s sins. Atonement must be achieved before the end of Yom Kippur, because the Book of Life is then closed until the next year, according to rabbinical thought. Which means that instead of everything resting on the shoulders of the high priest, it rests on each individual. Next week if Shlomo dies, his friends and neighbors will assume it was because he did not repent enough, or do the right things on Yom Kippur. What a horrible burden for these people! Today many of us fasted along with the Jewish people. We got together throughout the day and prayed and repented and praised God for His atonement. Only there’s one major difference. “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come… he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption… Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean…” (Heb. 9:11-12; 10:19-22)
All roads lead to Jerusalem. At least the important ones.
Jerusalem Approaches Field Report: unabridged ;)
One of the first things you learn at IBEX is that geography shapes history. The landscape is the ultimate determiner for where events will take place, and due to the variety in Israel’s geography, the routes leading to and from each city are essential to understanding the country’s history. Since geography has not changed over the past millennia, we can look at almost any biblical event and even if we do not know where the exact location of the event is, we can almost always know which routes were taken and why. In Israel, power was in large part determined by whoever had control over the routes to and from Jerusalem. During the Jerusalem Approaches field trip, we were able to travel on the routes where Israel’s history was shaped, and understand why the routes existed and why they were so crucial for the nation.
Since we had already explored the northern approach to Jerusalem (the Central Benjamin Plateau), we mostly focused on the eastern and southern approaches. First, we visited Beth-Phage and Bethany. Both of these are on the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem. Bethany was the hometown of Mary, Martha and Lazarus, and the disciples got the donkey on which Jesus rode into Jerusalem before His crucifixion from Beth-phage. We spent a lot of time discussing the raising of Lazarus (John 11) and how this miracle proves that our Lord Jesus Christ has the keys to death and Hades. The next time Jesus was in Bethany was for the Triumphal Entry.
The last major biblical event in/near Bethany was Christ’s ascension (Luke 24:50-52). When our Lord came into the vicinity of Bethany after His resurrection, the people were looking for a physical kingdom with power. Jesus tells them that they will receive power, but not the kind they imagined; they will receive the Holy Spirit which will enable them to be spread His glory and name throughout all of the nation and the entire world. As I thought about how the Messiah was taken up out of the disciples’ sight and how Acts 1 says that Jesus will come back in the same way as He went, I gazed up into the sky and worshipped the Lord for revealing Himself to mankind and returning to heaven to be our High Priest.
To get from Beth-phage to Jerusalem you must travel on the ridges because of the steep tributaries of the Kidron Valley. After reading the account in Matthew 21:1-11 about Jesus Christ fulfilling Zechariah 9:9 by getting on a donkey at Beth-phage and rode to Jerusalem, we walked where our Lord rode. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip. I had always imagined Christ riding a very short distance on a straight path leading up to the place where the crowds were waiting for Him with palm branches. Actually, this road was about 2 miles, and was mostly uphill. As I walked and dodged cars, I read Psalm 118 and could feel the excitement that the Jews must have felt as they sang part of the Hallel to welcome the King of Kings. I had always been taught that the same Jews who worshipped Him during His Triumphal Entry changed their minds in the worst display of fickleness humankind has ever known and cried out for Him to be crucified just a week later. I was relieved to learn that a better interpretation of this event is that there were different groups of Jews, which is why the High Priest needed for Judas to betray Him in the secret; Jesus had the favor of the multitudes.
After visiting the probable site of Jesus’ ascension, we visited some traditional contenders for the place of the ascension. The first Church of the Ascension was built by the Byzantines under Helena, the mother of Constantine, in the 4th century. However, after its destruction, it was converted into the “Pater Noster” church because other “Ascension churches” were built nearby on the Mount of Olives.
Seeing the Lord’s Prayer in so many different languages reminded me that every tribe, tongue and nation will one day confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. We also visited the road that comes down the Mount of Olives and discussed Luke 19:37-44, when the Lord Jesus comes down this road and claims that even the stones would cry out if those worshiping Him during the Triumphal Entry were to remain silent, and when He weeps over Jerusalem. There are stones all around this road; in fact, beside this road there has been a cemetery for centuries, even during Jesus’ time, so it is possible that Jesus was referring to the stones marking the graves when He spoke the words of Luke 20:40. I could not help but wonder what it would have sounded like for stones to cry out and worship our Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that God’s people will be worshippers in spirit and in truth, so that the stones will never have a chance to cry out. We also briefly discussed the Olivet discourse and the power that will accompany the Mashiac’s second coming (cf. Zechariah 14).
