Galilee

Jesus was actually here for most of His ministry! Hard to believe that I visited the same village He preformed most of His miracles, I saw the synagogue where He gave the discourse on being the bread of life, I saw the sea where He walked on water while the disciples were in the boat. I saw the hill where He most likely gave the Sermon on the Mount. I saw the spot where the pigs went hurling into the Sea. It's unfathomable that in this spot at a certain time of history, God chose this little area, this humble spot, to proclaim that He is God come to suffer on behalf of mankind. I mean, I've been able to read the gospel of Mark on the Sea of Galilee, looking at most of the spots He went right in front of me!

But something I really learned, was to look at life from the perspective of what is really real. Have you ever seen the Matrix? It's so biblical if you think about it! Haha, not really. But the illustration is awesome. Neo, after being put in the Matrix, sees the world totally different--he sees the world for what it really is. He can walk on walls, dodge bullets, jump buildings, and people aren't really what they appear to be. That's how the Christian life is. After being redeemed, life is totally different and our perception of reality should be entirely turned around. We should look at things like we did before, we should believe the same things as before, and we should conform as we did before.

When a person is struggling financially to go through college--how are you going to look at that situation? Are you going to worry about the finances? Or are you going to look at the bigger picture of things, i.e. God's work through His church to edify one another and bring glory to Himself? Will you consider what is most worthwhile for others to gain and for God to be given glory--maybe spending the money, which the Lord gave you, on that college isn't worthwhile. Maybe it is and God is testing your faith and your patience.

When a person is simply at a red light and they're about to be late to work. The immediate reaction is to become frustrated with the red light. But think big picture. Think of how God is working right now and how the whole Church is to operate. What is the purpose of the red light? Maybe God wants you to be late? Maybe God wants you to learn to trust in Him and not what you've planned--even when it's something like the lights working for you to make it on time. It doesn't have to be that way. The lights don't have to be that way...it's beyond your control.

That's how this life works--under the new creation. What's real? You getting a paycheck in a few weeks from work or the Lord's return? Because the Lord's return is sooooo much more real and true than a paycheck. You have no idea what's going to be coming to you even in the next hour, let alone a few weeks. But the Lord has promised that He will return. And a promise of God will never fail. So live with what truly matters and live with what is truly real.

After Jesus' resurrection, Peter really understood this. In 1 Peter 1:3-9, the living hope is that Jesus raised from the dead, cleansing the unrighteous--this is real. Trials are coming, God's global purpose being that you will be tested and your faith refined--this is real. Salvation will be culminated and we will be taken to His presence in Heaven--this is real. Hope in Jesus is so much more real than hope that I will get paid from work. And this is how we should be thinking--I don't care if it sounds cheesy. It's the truth.

Galilee taught me these things. I'm so thankful for being taken around Israel to see the land of the Bible!

Wandering in the Wilderness

Time has been cutting short for me in my time in Israel....things happening so fast I haven't been able to sit and blog about them. We've had so many trips recently...4 days in the Negev, 8 days in Galilee, and 8 days in Egypt.

But now I can sit down and reflect on some of the things I remember. When we journeyed through the Negev, the southern desert of Israel, we stopped in the middle of nowhere and Bill let us off the bus to 'wander in the wilderness' for forty minutes! haha. I took my Bible and started trekking around the desert, and eventually settled to hike up this steep hill. About half-way up I realized I was running short of time, so I sat and read Deuteronomy 8.

Put yourself in the shoes of the Israelites wandering around. Every morning the same food appears for them out of nowhere--they eat for free, no work, just gathering. Their clothes don't wear out so they don't have to worry about that. And water is provided on top of that. And the cloud (or flame) of the Lord is guiding them. They've been told by Moses that the Lord will lead them and so they follow and follow and follow, walk and walk and walk. Yet they complained.

Why? Was it because of the horrible conditions? I don't think so--this wasn't some third world country they were living in--food and water on the go for free. Yeah it's the same, but it's reliable! No. It's because they forgot who the Lord their God was. They didn't trust Him. They didn't believe that He was worth it. They didn't want to think that God would consistently provide for them. They wanted different food. They didn't want this plan. They didn't know who God was and the amazing things He was doing. They forgot. They did not obey.

