Land of the Humble and the Great

          One exciting thing about living in this region is visiting sites of Biblical importance, both past and future.  This month, I have gotten to walk paths trodden by both Moses and John the Baptist, men called “the most humble man on earth” and “the greatest born of a woman,” respectively (Num 12:3 and Mat 11:11).  What a privilege!    

            A few weeks ago, we visited the site where Moses saw the Promised Land from a distance before he died (see Deut 34).  As I looked out over the sandy hills and the hazy, tan blur across the river, many questions filled my mind.  First, I imagined how Moses must have felt, seeing the land laden with so many promises just across the river.  Was he heartbroken knowing that he would never set foot there himself?  Or was he simply thankful to see it from a distance?  Second, though it’s perhaps slightly morose, I wondered if Moses’ remains lay somewhere on that mountain, hidden by the hand of the Lord who buried him (see Deut 34:6).  And lastly I wondered WHY.  Why did God choose this land, this region, to be so central to His plan for humanity, salvation, and restoration?  Although the brown hills do have a certain beauty, many other parts of the world seem so much more appealing.  There are lush, green forests and snowy mountains with glacier lakes and bright green rolling hills and silky smooth beaches.  Of all places, why did God choose the DESERT?  Part of me thinks that if I was Moses, I’d have been disappointed.  Does/did/will that land across the river really “flow with milk and honey?”  Or was it the lack of natural glory that caused God to select this land for His chosen people?   

              After mulling over these things for a week or so, we had the opportunity to visit another notable site.  Not too far from the first mountain, on a tall, pointy hill surrounded by many smaller hills, stands what’s left of the palace/fortress of Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee.  Though all that remains now are two tall pillars and a few crumbling stone walls, it is also marked by significant Biblical history.  Somewhere on that hill where we stood watching a pretty haphazard looking archaeological dig, John the Baptist once cried out to the Lord from prison.  On that hill, the prophesied “one crying out in the wilderness” received messengers from JESUS saying, “The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me” (Mat 11:4-6).  I imagine it’d be easy to be offended when you were in prison for speaking truth…  As we roamed around the surrounding hills, I could almost feel the prayers of John poured out in that place.  Did he know that he would die for his witness?  Did he know that he would lose his life before seeing the Christ raised from the dead? 

             As we visit these Biblical sites, it’s not just the questions about the past that are raised.  I’m also awed by the fact that we are living in a region so full of Biblical prophesies yet to be fulfilled.  Promises of both judgement and hope related to this land are all over Isaiah, Ezekiel, and many other books of the Bible.  It’s both exciting and sobering to learn about the things that God will do here.  I hope to be ready when these things happen and to know that I have equipped the people of this region as much as possible, that they too may be ready.  In these next few months, I hope to learn more about what God is doing/planning to do in this region.  I want to be in line with His heart and to have wisdom to understand the passages written hundreds of years ago about the land and people right outside my apartment window.