Next on our itinerary was the “Ketef Hinnom,” or the Shoulder of Hinnom. We visited a tomb where the oldest Hebrew inscription, from the Iron Age (First Temple Period), was found. This inscription was found on a tiny silver amulet and contained the words of the Aaronic blessing
(Num. 6:24-26). One reason why this is highly significant is that it is the first time the name of Yahweh is mentioned in extra-biblical texts. These tombs are located below the Scottish Presbyterian Church, and date back to before the first destruction of Jerusalem. Since this was a complex burial system involving several built-in headrests for the corpses and an underground room for the bones of the dead, it was probably used for rich people. The bones of successive generations were buried on top of each other after the bodies started to decay, which could be what prompted the biblical phrase “his bones were gathered to his fathers.” Eight of us lay down on the tombs’ niches and one by one, Bill called out to us to “Come forth” as Lazarus had done. I was the first one he called, and as I rose up, for the first time this all too familiar Sunday School story came alive for me. I finally understood why it was such an awesome, powerful miracle, the culmination of every other miracle Jesus had performed on earth.
One more reason why Ketef Hinnom is relevant to God’s Word is that it is mentioned in the border description in Joshua 15. The boundary is said to go up on the shoulder of the Hinnom Valley on the southern side, with the Valley of Rephaim on the other side. The Levite in Judges 19 and his concubine also would have traveled near the Ketef Hinnom when they decided to travel to Gibeah or Ramah instead of stopping at Jebus. Finally, Abraham possibly met Melchizedek, king of Salem, near here.
After viewing Jerusalem from the southern side near the possible location of Caiaphas’ tomb, we finally got to visit the place of our childhood dreams: Bethlehem. An Eastern Orthodox church called the “Church of the Nativity” marks the supposed location of Jesus’ birth with a silver star. Even though we obviously cannot know exactly where the Christ was born, we do know that the area of the church is ancient Bethlehem. As we stood in front of the church, we read and discussed Luke 2:1-14 and pointed out many misconceptions regarding the nativity story, such as the late midnight arrival and Joseph and Mary traveling alone. In any case, Christ’s birth was definitely humble and reminded me of the amazing truth of Philippians 2:5-8. Next, we visited the shepherds’ field east of Bethlehem, which was mostly desert. We talked about how the angels appeared to the shepherds and how this was amazing in light of the four hundred silent years Israel had gone through. This was the first time God had publicly interrupted man’s affairs since the Old Testament prophets. We sang Gloria in Excelsis Deo and contemplated the good news of Jesus Christ’s birth. Another interesting event that took place in the fields near Bethlehem is the story of Ruth and Boaz harvesting barley.
Seeing the Herodium right after Bethlehem was a stark contrast. On the way there, we read some of Josephus which talked about the pomp and splendor accompanying Herod’s life and death. In fact, he was called the king of the Jews by the Romans. What a contrast to our Savior’s humble birth, life, and death. We visited the military post from which Herod could have ordered the death of the babies in Bethlehem, as well as the courtyard and ancient synagogue built by zealots.
Next we visited Tekoa, the hometown of the shepherd-prophet Amos, who ministered in the North. The main thrust of his message was to denounce a life of prosperity and ease, and to emphasize that worship and conduct cannot be separated. After reading some of Amos, we turned our attention to another biblical event which took place near the fields of Tekoa: the defeat of the Moabites and Ammonites by Judah under Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20). For a long time this has been one of my favorite stories in the Bible, because it is an amazing picture of how the LORD fights our battles and why we should put all of our trust in Him rather than in our own strength. I had never really paid attention to the geography of the story, however, and did not understand that the Moabites and Ammonites were attempting to invade and control Jerusalem from the south, or that the En Gedi-Tekoa ridge route on which Jehoshaphat’s singers led the army exists because of the Nahal Arugot. The people all knew about the Nahal Arugot, which is comparable to the Grand Canyon, and would have seen it as they passed by the Tekoa route. The people only had to look at the splendor of the mountains and valleys around them to know that God was real and His promises were true. Nearby, at the Valley of Rephaim, the Philistines were defeated twice by David (2 Samuel 5:17-25). When David exclaimed that “The LORD has burst through my enemies before me like a bursting flood” and named the place accordingly, he probably had the nearby springs in mind. We got to visit a similar spring which literally burst forth incessantly like a flood, and could understand why David would have used this terminology.
From the beginning of this field trip to the end, we were able to clearly see how God repeatedly intervened in man’s affairs to bring about His glory and work His perfect purposes in history. We were reminded of the importance of geography in studying God’s Word and understanding key biblical events, and thankful once again to be able to see Scripture come to life in the very places where God ordained for His people’s history to be shaped.
