Acts 2:38-47; 1 Peter 1:3, There is Hope (3)

o   Isaiah 22:11:  Recently we wrote a post called “trust.”  We spoke of how Israel was made beautiful by God, but then trusted in her beauty rather than in her God.  Here, we see a perversion of Israel’s hope.  This is a form of the term mikveh and it is translated reservoir.  The prophet is talking about how Israel built all her defenses so as to be solid against an enemy siege.  This included the “casemate” walls often used in ancient cities.  The enemy had to clear one wall, and then would be in the open as he tried to get to and scale a second wall.  If you put a ditch or mote in between, it of course made it even harder for the enemy.  But you did not look to its Maker, nor did you have respect for Him who fashioned it long ago.  Interesting.  A couple days ago I saw that Israel, for the first time, with their missile defenses (Iron Dome, Arrow and David’s Sling), shot down a cruise missile.  They are feeling pretty good about it, of course.  But are they trusting in a god of fortresses (Dan. 11:38)?  Is there trust in the LORD?  But, enough about Israel.  What about me?  Who is my hope?  My oasis?  My spring of living water?

o   One final note on this term has to do with our identification with the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.  A mikveh in Jesus’ day was a pool of water that the Jews used for ceremonial washings.  They could descend into the pool on one set of stairs, immerse themselves in the pool, and then ascend from the pool on another set of stairs.  With that in mind, have you ever wondered how the Apostles baptized (literally, immersed) about three thousand souls on the Day of Pentecost (Ac. 2:41)?  Have you wondered why all those Jewish believers in Christ were ready, on the spot, to do such a thing?  The answers to those questions are easily found by an hour spent in the Ophel area on the south end of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.  This is the area of the main entrance to the Temple by pilgrims.  It is where Peter preached the sermon, explaining why there were so many to listen.  Amazingly, they are continuing to uncover the ritual baths, the mikvahs; they are at fifty and counting.  The Jews understood what it means to descend into those pools in the name of Christ, and to ascend as His followers.  Those pools became a picture of the hope of the resurrection, found in Christ!  Hallelujah!!!  That deserves some pictures from our February 2020 trip to Israel.