Chill Bump Moments in Israel (Article 2 of 6)

Kathy and I at the place of the birth of the Christ

 Valley of Elah

Although the site of the birth of Christ in Bethlehem is now in a  huge church (Church of the Nativity)  and several groups celebrate His birthplace in different places there (they also fuss and fight over who controls what), I understood we were in the cave where it happened and had to be in close proximity to the actual place.  When my wife and I kneeled  down in front of the place they say Jesus was born, we both shed tears.  So did almost everyone else I saw that kneeled there. And we were swallowing hard when we saw the manger in which He was lain. To even be in proximity to the place where the original Christmas happened is almost incomprehensible.  I suspect our group singing Silent Night in that cave will be strongly in my mind and heart when I sing Silent Night next Christmas.. and all the Christmases to come.

I can tell you that the Valley of Elah where David killed Goliath as the story is told in 1 Samuel 17, is a real place.  The geographical description of where that happened in that passage is dead on accurate.  “The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites the other, with the valley between them” is clearly evident.  Obviously the lesson there is not just about a little boy with a rock fighting a giant but much more about a God who is bigger than any giant we could ever face in our life. I can tell you that truth was never more real to me as it was when I stood in that valley.

Israeli Flag on Masada

We stood on the top of Masada, which was seized by troops of the Roman Empire at the end of the first Jewish- Roman war - about 40 years after the resurrection of Christ and a couple of years after the fall of Jerusalem. The story there is not just about the mass suicide of 960 or so Jews who committed suicide instead of being taken prisoner by the Romans. And the story is much more than Romans taking over that fortress that Herod built and destroying all that was sacred to the Zealots who lived there and  claiming their victory.  But the real story is the fact that the Roman Empire is no more.  And today the Israeli flag flies high on that mountain. The Romans just thought they had won.   And the chill bump moment you get in the midst of 110 degree heat there comes when you realize God in you will never be defeated.  And when it seems sometimes in our lives that all is lost, don’t for one second believe it..  With the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob with us, it is not even close to being over.

Viewing the ruins of the Essenes at Qumran

About a mile north of the Dead Sea lies Qumran, the settlement near the caves where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered first in 1946.  The texts they found have great historical significance because they include the second-oldest known surviving manuscripts of works later included in the Hebrew Bible.   We also learned that a Jewish sect called the Essenes occupied this settlement. This brotherhood was ostracized and persecuted. But the chill bump moment came with the realization that it is very plausible that John the Baptist came from this sect. It is in the wilderness and geographically close to the Jordan River.  This Essenes practiced rituals strongly associated with baptism (which can be plainly seen in the ruins)  and this could be why John came out of the wilderness baptizing with water.  It was quite a thought that this group in this place could be where Christianity was vaulted and the face of the world and the course of history would be forever changed.

We spent our second night at the Dead Sea or Salt Sea.  It  is not conducive for sustaining life and it is both dead and salty, that is for sure. More that ten times salty than any of the world's oceans and twice as salty as the Great Salt Lake in Utah. We were told if you drink two cups of it, you would die. Everyone in our group restrained from testing that premise. Biblically, the Dead Sea is the setting of some of the most important stories of the Bible, including David hiding from Saul in the Dead Sea region, which you will read about here.

Floating in Dead Sea

We also can read about the Dead Sea in Genesis 3 in the story of Abram and Lot v3  "All these latter kings joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (that is the Dead Sea Valley).  Ezekiel also prophesied that the Dead Sea will come alive again. Ezekiel 47:8  "This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down to Arabah, when it enters the dead sea, the salty water there becomes fresh. Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because the water flows there and makes the salt water fresh so where the river flows everything will live."  In the meantime, entrepreneurs are making big money there from the minerals that come from that sea.  People from all over the world float in the Dead Sea for medicinal purposes and purchase their products.  We floated just for the fun of it.  But it ain't over here either. What is dead will come alive again. Amazing how that theme plays over and over in God's Word.

Living Water of Ein Gedi

“When Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told ‘David is in the desert of Ein Gedi.’”  1 Sam 24:1.  When we arrived there, I was thinking of the story of David hiding in the caves while Saul and his 3,000 men were looking for him.  I have taught that lesson in Sunday school several times and have been the student more times than that.   It was incredibly hot but I can tell you with sweat pouring from my brow, I was looking at all the caves in those mountains as we hiked in.   We all know the story. Saul went into one of those caves to “relieve himself” and David and his men were hiding there.  David had the opportunity to kill him but instead chose only to cut only a corner off his robe because Saul was the Lord’s anointed.  David chose to leave vengeance to God.   I knew that story.  What I did not know is  Ein Gedi is an oasis in the middle of the desert.  David chose that place because of the water there.  We were all extremely hot and exhausted when we arrived at Ein Gedi and I understood the context of the story.  We hiked up that mountain and found the several water falls where David and his men most certainly found “life” many years ago.  I stood under one of those water falls (as did everyone else in our group I’m sure) and never felt better in my entire life.  All of a sudden I had an entire new perspective of “living water.”  And I wondered if that story would have changed if David had not been refreshed by that living water before he had the encounter with Saul.  And I wondered how our daily stories would change if we make it our business to be refreshed by the living water every day before we make all the decisions we make on a daily basis.

Hiking on the Jericho-Jerusalem Road

When Jesus began the story of the Good Samaritan by saying “ a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho,” I never thought about the road he was actually talking about.   I have  a different perspective now.  We hiked for over 3 miles down the canyon and around the mountains back to Jericho on part of that ancient road.  It was treacherous, hot and brutal even for the younger folks.   When I had read that famous story in Luke 10, I thought the Samaritan just took him around the corner to get the man help.  About half way on that hike, we gathered together and had a worship service and Matt taught the story of the Good Samaritan.  For one thing, I thought about the depth of that story and the life application in so many ways.  But  I understood better why the Priest and the Levite passed the half dead man by in the context of where they were.  They had to be completely worn out and fearful they could not take care of themselves much less someone else.  It dawned on me that the Samaritan had to be very tired and weary when he saw the guy on the side of the road. Not only did he stop to help him but he went to great physical effort and personal inconvenience to help him. My chill bump moment in that over 100 degree heat was in thinking about the fact to seriously help our neighbor, it may not only be inconvenient but in the helping of others it could be necessary to have our lives completely disrupted.

Stacey Green Psalm 121

It was in the intense heat of that hike, as we were looking up at the enormous mountains all around us , that Andy called on Stacey, one of our fellow travelers, to read Psalm 121.  (He had assigned all of us passages to be read or quoted at different places we visited). Before she began, Andy reminded us how difficult it must have been for Mary and Joseph to travel when she was pregnant up and down that treacherous road in the extreme heat every time they went back and forth to Jerusalem - along with all the other parents traveling with their babies on that road.  We all understood, at that moment, what the Psalmist was talking about when he wrote such words as  “I lift up my eyes to the mountains - where does my help come from?…..He will not let your foot slip - he who watches over you will not slumber….. the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day nor the moon by night…”  We were surrounded by huge mountains and understood and were experiencing the danger of our feet slipping and how the intense sun could harm you.  We were all guzzling large bottles of water to stay hydrated.   I can tell you there was not a dry eye in our group when Stacey quoted Psalm 121 in that place.   Stacey could hardly get through quoting that passage as the context of the scripture was unfolding before her… and all of us.  I also learned again that 100 degree temperature cannot begin to stop the chill bumps that come on like a wave over you when you experience the undeniable truth of scripture.