Monday, January 2, 2017
Sunday, January 1, 2017
Hesed by the Sea - January 2
After a wonderful, elegant breakfast at the hotel, we decided to take another stroll out to the overlook for the Mediterranean Ocean. It was peaceful and awesome at the same time to look out at a place that is common in our vocabulary, but still more of a concept than a reality until now.
Israel College of the Bible
Our first stop of the day was to the Israel College of the Bible. Actually, the visit there followed a lengthy hike up and down the street through an automotive repair/selling section of Netanya. It turns out that Google had misplaced the college by about a mile. Oh well, at least we got our steps in for the day. It turns out that the college was really about a block from where Kamal was able to park the bus.
Most of us didn't know what to expect, and there really aren't pictures to show because we spent our time in a classroom with the President of the college. He gave us information about the recent fairly rapid growth of Christianity in Israel, the role of the college in that environment, and his own personal call to Jesus from a typical past that included study throughout school about biblical history, but absolutely no mention of Jesus, or really the Messiah. He was shocked when he encountered a group of Christians in Amsterdam who clearly loved each other and demonstrated that to him. It caused him to want to explore more, and was shocked when he began to see that what he had learned had a big hole in the explanations. I think we were all impressed with the role the college is taking in bringing that same experience throughout the Jewish world, particularly in Israel.
While we were there, we took advantage of the technology available to watch 4 videos that Michael has accumulated that demonstrate the concept of hesed, even though the source was completely secular, and even very commercial. There were a number of 'damp' eyes in the room after watching the videos. Here are a couple of the links if you are interested (and you dare):
Tennis Player Shares Umbrella
Hearing Impaired Man Surprised by Town
Dementia Patient Responds to Jewish Woman Singing 'Jesus Loves Me'
Thai man
Caesarea
We went north a relatively short distance to Caesarea By the Sea. This place was built from scratch by Herod the Great to impress Caesar and his Roman buddies. It was grand....at the time. He built a magnificent port that was probably only second to the one at Alexandria, and this one was built from scratch. The problem was, the seas here are pretty rough, which is why it shouldn't have been done, and why Herod probably insisted that it had to be done. Herod's masterpiece in urban planning had a large amphitheater where all kinds of productions were seen by the masses, a hippodrome that eventually seated 12,000 people and provided chariot races and other athletic events for entertainment. There was a palace for Herod (and of course, the emperor when he was in town), business, homes, and a temple to Caesar and the Goddess Roma which towered over the port.
The problem is that nature never intended for there to be a port city here. It was plagued with damaging storms, earthquakes, and all kinds of destruction. While the destroyed city was rebuilt several times, it eventually fell into complete ruin until about 100 years ago when it began to be unearthed and reconstructed as a historical and commercial venue.
We had a chance to see videos about the history of the city before taking off to explore on our own and find lunch. It was very blustery and it looked to be threatening rain or more. We surveyed the site from one of the high posts near the old port, took some pictures in that area and decided to head for the far section that included the hippodrome and amphitheater before rain might come. When we got to a gate in the wall that looked like it needed a ticket for entrance, we were ready to move on, the Parks employee there waved us on and told us to come in, even when we told him we didn't have a ticket. It turns out that several of the rest in our group were turned away from the same entrance.
We explored the excavated ruins, some of which was more modern (the Byzantine period, about 1700 years ago is considered modern!) and apparently easily dismissed by 1st Century Bible scholars and guides, but was still fascinating to us. We saw houses, storehouses, bath houses, palaces, public latrines, and more, some with the extensive tile work still largely intact.
We made our way through the hippodrome and encountered one of the Birthright groups demonstrating what a chariot race might have be like by having contestants on piggy back competing on a much abbreviated course. The Hippodrome appears to have been largely intact from the 1st Century period. By this time, the sky was darkening, but we were almost to our end destination, a reconstructed amphitheater. We had just gotten there, looked at a few of the exhibits, and taken a few pictures when the sky opened. A driving rain had us looking for cover that wasn't there. We got out of the direct line of the blowing rain long enough to determine that it wasn't going to quickly blow over, and that there was no shelter near by. We decided that since we had a designated meeting time (and no lunch yet) that we had little choice but to soldier back to the meeting point. We got there with about 20 minutes to spare; enough time to split a tuna salad on a bagel.
Guess what? The next stop on the tour after lunch was the section that we just had gone through, and that no one else had been able to visit. By now the rain had largely stopped (though we were still pretty wet from the waist down). The group was instructed to go directly to the Amphitheater, so we did get to see a lot of things that the rest of the group didn't get. We had a good teaching about Peter and the Centurion (Acts 10) and about Paul and his take on hesed.
After a group photograph, we made our way back to the bus and headed out for our next stop at Mt. Carmel, a little further to the north.
