February 10, 2000. In the Old Testament, the tribe of Benjamin was a tiny sliver of land strategically positioned between its “bigger brothers,” Judah and Ephraim. Despite its size, however, it proved to be one of the most coveted regions in all of Israel. Within its borders were the main east-west route in Isreal, the pivotal city of Jerusalem, and the highly traveled north-south highway along the “Benjamin Plateau.” Its rich biblical history demanded a field trip all to itself.

I’ve overlooked the rolling hills of Gettysburg, envisioning the bloody confrontation between Union and Confederate troops. I’ve stood on the shores of Leyte in the Philippines, imagining American soldiers dodging a barrage of bullets to advance and overtake a Japanese pillbox. But never have I been in a place of such rich military history as the Beth-horon Ridge Route just north of the Benjamin border.

Situated between two treacherous valleys, this small ridge has been the main western access to central Palestine since antiquity. It was here that Joshua drove out the Amorites in Joshua 10, where the Philistines persistently crept into the heart of Israel, where Pharoah Shishak of Egypt intruded to threaten king Rehoboam, and where the Greeks and Romans gained a foothold to assault the northern gate of Jerusalem. More recently, the British utilized this ridge in 1917, and the Israelis penetrated the West Bank via this route in 1967. This was the first main stop of our Benjamin field trip on Thursday, February 10. Here, we studied the tactics of Joshua, saw the remains of an ancient Roman road, and noticed some trenches still remaining from the Israeli Six-Day War.

From there, we traveled a few miles east to the town of Nebi Samwil, an impressive vista where Solomon probably asked the Lord for wisdom. From this plateau, we could see for miles in all directions: the Beth-Horon Ridge Route to the northwest, Jerusalem to the southeast, and the “Road of the Patriarchs” to the east, along the north-south ridge of the Central Benjamin Plateau (CBP).

From south to north (right to left), I could clearly see the Mount of Olives, Gibeah (King Saul’s capital), Ramah (Samuel’s birthplace), Mizpah (the Babylonians’ center of administration), and Bethel (I can’t begin to list all the biblical events that occurred here; just look this city up in a concordance!). I never would have imagined that all of these towns were in such close proximity! Within my view, an unprecedented amount of Scripture was actually lived out!

We then drove just a couple miles to see the Pool of Gibeon mentioned in 2 Samuel 2. Entering a small opening with flashlights in hand, we gradually descended down a stepped tunnel for several hundred feet.

Small fragments of Israelite potsherds were still scattered about the ground. And sure enough – once we reached the bottom, we came to a cistern room, where water collected from the Pool deeper back in the bedrock. I know it’s hard to understand this description, but believe me, it was exhilarating! Adjacent to the cave opening was a tower also dating to the Israelite period.

Our next stop was “The Pass,” between the biblical cities of Michmash and Geba. Roads in the Judean Hill Country tend to ride along the ridges, avoiding the steep and often treacherous river valleys. However, “The Pass” is a unique area because it actually crosses over the river bed (“wadi” in Arabic) instead of avoiding it. It is a “shortcut,” as it were, that dates back to biblical times.

Here, at “The Pass,” Joshua probably journeyed on his night expedition from Gilgal to Gibeon (Josh. 10), Jonathon launched a surprise attack on the Philistine camp, and Jesus most likely traveled on His way from Jerusalem to Ephraim (Jn. 11:54). Subsequently, we headed east into the Judean Wilderness on our way to Jericho.

When I first saw modern Jerusalem a couple weeks ago, I was surprised by the density of its population. On Thursday, I was equally shocked when I saw the desolation of the Judean wilderness! What a barren wasteland! Literally, not one building could be seen for miles around. The scattered Bedouin tents and occasional flock of sheep indicate that this region has hardly changed since the days of Abraham.

The famous city of Jericho was our next destination. It’s quite a tourist trap, complete with camel rides, cable cars, souvenir shops, restaurants, and a vegetable market. Nevertheless, the site of ancient Jericho is still intact. It has been the location of much archeological study over the years, and we spent a good hour walking around the tel and admiring its different features.

