Mary Ann Noack

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.

May 16, 2012

 

Tonight, the words are hard to come by. It was a day that simply defies words…therefore any thoughts that I write are guaranteed to fall far short of my experiences.

 

We began our day in the bright warm sunshine on the top of the Temple Mount. After waiting in a long line of people, we finally entered through the Muslim security gate. Control of the temple platform was given to the Muslims as part of a cease-fire agreement in 1967.  This 3^rd most Holy Site in the Muslim faith, the Dome of the Rock, dominates the central position of the Temple Mount. It has stood in that place since it was built in the 6^th century. Under the Temple Mount lies the rich history of the Bible. It is built on the top of Moriah; the very place where Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac and where Solomon (and later Herod) built the great temple of worship to the Lord God Almighty.

 

As we walked along the temple platform we were tasked with having eyes to see our surroundings, not as they are today, but as they were in the days when Herod’s Temple dominated the landscape and Jesus walked through the colonnades.

Immediately I was struck by the enormity of the temple mount. In Jesus’ day the Jews gathered together here from all over the world to worship God and make sacrifices for sin. It was a place of great community and awe-inspiring beauty. I experienced a profound reverence for this most special place that God had chosen to set apart as Holy unto Him.

 

No matter what lies on top of the platform now, the reality is that the foundation of truth is unchanging. Satan is and always has been the great “usurper”.  He is always seeking to glorify himself on God’s throne and he will relentlessly pursue his purposes until he is destroyed after Christ’s return.

 

As Dr. Laney walked with us around the various temple gates and inner courtyards I imagined what it was like when the great crowds of people used to congregate here. Today, the place was sparsely populated with tourists and appeared vacant and lifeless.

We descended through the gate and walked to the pools of Bethsaida and St. Anne’s chapel. After visiting the ruins where the pagan medicinal pools were once filled with water and crowded with people seeking miraculous healings from their various ailments, we gathered in the church and raised our voices to the Lord in worship. Several of the women in our group are worship leaders in their churches and they led us in a stirring chorus of “As the Deer pants for the water”. The acoustics in the old church made our voices sound like realms of angels singing in heaven….or could it be that the angels actually joined us in song for that brief moment? The sound was an experience beyond description. I am sure I will recognize that moment again when I hear the voices of the saints singing praises to God in heaven one day.

We left the church and wandered down the Via Dolorosa…the street when Jesus carried his cross to Golgotha, (the place of the skull) and where He was crucified. It was difficult for me to connect with the imagery of that event given the hustle and bustle of people who were navigating the streets, along with the garbage tractors that continually forced us up against the wall so they could pass, and the merchants who hollered at us to enter their shops and spend our money. Maybe I will return on a quieter day and see if I can concentrate on the Lord as He traveled up that narrow street 2000 years ago.

One scene I will never forget is the little boy who was looking over the activities down below from an upper window. Is this the new Israelis invention for day care? Priceless!

The Via Dolorosa led us to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher where the rock of Golgotha is enshrined beneath a dome of glass and a slab a rock is alleged to be the place where Jesus’ body was prepared for burial. This is also the place where Jesus’ tomb was believed to be and religious seekers can wait in line to place their hands upon an exhibit of stone and receive a blessing from a priest.

I was unprepared for all the crowds, commercialism, iconology, and byzantine décor that encompassed the church. It was deeply disturbing to see merchants laying key chains on the slap of rock (Jesus’ proposed burial slab) and taking pictures so they can bring the trinkets home and sell them as sacred objects. I am sure if Jesus walked into that church today he would have turned over the tables and cleared the place out. I felt very disappointed with what I experienced there. Possibly I need to go back on a quieter day and see things from a different perspective. I am sure there are many people who have a very sacred experience there.

 

After lunch we explored the archeological digs in “area G”. This is an area on the far end of the Western Wall where we were able to see large stones that fell off the temple during the time of it’s destruction in 70 AD and see the actual road that Jesus walked when he entered through the Dung Gate. Also we were able to climb up the original steps of the temple on the south side of the wall where all the purification baths were located. This is where the people would be physically cleansed before they approached the temple for worship. Seeing these sights bring such life to the pages of scripture.

