Day 6, June 6, Hosea 2:15

Itinerary:

·       Ein Gedi (1 Sam. 23:24-25:1; Psalm 63; Ezek. 47:1)

·       Qumron

o   John the Baptist, Lk. 3:3

o   Dead Sea Scrolls

·       Baptism Site of Jesus (Mt. 3:13-17; Jn. 4:28)

o   Jericho (Josh. 6:26; 1 Ki. 16:24; Lk. 18:35-19:10)

o   Between the Jordan River and Jericho:

§  Josh. 5:3: Hill of Foreskins

§  Josh. 5:9: Gilgal

§  Josh. 5:10: Plains of Jericho

§  Josh. 5:15: Holy Ground

o   The Seven Nations

o   How many times was the Jordan River “divided” around here?

·       Ascent of Adummin (Wadi Qelt, Josh. 15:7)

·       Rimonim Lookout

o   Valley of Achor/Achan (Josh. 7:10-26; Hos. 2:15)

o   On a clear day look for:

§  Plains of Moab (Israel’s camp E of Jordan)

§  Acacia Grove (Israel camp IN the plains of Moab)

§  Mt. Nebo/Pisgah (from which Moses saw the land)

·       Ma’ale Efraim (Jn. 11:53-54)

·       Argaman (Gilgal?)

o   Adam (water of Jordan stopped here, Josh. 3:16)

o   Zeratan & Succoth (Solomon made castings for the temple)1 Ki. 7:46)

o   Brook Cherith (ravens cared for Elijah, 1 Ki. 17:1)

o   Abel Meholah (hometown of Elisha, 1 Ki. 19:16)

·       Tiberias (John 6:1; 21:1)

It was another wonderful day in Israel with some powerful reminders of our hope in Christ.  Our travels are moving us northward and by the end of the day we had arrived at Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee.  Here are a few notes along the way:

v At Ein Gedi, David’s stronghold, the ibex were really out in force … lots of young ones.  It was quite nice as we all began our hike from the visitor’s center.  Everyone enjoyed the first falls but in the extreme heat not all made it to David Falls.  How refreshing it must have been to David and his men and how secure they must have felt in this natural “fortress”.

v At Qumron our basic purpose was to watch the movie presentation.  The Dead Sea scroll discovery (scrolls that were copied by the Essene community and hidden in caves when the Roman army was wreaking havoc in the area) are a truly amazing proof of the faithfulness of God in preserving His word for us today.  Many assumed when they were translated they would show significant variations from our modern day Old Testament; those variations were not there. In the movie, describing the Essene setting in the mid-first century, they speak of the presence of John the Baptist in their community for a brief time.  There are many who believe John must have been part of that Essene community as they believed themselves to be the voice in the wilderness promised by Isaiah, and they preached repentance and practiced baptism (ritual washing).  But that is not likely.  John was specifically said to be called by God, from birth, to his ministry.  And unlike the Essenes, John specifically targeted Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah, the One whose soon coming demanded people prepare themselves.  I.e. He was not a product of the Essene movement.  The lunchroom at Qumron had a good deal so we had our first falafel/shawarma experience.

v We were not long at the baptism site.  A few folks got their photos in the muddy waters of the Jordan.  On our way back to the main highway we sat and looked over on the Jordan side and talked about the crossing of the children of Israel under Joshua.  By the way: the Jordan was divided three times.

v At Rimonim, at the viewpoint of Eli (properly pronounced “el-ee”), there is an audio presentation involving the story of Achan at the Valley of Achor.  They even speak of “Petah Tikvah”, the door of hope in Hosea 2:15.

v At Argaman there is evidence of a “Gilgal”, a campsite for the Israelites in the days of Joshua.  This one shows evidence the tabernacle was set up there (i.e. there is an enclosure of rocks 50x100 cubits) and of the tower built by the 2 1/2 tribes on the east side of Jordan as a reminder that they too were part of Israel.  It was quite interesting as there was a man there speaking with another group who is a leader in the excavation and was able to explain it to us.  Otherwise we would have been on our own to figure out.  This “moshav” of Argaman is in the vicinity of events of Elijah/Elisha including the hometowns for each and the Brook Cherith where Elijah was fed by God using ravens.