Since we had already explored the northern approach to Jerusalem (the Central Benjamin Plateau), we mostly focused on the eastern and southern approaches. First, we visited Beth-Phage and Bethany. Both of these are on the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem. Bethany was the hometown of Mary, Martha and Lazarus, and the disciples got the donkey on which Jesus rode into Jerusalem before His crucifixion from Beth-phage. We spent a lot of time discussing the raising of Lazarus (John 11) and how this miracle proves that our Lord Jesus Christ has the keys to death and Hades. The next time Jesus was in Bethany was for the Triumphal Entry.
The last major biblical event in/near Bethany was Christ’s ascension (Luke 24:50-52). When our Lord came into the vicinity of Bethany after His resurrection, the people were looking for a physical kingdom with power. Jesus tells them that they will receive power, but not the kind they imagined; they will receive the Holy Spirit which will enable them to be spread His glory and name throughout all of the nation and the entire world. As I thought about how the Messiah was taken up out of the disciples’ sight and how Acts 1 says that Jesus will come back in the same way as He went, I gazed up into the sky and worshipped the Lord for revealing Himself to mankind and returning to heaven to be our High Priest.To get from Beth-phage to Jerusalem you must travel on the ridges because of the steep tributaries of the Kidron Valley. After reading the account in Matthew 21:1-11 about Jesus Christ fulfilling Zechariah 9:9 by getting on a donkey at Beth-phage and rode to Jerusalem, we walked where our Lord rode. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip. I had always imagined Christ riding a very short distance on a straight path leading up to the place where the crowds were waiting for Him with palm branches. Actually, this road was about 2 miles, and was mostly uphill. As I walked and dodged cars, I read Psalm 118 and could feel the excitement that the Jews must have felt as they sang part of the Hallel to welcome the King of Kings. I had always been taught that the same Jews who worshipped Him during His Triumphal Entry changed their minds in the worst display of fickleness humankind has ever known and cried out for Him to be crucified just a week later. I was relieved to learn that a better interpretation of this event is that there were different groups of Jews, which is why the High Priest needed for Judas to betray Him in the secret; Jesus had the favor of the multitudes.
After visiting the probable site of Jesus’ ascension, we visited some traditional contenders for the place of the ascension. The first Church of the Ascension was built by the Byzantines under Helena, the mother of Constantine, in the 4th century. However, after its destruction, it was converted into the “Pater Noster” church because other “Ascension churches” were built nearby on the Mount of Olives.
Seeing the Lord’s Prayer in so many different languages reminded me that every tribe, tongue and nation will one day confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. We also visited the road that comes down the Mount of Olives and discussed Luke 19:37-44, when the Lord Jesus comes down this road and claims that even the stones would cry out if those worshiping Him during the Triumphal Entry were to remain silent, and when He weeps over Jerusalem. There are stones all around this road; in fact, beside this road there has been a cemetery for centuries, even during Jesus’ time, so it is possible that Jesus was referring to the stones marking the graves when He spoke the words of Luke 20:40. I could not help but wonder what it would have sounded like for stones to cry out and worship our Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that God’s people will be worshippers in spirit and in truth, so that the stones will never have a chance to cry out. We also briefly discussed the Olivet discourse and the power that will accompany the Mashiac’s second coming (cf. Zechariah 14).Next on our itinerary was the “Ketef Hinnom,” or the Shoulder of Hinnom. We visited a tomb where the oldest Hebrew inscription, from the Iron Age (First Temple Period), was found. This inscription was found on a tiny silver amulet and contained the words of the Aaronic blessing
(Num. 6:24-26). One reason why this is highly significant is that it is the first time the name of Yahweh is mentioned in extra-biblical texts. These tombs are located below the Scottish Presbyterian Church, and date back to before the first destruction of Jerusalem. Since this was a complex burial system involving several built-in headrests for the corpses and an underground room for the bones of the dead, it was probably used for rich people. The bones of successive generations were buried on top of each other after the bodies started to decay, which could be what prompted the biblical phrase “his bones were gathered to his fathers.” Eight of us lay down on the tombs’ niches and one by one, Bill called out to us to “Come forth” as Lazarus had done. I was the first one he called, and as I rose up, for the first time this all too familiar Sunday School story came alive for me. I finally understood why it was such an awesome, powerful miracle, the culmination of every other miracle Jesus had performed on earth.One more reason why Ketef Hinnom is relevant to God’s Word is that it is mentioned in the border description in Joshua 15. The boundary is said to go up on the shoulder of the Hinnom Valley on the southern side, with the Valley of Rephaim on the other side. The Levite in Judges 19 and his concubine also would have traveled near the Ketef Hinnom when they decided to travel to Gibeah or Ramah instead of stopping at Jebus. Finally, Abraham possibly met Melchizedek, king of Salem, near here.