Obeying God is remember Him and His Torah (His teaching). Obeying God is not forgetting who He is and what He has commanded. Obeying God is walking in His ways and fearing Him.

After reading Deuteronomy 8 and reflecting on this, I grabbed twelve small stones from around me as a memorial to remember the Lord and what He has done, not just on that day, not just on that trip to the Negev, not just on my time in Israel, but on everything He has provided for and everything He is, which is testified in my life.

Dead Sea Destruction

What do you think about the Dead Sea? Is it a mark of the destruction of Sodom?

I think so. It's 33% salinity (salt), which is more than any other body of water (the oceans have 3% salinity). Nothing lives in it, it's a wasteland of water. And it's the lowest spot on earth, at -1300ft below sea level (and that's just the surface of the water, the bottom of the Sea is about -2300 ft!!!). It contains tons of minerals, like Magnesium, Potassium, Sulfur, Calcium and a bunch more. Sulfur huh...sounds like fire and brimstone to me! There's tons of crystalized salt on the shores and on the Southeastern shore are large deposits of salt.

It's difficult to tell exactly where the cities were located from the biblical text (Gen 18-19), but it fits well to put the cities within the vicinity of the Dead Sea. It makes sense that the Salt Sea was once a normal, maybe still mineral-rich, sea. But the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, all that fire and brimstone being poured out by the Lord on their heinous sins and unrighteousness, led to the salty corruption of the place (cf. Deut 29:23).

It's quite a mark of death. It still looks like a sea, but the salt BURNS your eyes sooo bad...and if you have an open wound, WATCH OUT for the pain! The salty phenomenon is a reminder of God's power, WRATH, justice, and authority. This event stood as a memorial to the land of Israel, and stands as a reminder to us (Deuteronomy 29:16-28).


And yet, God's GRACE is shown in the area of En-Gedi, just on the coast of the Dead Sea. The area has multiple springs and some flowing fresh water, which is rare to find in the Judean Wilderness, especially around the Dead Sea. And there's a quaint, but steep, canyon of beautiful greenery, just a short walk away from the salty coast. And it's so green that it's almost like a miniature jungle! The place is named Nahal David (David's canyon) because it's a probable spot for where David hide out from Saul and eventually spared Saul's life (1 Sam 24). This is a retreat spot, where the Lord provided for David while he spends decades running for his life, unlike anything we could ever know or ever will experience.

And there is a prophecy of God's redemption of this wretched Sea in Ezekiel 47:1-12. With the new temple built in Jerusalem (which I believe Ezekiel is talking about the futuristic kingdom of the Messiah), the water flowing from the temple will rush down the barren Judean Wilderness and cleanse the Dead Sea from its saltiness and it will become a beautiful and lush habitation.

Nahal Parat Hike

Just East of Jerusalem is a nice, deep canyon that funnels all the way to Jericho near the Jordan River. This canyon, however, hasn't had water flowing in it for some time now. And some of the rock formations prove that a large, catastrophic...something had to sweep by in order to carve the rock canyon and quickly form certain rocks (two completely different types of rocks formed into one)...something catastrophic...something like...the Flood of Noah! There is, however, one spring that we hiked by that produces enough water to stream through the rugged bottom of the canyon.

We went on an awesome hike through this nahal (Hebrew for canyon). It was a wonderful experience. It brought to life the passages that speak on the righteous man, like a tree by water, and the unrighteous man, like a shrub in the wilderness. The contrast is great. If a tree is not rooted by a close water source, it will die. In the canyon, there was a small line of greenery near the water--the rest was barren. With that water, many plants could survive. But without, nothing will last for long.

Jeremiah 17:5-10 ESV
"Thus says the LORD, 'Cursed is the man who trusts in man, and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD. He is like a shrub in the desert and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.
Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by the water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and it does not fear when the heat comes for its leaves remain green, and it is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit. The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick; who can understand it? I, the LORD, search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his work, according to the fruit of his deeds.'"

Psalm 1:1-3 NASB
"How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but they are like chaff which the wind drives away."

Hopes for Peace

The random things that happen in Israel are so glorious!

