Journey to Israel - Chapter 13

Chapter 13 - Monday, 3/27/89

Today we loaded into the bus for a three day journey through the area of Galilee in the northern part of Israel. We drove through Tel Aviv, which to the world is the capital of Israel. The population there is 500,000. To the Jews, Jerusalem (population 450,000) is the capital.

From Tel Aviv we drove to Caesarea, a port Herod built on the Mediterranean Sea in honor of Caesar Augustus. It was styled after the Greek city of Athens, only larger. Herod did everything in a big way. For those of us who like to golf, it is in the Harbour of Caesarea where the only golf course in Israel is located.  We had a picnic lunch on the white sandy beach of the Mediterranean. It’s a beautiful blue-green sea.

We stopped in Megiddo and viewed the lush Jezreel valley, so fertile and green and peaceful looking. So many battles have been fought here, but there remains the big slaughterhouse of them all---the battle of Armageddon. It’s very disturbing to think that the beautiful, serene valley will be war torn and bloodied. However, we can rejoice because we know that our side wins!! Jesus will be victorious and will set up His kingdom to reign forever!!

“All hail King Jesus! All hail Emmanuel!

King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Bright Morning Star.

And throughout eternity I’ll sing His praises,

And I’ll reign with Him throughout eternity!”

Nazareth, the place where Mary the mother of Jesus was from, is a city of 50,000 people today. In the time of Mary it was a village the size of a football field with only about 200 people living there. It was a nowhere, no place, little insignificant village. It had the reputation of “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” But where does God go when He chooses to use someone or to reveal Himself? Once again He chose the humble, the seemingly insignificant. In Nazareth God found Mary, who lived in a cave-like house over which a church is now built to preserve her home, the Church of the Annunciation.

When I saw those monstrosities built over the places of significance in the life of Jesus, I couldn’t help but feel Jesus would have been much happier if men would just give Him their hearts instead of building monuments to Him. The monuments will one day be destroyed, but the heart lives on forever. Today He still desires our hearts. It isn’t so much our action as it is our attitudes. Are we humble, are we submissive, do we have a servant heart? Can His love flow through us so that HE might be seen and not we ourselves?

Journey to Israel - Chapter 9

Chapter 9 - Thursday, 3/23/89

This morning started out with a time of conversational prayer in Shepherd’s Field, outside of Bethlehem. This is the area where the lowly shepherds watched their flocks. How touching that God chose to reveal the birth of His Son through angels to the humblest class of society. Today the Church of the Nativity is built over the place where Jesus was born. Not too far from there is the Herodian, a huge mountain that King Herod had constructed with palace like living at the top. It was to be his tombstone, for he wanted a shrine built for everyone all around to see and remember him.

King Herod had wealth beyond imagination....Jesus was born in poverty. Herod ordered men to serve him....Jesus came to serve men. Herod was cruel, killed maliciously, was hated by everyone, and people rejoiced when he died. His season of reign was finally over. Jesus came in love, came to die for us, and now He lives forever and will one day reign as King throughout eternity. He who is last shall be first...he who is least shall be greatest. I can truly worship such a God as that!

We journeyed to Bethany, a two mile distance from Jerusalem, located at the foot of the Mount of Olives. We went there to walk the walk that Jesus took on Palm Sunday. First we stopped at the tomb of Lazarus, where Jesus had wept over the death of His friend...or did He weep over the lack of faith and understanding of those He had spent so much time with? Does it break His heart today when we show that same lack of faith in Him?

We continued our walk up the hill to Bethpage where Jesus cursed the barren fig tree that represented the Saducees. Outwardly they were spiritual, but they bore no fruit. This disciples were not to worry about them, for the Saducees would perish even as the fig tree did. It was at Bethpage that Jesus mounted a donkey to ride into Jerusalem in fulfillment of the prophecy of Zechariah (9:9)...”Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

It was also on the Mount of Olives that Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem. I believe He looked down through the ages and saw all that God’s chosen people, the Jews, and holy city of Jerusalem would go through. It was knowing they could have chosen Him and avoided their destruction that broke His heart. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’” In their rejection of Him they marched on toward the Holocaust.

The Mount of Olives represented other events in the life of Jesus also. It was here that He gave His Olivet discourse. Here on this Mount he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, surrendering Himself to His Father’s will. And it was on the Mount of Olives that He ascended into heaven. Jesus had spent much time in this area, and as we sat in the church at the Garden of Gethsemane and sang “Blessed Assurance, Jesus Is Mine”, tears flooded my eyes. I thought of Jesus on that day of His trial, with the crowd jeering at Him, and all of the humiliation He went through. In quiet submission He faced His death to give me blessed assurance.

