End of Week Two Continued.....

 Please click on the pictures to get a larger view.

David's Fall is a beautiful water fall at the end of the canyon.  it would have taken some climbing gear to go on past this pleasant fall.  It did take an up hill mile climb to get there.

The rugged terrain leave you stopping to get your breath.

 Some people stop along the way just to swim

After viewing the falls we stopped on the way back at the second falls and got in ourselves.  The water was refreshingly cold.  Outside temperature was 105 F.  So this was a blessing.

After a great dip we all headed back towards the Dead Sea.

We did get to see some of the mountain goats that are native to this area.

This was our after lunch trek.  Lecture and then a swim.  We were not finished.  For we headed on to Qumran.

Our fellow students - young and old

 We have a mixed group of people - a group of college students from Gordon and Malone Colleges taking this for credit, Several pastors, and several professors.  It is a great group of folks.  The college kids have taken us under their wings and help us.  Beth keeps them entertained with her stories and spiritual encouragement.  She is momma to the whole group of kids as you can well imagine.

Luke, Organization bringing wheel chairs to Arabs, Lindy

Beauties of Masada

Birdman Jared, Youth Pastor

Crystal

Marie, young man from Cuba,

Aaron

Kirk, Pastor from Colorado

Bob, Episcopal priest

Doug, McKensie

End of Week 2 (click on picture to see them)

Friends, we have been going full blast this week.  We made a three day trip to the Negev and Dead Sea.  It was one of those 7 am to 7 pm weeks.  We would get back to the room and take a shower (very needed), eat supper and then do a few thing before going to bed.  Each day we see approx. 7 sites with lectures at each site.  Take for instance Thursday:  We ate breakfast at 6 am and left the youth hostel by 7.  We drove to Masada and then walked up the Roman siege ramp. It took about 45 minutes of uphill trudging to get to the top.  Once there we had lectures at the various structures on the top.  
 







This Stronghold was used by David during his run from Saul.  Psalm 18:1 "The Lord is my sharp crag, my metsudah (stronghold), my place of escape.  My God is my rock, I take refuge in Him."  Metsudah in Hebrew is Mesada. He has this in mind when speaking of God being his secure place.  Masada is best known as the fortress where the Jewish second revolt was squashed by the Roman general Silva.  
 
The view of the Dead Sea is amazing to the East from Masada.

From the top we (the brave or probably foolish) walked down the sake path on the eastern side of Masada.  Beth rode the gondola down from the top (the wise move).  

 


Below there was a McDonalds to reward the adventurers. The last picture is of the birds, who like french fries. And our college kids loved to feed them.





This was all before Lunch, McDonalds was a snack.  Beth and I had Ice Cream cones.We stopped for lunch at the Dead Sea and we all went swimming while the hot dogs were being cooked.  It was an unusual feeling compared to the Atlantic Ocean.  You can stand up in 30 feet of water.  You bob on the surface.  Your skin fells like it is coated with baby oil. Because of all the salt and minerals any cut burns and even some of your body orifices burn.  You can see the wonderful blue of the Dead Sea.

 After our swim we ate lunch and then loaded on the bus for a short trip to the only spring along the Dead Sea, En Gedi.  When the Roman General Silva besieged Masada he had water transported from En Gedi every day.  David spent some of his time in hiding from Saul at En Gedi.

Day 2 Old Testamen Jerusalem Walk

Day 2 Old Testament Jerusalem Walk

The lecture today on the Land Between being a testing ground for faith was enlightening. The land was perfectly situated to be a land that would have to have God to both give it and keep it.  All the surrounding nations were much more powerful than Israel…so God would have to fight the battles in order to achieve victory.  Although the land was shielded geographically on 3 sides, the Northern arena was vulnerable… God would have to be the strong tower there and be Protector. Would He be dependable? He had said He would fight their battles.  And then the necessary water was in very small supply… Israel would need to trust God to be the Provider of rain and good crops. He had promised blessing for obedience.  Would He be enough?  A sure test of our faith today is to believe that our God is able to do all that He says He will do and that it will be enough. (Beth)