After viewing Jerusalem from the southern side near the possible location of Caiaphas’ tomb, we finally got to visit the place of our childhood dreams: Bethlehem. An Eastern Orthodox church called the “Church of the Nativity” marks the supposed location of Jesus’ birth with a silver star. Even though we obviously cannot know exactly where the Christ was born, we do know that the area of the church is ancient Bethlehem. As we stood in front of the church, we read and discussed Luke 2:1-14 and pointed out many misconceptions regarding the nativity story, such as the late midnight arrival and Joseph and Mary traveling alone. In any case, Christ’s birth was definitely humble and reminded me of the amazing truth of Philippians 2:5-8. Next, we visited the shepherds’ field east of Bethlehem, which was mostly desert. We talked about how the angels appeared to the shepherds and how this was amazing in light of the four hundred silent years Israel had gone through. This was the first time God had publicly interrupted man’s affairs since the Old Testament prophets. We sang Gloria in Excelsis Deo and contemplated the good news of Jesus Christ’s birth. Another interesting event that took place in the fields near Bethlehem is the story of Ruth and Boaz harvesting barley.
Seeing the Herodium right after Bethlehem was a stark contrast. On the way there, we read some of Josephus which talked about the pomp and splendor accompanying Herod’s life and death. In fact, he was called the king of the Jews by the Romans. What a contrast to our Savior’s humble birth, life, and death. We visited the military post from which Herod could have ordered the death of the babies in Bethlehem, as well as the courtyard and ancient synagogue built by zealots.
Next we visited Tekoa, the hometown of the shepherd-prophet Amos, who ministered in the North. The main thrust of his message was to denounce a life of prosperity and ease, and to emphasize that worship and conduct cannot be separated. After reading some of Amos, we turned our attention to another biblical event which took place near the fields of Tekoa: the defeat of the Moabites and Ammonites by Judah under Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20). For a long time this has been one of my favorite stories in the Bible, because it is an amazing picture of how the LORD fights our battles and why we should put all of our trust in Him rather than in our own strength. I had never really paid attention to the geography of the story, however, and did not understand that the Moabites and Ammonites were attempting to invade and control Jerusalem from the south, or that the En Gedi-Tekoa ridge route on which Jehoshaphat’s singers led the army exists because of the Nahal Arugot. The people all knew about the Nahal Arugot, which is comparable to the Grand Canyon, and would have seen it as they passed by the Tekoa route. The people only had to look at the splendor of the mountains and valleys around them to know that God was real and His promises were true. Nearby, at the Valley of Rephaim, the Philistines were defeated twice by David (2 Samuel 5:17-25). When David exclaimed that “The LORD has burst through my enemies before me like a bursting flood” and named the place accordingly, he probably had the nearby springs in mind. We got to visit a similar spring which literally burst forth incessantly like a flood, and could understand why David would have used this terminology.
From the beginning of this field trip to the end, we were able to clearly see how God repeatedly intervened in man’s affairs to bring about His glory and work His perfect purposes in history. We were reminded of the importance of geography in studying God’s Word and understanding key biblical events, and thankful once again to be able to see Scripture come to life in the very places where God ordained for His people’s history to be shaped.
Grapes of Wrath
I want to do things a little differently for this post. I will copy and paste my field report about my “Jerusalem Approaches” field trip (Bethany, Bethlehem, Tekoa, etc.) onto a separate post, but today I wanted to talk about some things I learned from my Land and Bible class about wine. Yes, wine. You may not realize how significant grapes and wine are in God’s Word, but you could easily fill up an entire page with all of the allusions to grapes. We are so blessed to live on a moshav with “Biblical Gardens,” which basically consist of life-sized replicas and models of anything and everything having to do with the Bible, from a first-century synagogue to an ancient winepress. Of course, I pass by these every day, but I had no idea what most of them were until this week, when we went to see them for one of our classes.
The first thing we looked at was some grape vines. I never stopped to think about how vines have two parts: the vine itself, which is long and thick and supports the second part of the vine, the branches (where the grapes are produced). At first glance, the only thing you notice is the branches and the grapes, but the vine is what nourishes the branches and makes them beautiful. Each year, a worker from the moshav comes and cuts off the branches so that new branches can grow. When Jesus says that He is the vine in John 15, His hearers would have immediately associated this statement with the true Israel, which is what Scripture almost always refers to when it talks about vines. Christ was claiming to be the true Israel, and the source of all God’s blessing! And yet God has ordained for fruit to be produced by the branches, not the vine. At one point in the lecture, Bill, our professor, cut off a branch and threw it on the ground. It was completely worthless and dead… just as we are, apart from Christ.
