Sunday, May 10, 2015

11th May The last day of this amazing tour of Israel and Jordan

Reflecting back on the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and touches, I discover that this has been an 'experiential' experience.


Perhaps a highlight was sitting at the feet of Moshe Kempinski, an Orthodox Jew who runs a tiny shop "Shorashim" in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. Moshe, being Orthodox, has studied what we know as the Old Testament, as well as all the other Jewish writings; but more than that he has studied the New Testament and Early Christian documents, to the extent that he can quote passages of Scripture easily in his conversation.
He was encouraging and deeply wise in every word he said - he did not say too much, he did not say too little in the half-an-hour he spoke to us. Three things he said will remain with me -
"Here in Israel listen with your eyes"
"When you return home you will not be able to tell others what you have experienced"
"You did not decide to visit Israel, God called you to Israel"

I think it is the second of those two quotes which have made it so hard for me to write my blog over the past few days. Oh yes, I could have simply written facts, but what was happening was deep inside.
An example of this was leading the breaking of the bread (Eucharist) at the Garden Tomb. The Garden is a fairly large area with well established trees and bushes giving places where one can be quiet or where groups can sit together for prayer and worship. On request, the staff of the Garden will set up a tray with a chalice of grape juice and a plate of matzos in one of these quiet places. John Atkinson, our tour leader, asked if I would like to celebrate, which I did.
In prayer before the group came together I became aware of two things - first, that I should not use liturgy, using rather 1Cor 11, and second, that it was important that, being as close as we were to Golgatha, the place of the crucifixion, we should individually be prepared to confess the deepest unconfessed sin we held, because it was here that Jesus died for that sin. The Spirit moved in a way that only He can move and we were blessed with tears as together we shared in "my body broken for you" and "my blood shed for you".

How does one really share that experience?
How does one share the atmosphere of St James Armenian Cathedral with its oil lamps and chanting clergy?
How does one describe the blazing heat of the Desert through which the children of Israel trudged for 40 years?
How does one describe the soaring vulture which somehow takes your heart with it on every thermal?
How does one describe standing face to face with the Western Wall so emotional that you cannot think what to pray, but know it's just you and the Presence of God, and He knows your heart?
And how do you describe just sitting on the shore of the Sea of Galilee withe the water lapping at your feet, knowing that on this spot Jesus walked and taught.

I have listened with my eyes and I will find it hard to share the experiences, but I know that God called me here.
Thank you Lord!



Saturday, May 9, 2015

Day 13 - 9th May


So just to say that we visited the Garden Tomb this morning and I was asked to lead the breaking of bread - it was great remembering that "my body broken for you" happened just a stone's throw away from where I was saying the words. It made them very real.

On a lighter note - 


Thursday, May 7, 2015

Days 11 and 12 - 6th and 7th May


For those of you following my blog, I have to tell you that this tour is catching up on me fast. Last night, having arrived from Caesarea after a full day of touring, I had no idea what day of the week it was, nor what date it was! Truth is that we have done so much in the time we have been here that I am suffering information overload. So please bear with me if I seem a little short!

Today we spent most of the day on the Temple Mount and the in the Old City.
I don't want to spend time talking about what the Moslems have done and are doing not only in Jerusalem the city, but also on the Temple Mount.
This is the most holy place for the Jews, yet they may only pray at the Western Wall which is the foundation of Herod the Great's temple built in13BC.
I prayed there this afternoon for my family and friends; the sun beat down, but, surrounded by many Orthodox Jews and folk from all over the world spending focussed time in the Presence of the Lord, I was very aware of the need for peace in our broken and hurting world.



Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Day 10 - 5th May - Golan Heights


When the name of the Golan Heights is mentioned, I immediately think of war between Israel and Syria and the tank battle that took place in 1967 in the Six Day War. True, there are still mine fields and rusting tanks that dot the landscape, but the land is so fertile and there is so much water that the farmers are hard at work growing crops, planting vines, and raising cattle in a land that was once called Bashan. Amos, speaking to the wealthy, fat nobles of Samaria called them "cows of Bashan" - once you have seen the bovines, you realise that the comparison was a good one!

