Today’s journey was a new one for us all. We loaded up and headed out at 8:00am with Timna on our radar. Since dropping south from Bet She’an a couple days ago, we’ve been in barren desert! We saw it in the lower half of the Jordan River Valley and around the Dead Sea. Barrenness continued as we drove all the way south to Eilat, then into Jordan. Today, it continued as we headed north through Timna and Be’er Sheva before returning to arriving in Lachish.
As we left Eilat, we saw a squadron of US Air Force Refueling Tankers at the otherwise almost abandoned airport outside of Eilat. Besides the US military, no one other than small Israeli airlines are flying out of Eilat right now.
Our first stop was the Timna Valley, where we got a fleeting glimpse of Solomon’s Pillars and learned about temporary places of worship established by the wandering Israelites. But our key stop was to see the life-sized replica of the tabernacle, built to specifications of the Bible. We often think of the tabernacle as a huge structure, but it had to be mobile. This stop became a tour highlight as we were reminded of the magnificent symbolism of the tabernacle, and also some similarities between the tabernacle and Eden, and the tabernacle as it relates to Jesus. Here are a few tidbits:
- The Bible describes only one way in and out of both the tabernacle and Eden, and the doorway to each faced the east. Jesus met with Adam and Eve in the garden, and Jesus is the only way to the Father.
- No one aside from the priests and the Levites who served there actually saw inside the tabernacle. Only the priest worked inside. Sin sacrifices of the people were simply brought to the priest at the gate and the priest did the work. Our Great High Priest, Jesus Christ, took our sin “at the gate” of salvation. We come to the Father only through the Son!
- No lamb was ever brought to the tabernacle for sacrifice. Rather, the sacrificial animal was most often a goat, a bull, or for those with little means, even a bird. There is only one Lamb of God and He gave His life as the only fully sufficient sacrifice.
- The scene inside the tabernacle was gross and dirty! It was very bloody and filled with death. Many animals were sacrificed each day and the body parts and ashes had to be disposed outside the camp…just as Jesus was “disposed” outside the camp for our transgressions!
- The priests’ hands were bloody. He could not wash in the copper basin because it would make the water unclean. The Levites assisted, and the priest also had help exchanging the showbread each week and keeping the monorah wicks trimmed and lit. With blood-stained hands he would have taken coals from the altar of incense to burn in the Holy of Holies. There is none righteous…no not one.
Those are only a few of the dozens of details Marco shared with us regarding the tabernacle, all pointing to Jesus and His sacrifice for our sinfulness. The tabernacle is a beautiful picture of our salvation, yet we came to agree that we take the tabernacle and it’s truths way too flippantly. I was challenged by what we heard today, and I believe many of our guests were, too.
Even good things must come to an end, so our visit to Timna ended. It may have been my first time there, but it will not be my last!
Back on the bus, we began our 2+ hour journey to Be’er Sheva. Again, after all my travels to Israel, this was my first experience in the south central part of Israel. As we drove through the barren land with almost no inhabitants, the landscape began to look like the moon in some ways. In one area, we drove through a gigantic crater that looked very much like scenes from the moon! Dry, gray, harsh and the most barren land I have ever seen! I have lived in New Mexico and Arizona, so I’m no stranger to barrenness! Yet, this area topped them all!
What I didn’t know was the expansiveness of the IDF training grounds, target ranges, and aircraft firing ranges found in this area. Everyone from tank units to urban warfare fighters to IAF fighter pilots train here…yet we were driving a highway that went right through the middle of it! I can only surmise that different exercises take place on different sides of the road.
We arrived at Be’er Sheva running short on time, so we saw many things with less explanation than we hoped. Suffice it to say, Be’er Shava is another archaeological gift confirming the faithfulness of God. In the ruins, we saw city gates, various rooms, and a deep water cistern through which we descended.
From Be’er Sheva, it was on to Lachish, the site of one of Israel’s most important battles. When Hezekiah was King of Judah, the Assyrian army came forcefully from the northeast conquering Israelite cities. Most were taken and wicked Assyrian King Sennacherib set his sights on Lachish and Jerusalem. According to 2 Kings 18, King Hezekiah removed the high places and broke the sacred pillars, cut down the wooden image and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made. Yet, the mighty Assyrian army overtook Lachish and headed to Jerusalem. They were not able to conquer Jerusalem, yet this was a key turning point in the Assyrian captivity of Judah. (Read the full account of Sennacherib’s victory at Lachish in 2 Kings 18.)
Late this afternoon, we entered the Holy City of Jerusalem. It has a totally different feel than the rest of Israel, and we will encounter many more Orthodox Jews in traditional Jewish attire. Saturday is Shabbat, so most Jewish places are closed. Thus, we’ll stick with Christian sites tomorrow: Mount of Olives, Garden of Gethsemane, Caiaphas’ house and dungeon where Jesus might have been brought after His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. Then we will head to the Garden Tomb for a special time of remembrance and communion. Afterward, we will join a Messianic Congregation for worship and teaching.
Stay tuned…there is a lot more coming your way!