We then went to a winepress, which is basically a huge box hewn out of rock, with a hole in the
side to let the juice from the grapes drain out into a lower collecting vat. Whenever the Bible talks about harvesting grapes, think work. A lot of work. But it is almost always accompanied with great shouts of joy, because in the Jewish mindset, wine symbolizes joy. We got the opportunity to press grapes with our feet and watch the juice from the grapes stream into the vat. However, the pressing of grapes in Scripture became an image of God’s judgment and vengeance, because of the blood-like color and the pressing action. “Go in, tread, for the winepress is full. The vats overflow, for their evil is great.” (Joel 3:13) Isaiah 63 talks about this, too, and there the Lord is seen as trampling so hard on the grapes that his garments are stained. This great judgment, which we can hardly fathom, should sober our hearts and motivate us to pray for the salvation of the lost with fervency and compassion.
The first thing we looked at was some grape vines. I never stopped to think about how vines have two parts: the vine itself, which is long and thick and supports the second part of the vine, the branches (where the grapes are produced). At first glance, the only thing you notice is the branches and the grapes, but the vine is what nourishes the branches and makes them beautiful. Each year, a worker from the moshav comes and cuts off the branches so that new branches can grow. When Jesus says that He is the vine in John 15, His hearers would have immediately associated this statement with the true Israel, which is what Scripture almost always refers to when it talks about vines. Christ was claiming to be the true Israel, and the source of all God’s blessing! And yet God has ordained for fruit to be produced by the branches, not the vine. At one point in the lecture, Bill, our professor, cut off a branch and threw it on the ground. It was completely worthless and dead… just as we are, apart from Christ.We then went to a winepress, which is basically a huge box hewn out of rock, with a hole in the
side to let the juice from the grapes drain out into a lower collecting vat. Whenever the Bible talks about harvesting grapes, think work. A lot of work. But it is almost always accompanied with great shouts of joy, because in the Jewish mindset, wine symbolizes joy. We got the opportunity to press grapes with our feet and watch the juice from the grapes stream into the vat. However, the pressing of grapes in Scripture became an image of God’s judgment and vengeance, because of the blood-like color and the pressing action. “Go in, tread, for the winepress is full. The vats overflow, for their evil is great.” (Joel 3:13) Isaiah 63 talks about this, too, and there the Lord is seen as trampling so hard on the grapes that his garments are stained. This great judgment, which we can hardly fathom, should sober our hearts and motivate us to pray for the salvation of the lost with fervency and compassion.
the happy sound of the shofar
If any single detail of God’s Word could be definitively disproved, none of His Word could be believed. But on the contrary, if external evidence for the historicity and accuracy of the Scriptures is found, every jot and title of the internal evidence that we already have can be affirmed as infinitely true (Isaiah 40:8). Our field trip to the Benjamin territory was one more reminder of the wonderful truth that God’s Word will stand forever. The geography, topography, pottery, and so many other things in the land attest to this.
We visited one biblical site after another, mostly in the Central Benjamin Route, where many important historical events (like Jericho- we actually walked around it once! and the high place of Gibeon, where Saul prayed to receive wisdom) in Scripture took place. Three highlights. Four, actually:
We visited one biblical site after another, mostly in the Central Benjamin Route, where many important historical events (like Jericho- we actually walked around it once! and the high place of Gibeon, where Saul prayed to receive wisdom) in Scripture took place. Three highlights. Four, actually:
- Remember those guys in the book of Joshua who come with moldy bread and tattered clothing and trick Joshua into making a peace treaty with their people, the Gibeonites? Why was it such a big deal? Why did five Amorite kings come and attack Gibeon because of this peace treaty? If you understand the geography of the land, you know that the peace treaty was in effect giving control not only over the eastern and western approaches to Jerusalem, but also the northern (most vulnerable) side to Jerusalem. As we stood on the Beth Horon Ridge Route, we read the account of Joshua 10:1-15, when Joshua protects Gibeon against five Amorite kings who attack the city. The Amorites fled down this route, and God caused hail stones to fall on them (not on the Israelites!!) as they fled. We looked to the east and there was Gibeon, where God caused the sun to stand still, and on our west was Aijalon, where the moon stood still.
- Between two cities in the Central Benjamin Plateau, Geba and Michmash, there is a place that the Bible calls "The Pass," which is the only way to cross over a huge canyon. There's a neat story in 1 Samuel 13 and 14 about how Jonathan and his armorbearer sneak out of his dad's camp and take on all the Philistines at Michmash. Chapter 14:14 says that between the passes was a rocky crag in Michmash, underneath which Jonathan crawls and where he defeats the Philistines from Michmash down to Aijalon. As we were reading the account, our professor pointed out some cliffs at Michmash. These were the very cliffs that Jonathan crawled under to sneak up on the Philistines! (Look very closely at the mountains behind my head.) These stories are NOT made up!