Our visit took us to Gamla, an ancient fortress destroyed by the Romans in 67AD, and where breeding pairs of vultures inhabit the craggy cliffs. I have heard before that when Isaiah (40:31) refers to soaring on wings like eagles, the word "eagles" can be translated "vultures". The trouble with vultures is that they have a not-very-nice connotation, "eagles" sounds better. These birds were truly awesome.



Our next stop was at a small factory where olive oil and olive products are made - delicious oil; to a small craft beer brewery (wonderful smell of Horlicks/malt); and on to a small family wine farm which produces wonderful wines from South African cultivars. The first winemaker spent some time learning his trade in South Africa before setting up his farm and today his son runs the farm with such humble pride. The son's wife studied as a chef in a restaurant in New York, so their vision is to create a boutique B&B. 
We didn't stop for lunch at the winery, but drove up to a small Druze village where we had the local meal a pancake easily half a meter wide folded in half, smeared with goats cheese, yoghurt and sesame oil and the folder like a wrap - very delicious!



At this point in te day most of us really didn't know what the time was or even the day of the week! We arrived at the ruins of Dan (having driven past the springs at Banias and Caesarea Phillipi) and set off on a hike which took us within sight of the Lebanese and Syrian border. Whenever you read of missiles being fired into Israel from Lebanon, this is where they come from! Even more scary was the sound coming from a Syrian town just over a low hill - automatic gunfire! Our guide assured us that the Syrians were always fighting and, apart from occasional sightings of Hezbollah over the Lebanese border, the place was at peace. We certainly saw large numbers of IDF troops and vehicles, so the Israelis are ever vigilant.

Monday, May 4, 2015

Day 9 - 4th May - Caperneum


Just a short blog tonight as the pace is quite exhausting!
This morning we climbed down the Mount of the Beatitudes, before driving to Caperneum, walking through the synagogue and spending half an hour of silent reflection sitting on the shore of Galilee. In the afternoon we visited the "Jesus boat" - the conserved wooden fishing boat found in deep mud off Genneseret dated to the time of Jesus. This evening before supper had a (freezing) swim in the Sea of Galilee.

This picture is of the ruins of the synagogue in Caperneum. These ruins are from about 100AD and are Roman. The synagogue that Jesus knew is under these present ruins, in fact the earlier synagogue was used as the foundation for the new one.
There is no doubt that Jesus voice was heard here as he read the scriptures and taught.





Sunday, May 3, 2015

Day 8 - 3rd May - The Galilee




This afternoon we climbed the Arbel - a mountain on the north-western side of the Sea of Galilee. We sat and looked down from this great height and from here we could see where Jesus walked, taught and performed his miracles. Behind us was the town of Cana; away to the left (out of picture) was Nazareth; in the bottom left corner of the photo is the edge of Migdal - modern Magdala; the big village in the centre is the Nof Ginosar kibbutz - where we are staying - in Jesus time it was a small fishing village; if you follow the line of the lake north and then round the bay to the east, in the bay on the far side you can see what is a white church with a red roof - the mount of the Beatitudes; follow the shoreline on to the next bay, on the far side of that bay is Capernaum.
Luke 6:12 (only one of a number of texts) tells us of Jesus climbing a mountainside to pray. Could this be the place He came to, the place where He prayed, the place where He looked down on the people and villages He loved?

