Oh Jerusalem!

Praise the Lord…he builds up Jerusalem… Great is our Lord. Ps 147:1-5 David lived 3000 years ago but he knew without a doubt that Jerusalem was special to God. When people walk up to the old city they feel something that can be felt nowhere else in the world. Many nations have coveted this city and much blood has been shed on the hills that surround it. The Arabs are attempting to gain part of the city for themselves at this very time. Because they serve a false god they have no chance of ever owning Jerusalem. In 1967 Israel took all of Jerusalem away from the Arabs. In order to keep them quiet the Jews allow some Arabs to worship their false god on the mountain that King David purchased for God’s temple. So David paid Araunah (a gentile) six hundred shekels of gold for the site.1 Chr21:25 Of course, we know that soon the Jews will rebuild their own temple once again on the mountain.

For just a few shekels (four per dollar) you can climb to the top of the wall and walk most of the way around the old city. (not along the eastern wall of the temple/city) The southwest part of the city is called the Armenian Quarter and is the quietest part of the city. Looking down from the wall you see churches, cemeteries and the occasional tall black hat of the priest. After passing over the Zion Gate on the south side you begin to see much more activity and hear a lot of noise. This is the famous Jewish Quarter with its many shops. Looking into the middle of the city you can see the west wall of the temple mount. Almost always there are Jews bobbing their heads in worship at the wall. In the southeast corner of the Jewish area is very interesting because it is almost all stones, columns and roads from the time of Jesus. It is an odd feeling to walk on the roads where Jesus walked and touch the walls that he touched.

Walking the walls to the northwest we look down on the Christian Quarter and to the northeast we observe the Muslim Quarter. The world wants to make Jerusalem an International City and rule all the religious people as one group to do their bidding. The Bible tells us many times that God has selected this place as his headquarters on earth. Jewish people were elected long ago to occupy this place and personally serve the Lord. The Devil is always fighting against God and has struggled for years to make Jerusalem his own. This is why the Scriptures say that Jerusalem will be a tripping stone (problem) to the nations throughout our history. Why observe this ancient city at all? Maybe because we were elected by God long ago and the Devil is struggling to make us his own. This struggle is always a problem in our lives and we will need divine help to keep us from being overwhelmed in this fight… Fight the good fight my friends.

Oasis of Beauty

The highway that meanders down among the hills east of Jerusalem and out onto the dry Jordan valley is called the Jericho Road. It was somewhere in these ten miles of hills where the robbers beat up the Jew that the Good Samaritan stopped to help. In fact the foundations of the Inn are still available to visitors today. Coming down the last hill you can look north four or five miles across the flat valley and see a beautiful green oasis. This is a sanctuary for the big, very hot and dry, basin that runs all the way down to the Dead Sea. Even the Sea of Galilee is in this basin and its self is 700 ft. below sea level. Elisha greatly improved this oasis of trees and crops thousands of years ago when he visited the town. Then he went out to the spring (of Jericho) and threw salt into it, saying; this is what the Lord says: I have healed this water. 2 Kings 2:21 You can still drink this water when you visit and it tastes wonderful.

Date palm trees are everywhere in this oasis town and you can buy this sweet fruit at many places in town. Standing at the edge of this green area we can look out at the surrounding desert and wonder which direction would take us to the place that Jesus lived forty days without food. Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. Matt 4:1 Sometimes we feel like there is a spiritual desert all around us. Jesus is our beautiful oasis but there are times when we wonder if our hope is real or not. When people visit an oasis we feel something that is nowhere else in our experience. It is like stepping out of the hot sun into a cool place where a little breeze seems to lift your feelings to a level of drifting, free of care. This is a place where a complete feeling of peace seems to soak into your soul. King Herod built a retreat in Jericho and even died there about a year after Jesus was born.

The Christian life is an oasis in our world. Unfortunately, many people cannot see this beautiful place although it is readily available. There is a fitting story that happened just as Jesus approached Jericho two thousand years ago. Jesus asked him, what do you want me to do for you? Lord, I want to see, he replied. Jesus said to him, receive your sight; your faith has healed you. Luke 18:40-42 Many people are just not asking Jesus to show them this beautiful spiritual oasis. The blind man had never seen this beautiful place and he must have been overwhelmed the first time his eyes opened on the oasis.  It seems that everyone today is looking for this place of peace in their life but they cannot see what is right in front of them. Are you standing alongside of this peaceful place but have never seen it?