I must confess, my Sunday School perceptions of Jericho were immediately shattered. This was no vast metropolis with 100-foot high walls! It was a small town covering several acres of land. After all, the Israelite army had to march around it 7 times in one day! Still, it was a formidable barrier to the Judean Hill Country. Undoubtedly, its walls and gates would have been well-fortified, for it was the critical city that guarded the eastern approach to the heartland (much like the Beth-horon Ridge on the West). Suffice it to say Joshua knew what he was doing when he commenced his conquest of Canaan. He was a cunning general, well-educated in military strategy! And the destruction of Jericho was a big first step on the road to victory.

Heading back toward Yad HaShmona by late afternoon, we made one final stop along the “Ascent of Adummim.” This route, mentioned in the account of the “Good Samaritan,” connects the cities of Jericho and Jerusalem, and runs along the southern edge of the Wadi Qilt. We climbed out of the bus one last time, and after hiking over a small hill, found ourselves at the very brink of the river valley.

Before my eyes was an abysmal cavern, enclosed by sharp, craggy cliffs on both sides. It stretched east to west as far as the eye could see, and far below us ran the river bed itself. I can hardly begin to express the magnitude of the site! Always keep in mind: those blue lines on your Bible map are NOT gently winding streams; they can be immense gorges that plunge deep into the earth! In response to all we had seen on our field trip, we sang praises to the Lord the rest of the way home.

And just as we reached the crest of the Judean hills and caught our first glimpse of the coastland further West, God offered us a spectacular sunset. What a beautiful, awe-inspiring conclusion to our day! Grateful for all He has done, Stephen

25 years ago, I had the privilege of traveling to Israel for a semester through the Master’s College IBEX program. To celebrate the 25th anniversary, I’m sharing highlights from my journal, emails, and photos. Feel free to share your own IBEX memories here as well!

In February 2000, our IBEX class visited the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, where the Jewish temple once stood and Jesus and his apostles walked long ago. I described this experience the other day, but wanted to share another highlight which took place later in the semester.

Jews, Christians, and Muslims all consider the Temple Mount to be of great religious significance. Muslims view it as their third holiest site (Mecca and Medina being the top two) because tradition says their prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven here. Most are familiar with the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque on the mount. These date back to the 600s AD.

A less visible third mosque is also accessible from the Temple Mount. It’s completely underground, and is called the Al-Marwani Mosque, historically known as “Solomon’s Stables.” After Shabbat service on Saturday, April 8, 2000 we had the chance to visit this area. We were told it was a privilege to be taken down here, and that no cameras were allowed. So instead, I pulled out my notebook and made a quick sketch.

I suppose this drawing doesn’t help much. It was a large area with carpets on the floor and rows of arches. It’s the largest mosque in Israel and is said to fit up to 10,000 worshippers. While we were not allowed to take any photos, I did find this image in the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands.

Leen Ritmeyer described the area: “Below the platform at the southeast angle are huge underground vaults that are mistakenly called Solomon’s Stables… The only Herodian elements belonging to this construction are the outer walls of the Temple Mount at the southeast corner. In its middle northern part there are the conspicuous remains of a vault which appears to be the oldest element of this underground construction.” (The Quest: Revealing the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, p. 98)

Todd Bolen says “Solomon’s Stables have 88 pillars of characteristic Herodian masonry that divide the area into 12 vaulted aisles. The Crusaders incorrectly believed that this area dated from the time of Solomon, and because they stabled their horses here, they assumed that the former king did as well.  In fact, they were built by Herod only to support the plaza above it.”

This underground area served many purposes over the centuries, from structural support, to horse stable, to modern day mosque. There are still mysteries to be solved, but excavations are not allowed. A fascinating bonus spot on the Temple Mount!

February 6, 2000. Up until last night, I’ve had very little time to meet the people of Israel. The last two weeks, I have spent a little time talking with Jael, who is participating in our IBEX activities this semester. She’s grown up in Israel, living near Haifa much of her life, but her family moved near Jerusalem in the past few years. She is a believer, and she also speaks very good English! I don’t know a lot about her background, but I did ask her about what it was like in Israel during the Gulf War. She said it was quite frightening.