- What do you imagine when you think of the Judean wilderness where John the Baptist preached and where Jesus was tempted? I always pictured something like the Sahara desert, with cacti and maybe some sand dunes. Silly Joey. The Judean wilderness is actually full of hills made up of a type of white chalk. Think about that the next time you read Isaiah 40, which is bursting with wilderness vocabulary. Compare Kaiser Wilhelm, for part of the Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem was torn down to make way for him, and Yeshua, the King of Kings. The entire geography of the land had to be altered: valleys lifted up and mountains leveled. We were given a chance to spend some time alone in reflection and prayer, and I continued to read and mediate on Isaiah 40. I thought about how the wilderness may be green for a few weeks out of the year, but the beauty quickly fades away. As I read v. 9: “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever,” I was completely in awe of God’s Word that I held in my hands. May we continue to daily be filled with awe by this amazing, true, historically accurate Book of Life.
- Me burrying my head in my backpack as I tried to discreetly eat my non-kosher turkey and cheese sandwich at a kosher cafe in a mall near Jericho. Maybe it's not spiritual but definitely unforgettable.
On another note, the Jewish holy days are upon us (those "appointed times" we tend to skip over
when we read Leviticus 23). On Wednesday was Rosh Hashanah, or the Feast of Trumpets. It was amazing to celebrate this with Messianic Jews and believers in Yeshua. We ate the traditional pomegranates and dipped apples in honey (symbolizing a fruitful and healthy New Year), and had a great time learning about Jewish thought and culture. Rosh Hashanah and the days before Yom Kippur is a time of repentance, a time to meditate on one's own sinfulness and seek reconciliation with the Judge of the Universe. The sounding of the shofar (the ram's horn) is meant to remind us of our need for repentance. Sound familiar? 1 Thess. 5:16: "the Lord himself will descend...with the sound of the 'shofar.' Praise God that we do not have to grope for God in the darkness like so many Jews are doing as I write. Christ has shone His light into our hearts. The sound of His shofar is no longer terrifying! "Happy are those who know the sound of the shofar!" (Psalm 89) Let us wait and hope and long for it as we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Shabbat Shalom
Shabbat Shalom!! (Happy Sabbath!)
Shabbat is definitely one of my favorite things about living in Israel. There's nothing to compare it to, really. I always imagined that it would be somber and dull, but it's actually a joyful celebration, a restful time to reflect on God's Word and His goodness. After a very busy week, all of us-IBEXers, the profs and their families, the moshav members and volunteers, and whoever else happens to be at the moshav- gather around the dining room on Friday evening and welcome the Shabbat by singing in Hebrew, reading Scripture, and singing blessings over the Shabbat bread and wine. Then we all eat and fellowship together over a special (kosher, of course) Shabbat dinner. After that, we head to chapel, where we praise God in song and a guest speaker or prof comes to preach the Word to us. On Saturday we go to a Messianic Jewish church in Jerusalem and worship along with over a hundred believers in Yeshua from all around the world. After the service you can go to the Old City and hang out all afternoon. So much fun.
What else...
- Women's Bible study started on Tuesday. There are 5 women (mostly professors' wives) who teach us from God's Word and then we split up into prayer groups and share in sweet fellowship and prayer. This has definitely been an answer to prayer. My prayer group leader is a Proverbs 31 woman of God. I'm so excited to learn from her and from the other girls in my group.
- Hebrew is hard. And humbling. But praise God for the opportunity to learn it.
- We had our first overnight field trip this week. At night we went to the Israel Museum where we saw a huge model of
what Jerusalem looked like in Jesus' day, and then got to see the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were absolutely fascinating. God has been SO gracious to preserve external evidence of the internal truth of His Word. Next, we went to the Western (Wailing) Wall. I was not prepared for how much it would affect me. Seeing all of those women praying so fervently, one of them literally wailing, many of them younger than me,
and knowing that they will perish without Yeshua, brought tears to my eyes. Pray for the veil to be lifted from these people's eyes. Finally, we went through the Western Wall underground tunnel, and got to see what the disciples were talking about when they pointed to the stones on the temple and marveled... one of the rocks was forty feet long and weighed 600 tons! It was definitely something to marvel about, and still is today. - The next morning we got up early and headed to the Temple Mount. The first thing I noticed was how BIG it was. As we learned about the temple, I realized that the image I had always had of it, if I had any at all, was completely wrong. The second thing I noticed was the trees. Lots of trees. Psalm 92 says that the righteous will flourish like trees in God's house. Those trees are vital because they provided shade to the thousands of pilgrims that came to the temple three times a year (cf Psalm 121). We noticed the difference immediately when we stood outside of Huldah's gate on the Southern entrance to the temple with no shade whatsoever, in the scorching heat. We also had a sweet time of prayer where the Court of the Women used to be, and meditated on how alienated we once were as Gentiles.