 

BUT the highlight of the day was still to come! In the evening we enjoyed an amazing tour into the tunnels of the Western Wall. We had a zealous young Jewish tour guide who taught us the history of the Western Wall and the making of the Muslim quarter of the city. Then he led us down under the city streets toward the bottom of the 34 layer stone wall. It was amazing to see how the city had been constructed layer upon layer and to see the massive stones that make up the base of the wall. Most striking were the women who were inside the tunnels with their Torah’s beseeching God in prayer for their personal needs and for the restoration of the temple. It’s truly astounding to experience the passion of the Jewish people for their scriptures, and for the restoration of their city. As Americans we can barely drag ourselves out of bed for a 10 minute devotional time – and here these women come to the Western wall every day to pour out their hearts to God and plead with Him for their needs. I fear that we are so deluded by our comforts – we have lost touch with the deep reality of our need for prayer and worship. God forgive us and revive us before it’s too late! Even a young Jewish couple will come before the underground gate of the wall and mourn for Israel before they enjoy the festivities of their wedding day. The people here never forget that their lives are incomplete until their temple is rebuilt. Of course, we know that Jesus will come back one day to restore Jerusalem and today, we are the temple of His Holy Spirit. If only we will live with such devotion, passion and thanksgiving to God every day. I fear we are far too apathetic about our faith. We can learn so much from our friends here in Israel.

 

 

 

MAY 16, 2012

Today we explored the Jewish quarter of the Old City. Early this morning, we began our day up on the rooftops of the buildings in the Jewish marketplace.

Dr. Laney read to us from the Book of Ezekiel and we remembered God’s words of warning to the city of Jerusalem and His promise to make a new covenant with His people one day. As we listened to the scripture, the view of the city from our rooftop was spectacular. In one direction was the Dome of the Rock, the central place of worship for the Muslims. In the other direction was a beautiful Christian church with a steeple that rose high above all the other buildings. Fathers walked their children to school and Jewish men walked to work reading the Torah out loud as they strolled down the narrow streets.

As a group, we are keenly aware of the cultural and religious divisions that have portioned this city into separate worship quarters. And yet there is something unifying about their collective yearning for God and their reverence for His Holiness. Everyday we pray for peace here, and we seek to be instruments of God’s peace as we walk past the residents and greet them with a kind word or a smile.

After climbing down from the roof we made our way through the streets of the Jewish quarter, stopping at various points to examine the excavations of sites from the days of King Hezekiah. We came to one uncovering of the Wide Wall, which was built in the days when the King was seeking to fortify the city against Assyrian attack. At every sight, we pause to read the scripture and remember the historical events as God recorded them in His Word. It’s been said that the Land of Israel is the 5^th gospel, which is read as you walk through the land and experience it personally. Indeed, there is something divinely powerful about reading the Living Word while gazing upon the actual sights.

Together we walked upon the top of the wall that once surrounded the ancient city of David and then crossed the street to visit the archeological excavation of David’s palace. This is now a state park where many visitors come to see the uncovering of the massive stones that have been unearthed in this area. As a special surprise, the much lauded archeologist herself paused to greet us just as Dr. Laney was beginning to explain the significance of her work to our group. Her name is Eilat Mazar and she has made a tremendous contribution to the archeological discoveries of the Bible by identifying this particular dig as the actual palace of David. Until now this site was merely named as a “large stone structure” until she was able to uncover enough evidence to proclaim it as David’s Grand Palace. We had fun standing near the outer walls of his once regal dwelling and looking at the roof tops of the houses below, imaging what Bathsheba looked like bathing in the moonlight. I will never be able to teach that story again without recalling this vision from his palace view.

However, the highlight of today was yet to come. We left the digs and worked our way down the hill, past David’s tomb and then into the opening of Hezekiah’s tunnel.  It was a brave journey to wander into the darkened tunnel, filled with water up to our knees at times. The passage was narrow and cramped. For 45 minutes we crawled through the tunnel imagining the many men who had furiously labored to chip away at the stone from each end of the mountain seeking to provide water for the city from the Gihon spring as the Assyrians were preparing to lay siege to Jerusalem and starve the people out of the city. At one point, we arrived at the very place where the two ends of the tunnel came together. This was a true miracle of God as each of the digging parties would have had no way of truly discerning how to make the two ends of the tunnel meet without His divine guidance.

