May 26th (give or take): Plants and animals in Israel

Some time about half way through my trip to Israel, I found myself becoming increasingly enthused about taking pictures of plant and animal life, especially those mentioned in the Bible. I think I caught the bug on or about May 26th, although the photos were taken throughout the entirety of my journey. So, what follows is a quick tour of some of the plants and animals of Israel. The first picture you see is a close-up of an olive tree. The olive tree is for all intents and purposes the national tree of Israel. They are everywhere (see my previous blog entry on the Garden of Gethsemane to see olive trees from a distance). Note on this photo, the leaves are oblong, whereas the olives are rounder.


We saw a group of camels one morning shortly after we hit the road. Our bus driver and professor were kind enough to allow us off the bus for a quick picture stop.


This is a picture of a fig tree in Jerusalem. I really like fresh figs, so, it was unfortunate for me that it was not fig season while I was there.


This is a bird called "tristram's grackel." It is a pretty, raven-like bird with brown wings (fully brown on the under side). Though not mentioned in the Bible, I was intrigued by these birds because we saw them all over the desert region.


"The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats" (Psalm 104:18). We saw several ibex, or wild goats, in the desret region, or wilderness, of southern Israel. By the way, one thing I learned on this trip is that when the Bible talks about the "wilderness," it is not talking about places like Tennessee and Kentucky back in the early 1800s where Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone hung out. The wilderness of Israel is a dry, pasty-white, hazy, barren land, as you can see in this picture. Experiencing this area gave me a better apprecitation for biblical accounts such as Jesus' fasting in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-2).


This tree is known as the Atad tree, and is mentioned in a parable in Judges 9:15 (called the "bramble" in some translations). The parable uses the analogy of different trees, and the point of the parable is that although Israel thought they wanted a king to rule over them, this was not the best for them. The parable relates how the olive tree, fig tree, and grape vine were too busy to be king, so the Atad offered its shady services. However, as we learned, the Atad is a deceptive tree. It offers much shade, but with its shallow roots, nothing will grow underneath it (as this picture shows). Get it? Israel wanted the "shade," or benefits, of having a king, but was doomed not to prosper in such as situation. God Himself was supposed to be their king.



We saw sheep throughout the country. These are in Nazareth, the town where Jesus grew up. Note that there are apparently two black sheep in this family.


This is a carob tree. You might recognize carob as a chocoloate substitute. In the middle east, the carob pod is used to feed pigs. It is the carob tree that is referenced in Luke 15:16 in the parable of the Prodigal Son. After the son had squandered his inheritance, he "longed to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate."


This is a papyrus plant, important in ancient times because it was used to make paper.


"Coneys are creatures of little power, yet they make their homes in the crags" (Proverbs 30:26). One day while milling about at a biblical site, I turned a corner and found myself being stared down by a mother coney (like a large badger) at a distance of about twenty feet. She had four babies behind her. After the initial stare, she went back to her business, so I quietly proceeded to sit down and experiment with the zoom feature on my new camera. They were very interesting looking, and very cute little creatures. I felt fortunate to have had this encounter, because our professor had told us that we probably were not going to see any coneys on the trip.


Close-up of a few of the baby coneys.


This is a picture of an Acacia tree. They are very pretty. Joshua 2:1 says that Joshua sent two spies out from a place called Shittim to investigate Jericho. Now, I remember as a child everybody snickering at that word since it sounds like a bad word in English. However, "Shittim" is the plural for "Acacia tree" in Hebrew. I've noticed some translations now say that Joshua sent the spies to Jericho from "Acacia Grove."


"Even the stork in the sky knows its appointed seasons" (Jeremiah 8:7). It was difficult to get a good photo of a stork. This is my best one. The stork here is on the banks of the Jordan River.


"Bulls of Bashan" are mentioned in the Bible (see Psalm 22:12 and Amos 4:1, for example). We rode through the area of Bashan in northern Israel, and sure enough, there were cows and bulls seemingly every one hundred yards.

May 25th: Climb every mountain

The brochure for my trip to Israel stated that students must be in good shape because there would be a lot of walking during the course. So, I was prepared to do a lot of walking. What surprised me was the almost constant uphill and downhill walking in Israel. Even the “plateau” regions had hills, just less of them. Throughout the country, many hills were quite steep. I am in better-than-average physical condition, and there were a handful of occasions when I “felt the burn” in my legs or felt my heart pounding after a quick, steep climb.