Today is the Sabbath and we're given the option to go to Jerusalem for a few hours in the afternoon. So some of my friends and I wanted to walk up to the Mount of Olives, since we haven't gone there yet. And boy, was it a steep climb up that road! Anyway, when we got to the top, we wanted to check out the Tower of Ascension, but we were getting turned around. And so this older Arab man, with the full red/white headress, comes up to us trying to give us directions to where we wanted to go. He started asking us a few questions and telling us a bit about himself. Very friendly man, like many people here. Eventually he started saying, "Come, come, come, I give you tea. Come to my house." In America, warning signals flash if someone says this. But in Israel, it's not nearly as suspicious. Nevertheless, as we followed him to his house, we were a little watchful of any...opportunities to be jumped or something.

I haven't been in someone's house yet and it was really neat coming in. He sat us at his table and started making the tea, all the while telling us about his family and what he's done. His ancestors have lived in the Mount of Olives area for 1400 years (which is when the Muslims took over the Israel). There are about 30 people in his immediate family, all with different stories to tell! And he's definitely a hospitable guy because he has people from all over the world staying with him. We met one guy who was from San Francisco, but had gone to a seminary in Tennessee and another guy from Holland who's studying for his PhD in Political Science.

And this man has been all over the US (he named off at least 20 states that he's been too), as well as Europe, India, etc. He said he speaks at various conferences and, from what he was talking about, he probably speaks on world peace. His philosophy of life was interesting to here. His basic thought is that if people would get to know one another, invite one another to their homes, understand the other person, and love one another, then peace could be solved, especially in the Middle East. He says that the problem going on now is because the Arabs and Israelis don't know each other. They will not open up their home to them and because of that they don't know what the other person really thinks, believes, or anything. If everyone would only put aside their differences, the whole world could become one. Then there would be no Muslim, Jew, or Christian, but one since we are all humans, we are all descendants of Abraham, and we all have the mark of God (since He created us). We should all be one in our love for one another.

He also was saying that the conflict in the Middle East is caused because there are so many people building the weapons for them to use. And they're making these weapons simply because they have customers that are desperate to buy them. The American government continues to supply weapons for the Israelis to use and is causing conflict because of it.

He was a really friendly guy, one of the most hospitable that I've met so far. The best thing about him is that he really, really lives out what he teaches. He said that if people simply knew each other, inviting them over, loving them, then they would know how to help another in need. If I had my newborn child and I had no money or milk to feed him with and you had your ranch with all kinds of animals in it, then it would not be stealing if I would come into your ranch and start milking your animal so that my child would have milk to drink. It would not be stealing because you should have already have come out to greet me and help me.

He said that we are friendly and such because we create a wall around us that separates us from everyone. And this is not a wall of stone or brick, but of fear. We are fearful of the other person, so we put up our guard and defenses so that no one can come in to help us and we won't let anyone in to help them.

I'm really thankful that we ran into this guy. Some of his ideas were good, but they themselves are not going to bring peace to the world. That is the work for someone else.

God's Holiness and Judgment

The other day we went to Jerusalem again (I've been there at least 5 or 6 times in the last week!) and this time we did something quite extraordinary--we stepped foot on the Temple Mount...and the Muslim's didn't shoot us! jk

The place was so unique. So large and filled with all kinds of ancient ruins of stone, modern stone constructions, and a beautiful blue mosque with a golden dome on top. It was quite the site. It's difficult to describe what it was like being on there. So much history is there, from the time of Abraham (maybe, tradition is pretty strong) up until AD 70 and even now it's a place of such political and religious feuding.

The temple was built by Solomon beginning in 967 BC and lasted until 586 when the Babylonians destroyed it. In 539, the monumental decree of Cyrus the Great allowed Jews to return to their homeland and begin reconstruction of a Second Temple (completed 516) under Zerubbabel. This temple, not as grand as the previous (though greatly refurbished by Herod the Great 37-4 BC), lasted until AD 70 when it was destroyed by the Romans beacuse of a Jewish Revolt. Another Jewish Revolt occured in 135, but the Jews failed and were expelled from Jerusalem on pain of death. Jerusalem became a small, sad town with the presence of the Lord, signified by the great temple of the Most High. In 640 the Muslims gained control of Jerusalem, and most of the Middle East, and built their great Dome of the Rock in about 700 (which is still standing!). Not until 1917 did things begin changing. These changes ended with the land of Israel coming under authority of the Jews again. Jerusalem is continuing to be built up and archaeology is discovering more and more about the city and the temple.