When we came out at the other end…(I have a new experience regarding the joy of “seeing the light at the end of the tunnel”) we sat beside the pool of Siloam and read the story of Jesus healing the blind man in John 9. Then we journeyed up another long steep and narrow tunnel, which was once used as the sewer system in the ancient city. This was also the passage that the priests used to carry the water from the pool of Siloam to the temple.

Finally we reentered the city through the Dung Gate (the main entrance to the Jewish quarter) and headed back to the university for a welcome 4.5 hours of “seated” classroom instruction. Truly I have never climbed so many stairs in my life! I don’t know how the elderly or the disabled make it around this city. I am just praising God for giving me the necessary spiritual/emotional zeal and physical strength to enjoy every moment of this wonderful journey.

Tomorrow we will be exploring the Muslim quarter of the city and enjoy a special opportunity to walk through the tunnels that reside under the Western Wailing wall. Wont you join me?

Oh what a difference of good night of sleep makes! This morning we woke up to a beautiful day in the Old City of Jerusalem. We are staying in a charming “old world” style hotel called the Gloria. It is located just inside the Jaffa Gate.

 

Our Jerusalem University Campus is just a short walk down the street. After a brief orientation and a tour of the campus, our Western Seminary Professor Carl Laney began to instruct us on the geography of the surrounding land and the history of the Old City. It’s amazing to finally study something on paper that will become a 3D experience in just a matter of hours.

We spent our first full afternoon exploring around the city of Jerusalem. It’s surreal to be here and to finally experience the sights and smells of the land where so much of the biblical history played out. While the name Jerusalem means “peace” indeed, it is a place of great division. There are four quarters of the city each marked by a passionate religious affiliation: the Christian Quarter, Muslim Quarter, Jewish Quarter and Armenian Quarter. As we walked between these distinct areas, I couldn’t help but feel that I was back at Disney’s Epcot Center wandering through the various “small worlds”. The Muslim quarter is frenetic with narrow alleys filled with pushing crowds and agressive merchants. The Jewish Quarter is peaceful and orderly with families walking together through the wider streets and enjoying pizza and ice cream near the central square. It’s interesting to observe how a particular religious world view affects the daily experience of life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most profound, was our visit to the Western Wailing wall. The men and women are separated for this time of prayer and worship. The Jews view this as the most holy site on the planet and it was deeply moving to kneel before the wall and worship the Lord Jesus. I was surrounded by Jewish women who were praying in their native language and crying out to God. As I knelt before the wall I was compelled to praise God for His Son, my Savior Whom I know personally and in Whom I experience salvation. The experience brought me to tears and I felt the yearning and pain of the other women who were begging for their savior to come. I praised God for the blessing of knowing Him and I prayed for those who were around me to meet Him personally.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was especially touched by the reverence that the women displayed for this Holy site even as they walked backward away from the wall in an attempt not to turn their backs on God. Once again I was struck by the foolishness of our culture in our relentless pursuit to remake God into our own image. We have much to learn from the Jews and the Muslims about holiness and reverence. They also have much to learn from us about the personal love and compassion of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

 

 

It has been a long day of traveling but we are almost there. As I write, we are on the last leg of our 22 hour journey to Israel. Right now we are sitting at the Lufthansa gate in Frankfurt. I am so thankful for the support of my family at home for pulling together and learning the ropes regarding “household management” and “caregiving”. The Lord has been good to provide every need for Bob and me to venture out on this amazing journey. As I have prayed over the various elements of our travel this week, I have sensed that the Lord is lavishing us with a wonderful blessing by taking us to “His” hometown and showing us around the sights of “HisStory”. I expect that I will be forever changed.

We have united with about 30 other Western Seminary Students from the Portland and Sacramento campuses. Some, I have enjoyed getting to know in my classes, but others are new faces. We are all too tired now to spend much effort getting to know each other very personally, but I am sure we will all be fast friends at the end of our three weeks together. 🙂

I will share more after we set foot in the “land of milk and honey” and get some much needed sleep! Until then….Zzzzzz.