Day 08 - Jerusalem: City of David, Hezekiah's Tunnel, Davidson Center, Southern Steps, Yad Vashem

Day 8 was a stark contrast from day 7! First, it was raining a little this morning. Apparently that doesn’t happen much in September.  

The lesson this morning was from Deuteronomy. The theme was ‘remember’ and ‘don’t forget’.  So many times it’s when things are going well that we ‘forget’. 

 Throughout history the prosperous times were followed by a complete collapse. I’m sure that is why there are so many scriptures to remind us to be careful especially when things are good. And I’m sure that is why we are supposed to keep the Sabbath every week!  Rest and Remember!

That’s the point of this trip, isn’t it? To look back at our history and see where we’ve been so that we can celebrate the wins and make any necessary course corrections now!

We started in the City of David.  This is the original site of Jerusalem.  We went to the site where they found steps that are 3000 years old and are assumed to have supported the Fortress of Zion. 

Our next adventure was to travel the tunnels of Hezekiah.  He rerouted the original water system because he knew it was the most vulnerable for attack.   Some of us ventured into the ‘wet’ tunnel and waded knee deep through tunnels that were barely wide enough to walk through, and definitely not tall enough for people over 5-1/2 feet tall! 

We exited the tunnel at the Pool of Siloam where Jesus healed the blind man.  (And maybe a few thousand people were baptized!)

Walking along the original road that lead to the Temple, we saw the Cornerstone with the inscription ’the place of trumpeting to…’ which could be the actual cornerstone where the devil took Jesus and had Him stand when he tempted Him. 

Then we walked up and sat on the Southern Steps.  The very same steps where Jesus’ parents found Him when He was a boy. The same steps that Paul sat on as he was being taught by Gamaliel. The steps where Peter was used by God to preach a message that resulted in 3000 being baptized!  

The stairs were staggered so no one could enter the presence of God without being thoughtful in the process. 

As Craig started to teach I was awe struck knowing that MY teacher was teaching ME in the exact place that Jesus and His Apostles taught their students! 

Think about that! 

Our last stop was Yad Vashem. The Holocaust Remembrance Center.  The entrance has a tribute to the Righteous Among the Nations.  More than 20000 non-Jewish individuals who risked their lives to save Jews from extermination. A tree was planted for each person.

The next section was a memorial to the over one million children that were murdered. The room was lit with a million tiny lights / reflections that represented each child.  This was heartbreaking and soul crushing to process. 

The museum was full of stories and artifacts from this horrific, disgusting part of history.  

I don’t remember the first quote I read on the wall, but the following by Albert Einstein is similar:

The world is in greater peril from those who tolerate or encourage evil than from those who actually commit it.

May we all always remember, and never forget.