Lessons to Remember Pt.1

            One of the early tells we went to was a place called Merisha. It was in the Shephelah of Judah and had lots of history connected with it. Archeologists have uncovered many caves in the area used for different purposes like housing pigeons or pressing olives. In some areas, the caves are still in the midst of excavation. We went  to go on our own excavation trip. It was a warm day, although not as hot as in summer when most excavations happen in Israel. A petite woman dressed in a denim skirt and white blouse welcomed us and proceeded to give the fastest lecture on a historical site I’ve ever heard. I think she knew we wanted to get to the digging. 

           She led us into a tent where the air felt sticky. But after descending a hole in the middle, the air suddenly felt cool and refreshing. I understood why she said their caves were air-conditioned. At the bottom of the cave, there was a stairwell leading to a dirt floor. Black buckets were lying stacked on their sides, and well-worn digging tools were jumbled together in crates. It was time to be an archeologist for a day!

Like finding a piece of ancient pottery in the ground, discovering biblical
 truths in Israel gives me a new perspective on the Bible.

            This dig gave me a helpful picture to think about the lessons I’ve learned in Israel. It was like excavating a Tell. To extend the metaphor, this semester has been like digging a plot of land all the way down to the bottom. Along the way, we found shards of pottery and bones, a few coins, and ancient walls. We had to examine many of them quickly because there was always something new to discover. But we often found artifacts that were connected to previous discoveries, maybe a broken jar fit with one we found before or a coin had a similar inscription to one we discovered a layer above. Thus, as we carefully dug down, we learned more about the layers above.

            I’ve learned much while here in Israel. God has taught me not only through the places I’ve been, but also through the stories I’ve read and the conversations I’ve had. I’ve learned much about Old Testament stories like the Israelites and David. I’ve also learned about the life of Christ and the stories in the New Testament. As each week has flown by, I’ve been able to glean understanding of the stories in the Bible and how they relate to the history around them. The topics I’ve learned about all my life are surrounded by dirt. In Israel, I get to see that dirt.

            One of the main lessons I’ve learned about the Bible this semester is how the New Testament is written with an Old Testament background. As we started our field studies in Jerusalem, we learned that this isn’t just the city where Jesus lived and died and rose again, it used to be a Canaanite city named Jebus. David captured it to make it his own capital. The hills and valleys around Jerusalem are also significant. As Jesus refers to Gehenna in the gospels as hell, I understand that he is referencing the valley of Hinnom, “Guy Hinnom.” This valley just west of today’s old city is where Manasseh burned his son and where bodies were thrown in a mass grave as Jerusalem was destroyed. 

When I read about Jesus talking with the Pharisees and scribes in the temple, I can now imagine where it was that this took place. Of course, the temple is not standing today, being replaced by a mosque, but Jesus himself predicted that the temple would be destroyed. The house where God dwelt is long gone. And yet, God still dwells with us. As Paul says, we are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). Our lives are to be living and holy sacrifices of worship (Romans 12:1). We no longer have to make sin offerings because Christ himself has become the atoning sacrifice for all time (Hebrews 9:11-14). As we spent time on the Western Wall, some of these thoughts ran through my mind, but it was tough to think through this theology at that moment. There is so much to see and take in, and there are so many worshipers from different backgrounds. Especially in a place like Jerusalem, I felt dazed by all the differences of opinion.

Although it’s tough to deal with other opinions, I’m so thankful for everyone in our group. We got to talk about different issues we faced or questions we had. We went  back to the Bible and encouraged and exhorted one another. This relates to another important lesson I learned as I went through this semester. There was a lot of history, geography, and archeology to take in, but there was some important sanctification I needed. Several key passages stand out to me when I consider what these lessons were. 

In the mornings I like to get up and walk around in the Biblical gardens to pray. A week or so into first coming here, I realized how much I needed God’s word to inform my prayers. Thus, I started reading through Ephesians 1:15-23 to learn about what Paul says when he prays for the church in Ephesus. What started as a simple meditation, became more of a study of the book of Ephesians. I didn’t sit down to write about it, but I would read a chapter each day and think and pray about it. It was so helpful and gave me things to focus on for the rest of the day. 

A view of the surrounding hills from nearby the gardens
I often look out on this view as I pray in the mornings.

About halfway into the semester, I knew it was time to change books. I was starting to realize I struggled more and more with having joy and not fearing what people thought of me. I decided to go through Philippians. One passage that has had a profound impact on me is in chapter two. This chapter says “do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (vv. 3-4 ESV). Paul then goes on to discuss how we should have the same mind, which is ours in Christ Jesus who himself gave us an example by coming down to earth and emptying himself into the form of man. He was the perfect example of such humility.