Saturday, May 2, 2015

Day 7 - via Jericho and Nazareth to the Sea of Galilee


Today we visited Jericho and Nazareth before arriving at our hotel on the Nof Ginosar kibbutz right on the western bank of the Sea of Galilee.
My photograph for today captures one of those lifetime "A-ha" moments.
Our tour leader, John Atkinson, stopped the bus above Nazareth and we stood at a lookout point where we could see the valley of Armageddon. John gave us a teaching touching on the similarities of the ministry of Elisha and Jesus.
In 2 Kings 4:8-37 we read of Elisha bringing the son of the Shunamite woman back to life. In Luke 7:11-16 we read of Jesus raising the son of the widow of Nain. Now I know both of those stories well, but the time difference in centuries, the split between the Old and New Testaments and the fact that I have never even considered the links between Elisha and Jesus meant that when John pointed out the two villages in the view, I was stunned. You will have to look closely as the villages are in the middle distance, but the village on the left, next to the pine tree in the fore-ground, is Nain; the village on the right, on the slopes of Mount Tabor (also called the mountain of the Transfiguration), is Shunem.
Wow!


Friday, May 1, 2015

Day 6 - 1st May - Masada and Qumran


What would you do guys when faced with this decision?
The year is about 70AD and the Roman occupation of your country (Israel) is becoming unbearable.
One day, somewhere in the country a group of Jews are having a service in their synagogue when in marches a Roman centurion and announces that the Romans are going to build a new road and, bad news, the new road is going to cut through the middle of the synagogue.
What follows is what became known as the Second Revolution.
What happened in Jerusalem can hardly be described as almost the entire population was slaughtered or taken into slavery and the temple of Herod the Great was torn down.
Many escaped into the country where they were hunted down and either killed or taken into slavery. However, 960 men, women and children managed to escape to the shores of the Dead Sea where they found refuge on the top of Masada.
Masada is a free-standing mountain in the Wilderness of the Judean Mountains. It was here that Herod the Great built a fortress which included a palace to which he could escape in time of danger. Herod's enemies were his own people whom he had forced into slavery to built his opulent palaces and new towns. The fortress held enough food and water to eight years.


By the time the refugees arrived at Masada Herod was long gone (interestingly having never spent a night in his palace) but the supplies were all in place.
The Romans, having crushed the Revolt, sent the 8000 men of the 10th Legion under the command of Flavius Silva to lay siege to the mountain. Flavius Silva boasted that he would finish the job in two weeks, but three years later with his men about to mutiny he finally took a drastic step and built a massive ramp up to the top of the mountain. The wall was then breached, but the attacking Romans then withdrew down the hill not wanting to attack at night.
That night the Jews were faced with the question.
They knew that the next morning the Romans would enter Masada, they knew that the men would suffer a long slow death, the woman would be raped and then, together with the children be made slaves. The community opted for a quick death at their own hands.
The Romans arrived in the morning and met no resistance. In the search they found the bodies of the refugees and two women and five children who had hidden in a water cistern during the killing. These seven survivors were taken to Rome and were questioned by the Emperor personally as the Romans viewed the sacrifice on Masada with deep respect.



For Jews today Masada is problematic, because life belongs to God and being a Jew is all about life. However every young man and women who finishes basic training in the Israeli Defence Force marches up the mountain (no cable car for them!) and pledges that "Masada will never fall again".

From Masada we drove to Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found - more on that another time.



Thursday, April 30, 2015

Day 5 - 30th April - From the Muezzin's call to the Dead Sea


The central mosque in Petra is in the block next to our hotel and the minaret is at the same level as our bedroom window. At 04.20 the amplified voice of the muezzin calls the  faithful to prayer and rudely awakes the (presumably) unfaithful. I understand that this simply a wake-up call. At 04.30, just as the unfaithful has snuggled back under the covers and slipped back to sleep, the muezzin lets rip again with the prayers to which he had earlier woken the faithful. I have asked, and been told, that the prayers start with "Allah Akbar" or "God is great". I guess that one has to be one of the faithful to understand the prayer, because in this muezzin's case his P.A. system sounded like it was on its last legs and the sound was horribly distorted. The prayers continued for about five minutes and then ...... silence. Part of me felt that even the faithful rolled over at that point and managed to get back to sleep again. BTW - I found myself praying through the Trinity while the muezzin was doing his thing and found peace.