Thursday night we were served a Passover Supper in a very natural setting with low tables and oil lamps as our source of light. We were served unleavened bread, wine (grape juice), stew (beef in place of lamb), and bitter herbs (onions, radishes, peppers, garlic). This meal was symbolic of the last of the plagues in Egypt when the death angel passed over those homes with blood on their door posts. They were saved from the sorrow of their first born being killed, and were then let go from Egypt...freed from bondage. In like manner we are freed from bondage to sin by the blood of the Lamb. Thank you, Jesus.

Journey to Israel - Chapter 7

Chapter 7 - Tuesday, 3/21/89

Tuesday morning I awoke to sunshine and the beckoning hills of Jerusalem. All I could say was, “Thank you, Jesus, Thank you, Jesus!!!” This was our first full day in Israel. We started out by viewing how Jerusalem is situated on a hill with valleys surrounding the city, and then more hills. This makes Jerusalem like a bowl with mountains surrounding her for protection.  In the same way God protects His children, as though we are cupped in His hands.

Israel is a country that is 185 miles in length and 90 miles wide, smaller than our American states.  It is the doorway connecting three continents: Africa, Asia, and Europe. Because of its strategic trade routes everyone wants to control Israel for their own economic reasons. That helped me understand why it has always been such a hot spot, a troubled and war-torn country.

The conflict between the Arabs and the Jews is better understood by knowing how each group believes. The Jews believe that God gave Israel to them in His covenant with Abraham. The Arabs, or Moslems, have a law that once something belongs to Islam it is theirs eternally. The tension between these two groups of people is very obvious. Hatred prevails. In fact, while there I met an American school teacher who is teaching elementary education in Israel, and she told me that the Arab children are being taught hatred as part of their religion. To throw rocks at the Jews is to earn brownie points. Raising children with that philosophy is not an indication of future peace, only war and strife.

We viewed the old City of David, which lies outside the current walls of Old City Jerusalem. Houses today are still built on top of each other on the sides of the hills. The roof of one house is a sidewalk or step up to the next level of houses. With King David living at the top, it was easy for him to look down on the roofs of the houses below him and see Bathsheba taking a bath. The question is, what was she doing taking a bath out on the “sidewalk” except hanging out a sign, “Available”.

King David was raised as a humble shepherd boy. Shepherds are considered the lowest class of society. However, God saw in David a man after His own heart. King Saul, full of pride, took large places and was brought down. David took a small place and God made it the great city of Jerusalem. This lesson of God using the humble continued to repeat itself over and over again to me in various settings during our stay in Israel. As God looks on our hearts, may He find them humble, available for His use.

The "Fall"

No, I'm not going to blog about Adam and Eve.  You know that story well, and thanks to them we have a world where evil seems to prevail.  Thank goodness, it only seems that way, and evil has a deadline.  Because of that, the evil one is out to devour and destroy everything he can.  In the end, God wins.  His New Jerusalem will not have any evil, any pain, any sorrow, any unfairness, anything ugly.  My hope is steadfast that I will someday inherit eternal life in God's New Jerusalem.  My prayer is that my loved ones will join me there.


The Fall I am talking about in the title line is my fall on black ice.  I have been so very careful all winter long to avoid such a fall.  I didn't walk the dogs when I knew it was icy out (most of the winter, it seems), and when I did walk, I took very decided, controlled steps.  


Last Tuesday we were headed to the vehicle to go home for lunch and I had a handful of mail to put in the mail box and was yakking away with hubby.  As I stepped behind our vehicle I stepped on black ice, and with no moment to correct myself, I was up in the air and landed flat on my back, after which my head whacked the pavement.  Hubby came to my rescue, picked up the scattered mail, and helped me get up.  I didn't feel like anything was broken, but I was full of pain and empty of air.  I started on Ibuprofen right away, and rested on a heating pad.  Within 24 hours the lump and indentation on my head was gone, and I was left only with a tender area. I never did experience headaches or anything that would indicate head injury.


My back is another story.  I'm still grateful I didn't break anything (to my knowledge), but it is absolutely amazing how many muscles are used from the back area to move up and down and sideways.  I've managed to keep up with household activities and go to work for part of each day, but I've also rested quite a bit on the reclining love-seat with a heating pad.  I found it difficult to get in and out of bed and roll from one side to another, or to sleep flat on my back, so most of my nights have been in the recliner.  I have also learned to not stay in one position too long or I stiffen up, so I take little walks around the house, or take the dogs walking around the block (short walks), and move to different spots/positions.  I'm going to be fine.  I am so utterly grateful to God that I did not break anything.  The back pain will go away, my muscles will recover their strength.  I'm glad the black ice season is almost over though!!


Our dog Tuxedo had surgery this week to remove a tumor from his upper lip, under his nose.  He's a Pekingese, with the short snout, so the tumor was very obvious.  Our vet surgeon did a beautiful job of removing it and stitching the skin back together.  He even looks younger, though he did celebrate his 13th birthday this month.  He's been through a lot in his life time.  As a little puppy, the first week he was in our home, he followed me to the kitchen one night, where all was dark.  Not knowing he was there, when I stepped back, I stepped on his back. Hubby heard both of us yowling.  I moved quickly to get off from him and fell and sprained my toes.  We took him to an animal hospital and because he was so young there wasn't much they could do for him.  They said he'd either survive, or not survive. We prayed throughout the night for him, and in the morning he was fine.


