THE WILDERNESS

FRIDAY MAY 18, 2012

It’s another bright and beautiful day in Israel. We boarded a bus today for an adventure through the hill country on route to the ancient city of Jericho. In our classroom sessions, we are learning about the geography of the land, including the types of soils that make up the various landscapes. Today we had an opportunity to experience the soft limestone hills and enter deep into the vast and barren wilderness.

Along the road Bedouin camps were nestled into the arid hillsides and shepherds tended their flocks of goats. Unlike America where a flock of sheep or goats are contained in a fenced pasture unattended most of the day; here the shepherd of the flock stands among his animals all day long. I watched as one shepherd called out to his goats as he led them across a steep hillside toward a lush spring down in the valley below. Hundreds of goats called back to him with their loud bleats as they traversed the hillside. It was such a beautiful picture of scripture which illustrates how the sheep know the voice of their Shepherd and how He leads them to still waters. The imagery of the Bible takes on a whole new meaning when you can see the land and experience the lives of the people here.

Dr. Laney took our group up to a desolate place in the hot wilderness today and gave us an opportunity to experience what Jesus experienced when He was in the wilderness for 40 days. We talked about fasting and thirst as we stood under the blazing heat of the sun…. mouths parched for water and no shade in sight. It was a place like this where Satan tempted Jesus to turn the stones into bread and show off his divine powers…foregoing the suffering of the cross. I have never understood how mountainous and rugged this wilderness land is. I imagined a wilderness of flat dry land, but indeed, the wilderness outside Jerusalem is mountainous and rugged. It wouldn’t take long for someone to die here without water or shade. Today was especially hot and we experienced a degree of suffering climbing up and down the steep mountainside in the heat. We longed for shade and for cool water.

Down below the desert peak there was a Greek Monastery nestled by a natural spring.  We drove a short distance in our cool air-conditioned bus until we came to the steep and narrow road that led down to the monastery and the cool ravine below. The hike down was steep and pounding on our knees, but when we reached the spot below it was nestled in the shade and a soothing relief from the hot sun. There we opened our bibles to Psalm 23 and reminded ourselves about the Good Shepherd who leads us to green pastures and cool waters. We talked about suffering and how God is so faithful to lead us through difficulties and provide soothing relief in the proper time. Then we climbed back up the steep ravine – a rigouts feat! The cool bus was another welcome relief.

From here we went onto the ancient city of Jericho. We walked up to the site of the city ruins and read from the book of  Joshua about the fall of Jericho and the story of Rahab’s faith. We ate lunch by the spring that was once bitter until Elisha poured salt into it and made the waters sweet enough for the people to drink.

We followed the route from Jericho to Ai and Bethel. This is the route Joshua would have traveled with the nation of Israel in tow. We then climbed up onto an Israeli settlement and took in the 360-degree view of our surroundings. It was amazing to see the dry barrenness of the area and think of how harsh life would have been for travelers in that day. Even still, the people who live here lack the conveniences and comforts of city life. The Israeli settlement that we walked through was a small neighborhood of mobile homes clustered together on a hillside. It appears that this settlement was formed by a group of people – possibly a set of friends or a particular religious sect who decided to plant themselves on this hillside as an attempt to reclaim the land for the nation of Israel. Their belief is that whoever lives on the land – possess it. Therefore many Israeli and Palestinian neighborhoods are being established in outlying places as an attempt to bolster their respective nations.  One young father jumped out of his car as we walked past and we noticed the gun in his back pocket. Israeli’s are always ready to defend themselves against attack and always thinking about their political passions.

From here we traveled onto Nebi-Samuel. This is the place where the prophet Samuel is believed to be buried. There is an old church on the site that has been commandeered by the Jews and is now being used as a Jewish synagogue. Because it was the beginning of the Sabbath (Friday evening) many Jews were filling the place in preparation for their evening Shabot. Dr. Laney was trying to get us up onto the roof so that we could again see the terrain and view the surrounding hills and valleys. We could clearly see the ancient city of Gibeon. It’s striking how little the land has changed in all these years. While there are new buildings and old ruins – there is still so much open and undeveloped land just like the days of the prophets.

We ended our day on the coastal plains of Gezer. There the ruins of Solomon’s temple still stand and an ancient calendar of the harvest was recently discovered. The bus trip home was a welcome rest from all of our hikes today. I fell asleep in the cool relief of the air-conditioned bus.

Overall, today was a very rigorous day. The heat of the sun, the lack of shade, the shortage of water, and the steep climbing up and down the mountains and ravines, really gave us an experience of the wilderness. This is the place where David spent much of his life. It is the place where Joshua led the Israelites after the defeat of Jericho and it is the place where Jesus sequestered himself for 40 days to commune with His father and prepare Himself for His 3 year ministry. It is a place that lacks life. There is little water. No shade. Dangerous snakes, serpents and spiders. It is a place where death and desolation is evident. I was so thankful that Jesus defied the temptations of Satan and remained steadfast in obedience to the Father. I imagined what a temptation it would have been for Him to turn stones into bread or to create a shade tree or a spring of water to drink from. Because he refused to succumb, I am strengthened in my own struggles and temptations. Because he conquered in the wilderness barren – my life flows forth with living water. It was a hard day…. but a very profound and meaningful experience.