We the hotel and drove north to Madaba to see the most amazing mosaics created in the 8th century - really beautiful.


From Madaba to Mount Nebo which was the vantage point to which God took Moses for a sneak preview of the Promised Land. I was a tad disappointed as the heat haze meant that we could hardly see the Jordan River, even less see Jerico, Jerusalem and beyond. 


Then down to the Jordan to the Allenby Bridge and the border crossing back into Israel. What a mission!!!!!! Eventually we emerged from the post to find our bus, driver and guide waiting for us and ready to drive us south down the western side of the Dead Sea to our hotel at Ein Boket.

Stunning hotel, superb room and excellent meal tonight. Now ready to hit the hay so to speak before tomorrow's trip to Masada and Qumran.

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Day 4 - 29th April - from Ramon to Eilat and on to Petra


Day 3 was a long day. We started with a visit to the crater of Ramon - Makhtesh Ramon - a vast crater created, not by a meteor, but by water. Here in the south of Israel everything is about water. Either the lack of it or the action of too much of it. In this case a huge inland sea covered a sandstone formation until levels dropped and the sea went pouring out. Subsequent flash floods and wind erosion ate away the sandstone leaving a desert within a circle of cliffs 25km across.
There is an amazing visitor's centre with movies and displays.
As one enters the visitor's centre one wonders if you are in the right place, because the whole place is dedicated to the memory of Col. Ilan Ramon, who, having been a jet fighter pilot hero, joined NASA as an astronaut and was one of the crew on the ill-fated Columbia mission which disintegrated on re-entry on 1st February 2003. He has hero status in Israel as the country's first astronaut. Sadly, there was more tragedy in the family. Asaf, Ilan's oldest son, followed his Dad into the air force and was killed in a accident in 2009 while flying an F16.
Ilan Ramon loved Makhtesh Ramon and spent much time visiting the desert there.


From Makhtesh Ramon we drove south through the desert to the southernmost point of Israel, Eilat. We had hoped to see the Red Sea, but it was not to be. We stopped in at a kibbutz which specializes in dairy herds. Their shop sells the best ice-cream, seriously the best. So we all had ice cream before heading to the Israel/Jordan border. Here we had to take everything off the bus and walk through Israeli customs and emigration, across "no-man's-land", trundling suitcases and carrying backpacks, to the Hashamite Kingdom of Jordan. All in a sun-blazing 40+ degrees.


Once through the border we found our bus and Jordanian guide James and set off up north along  the three thousand year old trading route, the King's Highway. The present road is laid on the road the Romans built on top of the camel paths.


This land has history going way, way back and it is not hard to imagine the Hebrew people led by Moses getting grouchy in all the dust and mountains, lack of water and HEAT. 
Note: Our bus has a fridge on board for water and air conditioning so we have all the creature comforts! At around 15.00 we arrived at the Amra Palace Hotel in Petra.


Day 4 started with a drive in the bus to the ancient Nabataean city of Petra. This is one of the seven wonders of the World. The city was carved from the sandstone gorges that make their way through the mountains by the Nabataeans who created their city on the great trade route between China and the Meditteranean Sea about 300BC. The city flourished until 106AD when the Romans took it over. The style of the buildings is influenced by Egyptian, Greek and Roman architecture and are all carved out of amazingly colored sandstone which draws its colours from the mineral deposits which leach through the rocks.


The visitor to Petra has to make a long walk - about 1.5kms through a narrow gorge running through the mountain. The gorge was formed during an earthquake which shifted the two sides apart, in fact there are places where one can clearly see where the two sides would fit together. At the end of the gorge the visitor suddenly comes into the huge open space in front of the Treasury.