On May 25th, our group set out for a four-day field trip to the biblical territory of Judah. In modern parlance, this means southern Israel, which includes the Negev and the wilderness (desert). As you might guess, our first stop was a steep mountain fortress called the Herodium. As the name suggests, the Herodium was a part-time defense fortress, part-time luxurious getaway for King Herod the Great, who ruled in Israel from about 37 BC to 4 BC. (He is the Herod that is mentioned in the Bible around the time of Jesus’ birth.) The Herodium is located about seven and a half miles from Jerusalem on the route out to the desert. It served as a refuge in case Herod ever had to “get out of town” quickly, but also had a large pool for his vacations. Historical records indicate that Herod the Great wanted to be buried at the Herodium. And sure enough, more recently (i.e. in the last century or two) the burial site of Herod has been discovered there.


The first picture above is the Herodium from a distance (and, you can see part of the pool at the bottom of the hill, in the foreground). Yes, we walked to the very top, although the bus dropped us off about half-way up. Still, it was a steep climb. The second photo is me at the top of the fortress. You can see how high it is by looking at the landscape and mountains in the background. The third photo shows you the Roman remains at the top of the fortress. The remains include living and storage spaces for troops.


We visited two of Herod’s fortresses in all (we went to Masada a few days later), and one of the challenges at both was the realization that once you got to the top, your walking was not done. You see, in order to get from one part of the fortress to another, you often have to walk up and down steep stairways on the sides of the mountain. The fourth photo depicts an example of this. In order to get to Herod’s burial site, we had to descend approximately 150-200 steep stairs. The fifth photo is Herod’s burial site. After seeing the burial site, it was time to once again climb back up to the top. Such mini-excursions were always tiring, but always worth it.


One thing that came across loud and clear on this trip was that Herod the Great was a prolific builder. He orchestrated a major renovation of the Jerusalem Temple, built the port city of Caesarea, and constructed several impressive forts, such as the Herodium and Masada. He was a tyrannical, paranoid, vindictive, yet “larger than life” kind of leader. In fact, he was dubbed “King of the Jews” (ruler over Israel, though he himself was not Jewish). What’s more, his rule was under one of the most prolific emperors in the history of the Roman Empire, Caesar Augustus. Isn’t it interesting that at the height of Caesar Augustus’ power, he decreed that a census be taken in the Roman Empire—a census that required a Jewish man named Joseph to travel with his pregnant fiancé to a town called Bethlehem, where, of course, the real King of the Jews was born?

May 22nd: The conquest

Imagine the difficulties involved if you were required to haul yourself and everything you own up a 4,000 foot mountain. Imagine further that the mountain was laden with large rocks, making passage extremely difficult. And let’s add in that the outside temperature during your trek is anywhere from the mid-90s up to about 110 or so. Oh, and one more thing. Imagine that there are cities of people at the top of this mountain that want to kill you.

If all that is hard enough to fathom, then think what it would be like if an entire nation of about two million people had to make such a journey. It would be pretty amazing, wouldn’t it? Well, this is exactly how the Bible describes the beginning of the Israelite conquest of the Promised Land during the time of Joshua. After the death of Moses, Joshua led the nation across the Jordan River and proceeded to attack and conquer the nearby city of Jericho . . . well, he had the Israelites march around the city seven times--you remember the story. The next target of the Israelites was the city of Ai, which was several miles inland. Ai was also about a 4,000 foot climb from Jericho, up very rugged, rocky mountains.

You might recall that the Israelites were initially unsuccessful in taking the city of Ai. Their warriors were chased out of the city, and many were killed on the jagged rocks during their hurried descent. But eventually the Israelites took the city, and over time the Israelites made the climb and occupied Ai and other conquered cities. How many Israelites were there at the time? Well, the book of Numbers records that prior to the conquest, there was around 600,000 men in Israel. Most scholars reckon that there were about two million Israelites when one accounts for women and children as well.


On May 22nd, our group took our first field trip outside of Jerusalem. We began the day in the city of Jericho (see “welcome sign,” first photo). Jericho is one of two places that we went that is in Palestinian-controlled territory (Bethlehem was the other), which means that we had to pass through a check point and provide our passports in order to access the areas. The Palestinian areas were much different in look and feel from Israel. For the most part, they were poorer, and more run down. My guess is that the average westerner would feel much less secure in these places.


