The Weekend

I went on a trip with a group to the wilderness of Judah on Yom Rishon (Sunday). I was struck by the awesome views of nahalim, the simplicity of the bedouin life and shepherd life, and the kindness of the arab people we met. We traveled along the Ascent of Ziz until the modern route departed this ancient route. We overlooked the Nahal Arugot and hiked to the Bar Kochba caves in the Nahal Dargah. We also saw many wild gamelim (camels).

We stopped along side the road to take some pictures of a herd of sheep and goats mixed together. I was struck this experience at two points. 1) I was reminded of Jesus' teaching about his second coming: Matt. 25:31-34   “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 “All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33 and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. 34   “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." Anyone can see that sheep and goats do not look the same and that they can be separated by the untrained eye. It is a caution to us, some who say that they have the Spirit of Christ within them and they don't. Jesus will not be fooled on that day. The difference is plain to Him. 2) The Arab shepherd we met showed us great kindness. Todd was asking him a question "wein ha bir" (something like that...where the spring is?) and the man either didn't understand or just wanted us to meet his family. But he brought out all his children and his wife and their new baby. I was struck by this because I don't come from a culture that honors guests like this. We weren't invited or expected but we were honored as if we were. For Christ's sake, I want to be like this shepherd.

Throughout the day I was amazed by grass on the hill sides of the wilderness. This may not seem like such a big deal but it was to me...I've never seen it because I have never come in the rainy season. For the majority of the year there is no such growth in these desolate places. Because the sun comes up and there is no moisture to protect the grass...it withers. I was reminded of Isaiah's word (Isaiah 40:6-8):

6 A voice says, “Call out.”
Then he answered, “What shall I call out?”
All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.

7 The grass withers, the flower fades,
When the breath of the LORD blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.

8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.

Todd challenged us to think about our fraility and the fraility of what we put our trust in other than God and His Word. I don't think I will ever read this passage again without thinking about the sites from this trip.