Upon arrival at Tiberias we could not believe the traffic jam and the full camping and picnicking spots along the Sea of Galilee.  Ramadan ended and it was celebration time for Muslims.  Our plan tomorrow is to go around the Sea of Galilee.  We are hoping the celebrants will take off their Friday-holy day; we want a place to picnic as we celebrate many events in Jesus’ life and ministry. 😊

Day 5, June 5, 2 Chronicles 31:1

Itinerary:

·       Timna Valley

o   Life-size model of the Tabernacle (Ex. 40; Heb. 8-9)

·       Hwy. 90

o   Yotvata (best milk in Israel)

o   Ein Yahav (McDonalds in the Negev! 😊)

o   Route of the Exodus (Deut. 2:8)

·       Tel Arad (Num. 21:1-4; 2 Chron. 31:1) 

o   Looking east: Zered River (border of Edom and Moab)

·      Masada

o   Looking east (Arnon River, border between Moab and Ammon)

·       “Swim” (technically: float) the Dead Sea

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Today involved another significant drive from Eilat up into the Dead Sea area.  And the heat was, of course, quite intense.  You would expect that as you head for the lowest place on earth, in June (whose idea was this anyway?).  Although we were not the only ones to do this.  It is amazing how many tourists are “out” in Israel.  Including a rather large group – 2 bus loads – of folks from Canada and the US travelling with Word of Life Bible Institutes.  That is a very strong ministry that has been training people world-wide in the ministry of Christ.

Today we began to make alterations to our schedule.  We did not make the short side trip to Tel Arad.  There are ruins of a “high place” (in Israel, a place of false worship as the only place for worship was to be the temple in Jerusalem, the place where God chose to have His name).  This particular place was designed as a match (same dimensional ratio) for the temple.  It was believed that it was destroyed in the time of Hezekiah when he destroyed all the high places in Judah and many in the northern kingdom of Israel as well (2 Chron. 31:1; 2 Kings 18:1-8).  Hezekiah’s zeal for the Lord resulted in God’s blessing and protection against the Assyrians after they had carried off the idolatrous kingdom.

Another change is that we ended our day at Masada (did not make it to Ein Gedi which we will do tomorrow, Lord willing).  Most of the group went to the top of Masada at the end of the day.  I say, “the end”.  Actually, while the whole group had gotten their feet wet in the Dead Sea there were a few who wanted to go back for a float (the Dead Sea resort area of Ein Bokek is only a few miles from Masada so we had time before supper).  

Our day began with breakfast in Eilat and a devotional from the 2 Chron. passage.  The point was to recognize the connection between the faithfulness and holiness of God.  Hezekiah acknowledged God’s holiness by destroying the places of false worship.  He acknowledged the faithfulness of God in his prayer for protection (2 Ki. 19:14-19).  For us, on this day, probably the high point was the first stop at the life-size model of the Tabernacle just north of Eilat.  What a joy as Ben, the guide, presented the gospel so clearly through the explanation of the various aspects of the tabernacle.  The great truth is that through the blood of Christ, shed on the cross, “it is finished!”  The work is done.  There is no more the need for the continual sacrifices.  

We concluded our time in the “holy of holies” by singing “Holy! Holy! Holy! Lord God Almighty.  Early in the morning my song shall rise to Thee.  Holy! Holy! Holy! Merciful and Mighty.  God in three persons, blessed Trinity!”

Day 4, June 4, Deut. 32:4

Itinerary:  Half of our group will be up extremely early (lucky them) to spend the day in Petra (Biblical Bozrah; Isa. 63:1-6), crossing into Jordan from Eilat and catching a bus with a guide.  You are in for some amazing sights at this Nabatean city.  The rest of us will catch a few extra winks before breakfast and the morning at HiBar, a Biblical “lion country safari” (without the lions).  The afternoon will have time to relax before joining up with our Petra-fied friends for dinner and catching up on the news of the day.  At 7:30 and 8:30PM there is a free Musical Fountain spectacular at a park near our hotel.  Or just go to bed. Jetlag!

We had a wonderful day today.  We were split in two groups with one group having an extremely full day going to Petra in Jordan.  They were downstairs for breakfast at 6:30A and picked up in front of the hotel at 7A and taken to the border with Jordan (we are in Eilat).  A bus awaited them on the other side which transported them to Petra.  Along the way they travelled the route of “the King’s Highway” referred to as being in Moab (Num. 20:17; 21:22). 