So the First Temple existed for roughly 380 years; it was destroyed for roughly 70 years.
The Second Temple existed for roughly 580 years; it has not been rebuilt.
And the Muslim Dome of the Rock has existed for 1,300 years and counting.


This is the place where the temple of God was built and where the Ark of the Covenant rested during the First Temple period. These signify the holy presence of God amongst His people. In His grace, God chose to dwell amongst His people through the temple and grant access to those who would obey. And despite the sins of Israel, which lasted for centuries, God remained gracious to them. But enough was enough and the Lord destroyed the temple through the Babylonians, as a warning and as a rod of discipline, with promises to have it rebuilt. This is God's judgment on His people. But as He said, the temple was rebuilt to signify the presence of God with His people again. But after the nation crucified their Messiah, God destroyed the temple, and the whole city, through the Romans, as a chastisement and final call of repentance. This time, God, through Ezekiel and other prophets, foretold of another temple to be built. And He promised to rebuild the temple in three days after it was destroyed--refering to His body, and by extenion, all believers in Him. We who follow Christ are the temple of the Lord because of the Holy Spirit that resides within us. And God has promised not to destroy this temple until we are in the presence of our Lord and then there will be no need for a temple.

God's holiness is awe inspiring.
God's wrath is powerful and frightening.
God's grace is astounding.

Sabbath

A day of rest...I'll go for it!

In reading a book on Jewish culture, by a very devout Rabbi, I learned the beauties of Sabbath. It is a necessary part of Jewish society to function because it holds the spiritual values and restful time with the Lord that every worshipper of God needs. It is meant to be a day of rest, a day set apart, with little distractions, no job to go to, no manual labor to be done, but peaceful rest with time in the Word and time spent praying. After reading this chapter, I looked forward so much to such a day of rest and time to study the Word.

But most Jews aren't so dedicated to their Lord anymore. The Sabbath (Shabbat) is really anything special, much like Sunday is to America. There are certain Jews that are faithful to the traditions and religious customs, but most don't make a difference.



On friday night the whole IBEX group/staff have a Kabbalat Shabbat meal (a receiving of the Sabbath) to start the Sabbath off. It was much like communion, with the bread and wine (shows us where Jesus' got the ideas for communion--Passover!). And it was a wonderful meal with some friends. Then we had chapel for the first time. It was so enjoyable to sing praises, especially in English! But how much do I miss chapel back at Master's in the States!!! On Saturday morning, the whole moshav has church (most people where I stay are Messianic Jews) and it was good to see other families living near me.

Then we got to go into the Old City of Jerusalem and spend a free day in their for a few hours. Life was normal in the city, interestingly enough. There were more traditional garbs worn, and more rabbis walking around with their little proteges. It was neat to be in the city for such a day though.



And I'm still learning the techniques of bargaining and the buisness nature of the Jews and Arabs here. Overall, people here are rude (especially their driving!), but are friendly and pleasant if you speak to them or need something from them. Anyway, I needed to buy a watch. And I hadn't really set aside the time to look for one. We had about 20 minutes left before the bus came to pick us up. So I went back into the shops and walked into the first watch shop I saw. Like most people, he kept shoving things in my face wanting me to buy them. I asked him for a cheaper watch and he gave me a basic one for 25 shekels (about $6.50). I bartered it down to 15 shekels (about $3.50) and was satisfied and put it on.

I wore it to sleep that night and the next morning when I wake up, one of the arms broke off and was barely attached by the medal piece on my wrist. So I consented to carrying a watch in my pocket with a missing arm. At one point I pulled it out of my pocket and I guess I put too much pressure on it and a little corner broke off as well! AH! But the worst came near the end of the day Monday. I looked at my watch and it said 1:30pm and I started panicking, wandering what happened. Well, I found out it was around 4pm and knew that this watch was too good to be true! So much for paying for an overpriced watch and having it break within 48 hours!

...But just so you keep your confidence in me. I got a sweet messenger bag for 80 sheckels ($20) when it was originally 120 shekels ($30), when I barely even haggled the lady for it!