(Ted) Elaine’s sharing of Psalm 121 from the balcony overlooking the foundations of David’s Palace gave new meaning to the setting of the song.  I am not sure it was written at that spot but I could envision David looking around at the surrounding hills as he wrote the song. As a song of ascent, I envisioned voices echoing over these valley as pilgrim walked to the city on the mountain. The steep angle of the valley helps us understand how David walking on the roof of his palace in the evening could see a woman bathing in a home perched on the slope of the Kidron valley below him.

My daughter shared with us her amazing 2004 trek through Hezekiah’s tunnel. So I came to the tunnel with all these ideas of what the journey would be like. Charles Warren, discoverer of the tunnel, writes of his four-hour trip, squeezing and crawling through the narrow tunnel by candle light.  The candle went out part way through and the rest of the journey was traversed in darkness.  We used flashlights as our only source of light, as the dream became reality.  It makes me think of heaven when anticipation, imagination and written record will become existential reality.  As others in our group stated, We marveled that the tunnel that was dug by two teams of excavators, starting at different ends of the task, mining through solid rock with iron tools would meet in the middle. It was definitely a God thing, a blessing.  In order for the water to run from the Gihon Spring under the wall into the city, the floor of the cave had to be sloped slightly and have no major dips.  The high ceiling on the city side made me feel some-what normal--there are others who accomplish tasks by trial and error engineering.  They had to lower the floor repeatedly to get the water to flow.

 

I appreciated the John 9 comments on “light”. When Jesus says "I am the light of the world" he identifies himself as the source of spiritual light, the miracle of regeneration. The blind man, who was in perpetual darkness, will see the light by the sheer grace of a merciful Savior.  The blind man’s faith was demonstrated by his arduous walk from the temple mount down a set of extensive steps to the pool of Siloam in order to wash the spittle mud from his eyes.  We walked on a portion of those steps which have been excavated underneath an Arab neighborhood. 

Siloam means “sent”, John used a play on words: Jesus sends the blind man to wash his eyes, and God sent his Son to heal us. Healing the blind is an Old Testament miracle sign which would identify the Messiah. It is an exclusive sign for it had never been accomplished by anyone before Jesus heals the blind.  Isa. 29:18 “out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see.” Isa. 35:5 “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened… Isa. 42:6-7 “I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind.” (NIV)

Day 1 The Old City Walk

 Day 1 - The Old City Walk by Beth Ragsdale

Today started for me with the reading of Psalm 121.  I will lift up my eyes unto the hills…where does my help come from? Not these hills…they are small.  “My help comes from the Maker of these hills!”  Truly HE is wonderful.  I understand a bit better why the psalmist said He is our shade (we sure needed it today because there is precious little shade in Jerusalem).  After going in and out of busy Jaffa Gate I have a much better understanding why the people sang “He will guard your going in and coming out”.  I praise Him that I have come through The Gate, Christ,  and my eternal safety is guaranteed.

JUC is beautifully situated just outside Jaffa Gate .  Walking along the impressive, limestone rock Old Wall toward the school, there is a sense that this is an ancient, royal place; a place defended, enjoyed, loved.  I couldn’t help but remember Psalm 24:7,8..”Lift up your heads, O gates, and be ye lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in!” It is clear David was not thinking of himself as the glorious king, but the King of Glory, Lord of Hosts!   It seems many are celebrating the entrance of the wrong king.

Frankly, I was surprised to find that our God has preserved a place for Himself at JUC so close to this special gate. Could JUC be more happily situated?

The study tour today of the city of Jerusalem started with the Ben-Hinnom Valley just below JUC ~ which I could not remember much about. This valley is narrow but successfully separates this ridge  from the slightly higher and more impressive Royal Ridge. Travelers along Royal Ridge can be easily spotted from the watchtower near Jaffa Gate.