Some have put a couple of passages together in Scripture (Isa. 63:1, the Messiah returns from Bozra, in Moab, after delivering Israel; Rev. 12:13-17 where Israel is protected by God in a desert place) to suggest that perhaps Petra is the place of Israel’s hiding in the latter days and of her salvation by the Messiah.  Interesting possibility.

Meanwhile, the 6 who stayed in Eilat enjoyed a relaxing day that included one of the men doing some scuba diving in the famed Coral Beach area of Eilat.  Some enjoyed a dip in the Red Sea.  Don’t tell the ones who went to Petra but some of us in Eilat had a nice nap!

When thinking about Petra I think of the LORD and His description of Himself that He wanted His people to remember.  Specifically, I am thinking of His name, THE ROCK.  Remember how we said yesterday that often the first use of a word gives it context in the rest of Scripture?  We see that here. 

Almost every reference to God as a “Rock” in my Bible has a footnote directing people to Deut. 32.  Deut. 32 is “the Song of Moses”, a song God told Moses to teach to the people.  It speaks of Israel’s future rebellion against the LORD and of the severe judgment that will come because of it.  It also speaks of God’s faithfulness, that He will judge Israel but not destroy her. 

Thus God is a Rock, Israel’s ROCK (v30-31), a ROCK not like the rocks of the world (i.e. the gods of the nations, (v31).  This is a term that of course speaks of God’s might, His strength, His unbeatable protection.  Petra is an ancient city whose carved buildings have lasted for a long time.  Amazing.  But it is nothing like our God, the Everlasting God, the Everlasting Rock unlike any other “rock.”  I hope you are “standing on the solid Rock!  That Rock is Jesus, yes He’s the One, That Rock is Jesus; the Only One!” 

Day 3, June 3, Gen. 21:33-34

 

Itinerary:

·       Hwy. 4: Tel Aviv to Ashkelon

o   4/5 Valleys of the “Shephela” (Lowlands)
§  Josh. 10:1-14:
§  Judges 16:4-20:
§  1 Sam. 17:1-58; 21:9:
§  2 Chr. 14:9-15:
§  2 Ki. 14:9-15:
o   5 Cities of the Philistines: Josh. 13:3
·       Hwy. 35: Ashkelon to Hebron
o   Beit Guvrin Nat’l Park (Marasheh, 2 Chron. 14:9-15
o   Southern Conquest (Josh. 10:40-41)
·       Hebron:
o   Abraham:
§  Oakes of Mamre (Gen. 13:18; 18:1)
§  Machpelah Cave (Gen. 23:17-20)
o   Valley of Eshcol (Num. 13:23)
o   Caleb (Josh. 14:6-15; 15:13-19)
o   Samson (Jud. 16:1-3)
o   David (2 Sam. 5:5)
·       Route 60 South (Jerusalem to Beersheba; Way of the Patriarchs and of the 12 spies)
o   Beersheba (Abraham, Gen. 21:22-32; Isaac, 26:23-33; Jacob, 28:10)
·       Hwy. 40:
o   Sderot (Ben Gurion home in the Kibbutz, burial place)
o   Mitzpe Ramon (Ramon Crator)
o   Possible area of route of the Exodus
o   Eilat (2 Chron. 8:17-18; swim the Red Sea)

This might look like a long day.  It was!  Partly because the leader made two wrong turns: one that turned out good and the other that added unnecessary time.  My first failure was that we missed an exit to Hwy. 2 towards Ashdod and ended up on Hwy. 1 towards Jerusalem.  When I realized what happened I decided to stay on “1” until Latrune and then caught the road to Ashdod.  What this did was take us through the first two of the five valleys of the Lowlands.  If you look on the map included today you see these (and can study the itinerary and fill in the blanks for yourself.  It was exciting to me to be in the land where the sun stood still, then where Samson and Delilah had their tragic and God-honoring relationship, and where David killed Goliath.


We arrived at Kiryat Gat (Gath, one of the 5 cities of the Philistines) where there was a national park (Beit Guvrin, Biblical Marashah, one of the cities defeated by Joshua im the southern conquest).  At the NP we were able to pick up our dozen park passes for Israel.


Note on the map the little mounds that describe the Lowlands.  That’s exactly the way it was.  From Ashkelon we began the ascent to Hebron, taking us first through the little hills.  As we passed lush vineyards we were reminded we were in the vicinity of the Valley of Eshcol where the spies picked up the magnificent vine they carried back on a pole.