Last night, I finally had more exposure to foreigners, though they weren’t Israeli. Three of the moshav volunteers were sitting in the kauppa talking when I entered to work my nightly half-hour shift. No IBEX students were coming in, so I simply pulled up a chair and began conversing with the three girls. I discovered that two of them, Katherine and Louise, are from England, and that the third, Rebecca, is from Germany. It was fun just to listen in on their conversation. They all seem to enjoy their work here on the moshav.

Katherine likes it here so much that she plans to return after her term expires! Usually, volunteers stay for something like a six-month period, but some, like Katherine, like it so much that they do it multiple times. Most of the volunteers here are from other countries. I guess it’s an inexpensive way to visit another land and truly immerse yourself in the culture. That’s probably why it’s a popular idea among students.

This evening, after a full day of e-mailing and catching up on homework, I joined four other IBEXers and visited one of the families living/residing permanently on the moshav. They were a middle-age couple named Daniel and Ayelet, and they had three young children, Ariel, Ahinoam, and Eden.

Daniel is not only the administrator of the moshav, but he’s also a full time veterinarian! Ayelet stays home with the children, so she is not currently working at all outside the home. In a matter of two hours, we learned so much bout living in Israel as well as living specifically on a moshav. I can’t begin to recount all that was said, but I’ll attempt to share a few of the highlights.

Life on a moshav can be very difficult at times. In many ways, this collective settlement is a vivid demonstration of the numerous advantages, and perhaps equally prominent disadvantages, of a communistic society. Residents own their own homes, but aside from their private living quarters, nearly everything is shared in common. It is the Marxist philosophy fleshed out, “from each according to his ability; to each according to his need.”

What this means is that moshavniks throw each of their incomes into a big “pot,” and then money is distributed back to the people according to necessity. A committee decides what constitutes a “necessity”; you can imagine what kind of headaches this would cause. Some money funnels into a food budget, and then all eat from the same selection of foods (i.e. the cafeteria). Some money is directed toward transportation, and then everyone must sign up to use one of the community cars. If someone gets sick, then funds are set aside for medical expenses.

Of course, the same principle works in the other direction. If someone specializes in carpentry, then he uses those gifts to contribute to the moshav. Others, such as Daniel, own businesses outside the moshav, but their incomes also end up in the group budget. Even elderly people, such as one retired lady here, help in the small ways, like walking the horses around to their stables.

As Daniel said, this is a very successful system when times are generally bad, but in seasons of prosperity, such as now, it’s more difficult to motivate everyone to give to their full potential. Ironically, most people here are probably not ideologically aligned with such a set-up, but that’s how the moshav system was designed decades ago. It served its purpose well, but it’s difficult to alter the system mid-stride. They said that there’s no way this moshav would’ve survived were it not for the unifying Spirit of God.

We talked about other things, too. Like the Gulf War. Ayelet was in the army at the time, which all men and women must do after finishing high school. She told us of how many of the young women would crowd together into one of the bomb shelters in Tel Aviv, waiting and waiting for the Iraqis to strike. Each new explosion sounded the potential danger of chemical warfare. The women would huddle together with their gas masks ready, and when bombs were going off outside and the building was shaking, many of them would go into shock, screaming or even vomiting – all the time with their masks still on. Even when the air was still safe, many would hallucinate that the chemicals were affecting them.

What an experience this must have been! We honestly have nothing to compare it to. We hardly begin to comprehend what it means to be in constant danger, or to face the imminent hand of death. We feel all to safe in the US – almost invincible at times. As I pondered all that I heard throughout the evening, I realized how comfortable we are as Americans. This kind of attitude breeds complacency, which results in a lack of hope.

How can we possibly expect to have hope when we’re perfectly content and satisfied with our existence here? Only in adversity, such as poverty and persecution, can we even begin to experience genuine hope. Do we ask, then, for trials and tribulations? I don’t know. But we can ask that the Lord will make us increasingly discontent with the world around us. It must become a reality in our hearts that we are not citizens of this earth. Our citizenship is in heaven!

25 years ago, I had the privilege of traveling to Israel for a semester through the Master’s College IBEX program. To celebrate the 25th anniversary, I’m sharing highlights from my journal, emails, and photos. Feel free to share your own IBEX memories here as well!

