Day 08 - Jerusalem, Bethlehem: Herodium, Church of the Nativity, Johnny’s Souvenir Shop, Israel Museum

Tuesday Feb 24 / Day 8 -  Jerusalem, Bethlehem

During our morning devotional on the balcony of our hotel overlooking Jerusalem, Terry talked to us about the Psalms of Ascent. Psalms 120–134 were traditionally such by Israelites traveling to the pilgrim feasts in Jerusalem. As Terry read Psalm 121, it was special to think of Jesus making the uphill journey to Jerusalem with his family year after year, singing these words: 

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

…
The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.

This reminder of the Lord’s sovereignty and help was the perfect way to start our day. 

Herodium

Outside Jerusalem we found yet another magnificent structure built for Herod the Great: The Herodium.  It was truly impressive– we drove part way up the mountain, then hiked past Herod’s personal theatre (which he later had demolished to make room for his mausoleum) and up to the fortress at the top. More and more of this site has been excavated in recent years, and some of the features, including a staircase and an added lookout to the tallest tower, were new even to Laura and Terry. The view from the top was spectacular, and the weather was so clear we could see the Dead Sea to the east and clear to the Mount of Olives to the north!

We sat in Herod’s reception hall, which was later used as a synagogue during the first Jewish Revolt, for our devotional time. Terry spoke about how Herod’s view of himself was god-like: moving mountains of earth to create this fortress, harnessing the sea to create a port in Caesarea, filling cisterns in the desert and building a bathhouse at Masada. All this built on the backs of slaves over whom he had the power of life and death.

And yet it was in the very shadow of the Herodium that Jesus was born.  Bethlehem is just a few miles away.  Yet this is how God works, again and again– He is sovereign, and He chooses to work through the weak things of the world. It doesn’t make sense that David killed Goliath. Or that the Jewish people survived so many wars and conquests and exiles.  Or that faith the size of a mustard seed matters at all.

But God’s power is made perfect in weakness. We sat in the ruins of Herod’s mighty fortress as worshippers of that baby born in Bethlehem.

Herod’s dry old bones were found in a box, but the King who was laid in a manger? He still reigns. Our God is sovereign over all.  

Church of the Nativity

We crossed over into the West Bank to visit Bethlehem and go into the Church of the Nativity.  Because of the war, Yehuda and our driver Yigal could not go with us, so we traveled with another tour guide named Martin, a Palestinian Christian. The Church of the Nativity is the oldest continually active church in the Holy land, and the home of three different congregations: a Russian orthodox, Armenian orthodox, and Catholic. Martin is part of the Catholic parish!

We nearly had the church to ourselves, which was remarkable considering Laura said she’d been there when the whole nave was full! We got to enter the cave on which the church is built, believed to be the site of Jesus’ birth. It was amazing to enter a space where so many Christians have come to worship the King through the ages!

Johnny’s Souvenir Shop

Next, we visited Johnny’s, a store owned by more Palestinian Christians. We ate the most delicious schwarma take-out in their home, and then perused their treasure trove of a shop–full of olive wood, jewelry, and other souvenirs.  

Israel Museum (Model of Jerusalem, Shrine of the Book, Archaeological Museum)

We crossed back over into Israel without incident and headed to the Israel museum after a short stop to see the Knesset, the legislature of Israel. 

The Israel Museum features an incredible scale model of Jerusalem in the time of Christ. Laura did a fantastic job teaching us about the Temple Mount, the city of David, the walls, gates, and other features of the city.  

We also visited the Shrine of the Book, a moving tribute to the Dead Sea Scrolls which includes a replica of the Isaiah scroll. The Archaeological museum there featured so many artefacts that related to the places we’ve been and the people we’ve learned about.  We saw the original Moses seat from Chorazin, the “Holy of Holies” from the temple in Arad, and the Pilate stone from Caesarea! Another fascinating artefact was a tiny silver amulet that contained the priestly blessing from Numbers 6.  It dates to 200 years before the Dead Sea Scrolls, making it the oldest written text ever found of the Hebrew bible.

Today was a long day, but such a rich reminder of the sovereignty of our God throughout every age. We may be weak, but He is strong. No matter the opposition, the word and the purposes of the Lord stand forever!

Quote of the Day

As we traveled past a mosque, Courtney asked, “Why does that tower have a wrench on top?”  (The minaret was topped with a crescent that looked exactly like a crescent wrench!)