Coming to Hebron brought us to Machpela, the burial cave of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their wives (Sarah, Rebekah, Leah).  That put us on Hwy. 60, the “way of the Patriarchs” which we followed to Tel Beersheva, hometown at times of both Abraham and Jacob.  After only perhaps half an hour here we began our long and difficult trip through the Negev to Eilat, leaving Beersheva at 5PM and arriving after 9PM.  What a hard day.  Until we remember the children of Israel traipsing through this same area (the traditional view of the Exodus) in the time of the wilderness wanderings.  We all agreed our ride was a piece of cake compared to theirs.


We began the day thinking about the first use of the word “olam” in the OT and the first reference to “the everlasting God”.  It came when Abraham planted a tamarisk tree.  We saw lots of them today as we traveled …

The point was that Abraham had come to realize that he was not going to see much of the fulfillment of God’s promise to him before he died.  It was for “his descendents”.  So Abraham was thrilled to know God as the one who outlives all the generations, who would be here a year or even thousands of years from now to faithfully keep His promise.

This is one of the greatest things our time is Israel will teach us: God keeps his word to His people, and Israel is evidence of this!  Oh Lord, faithfully bless Yourself through us as we see and worship You for Your faithfulness.

Day 2, June 2, Gen. 12:1-3

Day 2, June 2, Gen. 12:1-3
Itinerary:  You will soon arrive at Ben Gurion Airport.  We will try to catch a meal with as many of you as possible on Sunday.  Of course, you who arrive that day might just want to retire to your room at Beit Immanuel, a Christian guesthouse just a few blocks from the Mediterranean.  Some might be able to take the short walk to the area of Joppa (modern Jaffa), the port where Jonah boarded a ship to run from God; and where Solomon had the logs for the temple floated from Sidon which were then taken to Jerusalem.

We did arrive in Tel Aviv on schedule.  We picked up two rental cars.  We originally had two 9-passenger vans rented but the price was significantly higher as they would not allow us to cover the insurance with our credit card; thus we had to pay their insurance.  So instead we got one van plus a 4-passenger sedan. 

We arrived at Beit Immanuel, a Christian guesthouse near the Mediterranean Sea and also near Joppa.  We were greeted by two couples who had arrived a few days earlier.  At 5P we picked up Art Lincoln.  Then the 11 of us went to dinner.  We had our second glitch when our 12^th member lost her luggage (something we are being told by the hotel people is all too common with El Al, the Israeli airline).  I was supposed to pick her up around 11PM.  At 12:15am I gave up, not hearing from her, and returned to the hotel.  I was living on 4 hours sleep Friday night, 1 hour on the plane.  So finally I was in bed by 2AM.  Meanwhile the lady came finished with the airline folks and got a taxi to Beit Immanuel.

We read the Abrahamic Covenant today.  This is a pertinent passage in the Bible.  It not only promises a land and a people that will make Abraham’s name great; it also promises the Messiah (the blessing to the nations).  The land of Israel is important and a great place to be even today because of it’s connection to God’s visitation on earth.  Two days ago we posted in Ps. 80.  In that Psalm we noted God’s visit to “this vine (Israel) and the vineyard (the land) which Your right hand has planted, and “the branch that You made strong for Yourself”.  That Branch is the Davidic King and ultimately the Messiah, the Son of Man whom You made strong for Yourself. 

We were quite tired and badly in need of more than the 4 hours we God Sunday night (7AM call to breakfast and devotions on Monday).  Yet we approached it all with grit and determination given the significance of it all.  This is the “land of our salvation”.  I am including two more maps that remind us of the people in need of salvation: one on the seven nations that occupied the land; the other of the 12 tribes as that would come to receive their inheritance from the Lord.

Day 1, June 1, Deuteronomy 1:1-8 (a description of the land)

(We are posting from Israel for the next couple of weeks.  Each day we will list the previous day's ininerary and something from the devotional for each day.)

Itinerary: Unless you were wise enough to go a few days early you are enjoying a series of flights today.  May God bless your travels.  As you travel you might want to take some time to read some other descriptions of the land and to get acquainted using the maps we have provided for you.  If you downloaded the “Bible Atlas” from the Holy Books website there are some great maps available there.  Here are some passages: Deut. 1:7; 11:10-12 (you will see this on your tour); Joshua 11:16-20 (the land conquered by Joshua). Also: Gen. 13:14-15; 15:18-21.