Mt. Carmel
We got a ways up the mountain and David and Kamal realized that we were not only driving in a drizzle, we were driving up into a cloud. The purpose of the trip was to look out and see where different locations were from that height. So we turned around and headed on to Galilee. (1 Kings 18)
Drive to Galilee
Dinner was in a separate building from where we checked in, but near the main building in the central part of the campus. It's probably a 3 to 5 minute walk from our little condo. Alan worked on getting the pictures cleaned up before dinner, while Joyce did a load of laundry that should take us out through the end of the trip. Dinner was good, but nearly as elegant as the other recent meals that we've had. We continue to have good fellowship over the meals with our traveling companions. This was the most crowded venue we've been at, with what appeared to be several dozen young people who were visiting as a part of the Birthright program, which apparently brings youth in (these seemed to be largely Americans) to tour the country and encourage resettlement in Israel. Joyce left supper a few times to juggle laundry between the washer and dryer. By the way, she's feeling much better!
Gathering
Israel College of the Bible
Our first stop of the day was to the Israel College of the Bible. Actually, the visit there followed a lengthy hike up and down the street through an automotive repair/selling section of Netanya. It turns out that Google had misplaced the college by about a mile. Oh well, at least we got our steps in for the day. It turns out that the college was really about a block from where Kamal was able to park the bus.
Most of us didn't know what to expect, and there really aren't pictures to show because we spent our time in a classroom with the President of the college. He gave us information about the recent fairly rapid growth of Christianity in Israel, the role of the college in that environment, and his own personal call to Jesus from a typical past that included study throughout school about biblical history, but absolutely no mention of Jesus, or really the Messiah. He was shocked when he encountered a group of Christians in Amsterdam who clearly loved each other and demonstrated that to him. It caused him to want to explore more, and was shocked when he began to see that what he had learned had a big hole in the explanations. I think we were all impressed with the role the college is taking in bringing that same experience throughout the Jewish world, particularly in Israel.
While we were there, we took advantage of the technology available to watch 4 videos that Michael has accumulated that demonstrate the concept of hesed, even though the source was completely secular, and even very commercial. There were a number of 'damp' eyes in the room after watching the videos. Here are a couple of the links if you are interested (and you dare):
Tennis Player Shares Umbrella
Hearing Impaired Man Surprised by Town
Dementia Patient Responds to Jewish Woman Singing 'Jesus Loves Me'
Thai man
Caesarea
We went north a relatively short distance to Caesarea By the Sea. This place was built from scratch by Herod the Great to impress Caesar and his Roman buddies. It was grand....at the time. He built a magnificent port that was probably only second to the one at Alexandria, and this one was built from scratch. The problem was, the seas here are pretty rough, which is why it shouldn't have been done, and why Herod probably insisted that it had to be done. Herod's masterpiece in urban planning had a large amphitheater where all kinds of productions were seen by the masses, a hippodrome that eventually seated 12,000 people and provided chariot races and other athletic events for entertainment. There was a palace for Herod (and of course, the emperor when he was in town), business, homes, and a temple to Caesar and the Goddess Roma which towered over the port.
The problem is that nature never intended for there to be a port city here. It was plagued with damaging storms, earthquakes, and all kinds of destruction. While the destroyed city was rebuilt several times, it eventually fell into complete ruin until about 100 years ago when it began to be unearthed and reconstructed as a historical and commercial venue.
We had a chance to see videos about the history of the city before taking off to explore on our own and find lunch. It was very blustery and it looked to be threatening rain or more. We surveyed the site from one of the high posts near the old port, took some pictures in that area and decided to head for the far section that included the hippodrome and amphitheater before rain might come. When we got to a gate in the wall that looked like it needed a ticket for entrance, we were ready to move on, the Parks employee there waved us on and told us to come in, even when we told him we didn't have a ticket. It turns out that several of the rest in our group were turned away from the same entrance.
We explored the excavated ruins, some of which was more modern (the Byzantine period, about 1700 years ago is considered modern!) and apparently easily dismissed by 1st Century Bible scholars and guides, but was still fascinating to us. We saw houses, storehouses, bath houses, palaces, public latrines, and more, some with the extensive tile work still largely intact.
We made our way through the hippodrome and encountered one of the Birthright groups demonstrating what a chariot race might have be like by having contestants on piggy back competing on a much abbreviated course. The Hippodrome appears to have been largely intact from the 1st Century period. By this time, the sky was darkening, but we were almost to our end destination, a reconstructed amphitheater. We had just gotten there, looked at a few of the exhibits, and taken a few pictures when the sky opened. A driving rain had us looking for cover that wasn't there. We got out of the direct line of the blowing rain long enough to determine that it wasn't going to quickly blow over, and that there was no shelter near by. We decided that since we had a designated meeting time (and no lunch yet) that we had little choice but to soldier back to the meeting point. We got there with about 20 minutes to spare; enough time to split a tuna salad on a bagel.