Nevertheless, we had no problems in Jericho. The second photo that you see is of the modern city of Jericho. What is noteworthy about this photo are the mountains in the background, which surround the city from the northwest counterclockwise to the southwest (the Jordan River is to the east). Of course, the main site in Jericho is the excavation of the Canaanite city that was attacked and destroyed by Joshua. The third photo that you see is the excavation site. In the foreground is some of the remains of one of the lower city walls (after it crumbled, of course). It the middle ground, you may be able to detect the remains of one of the higher city walls (ancient near east cities were often on hills or mounds, with concentric walls to ensure adequate defense).

After touring Jericho, we took a bus ride up the 4,000 foot mountains to an observation post close to the biblical city of Ai. The fourth photo is me at the observation post. In the background are the rock-laden mountains leading back toward Jericho.


As I took the bus ride and then looked out over the observation post, a few thoughts came to my mind. First, I could see the truth in passages like Joshua 7:3-5, which states that Joshua’s spies initially recommended that only a few men go up to take Ai, so as not to wear out all the troops. I can certainly see why such a campaign would have tired even the most rugged of troops. This passage also describes how this first group was repelled from Ai and chased back down the rocky terrain. I can imagine how frightening it must have been to be running for your life down a steep mountain with large jagged rocks everywhere.

The second thought I had was how difficult it must have been to get two million people, give or take, with all of their livestock and other belongings, up the 4,000 foot climb. The logistics and plan of movement would have to have been quite elaborate. And it must have taken a long time. I can understand why it would have taken not only years, but generations, for the Israelites to occupy the Promised Land.

One last thought. When I looked out to the west from Jericho to the great swath of high, dry mountains, I thought, “I can see how the Israelites might have been very discouraged after entering the Promised Land to see the awesome task before them.” But then I remembered that God had given them enough information about the land to allow them to walk in faith. Specifically, Moses had previously sent spies into the land, and two faithful spies—Joshua and Caleb—had returned to tell not only of the “milk and honey” that flowed there, but that with God’s help, they could surely conquer the land.

Our study of the path of the conquest took about half the day, so in the afternoon we visited three or four other biblical sites. But the Jericho-to-Ai portion of the field trip once again reminded me of the saying that kept coming up over and over on this trip: The Bible brings the land to life, and the land brings the Bible to life.

May 21st: And you thought Baptists and Methodists were so different

One of the realities about a place with the historical significance of Israel is that competing traditions sometimes crop up. For instance, there are two locations that claim to be the site of Calvary and Jesus’ tomb (the cross and tomb are regarded as having been close to one another). One of these sites is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the other is the Garden Tomb (also called Gordon’s tomb, named after a popular nineteenth century British army officer). Our group visited both sites.

Such competing claims leave the historian and biblical scholar with the task of sorting out which claim is most valid. The task is somewhat similar to that of a military intelligence specialist or a television meteorologist. That is, one has to make assessments based on a combination of known data and educated conjecture. In the case of assessing the validity of historical sites in Israel, our professor used the rough categories of “certain,” “probable,” “possible,” and “ridiculous.”

Biblical scholars generally agree that the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the probable location of Calvary and Jesus’ tomb, largely because of the ancient origins of the claim and because the location fairly accurately matches the biblical description of the location. On the other hand, the Garden Tomb falls into the category of ridiculous, as that tomb was clearly used in the Old Testament era (the Bible says that Jesus was buried in a new tomb, see Matt. 27:60 and Luke 23:53).

I took the photos that you see on May 21st during our trip to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The first is the outside of the church. The second is the area (protected by glass) of the location of the foot of the cross. The third and fourth photos are upstairs from there, and mark the location of the top of the cross.

“Denominationally” speaking, the church is Greek orthodox, and as such, it is very ornate. There are intricate mosaics, paintings, and decorations all over the church. For those who have never been in an eastern orthodox church, they are very different in look and feel from the average Protestant church in America. In fact, when I entered the church, I turned to a fellow student and said, “And you thought Baptists and Methodists were different.” (By contrast, the Garden Tomb, though not the real location of the cross and tomb, is located in a quasi-park, in what I would call a much more “Baptist-friendly” atmosphere.)

While in the church, our group took a few minutes to find a quiet corner and read some Scripture. It was here that I experienced one of the most meaningful privileges of my entire trip. I got to read Psalm 22 aloud to our group. This is the Psalm that begins, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Most people recognize this as the words that Jesus spoke while He was being crucified. Many don’t realize, however, that Jesus was actually quoting Scripture from the cross.