When he was about ten he started showing signs of severe arthritis.  We were afraid we would have to put him to sleep because he could no longer jump up on furniture, nor walk without stumbling.  He loves walking and jumping up on something where he can sit on and look outside.  Well, one day I was driving our golf-cart with the dogs running along side of it...it was our way of letting them run (on a leash) for exercise.  All of a sudden Tux darted in front of my golf-cart and I ran over him.  He went in between the two front tires, and by the time I was stopped, he was laying between the two tires on the left side.  I was sure I had killed him...that he was dying a slow painful death.  I pulled him out from under the cart, patted him down, talked through my tears...he got up and shook it off, and hasn't had a problem with arthritis since then.  I guess the cart "massage" was like going to a chiropractor, getting all the muscles back into place.  


One other time while I was out walking the dogs, a large German Shepherd was loose and came bounding up to us and took Tuxedo by the neck and started shaking him like a rag doll.  I was screaming for help, and decided to put my hand in the German Shepherd's mouth and get her to release her hold on Tux, which she did.  (I was so scared, I didn't worry about getting bit myself...it was a sacrifice on my part for my dog!)  She wasn't wanting to be mean, she was just playing, not realizing she could have killed Tux by shaking him like she did.  She thought she had a toy.  Well, Tux didn't have a cut or puncture, but he had the GS's saliva all over him.  His Alpha Dog image was severely damaged, and it took several weeks for him to get over that incident!


He's 13...how long will we have him?  Today he looks younger (after surgery) and sprints around and jumps and is playful.  I just hope when his life does come to an end, it is not a tragic ending.  His sister, Kefli (Shitzu), hovers over him like his mother, even though she is three years younger.  What a pair.  When they know they are going for a ride (either in the vehicle or on the golf-cart) or a walk, as I'm getting ready to put their leashes on, they both starting barking and howling and singing this dog duet.  It really is more like a song than just two dogs barking annoyingly.  They are our kids...we love them...we will miss them when they are gone, for sure!


I made it out to my Dave Ramsey class again this week, and he spoke to us about how to snow-ball our debt, getting out from under debt completely, except for the mortgage.  I feel very good about where we are at with that.  I'm really enjoying these classes, and I again recommend everyone, especially young people, to take a Dave Ramsey class.  You can even do it on-line.  Just go to his website to learn more:  daveramsey.com.  You can also find out where classes might be happening in your area.


We lost a friend to esophageal cancer this week.  So sad...he was such a pleasant guy to be around, and he and his wife had built their retirement home here on our campground a few years ago.  They weren't retired yet, but would come often during the summer.  He was such a family man, and church man, and they usually had family and/or church friends staying with them or dining with them or just relaxing and visiting with them.  He will be missed, his wife will be lonely...but not lacking for friends or family.  May God be near and comfort all of them.


Well, I have a ham in the crock pot, and my tummy tells me it is dinner time almost.  Let me quickly recap my week's devotional material:


Mark - New Testament:
Live in peace with each other.  (9:30)


Proverbs - Wisdom:
Don't talk so much.  You keep putting your foot in your mouth.  Be sensible and turn off the flow!  (10:19)


The wicked man's fears will all come true, and so will the good man's hopes.  Disaster strikes like a cyclone and the wicked are whirled away, but the good man has a strong anchor.  (10:24-25)


Psalm:
"Stand still!  Know that I am God!  I will be honored by every nation in the world!  (46:10)


"The Word For You Today" - daily devotional magazine:
Practicing Hospitality:

• sacrifice your personal plans
• give of your time as well as money
• go out of your way, above and beyond the call of duty
• see others through the eyes of Jesus

How to Be Married and Happy:

• come to terms with your flaws (each others' flaws) and be realistic about them
• in your finances - tithe, be generous, delay gratification
• in your appearance - try to always look your best; accept aging with dignity
• in your lifestyle - comfort and contentment are more important than materialism and pride that leads to debt bondage
• be courteous - small acts of kindness, kind words
• physical satisfaction - satisfy your partner instead of manipulating or demanding your way
• love is an act of your will, not a feeling
• build your foundation on commitment, character, and a Christlike attitude
• allow God's love to fill your heart and your will have love for your spouse
• invest yourself in your partner, and you will get good returns
• choose to see things from a different perspective
• choose contentment
• change what you can (your attitude), accept what you can't change
• the character of a truly happy person:  humility, repentance, gentleness, patience, pure heart, peace loving, non-judging, fairness
• selfishness puts an end to love, and love ends selfishness
• put your spouse's needs before your own
• the more self dies, the more your relationship will flourish

Have a good week everybody!!  Spring is on its way!!  Listen to the birds, and sing along!!