Day 05 - Upper Galilee: Caesarea Philippi, Tel Dan, Omrit

Jared started today by warning us that today was not going to be fun. The past few days have been filled with exciting hikes, beautiful sites and landscapes, and rich experiences throughout Israel. But, today was different. We still saw many sites and explored some locations that have been preserved for thousands of years, but the tone of the day was unique. The weather matched the tone of the lessons. It was mostly cloudy with rain showers that seemed to follow us everywhere we went, reminding us that it wasn’t supposed to be an upbeat, fun day. It was cold, windy and wet. Our boots were coated with the mud that formed on the trails we hiked. The weight of the mud on our feet seemed to match the weight of the day. It was as if everything was supposed to serve as a reminder that this was not supposed to be an easy day.

            So, why was it such a somber day? Well, let me tell you about our first stop. We went north to the very tip of Israel and visited a town called Dan. The story of the Danites is depressing to say the least. To paraphrase, the Danites did three wicked things. First, they rejected the inheritance that God gave them. They were allotted an area along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, but rejected it because of the difficulties that came with the land. They decided to travel north, where the land is lucious and green, and settled down there. The second wicked thing they did was pillage the land and kill the peaceful inhabitants that were there. Finally, they set up golden idols and worshiped them, completely forgetting their faithful and True God that had brought them out of Egypt, through the wilderness, and into the Promised Land. They chose to live in the comfort and ease that came with the land of northern Israel. In their minds, it was easier to go north, set up false idols, and worship them than follow God’s desire for them. The temptation is for us to judge the Israelites, but as I sat at the actual site where a false idol used to be worshiped in Dan, I couldn’t help but admit to God and myself that I do the same thing. I reject what He has for me and instead set up false idols in my heart. I felt anger as we left this location, anger at how similar I am to the Danites.

            We left from here and traveled to our second site- Caesarea Philippi. In Jesus’ day, Caesarea Philippi was known for its worship of the pagan god Pan. The worshipers of Pan used grotesque methods of worship to express their devotion to this false god. It is truly a dark place. This is also the site where Jesus asks His disciples who He is, found in Matthew 16:15. “But who do you say that I am?” To put this into context, Jesus marched His disciples from Bethsaida all the way north to Caesarea Philippi to ask His disciples who they believed He was. He could have asked His disciples this question in Bethsaida. Bethsaida was safe, clean, and accepting of Christ followers. But He took them to Caesarea Philippi. Why? He wanted the disciples to own Him in front of all the pagan worshipers. He wanted them to reject the natural tendency of human beings, idol worship, and to choose Him. Once again I felt anger as I realized the ways that I had rejected God in exchange for the idols of my heart.

            The weight of the day culminated as I reflected on the anger I experienced at both of these locations. Not only did I feel weighed down by the acknowledgement of my own idols, but I was brought down by the realization that it took a trip across the world for me to really get angry at my sin. I leave this day asking myself the question, why don’t I get this mad about my sin at home?

            I apologize for the heavy blog post, but that was the message of the day. The hope we have is found only a verse after the question Jesus asked at Caesarea Philippi: “Simon Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’' This is the truth we must remember. In the face of our wickedness, Jesus is the Messiah who came to save us all.