The thing that amazes me about Psalm 22 is that it was written about a thousand years before Jesus was born, yet the first verse is not the only glimpse (prophecy) of things to come. Consider briefly the following verses from Psalm 22:

“All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads: "He trusts in the Lord; let the Lord rescue him.” (vv. 7-8a)

“I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.” (vv. 14-15)

“They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.” (v. 18)

These are just a few examples, but if you read Psalm 22 in its entirety, you will see the depiction of a man who suffers rejection, pain, and death, but is rescued by God and subsequently causes the nations to turn to the Lord. Sounds a lot like the gospel, doesn’t it? This has long been a very meaningful chapter of Scripture for me, and it was an incredible honor and privilege to be able to read these weighty words aloud in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

May 20th: The Garden

The reason that I took this trip to Israel was to learn more about the geography, history, climate, and culture of the country so that I can better understand and teach the Bible. Although I had a lot of fun, the trip was a Master’s level course, complete with lectures, quizzes, and a final exam. I made it a point not to go there for an emotional or spiritual “high” or “mountaintop experience”—this was not high school church summer camp. Nevertheless, there were a few stops that did trigger an emotional response in me, and one of them was the Garden of Gethsemane.

The Garden of Gethsemane is located just to the east of the Jerusalem wall, meaning that in Jesus’ day, it was outside of the city. It sits near the base of the Mount of Olives, which is separated from Jerusalem by the Kidron Valley. (Incidentally, learning about places like the Kidron Valley was very informative to me, since I had read the name many times in the Bible, yet never really had a good feel for where it is.)


Anyway, the Garden of Gethsemane is regarded as a place where Jesus often brought his disciples to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, to rest, and to teach them. Some speculate that it is a place where Jesus may have slept while staying in Jerusalem. Also, when Judas betrayed Jesus, it appears that he had little trouble determining where Jesus would be. The garden was known to them all.


I took the photos that you see on May 20th, during our trip to the Mount of Olives and the garden. The first is me at the top of the Mount of Olives with Jerusalem in the background. The second picture is one side of the garden, with olive trees dispersed all about, and not much else. The atmosphere here is quiet and serene. However, the third photo depicts more colorful flowers on the other side of the garden, which is also the location of a church. The church is called The Church of the Nations, and it is characterized by much more noise and activity (tourists in and out of the church all day), as well as the more “aesthetically pleasing” flowers. The final photo is a road sign to the Mount of Olives. Note that signs are presented in Hebrew, Arabic, and English.

While at the Garden of Gethsemane, our group found a corner of the quiet, serene side to read some Scripture and ponder what Jesus was going through on that fateful night. It was at this point that something struck me—something I never would have noticed unless I was standing right there. Take a good look again at the second picture above. In the background you can see a wall. That wall is the east wall of the Jerusalem Temple, and just behind that wall was the Holy of Holies. The irony hit me like a ton of bricks. Here you had Jesus—God in the flesh—already enduring agony and rejection in the Garden of Gethsemane, within clear sight of the place where God Himself made His dwelling (the Holy of Holies of the Temple). I can only imagine that the psychological effect of this only added to the suffering that our Savior was enduring in those moments. I imagine that the psychological suffering is similar to that of an Alcatraz prisoner, holed up and hopeless on a bay island, with the vibrant life of San Francisco in full view every day.


One of the enduring lessons I take from the events of the Garden of Gethsemane is that Jesus actually prayed that the cup, i.e. the suffering that was to come, would be lifted from Him. But Jesus was careful to add, “nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (Matt. 26:39). I try to keep this in mind with every prayer request I make. God desires us to bring our petitions to Him in prayer, but we also must be willing ultimately to submit to His will, regardless of our desires.

May 18th: The tunnel

Since I have been home from Israel, a friend asked me, “I know it must be hard, but, what is the one thing that you liked the best in Israel?” I responded that I had actually already given that question some thought, and I had come to the conclusion that I was finding it difficult to decide what my favorite thing was on each day, let alone for the whole trip. It was all so fascinating, so awe-inspiring. Nevertheless, on May 18th, I think I would have to go with Hezekiah’s tunnel.

In about 701 B.C., the Assyrians were about to overrun the country of Judah (the Jewish nation whose kings were in the direct line of descent from David and Solomon). As the Assyrians were poised to besiege the capital city of Jerusalem, King Hezekiah of Judah got his men to work on a vitally important project. You see, the water supply for the inhabitants of Jerusalem was located outside of the city wall, and was thus vulnerable to seizure by the Assyrian army. Hezekiah had his men build an underground tunnel that would allow the water to flow into the city. That way, the residents of Jerusalem could use the water, and access to it would be denied to the invading Assyrians.