Sarah and I realise that we are not as fit as we think we are and so when the tour leader offered to take tour members up to the top of the mountain (1000 steps) to visit a building called "The Monastery", we, and about half of the group opted to stay with the guide and walk out of Petra. In the end we also opted to hire one of the local taxis - a horse drawn buggy and so made our way out of Petra a bone-shaking speed. (That is Sarah in the buggy with the driver - Radar - and his 12 year-old horse).



Petra is referred to as Sela in the Old Testament - one interesting reference is found in 1Sam 23:28. The text is talking of the running fight between King Saul and David in the Desert of Maon; the chase is stopped when Saul is told that the Philistines are causing trouble ...... "and so that place is called Sela Hammahlekoth". The footnote translates the full name as "Rock of parting". One can understand perhaps a 'parting' of the ways for Saul and David; but after today's walk through the 1.5km gorge, I have to suggest the 'rock of parting' sounds very much like Petra!

Monday, April 27, 2015

Day 2 - 27th April - Moses strikes the rock

Today was one of those exciting days when I discovered something new about an old Bible story.

Here is the story from Numbers 20:1-13. So that you don't have to look it up, here it is.

Water From the Rock

20 In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.

Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. They quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the Lord! Why did you bring the Lord’s community into this wilderness, that we and our livestock should die here? Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!

Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting and fell facedown,and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. The Lord said to Moses, “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.”

So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence, just as he commanded him. 10 He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.

12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”

13 These were the waters of Meribah,[a] where the Israelites quarreled with the Lord and where he was proved holy among them.


That's the story. Today we went to En Avedat National Park walked up a long, hot, dry canyon which has huge rock walls on either side. Here it is -

At the bottom of the canyon is a river bed with a little trickle of water which comes out of the rock.. As you can see from the picture the rock of the canyon wall in the top middle of the picture iis heavily layered. These are soft limestone layers which are worn away by wind, rain and, strangely, birds nesting in holes, and ibex walking along the narrow ledges and wearing out grooves. However not all the layers are limestone, some are very hard flintstone. Here is what the bands look like close-up.

Rain water soaking into the top of the formation makes its way down through the porous limestone until it reaches the flintstone and there it stops and builds up until it forces a little hole and the water begins to run out. As most of you will know this sort of water is full of salts which begin to build up on the outside of the hole and eventually the hole is effectively plugged. What shepherds know is that to obtain water for their flocks all they need to do is strike the rock with his staff and ..... water will come rushing out.

When Moses ran away from Egypt what did he become?  A shepherd in the desert So it is highly probable that he knew of this method to find water.But it is NOT what the Lord told him to do. Moses was told to SPEAK to the rock. This story is not about Moses, it is about the Lord and what the Lord is able to do to provide for His people. God can do so much to provide our every need - in abundance - too often we take matters into/ our own hands. In this case Moses said to himself "I know what to do here, it it certainly isn't to speak".

To close here are two final photos - the first shows the laters of limestone, the layer of flintstone and where the water has run. The second is a detail from the first and shows the salt plug.



Well that's it for now. Bless you all



Sunday, April 26, 2015

Day 1 - 26th April - Arrival in Israel

WIt is amazing how one forgets so easily the really not-very-nice things that happen in life. Basically I had forgotten just how bad it was trying to get some sleep cramped up in Economy class on an international flight! However, we survived last night and landed in Istanbul at about 05.00. It was an amazing landing as the plane flies up the Sea of Marmera towards the airport and the final touch-down is just onto solid land.

We had a four hour layover in Istanbul and caught the two hour flight to Tel Aviv. Not too bad, and, being a two hour flight, was rather like a Kalula flight to Cape Town.

We all celebrated our arrival in Tel Aviv, as all the baggage arrived too - great way to start a tour. After meeting our guide, Jehuda, and bus-driver, Bichara, we loaded ourselves and all the luggage onto the bus and set off south for Beersheva. This first part of the tour is designed to take us into the Negev Desert and to follow the footsteps of Abraham. The journey was filled with Jehuda telling us the basics of Israel and a bit of its modern history. The dates to remember in recent history are 29th April 1947 when the United Nations agreed that a separate Jewish state should be formed, and the 14th May 1948 when thee Prime Minister, David Ben Gurion, proclaimed the Stae of Israel. The following day the armies of the seven Arab nations rose up with the stated intention of pushing the Jews into the sea. Israel not only defended its borders, but fought off the armies set against it.


