Experiencing God in a River

 I have just returned from a week of fly fishing in the mountains of Northern Georgia and Smokies of North Carolina. Ezequiel prophesies about a river that flows from the temple all the way to the Dead Sea where it makes the water sweet and people are catching fish.  (Ezequiel 47) Having just seen and swam in the Dead Sea helps me realize what a remarkable miracle this is. At any rate I find great peace standing in rivers and especially catching fish.

I was ushered into fly fishing by Dick Lusher, a friend and former member of Madison Ave. When he and Barbara moved to Georgia we agreed to try to get together once a year and fish somewhere. This year it was on the Chattahoochae River below the Dam near Atlanta and at its beginning in the mountains.  We also fished Dukes Creek which is one of the premier trout streams in the East.

We then travel north to the Cherokee reservation and fished the Raven Fork and Oconaluftee Rivers that flow through it. My prize trout was a 20" rainbow.

 No eating here - this was all catch and release.

18" Rainbow trout in Raven Fork River

While fishing I enjoyed wonderful times in the midst of God's creation in the budding of the trees, the singing of the birds and yes, even the slipping on the rocks that left me soaked and my boots full of water. :) God is Good!

We ended our week back at the Luschers home and I had an opportunity to share some of my pictures and experience in Jordan, Israel & Egypt at their evening service. 

 It was a special treat to see Verna Steele again as well since she and William also live in Newnan GA.  Both the Lushers & Steeles have found good solid Christian churches to be active members in since leaving Madison Ave.

This Saturday Debra and I will fly out west for a week in New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona in the final big trip of my sabbatical. As this portion of the sabbatical draws to a close I'm beginning to think of how to share all that God has been showing and teaching me with our church family.
I'm looking forward to us being back together again.

Walking the Bible: #3 or 3: Jordan Wilderness to Egypt

Judea wilderness

In the Judea wilderness Israel spent 40 years in the area of Kadesh barnea in the wilderness of Zin. When they were finally ready to enter the Promised Land and traveled east to go below the Dead Sea Edom would not let them cross. So they needed to travel the way we traveled, all the way south to the Gulf of Elat or Aqabah, Jordan.  This is a detour of hundreds of miles in a  harsh desert country as you can see. But the 40 years in the wilderness seems to have cured them of their complaining. They packed up the tabernacle and representing the presence of God it moved with them.  A Messianic Jewish couple has a ministry with this replica of the tabernacle in this wilderness area

 Traveling north from Aqaba back toward the Dead Sea we drove on "The King's Highway" which existed at the time of Moses. It was a major trade route even then but the Edomites would not let them travel on it so they had to go around even further east.  We stopped at the ancient city of Petra which was occupied by the Nabaieans. Estabilished in 300 BC it was at its peak from 100 BC - 100 AD. I wonder if Jesus was thinking of this city carved out of sandstone when he called Peter "The Rock". It was such a fortress that even the Romans couldn't conquer it. Entered through a narrow gorge you first meet the tombs of the kings and wealthy,
 You may remember "The Treasury" (its a tomb) from Indiana Jones The Last Crusade.

 Petra like all ancient citys had "high places" where the people worshiped. As we went up - Alleliah- in Jerusalem and to the temple to worship God others went up to worship other gods. From the "high place" we could see Mt. Hor where Aaron died and was buried .

We also saw the remains of an ancient temple and the alter where sacrifices were brought

Alter at "high place" in Petra

 We enjoyed a ride out led by Bedouins on donkeys. We then visited a Bedouin family in their tent for tea. These shepherding families continue to live much like the Israelites lived in the wilderness.  They live because they know how to find water!

 The wilderness is all about water. Without water you die and die quickly.

Jordan wilderness & Dead Sea

Between the borders of Amon and Moab in current day Jordan is a gorge called Arnon. This is mentioned several times in the Bible and actually became the most southern boundary of the tribe of Reuben. With water from a spring miles away it flows deep through the gorge.

 We walked, climbed, helped one another and made our way as far up and we could go without climbing gear. It was an experience of Christian community at it best where we all needed one another to get to where we wer going.

From the top of Mt. Nebo Moses looked out on the Promised Land. Israel had made it up all the way to the plains of Moab to the Jordan River. From here Moses climbed back up the mountain where at the age of 120 he would die and the Lord buried him.  Mt. Nebo is in Jordan near the NE corner of the Dead Sea.

