How God encouraged me on Israel this trip
(Of the many things I could write, I will limit it to only a few for the sake of time!)
1. In the
Wilderness of Paran, where the Israelites wandered (Num 12:16), I meditated on Deuteronomy 8 and God reminded me of the simple but profound phrase in verse 2 that God has led His people in the wilderness all the way.
2. At the
Upper Room, where Christ had his last Passover meal with His disciples the night before the cross, we arrived early in the morning and there were no other tour groups there and we had a great deal of time to carefully and slowly walk through the steps of Jesus and how he so carefully moved and timed everything—John 12-18:1.
3. One of the favorites for everyone on the trip was the
Cove of the Sower which is a cove on the north edge of the Sea of Galilee in between Capernaum and Tabgha. I ran down to the shore (or as close as I could get) and I had everyone else scatter on the hillside up above (below and above the modern road) and I read Mark 4—Jesus’ parable on the sower. What an incredible passage about the seed of the Word growing and bearing fruit! Additionally, the people loved to hear the natural acoustics formed from the cove and the surrounding hillside.
4. I’d never been to
Hebron before and this was a first for me! We traveled to Hebron where David reigned for the first seven and a half years of his kingship. We also read about how Abraham bought this plot of land to bury Sarah and where he himself would also be buried (and Isaac and Rebecca as well as Jacob and Leah). Quite spectacular to see this tomb that Herod the Great constructed in the first century A.D. which is quite similar in structure and look to the Temple Mount.
5. In God's providence, we were in Jerusalem for
Tisha B'Av (the 9th of Av), when the Jewish people remember the destruction of the Temple by the Romans in 70AD (as well as the Solomonic Temple which was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar on this same day!). We were at the Western Wall till about 9:30pm listening to a plaza
full of Jewish men chanting and lamenting the book of Lamentations amongst other things. Quite an amazing experience!
Here's a passage I read often when traveling through Israel:
Psalm 48:12-14
12 Walk about Zion and go around her; Count her towers;
13 Consider her ramparts; Go through her palaces, That you may tell it to the next generation. 14 For such is God, Our God forever and ever; He will guide us until death.
Psalm 147 provides a host of reasons why believers must praise the LORD. The psalm begins and ends with the same phrase which ties the psalm together as a unit: Praise the LORD (הַ֥לְלוּ יָ֙הּ). This phrase also occurs in v.12 as well which divides the psalm into halves.
Biblical masculinity does not demand to be served but itself serves and sacrifices for the good of others. And, the call to lead is a call to repentance, humility, and risk taking.
Here are some good quotes I've come across in my PhD exam preparation:
From Richard Baxter as he comments on Ps 111:2 — Great are the works of the LORD; They are studied by all who delight in them:
Psalm 111 — Study Hard!
Something I was reminded of again yesterday in my church planting class was the absolute necessity of making sure my wife is #1 in my life and that she knows that she is #1 in my life. Listen, I'm not perfect at this (not even sure if I'd be in the 'good' category) but we as men must continually work at being better husbands, leaders, lovers, and learners of our wives.
How God encouraged me on Israel this trip
Last night I preached Deut 8 at the rehab center and gave four pillars to stand on so you don't forget the LORD your God. You can listen here.
It has just occurred to me, that the reason why the Lord has of late allowed me to be so severely tried--is that I have been very little at His throne of grace. Nor have His promises appeared so precious, pleadable, and suited to my case.
[photo: Iron Age gate at Tel Dan; courtesy of BiblePlaces]