This tunnel is mentioned in 2 Kings 20:20, which says, “As for the other events of Hezekiah's reign, all his achievements and how he made the pool and the tunnel by which he brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah?” In addition, an inscription was discovered in the tunnel during the nineteenth century (known as the Shiloah inscription), around the time when several excavations were going on in the vicinity. The inscription describes the work that was done by Hezekiah’s men, and it is considered a very valuable archaeological find because it is an excellent example of the type of Hebrew used in those days.

As part of our itinerary, we had the opportunity to traverse Hezekiah’s tunnel. After strenuous, and I mean strenuous, warnings that those who are claustrophobic should not enter, we proceeded down a series of steps, ending about a few hundred feet underground. Then it was into the tunnel. The tunnel was about one thousand yards long, and only a few feet wide. As you can see by the photo of myself above, my shoulders and backpack were scraping the sides of the tunnel the whole way. In fact, there were a few brief portions where I had to turn my body sideways to squeeze through. The height of the tunnel ranged from ten feet down to about four or five feet for stretches, so I did a lot of squatting and crouching. Oh, and I almost forgot . . . there is still water running through the tunnel. For the most part, the water was about ankle high, but there was a brief stretch where it was knee deep (see photo below where person is walking in front of me in the distance).

It took thirty-five minutes to make it through the entire tunnel. At the end was the site where the inscription was found. As is the case with most important inscriptions found in Israel, the original is now in a museum (a replica is at the site). The below photo was at the place where the inscription was found. The tunnel is too narrow to get a frontal photo, so as you can see, I had to take the shot from an angle.















After traversing the tunnel, I was more tired than I expected, yet I had a feeling of indescribable satisfaction. It was hard work to make it through the tunnel. I had worked up a sweat, yet also felt somewhat cool from wading in water. But most of all I was just awestruck. Here I was, on the other side of the world from my home, and worlds away from my desk job, having completed an incredible journey through a 2700-year old tunnel that is mentioned in God’s Word. I couldn’t believe that I was lucky enough to get to do this. The entire biblical account of the Assyrian invasion of Judah and Hezekiah’s defense had come alive to me in a way I never dreamed possible.

May 17th: Khamsin

At about noon local time on Monday, May 17th, I stepped off of a plane in Tel Aviv after an eleven hour flight from Newark. Though tired, I was excited to have landed safely and to finally be in Israel. I had first heard about this trip last September from my Old Testament professor at seminary (who was also on the trip). But it wasn’t until a full three seconds later that I decided for sure that I was going to go on this trip . . . and that’s the truth. So I had been very excited for quite some time.

After we made our way through security and got our luggage, we stepped outside to board the bus for Jerusalem. And it was there that I got my first taste of Israel. My first impression? Hot! And I mean beastly hot! As excited as I was, I sheepishly admitted to myself that I didn’t know if I could make it for three weeks in this kind of heat.

Well, once we got on the bus (chartered type with microphone in the front and air conditioning throughout), our new professor introduced herself and began to explain the itinerary, etc. And, it did not take long for her to address the hot weather. What we were experiencing, she said, was a condition known as Khamsin. It is pronounced “COMM-SEEN,” or if you want to practice your Hebrew gutturals, you can pronounce the “Kh” with that well-known sound produced when you try to bring up mucous from your throat. It’s up to you.

Khamsin is a condition that occurs in Israel from about mid-April to the end of May, where hot winds blow in from the deserts of Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula. It causes very uncomfortable conditions for people, and the winds will actually scorch the plants on the ground (see photo I took of a field of dried wheat). [I know, I know, you were expecting pictures with a little more zing than that . . . I promise I’ll have plenty more “interesting” photos as I continue my trip diary.] For people who have lived in Southern California, Khamsin is similar to the Santa Ana conditions, where the winds will come in from the California desert instead of the Pacific, causing uncomfortable heat for a few days.

Now, fortunately for us, the Khamsin ended after that first day, and the weather in Jerusalem was beautiful. It was warm and sunny with low humidity during the days, and the nights were comfortably cool with nice breezes. Again, it reminded me a lot of the typical weather in Southern California. Of course, when we ventured out on field trips to the desert and other areas, we experienced very hot conditions, but overall, hot weather in no way put a damper on my trip.