View from Mt. Nebo toward the Promised Land

 On the way from there George stopped at a grape vineyard on a hillside. After we hiked up he taught from John 15 about the vine and branches. About "cutting off" the branches with no fruit which can also be translated "lifting up".  This was a practice done in vineyard that were not on a trellis but grew free across the ground. The branch would be lifted up off the ground and supported with a stone. How are we lifting each other up rather then cutting each other off? What kind of fruit are we bearing?

"if a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit"

 Egypt! Land of Food - the breadbasket of the Middle East because of the Nile River.

Land of many gods, BIG temples. Big to make you feel small. Big so you will know that this God is big and powerful. The Israelites spent 400 years here. Why did they not return to Cannan after the famine was over. Did they fall in love with the wealth and prosperity of Egypt? Life in Egypt was good....until a Pharaoh came who "did not know Joseph". Yet even in slavery Israel forgot God. Listen to Ezequiel 20.8 "But they rebelled against me and would not listen to me; they did not get rid of the vile images they had set their eyes on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and spend my anger against them in Egypt. Egypt is full of images in fact the walls of every temple are covered with images we call hieroglyphics 

Even in slavery there was food and water in Egypt. Compair that to the pictures of the Judea and Jordan deserts above.  We do not read our Bibles understanding the importance of Egypt in the history of God's people. Being there helped me to "see with my eyes" in new ways.  We too can love the things of Egypt rather than the things of God and what we love then becomes our god and traps us as well in slavery.

Egypt- A land of plenty - At least along the Nile 

Sahara Desert away from Nile

"He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters"

 Making bricks: From mud, manure and straw just like the Israelites made them. Since it never rains in this part of Egypt the dried bricks will make a dry house. We mixed the mud, manure and straw with our hands.....the brickmaker with his feet... and set it in a mold.  Profound! Making bricks while you have food and water or the wilderness without food or water but with God. What would you choose?

 We sailed and swam and prayed in the Nile. It dosen't flood anymore since the dams built in Aswan but it is still a source of life. The Israelites lived in Goshen which was the most fertile part of Egypt in the Nile delta.

Praying and saying the "Shama" in the Nile

No - thats not Indiana Jones

We visited the Valley of the Kings where King Tut as well as 30 other Pharaoh's tombs are. They went to elaborate expense to hid them but they were still robbed and raided even soon after their death. As soon as Pharaoh became Pharaoh - a man/god he began thinking about and preparing for his death. The tombs are carved out of the rock of the mountains and included storage rooms for all they would need in the afterlife.
The Valley of the Kings are the New Kingdom from the 1600 - 1100 BC.   The Pyramids are Old Kingdom from 3000 BC.
No, the Israelites did not build the pyramids...they were 1000 years old when Abraham went to Egypt.

Our trip conclude with many reflections on all we have seen and heard. Daily we would recite the Shema in Hebrew and English.

Shema Israel, Adonai elohenu, Adonai echad, 

Ve'ahavta et Adonai eloeikah,

b'khol levavkah,

uve'khol naphshekah,

uve'khol m'odekah.

Ve'ahavta re acha comocha.

Hear O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone, 

love the Lord your God

with all your heart,

with all your soul,

and with all your strength!

Love your neighbor as yourself. 

(Deut 6:4,5 & Lev 19:18)

We have seen with our eyes and heard with our ears. The question is now how we will tell and share what God has shown us. As I near the end of my sabbatical and prepare to return to Madison Ave. and ministry in Paterson this is God's question to me.

 Our Rabbi/ Pastor George DeJong was a faithful leader, teacher, challenger, rebuker and friend. He was a good rabbi to follow. I would encourage any of you reading this to consider taking a Biblical Study trip with him in the future...but just remember to prepare you...because when he says... "Lets go..." its time to follow the Rabbi.

Here is a photo of our whole group taken by Eric Scrotenboer. We were diverse, from many backgrounds and denominations, from 19 - over 70 and coming from all parts of the US and of course George is Canadian. We praise God for each other.

Walking the Bible: #2 of 3: Jerusalem & Judea Wilderness by the Dead Sea

We traveled by bus from the Sea of Galilee to Jerusalem. Jerusalem is 3,800 feet above sea level so your really "going up" or in the Hebrew "Aalyiah" to the High Places. Mt. Zion is really Mt. Horeb the place where Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac. Muslims believe it is the place where Abraham went to sacrifice Ishmael. The Western Wall, or "wailing wall" is the one surviving wall of Herod's Temple from Jesus day. However where the Holy Place was is now in the Dome of the Rock.

