Timnah

This morning, like every morning, we started the day off as a group with devotions. Libby lead devotions and, in short, we were reminded that it is more important to obey God than worry or try to figure out the outcome. We are merely to be faithful in what He has called us to do.

From there we set off on an hour and a half bus ride through the desert until we reached Timnah. There are currently 11 prospective geographical regions where Mount Sinai could be located; one of them is Timnah. Timnah is a desert region in the southern part of Israel. It is in a part of the desert which has no water, making it impossible to survive without outside help. It is believed that the Israelites could have passed through this region when they first got out of Egypt.

We started out our trek with a somewhat minimal incline. We had no idea what we were in for! About fifteen minutes into our hike, we began ascending the mountain. Although this hike did not require as much physical endurance as at Masada, our team had to rely heavily on each other. The importance of following your shepherd was taught in a new perspective as each step had to be carefully planned out. We stopped for a break and were encouraged by Rod with the story of Elijah (1 Kings 19). Elijah had just come off his mountain top experience with God on Mount Carmel where fire of the Lord fell and Israel cried, “The Lord, He is God!” Shortly after, Elijah fled to the desert, fearing for his life and ended up under a broom tree, wanting to die. The angel of the Lord came to him, fed him, and gave him strength. He then traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Mount Sinai. God came to meet him there in a gentle whisper and asked him, “Who are you here, Elijah”. Rod had us spend some time with God, asking that question of ourselves. We then climbed to the top of the mountain, where we read about Exodus 19&20, where God makes a covenant with Israel. He gives them their vows, the Ten Commandments, and calls the Israelites his most prized possession. If they keep their vows, they will be to the world, a kingdom of priests, a holy nation to the world. In the same way, God wants to have that same covenant with us. Romans 8:32 says God gave us his treasured possession, his Son, so that we could be in covenant with him. Just as the Israelites responded with “we do”, we had the opportunity to respond to Gods desire to be in covenant with us. We don’t get to enter into this covenant because of our ‘good’ works but because God is so good. As a community, we set up a standing stone on the top of the mountain. Two couples also renewed their wedding vows to each other. It was such a special moment. To end, we recited Sh’ma and sang praises to our God. We then began an hour and a half descent and returned to our bus.

After lunch, we visited a life size replica of the tabernacle described in Exodus 36-40. Due to the lack of time, one of the professors in our group gave a brief presentation on the outer court and altar of the tabernacle. We then entered the holy place where we learned about the priestly garments, show bread, and lampstand. We were able to walk into the Holy of Holies and see a replica of the Ark of the Covenant. What a powerful experience that was!

We then stopped at Solomon’s Pillars and learned a bit of history about this area. We made one final stop before leaving the desert and spent time in Exodus 17. The people of Israel enter into the desert and begin to grumble that there is no water. Having experienced the difficult terrain today with plenty of water, we can now review this text with a deeper understanding as to why they were grumbling. The people put Moses on trial. Moses goes to God, who tells him to go to Sinai and hit the mountain with his staff. God stands before Moses and Moses strikes the rock. Water gushes out for the people to drink. The awesome thing about this is that we see Christ all over in the Old Testament. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10 that the Israelites drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. John also paints a picture of Jesus on the cross struck with water coming from his side.

What an awesome God we have, who, stands in the gap for us, who covenants with us, and loves us in our weakness. He is worthy of our obedience!