Our flights from Billings, MT to TLV took us through Denver and Toronto.  We travelled with Ray & Jackie Pryor form Lewistown and at Toronto were joined by Kerry & Shirley Koestler from Minneapolis.  Our total group is 6 people from Lewistown and 6 from Arizona.  One of them, Art Lincoln, was the way we were introduced to the others.  Koestlers snowbird in Congress.

By the time the day changed from June 1 to 2 we were in the air over the Atlantic.  Our flights were uneventful in terms of problems and enjoyable, especially in terms of flying with friends.  It was our first experience with Air Canada.

We were encouraged to read Biblical descriptions of the land to which we were headed, the Holy Land, the Land of the Book.  Deut. 1:7 speaks of Israel according to the primary geographical sections.  Using the accompanying map note:

·       “the mountains of the Amorites”: Area IV on the east of the Jordan.

·       “the plains”: Area III, the plains of the Jordan.

·       “the mountains”: Area II, the mountains of Ephraim and of Judea.

·       “the lowlands”: the Shephelah, the small area west of the Mtns. of Judea.

·       “the South”: the Negev (in Hebrew “South” is the same word, Negev, identifying that direction by the most prominent feature).

·       “the seacoast”: the coastal plains, Area I.

·       “the land of the Canaanites”: referencing the land as the land of the seven nations that would be removed.

·       “Lebanon, as far as the great river, the River Euphrates”: the northernmost area of Israel.

One thing we can note is that the land several thousand years ago is the same, essentially, as it is today.  And we also note that God gave this to the people of Abraham and to their descendents after them.  It was good to medicate on this on the plane, reminding us why we were taking the time and energy to do this.  Israel, even today, is a special place to visit.

Psalm 82 (and John 10:31-39)

Yesterday’s Morning and Evening devotional by Charles Spurgeon centered on the command to “love your neighbor.”  He pointed out that if we were poor and our neighbor rich, we must not envy him nor hate him because of his wealth.  If we were rich and our neighbor poor, we must not consider him to be insignificant or undeserving of our time and attention.  God calls us to love!  Consider this in relationship to this Psalm which calls God to judge the earth (v8).


This Psalm is remarkable given its use by Christ (John 10:31-39).  When challenged by the Jews for His claim to be the “Son of God,” a claim rightly understood to be a claim of deity and for which the Jews were about to stone Him, Jesus answered “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods”’” (Jn. 10:34 quoting Psa. 82:6).  To understand Jesus’ we must understand this Psalm.


To understand this Psalm requires a simple reminder of basic names of God.  Elohim is plural and El singular of what is generally translated God in English translations.  But the Hebrew terms refer to the Mighty One and are used to identify gods (idols) as well as mighty created beings such as angels (Psalm 8:6) or humans (as in Psalm 82).  Here is how Psalm 82 begins: “God (Elohim) stands in the congregation of the mighty (el); He judges among the gods (elohim).”  These mighty gods referred to are the unjust judges of 82:2.  God calls them gods (elohim) because of their inflated egos, so to speak.  In the end, they are not so great for they will die like men, and fall like one of the princes.  


Jesus’ use of this Psalm fits perfectly.  In Psalm 82 it is an indictment of powerful men who judge falsely.  In John 10 Jesus is saying, If God referred to powerful men of earth as ‘gods’ certainly He, the One who has given clear proof of His deity by the works He performed, can be called Elohim.  Jesus is not lowering Himself to being merely elohim as is seen in His reference to the proofs of His being Elohim, the proofs of His miracles, signs and wonders.


Jesus reference to Psalm 82 is a powerful claim given the closing verse of the Song.  God (Elohim) is called to judge the earth since He shall inherit the nations (v8).  Yet it is the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to be the Heir of the nations (Psalm 2:7-9).  The Messiah is identical to the judge of the whole earth: For the Father judges no one but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father.  He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him (John 5:22-23).  This Psalm strongly supports the Bible’s claims that Jesus was Elohim in bodily form (Col. 2:9).


So let us take to heart this powerful Psalm.  Let us exalt the Lord Jesus Christ this day.  Let us not forget that His judicial opinion of us is what matters.  Let us show Christ-like love for our neighbor, being compassionate, merciful and kind.  Let us love them by declaring His greatness and the greatness of the gospel message which alone brings deliverance from the hand of the wicked.