Jerusalem! Jerusalem!

Monday, November 5, 2007 This morning we left Eilat and drove up the mountains of Eilat along the border of Egypt and crossed through the Negev on towards Jerusalem! We stopped at Ramon Crater where the mountain has imploded into itself and left a crater 9 km wide and 40 km long and 600 meters deep! We also stopped at Avdat, an ancient Nabatean city of the 5th century. Our next stop was Ben-Gurion’s desert home at Kibbutz Sde Boker in the Negev. It was at the Negev that Moses wandered in the wilderness. Jannie taught in the desert from Numbers 13-14 and Deuteronomy 1, where the Lord told Moses to go and possess the land which the Lord swore to their fathers. Israel refused to enter Canaan and consequently wandered 40 years in the desert. Fatal mistake.
In Numbers 20, Moses struck the rock twice instead of speaking to it. Another fatal mistake. What has God told you to do that you are still checking out and not possessing?

After the teaching we headed for Jerusalem. What a blessing to arrive in Jerusalem!

Carolyn Tinney of Charleston, WV writes:

For the past 3-4 days I have been singing a hymn anticipating our arrival in Jerusalem. The words are, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, lift up your gates and sing, Hosanna in the highest, hosanna to your King! What song did Eitan, our tour guide, play on our CD player? That very song as we entered the city. I wept when I heard it, and I am sure I was not the only one. It was a holy and very special entrance for us.