Israel Study Tour - The Forge (Pine Cove)

February 26 - March 10, 2017

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Shabbat Shalom

Written by Sean Hansen

Shabbat Shalom!

Thank you so much for your prayer and support to get us here to Israel safe and sound so we may experience this holy land in a way that really makes the text come alive.

To start the day off we headed out for Mount Arbel. From there we made our way down to the city of Magdala. After that we ventured on over to Bethsaida, which is Old Testament Gezer. Finally, to end the day off right, we went to the Jordan River to witness some of our friends get baptized!

As we set out for the day, I had no idea what was in store for us. I knew we hadn’t hiked in a while so I assumed that today was going to be a day for hiking. I was right! While approaching our destination I was feeling ready to take on any mountain that stood in my way. I had no idea though that the mountain was going to be Mount Arbel. This thing was HUGE, and it was right in the valley on the Via Maris. It was a pretty intense climb, but a beautiful one nonetheless. When we finally made it to the top, I had a chance to look around the land surrounding this beast of a rock. I was reminded of how amazing and awesome my Savior is; how lucky I am to be able to call the creator of something that perfect, that amazing, and that wonderful, Father!

Today was a day about prayer, and seeing God for who He is. I don’t think I can use the word Father when talking about God and not brag on Him for all that he offers. While we were on top of Mount Arbel, we discussed the moment when Jesus came and prayed to his father about who should be the twelve. Later on we see how that prayer played out when he goes out and selects them, but for now I want to focus on the prayer part. Jesus comes to his father and asks for something very specific. He has faith that his father will provide and give to him what he is asking for. Here’s the deal - We are His children and we have the right to come to Him with anything, just like He came to His Father.

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t moved to want to pray with a more faithful heart. Too many times have I prayed for something not fully believing what I was saying. I struggle sometimes when it comes to approaching God because I too feel as if I am not worthy of being in His presence or receiving the thing I am asking for. When I do this, I forget that I am His son and He is standing there waiting to give me all that He as in store for me. He is waiting to give me Zoe, which we learned about yesterday. My God is a good Father and I should never be scared to come to Him for anything.

Mount Arbel

Mount Arbel (Hebrew: הר ארבל‎‎, Har Arbel) is a mountain in The Lower Galilee near Tiberias in Israel, with high cliffs, views of Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights, trails to a cave-fortress, and ruins of an ancient synagogue. Mt. Arbel sits across from Mount Nitai; their cliffs were created as a result of the Jordan Rift Valley and the geological faults that produced the valleys.

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As we continued to Bethsaida, I was reminded again of how good God is and how little faith I have in Him. It was here that Jesus healed a blind man. After he is healed, Jesus tells him to tell no one in that city. If the healed man would have gone and told everyone his story, they still would not have believed Jesus was who he said he was. Their faith in Jesus was so weak that they weren’t able to see the truth right in front of them. This sounded like me. I constantly choose to do things according to my will and keep my eyes closed to what God wants for me. I am just like the residents of Bethsaida. The good news is, God doesn’t give up. Jesus didn’t give up. He continued his ministry and continued proving who he was. The more we are willing to put our faith is Jesus, the more we will be able to see.

So, whether it is learning how to approach our Father while believing we are His, or trying to open our eyes so we can see Him clearly, the one thing I believe we should keep in mind is that God loves us, and He will never give up on his children.

It has been such a pleasure being here and I am so happy and honored that you have helped make this possible. Thank you again for your prayers and support and remember to check in tomorrow to see what the Lord has!

Bethsaida

The northeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee is a fertile plain where the feeding of the 5,000 likely took place. Israeli maps and excavators currently locate the New Testament city of Bethsaida at an ancient ruin known as “et-Tell.” The excavation team, headed by Rami Arav, is insistent that this site be identified with ancient Bethsaida. Others suggest that Bethsaida may be better located at el-Araj near the lakeshore.

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