Guess what? The next stop on the tour after lunch was the section that we just had gone through, and that no one else had been able to visit. By now the rain had largely stopped (though we were still pretty wet from the waist down). The group was instructed to go directly to the Amphitheater, so we did get to see a lot of things that the rest of the group didn't get. We had a good teaching about Peter and the Centurion (Acts 10) and about Paul and his take on hesed.
After a group photograph, we made our way back to the bus and headed out for our next stop at Mt. Carmel, a little further to the north.
Mt. Carmel
We got a ways up the mountain and David and Kamal realized that we were not only driving in a drizzle, we were driving up into a cloud. The purpose of the trip was to look out and see where different locations were from that height. So we turned around and headed on to Galilee. (1 Kings 18)
Drive to Galilee
Dinner was in a separate building from where we checked in, but near the main building in the central part of the campus. It's probably a 3 to 5 minute walk from our little condo. Alan worked on getting the pictures cleaned up before dinner, while Joyce did a load of laundry that should take us out through the end of the trip. Dinner was good, but nearly as elegant as the other recent meals that we've had. We continue to have good fellowship over the meals with our traveling companions. This was the most crowded venue we've been at, with what appeared to be several dozen young people who were visiting as a part of the Birthright program, which apparently brings youth in (these seemed to be largely Americans) to tour the country and encourage resettlement in Israel. Joyce left supper a few times to juggle laundry between the washer and dryer. By the way, she's feeling much better!
Gathering
Hesed in the Wilderness - January 1
Overlook of the Ramon Crater in the
Wilderness of Paran – We began our day a short distance from our
hotel at the Makhtesh Ramon Visitor Center with a breathtaking view
from the top of the Ramon Crater, which is part of the Wilderness of
Paran. The root of the word, Paran, means glory.
We are not far from Egypt, also close to the actual Mt. Sinai. We
read Psalm 102. David, our guide, talked about the psalm talking about God raising mountains in the wilderness and burying them
again, imparting His glory (source needs to be verified). We also talked about the Israelites and their complaining as Moses led them out of Egypt. The observation was made that when we can’t see or aren’t looking for the purposes of God, we can get caught up in immediate problem.
Zin Canyon – From Mitzpe Ramon we
traveled to the Zin Canyon. We were going to walk through the canyon
and would be climbing a rather steep climb that involved stone steps
and a ladder. The canyon is a popular place and David said school
children come to climb “all the time”.The canyon is stunningly beautiful with towering limestone cliffs and a small stream winding through. On one side is the Promised Land, the other the Sinai. We had the unusual pleasure of have the canyon to ourselves. We stood for several minutes listening to the silence and the birds high above us. We reflected on how seldom in our Western culture we welcome the silence that allows us to listen to and reflect on God’s character and blessings.
We discussed Numbers 20, Miriam &
Aaron’s deaths, the complaining of the people, Moses’ possible
frame of mind, and Moses striking the rock instead of speaking to it
as God commanded. We learned that water can settle into the limestone
after a rain and as it evaporates near the surface salt plugs can
form. Striking the rock can release the salt plug and water will
flow. David made the observation that behavior patterns of
disobedience can reach a point that they inhibit what could have been
& what God intends for us.
After further walking through the
canyon we stopped for Michael to reflect of hesed in the morning. He
read parts of Psalm 130, Psalm 59, Psalm 143:6, Psalm 92 and said
Psalm 90 was written by Moses.
The significance and beauty of this
canyon was awe-inspiring. I don’t have words to describe it. Then
we began the climb up out of the canyon using narrow stone steps and
iron hand holds cemented into the rock that wound up the side of the
canyon. We climbed two metal ladders. Joyce was able to successfully
complete the ladder sections with her eyes on the ladder, facing the
rocks until she had completed climbing the ladder and could look out
and enjoy the view. She had a great sense of accomplishment when she
reached the top!!
Ancient Be’er Sheva – Our next stop
is Tell Be’er Sheva. This was th century. There were several such
administrative centers, Megiddo being another that is virtually the
same.an administrative center at the southern edge of the kingdom which extended from Be’er Sheva to Dan, dating for the 8
The administrative class lived in the city with a gate that could be
We saw the layout of a typical Israeli 4
room house, as well as the house in the wall, like Rahab’s. David
read Amos 5 were 3 towns were mentioned, Be’er Sheva as one for
their idol practices. David interpreted the text as saying the
leaders of these towns killed righteousness as they hated anyone who
spoke the truth.
Lunch today was
at a restaurant David described as a combination of Panera Bread and
Starbucks. Alan & Joyce shared a chicken salad. It was a good
choice as the salad was very large, with a large amount of chicken,
potatoes, and salad vegetable in a Mediterranean dressing,
accompanied by 4 slices of tasty, crusty bread with butter and olive
oil for dipping. After lunch we walked a short distance to a
convenience store for a large bottle of water and at Michael Card’s
suggestion tried a Magnum ice cream bar. The bar was good, but not
great.
Numbers 20
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