Gentiles couldn't even come as far as we were sitting- there was a gate past which they were forbidden to enter- but now we have been brought near through the blood of Christ, and can enter the "Holy of Holies." The veil truly has been torn in two.
Another part of the field trip I loved was when we all stood in a line with our Bible in front of Huldah's gate and read the Songs of Ascent which the pilgrims coming to Jerusalem used to pray through. It was such a neat time of reflection. - Today we started a prayer group for missions. Living in a different culture- two, really... the Arab culture plays a huge part in everyday life here- opens your eyes like never before to how lost the world is. Pray for missionaries to come to Israel, and those who are already here. I have met four in the last two days, and they are suffering for Christ. Praise the Lord for them.
- I miss you all and would love to hear from you! Write me some time!!
Ramparts and Roommates
What's the first thing that comes to your mind when I say "ramparts?" I thought so. "Oh say can you see" came to my mind, too. To be honest, I didn't even know what the word meant until a friend suggested that we take the "rampart tour" around Old Jerusalem on Shabbat after church. A rampart is actually a defensive wall made of stone or earth, which surrounds a castle. When the Turks were here in 1536, they built a huge wall all around Old Jerusalem which still stands today. So, the top part of the wall is called a rampart, and we got to spend a few hours walking all around the city on the rampart. In other words, we took Psalm 48:13a literally. Apart from the birds' eye view of the city, it was an amazing time of reflection on God's provision for Jerusalem throughout the ages. From a human standpoint, Jerusalem should be totally insignificant. But it's not. Our tour came to an end at Lion's Gate. We walked down Via Dolorosa and went into a Catholic church where Jesus was supposedly flogged. 
We took about all we could of the priest and nuns chanting in Latin, and were about to leave when one of the nuns handed us a "Praise and Worship Songbook." Our ears perked up when priest started to play "Here is love, vast as an ocean," which we had just sung in chapel the day before, and we were more than happy to join along and worship our Savior. You never know what you'll find in Jerusalem ;)But then it justs gets better. The next day we had our second field trip to Jerusalem: the "Old Testament Walk." We started out at the Broad Gate, which Hezekiah built to prepare for the coming Assyrian siege ( II Chr. 32:1-5). Next, we visited a museum that had a lot of artifacts (or replicas) from the First Temple Period, like the Ivory Pomegranate, which provide external evidence for the Scriptures. I was reminded that the Word of God is not just a book of faith, but is deeply rooted in historical reality.
Next, we went into the traditional (but probably mistaken) location for the “Upper Room” where Jesus had Passover with his disciples and others. We read Luke 22:7-20 together and discussed why Jesus wanted to keep the location secret from Judas, so that Judas could not make an agreement with the high priest before Passover. I had always supposed that Jesus was prophesying that a man would be carrying a pitcher of water, and never stopped to think about how He had sovereignly arranged this ahead of time in order that God’s plan would not be thwarted. We talked about how the Last Supper was in commemoration of the Passover, which symbolized God’s intervention on His children’s behalf. In other words, by telling his disciples to remember Him when they celebrated Passover, Jesus was identifying with this event in Jewish history and showing them that He was (and is!) our ultimate Passover. How sad that in most Western evangelical churches, we do not emphasize the Passover at all during the Lord's supper. Something to think about.
After seeing many other biblical sites, we finally got to the place we had all been waiting for: Hezekiah’s tunnel. First, we passed through Warren’s shaft, where Joab was thought to have climbed to get into the city. Over the summer I studied a lot about the life and military career of Joab, and was amazed to see firsthand what an astonishing feat this truly was. As we entered Hezekiah’s tunnel, we read II Chron. 32:30 and thought about how in building this tunnel, Hezekiah probably saved the city. We then got to walk through the 1,070 foot long tunnel, with the water sometimes up to our thighs, and sang “Hodu L’Adonai” (Give thanks to the Lord) as we walked through.
We came out at the Pool of Siloam and read John 9:1-12. I had never thought about the fact that in giving sight to this blind man, Jesus was authenticating His claim to be the Light of the World (an extremely bold statement) in ch. 8. At the end of the day, though, I was hot, sweaty and dirty, with a few scratches and feeling somewhat disappointed at how much of Jerusalem is not biblical and "holy" at all, but swarming with Muslims (the calls to prayer broke my heart) and full of tourist traps. No magnificent temple, hardly any emotional experience, just a bunch of bells and smells.
But praise the Lord that there is HOPE. Yesterday I was reminded more than ever that I should long for the New Jerusalem, when Christ will reign and holiness will prevail.