After a stop for lunch at a fast-food outlet (photo of menu above - go figure) we drove down to the home of the late David Ben Gurion, which is now a National Park and the place where he and his wife were buried. The remarkable story of the founder of modern Israel is that, after serving his term a Prime Minister, he retired into the Negev Desert where he and his wife Paula lived in a small hut and worked at making the desert bloom. The desert is a torrid, wild place and very dry, but he succeeded and started to make things grow. 

Here is an example of the road signs - Hebrew, Arabic and English.



Once we had paid our respects at the twin graves our next stop was at the Carmay Avdot Farm which is a little winery in a valley in the Negev. We were welcomed by the owner's eldest son who told us the story of how his parents had responded to an appeal from the government 20 years ago to move into the Negev and create farms. There were two reasons for this project - 1) The local Beduin tribesmen considered the Negev as theirs as they had been a nomadic people in the region for generations, and the Israeli Government decided that as the land fell in the State of Israel, it should be 'grabbed back' from the Beduin. Accordingly parcels of land were given to farmers willing 2) to try to make the desert bloom. At first it w tough going as the Beduin tried to get their land back, but in the end working on a win-win solutions all parties are working happily together. The farm produces about 5000 bottles a year and produces a rather good wine. 
When I asked where the water came from in the middle of the arid Negev, I was told that the  water is supplied by the Israel Water Authority from a massive pipe line which runs from the north down to the south! So much for farming the way the farmers of old did their farming.

At last the Ramon Inn appeared and we were able to get off the bus, find our rooms and have a shower, a quick meal and head for bed.

The end of a very long day!

Saturday, April 18, 2015

Lecture : Dead Sea Scrolls (Thursday 16th - Christ Church, Kenilworth)

Thursday evening we met with the Cape Town contingent of the tour for a lecture on the Dead Sea Scrolls. We were shown a DVD  on the discovery of the scrolls and the research that has been done since 1947.
There is a very good write-up on Wikipedia on the scrolls and particularly the Great Scroll of Isaiah. Well worth a read for those of you who are sharing in the OT 101 evenings.
We will be visiting the caves of Qumran on the tour.

John Atkinson (our tour leader) had returned from Pretoria on Thursday afternoon with all our passports - he had been to apply for visas for us to enter the Hashamite Kingdom of Jordan. Seeing the visa in one's passports made the whole trip come 'live'!


Sunday, April 12, 2015

Introduction

The background to the tour

Seven years ago we moved to Salt Rock and, among many new friends, met Yvonne Roberts. Yvonne had been studying Hebrew for some time and had started to share some very basic Hebrew with a small group. Sarah joined the group and in short time was `hooked`. 
In 2009 friends invited us to join them for a visit to Israel, specifically to attend the  ICEJ Conference In Jerusalem, but also to tour the Holy Land. This was a trip of a lifetime for us and one which had a huge impact on both of us.
In 2013 Sarah started to study Biblical Hebrew online with the University of Jerusalem and did so well in her studies that when we heard that John Atkinson would be leading a teaching tour of Israel I felt that it would be right for Sarah to go. At the time we talked about her staying on in Jerusalem after the tour for a few weeks to immerse herself in Hebrew, but eventually we decided to drop the idea.
With her tour booked, Sarah was ready to go!
And then we had a call from John to say that somebody had heard that Sarah was traveling on her own, felt it was not right, and paid for my ticket! We were bowled over - what a super surprise and what an amazing gift!

We fly to Cape Town on the 14th April, spend two weeks with Jeremy, Brenda, Ruth and Nici, then join the tour on the 25th April.