Wailing Wall

We spent some time here in prayer and even tucked names of loved ones and others into the wall. It was a profound and moving place to pray with our Jewish brothers and sisters. I prayed for the Peace of Jerusalem as Scripture invites us to do. The next morning was Shabbat (Sabbath) so the Jewish part of Jerusalem was quiet but the Muslim quarter was busy. We went through the Damascus Gate into the Old City and the marketplaces. This gate and much of the existing wall was built by Suleiman the Magnificent in 1537. 

Damascus Gate

From here we traveled to the "Shephelah" or Judean foothills. At each place we went George would do a "Faith Lesson". Here it was about Samson. Everything was very green now because it is just the end of the rainy season

 At Beth Gurin (House of Power) we learned about the importance of Olive oil for live and saw some underground olive presses. It is perhaps one like this that Samson was chained to after being captured. Oil was prosperity and power.

Olive Press

Olive Press

 This town also had power through its Columbarim. These were basically huge underground Homing Pigeon niches carved into the rock. This was the ancient worlds internet to stay in communication with cities around the middle east.  This may have been the way that kings found out others were coming to attack them.

Columbarium- Underground Homing Pigeon coop 

 Since Jesus tomb is in a very tourist place in Jerusalem George taught us about 1st Century Jewish burial practices at a different tomb in outside the city. You can see the round stone that sealed the tomb and the door into the preparation chamber. Spices were used to help decompose the body so that after 1 year all the bones could be removed and placed in a bone box. All the family bone boxes were kept in the inner chamber and the decomposing bodies in the outer chambers of the tomb. When Joseph of Aramathia gave Jesus his tomb he was he was probably still planning to be buried there but recognizing  that he and Jesus were now part of the same family.

 The next day we began descending a long stairway in Hezekiahs Water Tunnel. Hezekiah built this to bring the Gihon Spring from outside the walls of Jerusalem to inside the walls when the Assyrians were preparing to attack Jerusalem. Its a remarkable engineering feat for the 8th Century BC with teams digging the rock from each end. It flows about 1/4 of a mile into the Pool of Siloam as it has flowed for
thousands of years.

 Also under the city is "Solomon's Mine" where limestone was quarried, perhaps for the temple.  Since no hammer or chisel was heard while the temple was built perhaps all the stone was mined and finished right under the city and then transported to the temple mount.

Solomon's Mine- under Jerusalem

 view of Old City & Dome of the Rock - Wailing wall behind it.

 We walked the path that Jesus took on Palm Sunday from the Mt. of Olives into the city. We stopped to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane.  It was a profound wall "downhill" reflecting Jesus coming down, emptying himself for us.  We then entered the Old City of Jerusalem and walked the Via Delarosa or Way of Suffering where Jesus carried the cross to his death.

Garden of Gethsemane

Via Delarosa 

 That evening we traveled south to the Dead or Salt Sea. From the green and high places of Jerusalem we go to 1400 feet below sea level to a dry and barren place in the Judea wilderness . You get an idea where the Israelites lived for 40 years and why they might have wanted to go back to the water & food of Egypt.
But even in the desert there are springs of living water. We hiked up to the En Gedi spring which provides an oasis near the Dead Sea. It may have been places like this that David lived and hid out from Saul. It was easy to understand all the Biblical images such as Psalm 42 " As a deer pants for streams of water so my soul pants for you O God.  After our faith lessons some of us went swimming under the falls

 We continued on that day to visit Qumran where the Dead Seas scrolls were discovered in caves. They had been preserved for over 2000 years and gave us more reliable manuscripts of the Old Testament

Qumran caves

 We then took the tram up MASADA. This was first built as a mountain fortress by Herod the Great and included steam baths. It was later one of the last stands of the Jewish Zealots against the Romans.
 Some of us enjoyed hiking down.

From the pictures you get an idea of the dryness of this Judah wilderness. It never rains here. 

We got home in time for a swim or should I say float in the Dead Sea before dinner.

I'll have another post tomorrow about the Jordan Wilderness including Petra and then Egypt.
I also just discovered that some of our group were doing a blog while we were there with some great pictures and writing if you want to see more. Just click HERE to see it