Shalom from the Promised Land

It has been a couple of weeks since my last blog.  I just returned from leading a 10-day tour to Israel.  Our group was 11 in size - just a great group of people who had a passion to walk where Jesus walked and to experience His presence in the Holy Land.  The weather was absolutely ideal while we were there.  And the country-sides were alive with nearly every color in the rainbow.  The fruit trees were in bloom, as was the wild mustard - in fact, the hillsides were alive with that majestic yellow color.  The red anemones were full of life as they competed for space with the royal purples and blues of the wild cyclamens.  And everywhere there were the luscious shades of green.  The rainy season was coming to an end, and the hillsides showed their beauty before the dry hot summer months begin. 


Israel is an exciting destination.  In a matter of minutes one can travel back over four thousand years to the time of Abraham.  One of the most special places we visit on our tours is found at the ancient tel of Dan.  This location was the northernmost place in ancient Israel; you remember seeing that phrase "from Dan to Beersheba" often in the Old Testament.  That simply meant "from north to south."  The tel of Dan was originally known as Laish - you can find this story in Judges 17-18.  Near the gate of Dan lies an even older gate - the gate to the city of Laish - a gate that dates back over four thousand years.  I know some of you are saying, "So, what is so special about a four thousand year old gate?  Isn't it just an old gate?'  The answer is: It was through this very same gate that Abraham walked as he entered into the land of Canaan; the land that God would promise to him and his descendants.  As you stand there, you see the ancient stones that formed the road entering into the city of Laish.  You close your eyes and you can see a princely man, mounted on a camel, entering through that gate.  He is a stranger to the land, having come from Haran, some four hundred miles to the north.  Friends, this gate is known as "Abraham's Gate."  It is just one of those "wow!" moments.


We traveled to Mt. Bental, a former Israeli listening post on the Golan Heights.  From there we witnessed the Syrian border just a few miles below our position on the heights.  As we stood, we could hear gunfire from below.  Our guide simply said that it was his "cousins" shooting at one another.  We know that rival factions in the Syrian Civil War have challenged each other for the position in and around the village of Kuneitra in Syria. 


Jerusalem continues to be one of the most awe-inspiring cities I have ever visited.  It is a city that teems with both the ancient and the modern.  As we were walking down the roadway to the Pool of Siloam, we noticed a rather large flock of sheep and goats headed directly toward us.  They were being herded by a young Arab boy riding a donkey.  We got excited for this wonderful photo-op from the ancient past, until we noticed that the Arab boy was talking on his cell phone.  So much for the idyllic photo we had anticipated. 


It had been a mere sixteen months since I was last in Jerusalem and I was amazed at how much work the archaeologists have done, especially in and around the City of David, also known as the Orphel in the Bible.  One of the things that most excited my heart was the excavation of one of the gates of the old Jebusite City before the time of David.  Some archaeologists believe that it was through this gate that Melchizedek, king of Salem, came to greet Abraham after his return from rescuing Lot (found in Genesis 14). 


Oh I could go on and on about Israel.  But my heart was saddened to learn that tourism is down dramatically from the previous year.  The dining rooms in the hotels were filled with lots of empty chairs.  At certain of the sites we visited, the usual crowds were simply not there.  We asked our guide why the steep drop in tourism.  His response was that people are afraid to travel to the Middle East because of ISIS and other radical Islamic groups.  Friends, I want to assure you that Israel is a very safe country in which to travel.  As believers, one way in which we can support Israel is by visiting there - walking where Jesus walked; listening carefully to the stones as they tell their stories; and listening to the hearts of the people living there.  The Western media is so quick to report the negatives and so reticent to share the good news found in Israel. 


Friends, if you know of a group that is going to Israel, consider joining that group and going on the adventure of a lifetime, an adventure that will dramatically change your life.  Or plan to join with a group in the future.  I have begun working on planning another tour for late Spring 2016. 


Israel needs our prayers.  Next Tuesday they will have a national election to determine who will lead their government for the next four years.  The most recent polls show a very tight, almost "too-close-to-call" race.  Please join with me in praying that peace will come to Jerusalem and for God's will to be done in the election next week. 


I close with a statement found on a tee-shirt hanging on a rack in one of the little shops in the Old City: "Don't worry America, Israel has your back!"  I liked that.