So, you might be wondering, who cares? Why am I telling you about Khamsin? Well, I bring it up because it illustrates something that I learned over and over again on this trip. That is, in terms of geography, climate, plant and animal life, etc., the land of Israel provides a clarity that I normally miss by reading the Bible in the confines of my own culture. Luke 12:54-56 says this:

54 He [Jesus] also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens.

55 And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens.

56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?”

What is this “south wind” that brings “scorching heat” that is mentioned in verse 55? It is the Khamsin! This is a passage of the Bible that I have read many times, and in my mind I read it “south wind blah blah blah, scorching heat blah blah.” I never paid attention to what these things actually refer to. Here Jesus was using a well-known weather phenomenon to make a point.

This little Khamsin snippet also got me to thinking of all the “signs” that we can recognize. We know that a red sky at night means good weather. We know that when Blockbuster is packed, there must be a snowstorm in the forecast. Heck, I’ve watched so many sporting events in my life that I can tell when a team is so demoralized that they will not be making a big comeback. We know how to read signs, make proper judgments about them, and live our lives accordingly. For me, then, learning about and experiencing Khamsin has, in a small way, caused me to evaluate how I am living my life . . . Do I understand properly the “signs” of the current state of the world? What about the “signs” (teachings) that are given to me through the Bible? And am I orienting my life appropriately in a God-centered way?

One phrase that kept coming up during my time in Israel was, “The Bible brings the land to life, and the land brings the Bible to life.” As you might guess, I found this old saying to be very true, and Khamsin was just one small example of this.

Was it all just a dream?

This past Monday—June 7th—at 9:00 A.M., I was seated in an auditorium at a conference in Virginia Beach. I have been to work-related meetings like this a hundred times before, dutifully dressed in my slacks, button-down shirt, and tie. I was taking notes and listening attentively. But at about nine o’clock, one hour into the conference, my mind began to wander, and I asked myself, “Was it all just a dream?”

You see, just thirty-six hours before, on Saturday night, I stood on the roof of the Gloria Hotel in Old Jerusalem, just inside the city wall, taking the picture of the Tower of David that you see above.

On Saturday night, I was completing a three-week study trip in Israel. I took a course entitled “Historical Geography of the Bible” through the University of the Holy Land in Jerusalem. And, I’m having a hard time finding the right superlatives to describe the trip, which covered just about every square mile of the country of Israel. To say it was informative does not even scratch the surface in relation to what I learned. To say it was exhilarating doesn’t do it justice. To say it was fascinating or unbelievable or incredible . . . these adjectives don’t provide the needed depth of expression.

While in Israel, I walked around the top of the wall in Jerusalem. I crouched and waddled through an Old Testament era, one-thousand yard, underground water tunnel, with water ranging from ankle high to knee deep. I read Psalm 22 aloud inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the probable location of Jesus’ death on the cross (that’s the Psalm that begins, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?"). I swam in the Mediterranean Sea. I floated in the Dead Sea. I took a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus walked on the water. I stood on the steps of the Temple, the same exact steps where my Savior walked about two-thousand years ago. And I snooped around in a desert cave where some of the Dead Sea Scrolls were found—a cool respite during days of steep climbs in 110+ degree heat. But all of this is just a sliver of the entirety of my Israel experience between May 17th and June 5th.

So, if I had to give one word now that comes to my mind regarding the trip, I think it would be privilege. It was a real privilege to go on this trip, to receive teaching from a renowned expert in the field of biblical geography, to see the sites that I saw, and to do the things I was able to do. Most people don’t get the chance to do what I did. Going to Israel in no way makes me a better Christian than any other believer, but I do feel that I learned things that will allow me to teach the Bible better for the rest of my life. It truly was a privilege.

But all good things must come to an end, I suppose—at least down here on earth. Sunday morning I boarded a plane in Tel Aviv, and a seeming eternity later, I landed at Raleigh-Durham airport at 10 P.M. Barbara drove me back to Chesapeake. We arrived at two in the morning and I got to sleep at three. Then it was up at six, and back to the standard work routine. I couldn’t afford to take another day off from work after I had so generously been allowed to take three weeks of vacation time for this trip. So you probably can understand that on Monday morning, after the whirlwind, I would find myself thinking, “Wait, did that really happen, or was it all just a dream?”

In the next couple of weeks, I will be writing a number of blog entries with some reflections (and photos) from my Israel trip. I hope you enjoy them.