On another note, I am thoroughly enjoying every minute of sweet fellowship with my roommates, April and Sarah. I am learning so much from their heart for evangelism and devotion to God's Word, and from their gentle and quiet spirit.
Hodu L'Adonai for fellowship. For His Word, and for graciously confirming it for us. For His promise of a perfect heavenly Jerusalem. And for all of you who are reading this and praying for me.
IBEX website
P.S. Make sure you check out the pics on the IBEX site: http://www.ibexsemester.com/. Fun stuff.
Watching the Bible come to life in Jerusalem
So here I am in Israel. No more days to count, no more bags to pack... Every time I walk outside my dorm room I am absolutely amazed at God's grace in bringing me here. The moshav (kind of like a kibbutz, but more privatized) where I live is absolutely breathtaking. This morning I read my Bible in front of a replica of the tomb where Jesus was buried: part of the biblical garden here at the moshav. And I look out at the mountains nearby and see Kiriath Jearim, where the ark of the covenant for a hundred years. I am realizing more and more every day what a unique opportunity this is.Thirty-seven other students and I arrived here on a Sunday afternoon, piled into a bus, and immediately got our first taste of on-site Bible study, on the bus. It turns out that the airport in TelAviv is actually located in Lod, or Lydda, where Aeneas was healed (Acts 9). Nearby we saw Joppa and nearby Caesarea, which is where Peter had his vision and realized that salvation was for the Gentiles. We thought about how we as Gentiles would never have this message if it weren't for the Jews who brought it to us. This message is of the Jews, and God chose the Jews to be His special people. As I looked out the windows of that bus, it suddenly hit me that I was in a VERY special place. Yahweh's name is attached to this place in a very special way that we don't and can't understand.
Two days later found us on another bus, this time heading for Old Jerusalem for our first field trip. "Walk around Zion," Psalm 48 commands us. "Go around her, number her towers, consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels, that you may tell the next generation that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will guide us forever." This is exactly what we did. We walked. And walked. And walked. In the 100 degree heat. But needless to say, I loved every minute of it. I could fill up pages and pages talking about what I learned, but it's getting late and I have a Hebrew quiz tomorrow, so I'll try to highlight the main points.
-The importance of HISTORY. It's not just Abraham's and the Israelites' history, or even Jesus'. It's ours. We have been adopted into the family of Abraham through the blood of Christ, and studying our family history shows us where God has worked, where He is working, and where He will continue to work.
-God's SOVEREIGNTY over history. Every little detail. This has been a reoccurring theme throughout all my classes. God has not only ordained each and every event in Israel's history, but also each and every cause all of those events to take place. If Medo-Persia had not become powerful enough to overtake Babylon, or if it had not had the ideology and policies that it did, Cyrus would have never issued the decree in 538 B.C. allowing the Jews to come back to Israel from captivity. They'd still be scattered all over the world, and I would not be here today.
- Scripture came to life in a very powerful way. For instance, Proverbs 1:21. Wisdom is crying out at the entrance of the city gates. Standing in the city gate, which was the most public place in the city and was used for public declarations, I understood this verse for the first time. Or Psalm 125:2, which was running through my head all day: "As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people, from this time forth and forevermore." As you walk around Jerusalem, you start to realize that not only is the city fortified, but it is a hill country, and is very difficult to get to from the coast, which protects it. 
Or Matthew 23:27: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees. For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful..." Outside of the Eastern (Golden) Gate we saw a ton of tombs. Most of them were small and insignificant (the white dots along the hill) But there were a few huge, decorative, temple-looking ones (bottom of the picture): rich Jews were buried in these Greek-style tombs to show the world their glory. Jesus very well could have been pointing to these very tombs as he condemned the scribes and Pharisees.
Or Matthew 23:27: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees. For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful..." Outside of the Eastern (Golden) Gate we saw a ton of tombs. Most of them were small and insignificant (the white dots along the hill) But there were a few huge, decorative, temple-looking ones (bottom of the picture): rich Jews were buried in these Greek-style tombs to show the world their glory. Jesus very well could have been pointing to these very tombs as he condemned the scribes and Pharisees. Yes, I am definitely learning a LOT. Not all of it is fun and adventure, though. I was definitely not prepared for how strenuous the work load would be. I hardly have time to breathe. But how could I possibly complain when I get to study the BIBLE and all of its many, many facets in the place where it unfolded?
"As we have heard, so we have seen in the city of Yahweh of hosts...which God will establish forever. We have thought on your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple. As your name, O God, so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth." Ps. 48:8-10
Lila tov (Good night),
Michal. (No name in Hebrew for Joey ;) My middle name will do, I guess.)
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