I loved the walk along the wall to the Church of the Dormition ,

Upper Room

The traditional site of remembering the Last Supper doesn’t fit my picture of what it should have looked like.  I imagined something upstairs, not so elegant, and much larger. I was disappointed that there were no pictures of the Last Supper, but then I remember that this is an unbelieving nation still stuck on the old covenant, still looking for the Lamb.  David’s tomb was a shrine. David would not like that.  I liked the mezuzot on the doorpost ~ this was pleasing as a reminder of the Old Covenant in Deuteronomy 6:9.  As I exited, I was reminded by the Holy Spirit that Israel’s hope was in the New Covenant to come, a covenant that I and all who believe in Christ participate in today by His grace.  Jeremiah 31:31-34 “Behold days are coming when I will make a new covenant…with Israel and with Judah, not like the covenant with their fathers, which they broke…but this is the covenant, declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people…for they shall all KNOW me…for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”  This mezuzot is written on my heart and sealed permanently by His Holy Spirit.  How wonderful to know that! 

    The excavation of the Roman Cardo was especially interesting to me.  I didn’t realize that our modern malls aren’t actually American; they are Roman! I was amazed at how thorough the excavation has been.  Very clean.  

     In the sixth century, Justinian had built the Nea Church, Mother of all churches.  It was large enought to store the treasures of Herod’s Temple.  Only 40 years later these treasures were once again lost to the Muslims.  Here,  another reminder that the treasures of this world are easily lost, but those who trust in the Lord find a secure and safe dwelling.   

     It was a great witness to the fact that the Roman world did exist and that they were very interested in trade/business in Jerusalem, and the land between.  Along those same lines of thought I though that Hezekiah’s Broad wall excavation was also impressive.  Another proof that the Biblical prophecies are true ~  God does just what He says He will do (Isa. 22:10). 

The Western Wall.  The ladies side of the wall was crowded.  Everyone felt like they had to touch the wall and kiss it.  Some clung to it as if it would save them from their troubles.  Lots of women were stuffing waded up prayers into crevices, not minding that someone else’s prayers fell to the grown and were trampled under foot.  I found this paradoxical.  Where is the love for the neighbor?  Where is God?  Does He see the prayer that just fell to the ground?  When the ladies were finished with prayers they backed away from the way as if IT was holy, backing all the way back to the main entrance. Ironically,  I did not feel God’s presence at the wall.  I found that I could not pay that kind of homage to the wall., nor could I pray there for myself.  It seemed like idolatry.  Tears, tears, and more tears coursed down my cheeks for the women who were finding no relief for their sorrows.  Thanksgiving filled my heart as I recalled, “This poor man cried and the Lord heard him and DELIVERED him out of all his troubles.” (Psm 34:6) …I turned to God from idols to serve a true and living God and to wait for His Son…that is Jesus, who delivers from the wrath to come”. (1 Thes 1:10)

St. Anne’s Church.  Anne was the mother of the Virgin Mary.  A simple limestone, Byzantine style church was erected in her honor.  I was impressed that there were no icons, but only a life-size statue of Anne and Mary at the back of the sanctuary.  A simple cross at the front and a white stone altar are all that grace the front of the chapel.  Here we enjoyed the acoustics and sang “Allelujah” together and had some meaningful silent prayer.   

In 2005 the pool of Bethesda was discovered just outside St. Anne’s church,  about 30 feet underground.  The five porticos are clearly excavated.  It was quite impressive.  We read John 5 at this site where Jesus heals the paralytic of 38 years.  I guess what impressed me here is that this was a very public place.  Everyone here carries their water with them, because you just gotta have it!!!  The lame man is next to the water for 38 years, but still doesn’t have what he needs…. He needs the living water, the touch of the living God.  The lame man is not different than me…I need the living water for any transformation in my life.

The building below is a church 

built over the pool.