February 5, 2000. Have you ever looked at those pages in the back of your Bible, past Revelation? I know, I know, this is usually where you stuff old bulletins and sermon notes. But most likely, you have some maps there too. Some of these posts will probably make more sense if you read my updates while following along on your own Bible maps. Today, a city map of “New Testament Jerusalem” and a regional map of “The Twelve Tribes of Israel” would come in handy.

In our last trip, Jerusalem was studied through the lens of Old Testament history and geography. On Thursday, February 4, we returned to the city, visiting various sites that pertain to the New Testament.

We began by observing a model of the city as it would have been just prior to destruction in 70 A.D. This model was HUGE – larger than a tennis court! It gave us a good, overall understanding of the layout of the city, and also gave a pretty accurate depiction of what Jerusalem would have looked like during the time of Christ. Much of this city was constructed by Herod the Great, who was always willing to spend the tax-payers’ money to make himself look better. Even then, political leaders were obsessed with leaving a “legacy.” And indeed, Herod did accomplish quite a feat. Jerusalem in his era was truly amazing. This didn’t happen overnight, though; it took several decades to complete. Of particular interest was the temple, standing high above the Temple Mount. Adorned with intricate designs and gold embellishment, it was undoubtedly an impressive sight in all of its splendor.

By late morning, we were in Old City Jerusalem. Bill led us through a little doorway to a museum, and almost immediately, we began descending into a basement. This was no ordinary basement, however. It was the remains of an expansive first-century home complete with several bedrooms, ritual cleansing baths, cisterns, cellars, mosaic floors, painted “wallpaper,” courtyards, and a reception hall. And this was only the bottom floor! It is believed to have been a two-story house, and a good candidate for the residence of the high priest. In other words, this could be the very home of Caiaphas, who interrogated Jesus just prior to the crucifixion!

We then made our way to the present day Temple Mount, which is only open to the general public a couple hours a day. The actual temple was destroyed by the Romans back in 70AD, and centuries later, the Dome of the Rock was built there. Due to the Arab presence, we were instructed to keep our Bibles in our backpacks.

In the south of the large courtyard was the El-Aqsa Mosque, and further to the north, directly over where the Holy of Holies is believed to have once rested, we saw the famous Dome of the Rock. A few tourist groups wandered around the courtyard, but mostly, there was an aura of quietness and reverence throughout the place. For the Arabs, this is one of the most sacred sites in the world. We also had a chance to descend into Solomon’s Stables, which I’ll share more about later.

The Jews, who despise the Arab presence, are rarely seen on the Mount. They long for a day when the temple can be restored, and dreading the thought of standing on holy ground unworthily, they are content for now to stay outside the Western Wall (or “Wailing Wall”). From the Wall, Jewish prayers to Jehovah are considered a “local call.”

Later, we went outside the Temple Mount and descended to the southwest corner, observing “Robinson’s Arch” (which supported an ancient staircase) and walking on a old Roman sidewalk, which would have been lined with countless vendors. We skirted along the southern perimeter of the temple mount, stopping to rest on some steps which date back to Herod’s time. These steps would have been the main entrance to the magnificent temple mount during Jesus time, with at least two separate gates. Today, it is not accessible at all.

The southern side of the temple mount is one continuous, convoluted, and confusing pile of ruins, dating to many periods, mostly Byzantine, Crusader, and Ottoman. We didn’t take much time to study them, since they have no relevance to the New Testament. Instead, we edged our way along to the eastern side of the mount, where we saw the blocked up “Golden Gate.”

We concluded our day by visiting the area where Jesus spent His last few hours before crucifixion. Crossing the Kidron Valley, we walked through the Garden of Gethsemane, climbed the steep Mount of Olives, and descended into the city of Bethphage. After reaching the crest of the Mount of Olives, we had a breathtaking view to the east, seeing for the first time the Dead Sea beyond the barren Judean wilderness. Only two-thousand years ago, in Bethphage, Jesus had secured the donkey that would carry Him to Jerusalem and prophetically usher in the events of “Passion Week.”

Finally, we hiked a little further to Bethany, the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, and the probable location of Christ’s ascension. What an incredible day!  

25 years ago, I had the privilege of traveling to Israel for a semester through the Master’s College IBEX program. To celebrate the 25th anniversary, I’m sharing highlights from my journal, emails, and photos. Feel free to share your own IBEX memories here as well!