Day 03 - Petra and the God Who Forms a People

Today we began Day Three of our Jordan & Israel Pastors Tour in the Rose City of Petra.The city takes its name from the rock itself, carved from sandstone that glows red, pink, and gold as the light shifts. Petra reached its height under the Nabataean Kingdom, roughly from 500 BC to 106 AD.

The Nabataeans were masters of survival and strategy. They harvested water in the desert, controlled major trade routes, and supplied caravans with water and spices. Petra was not only beautiful. It was powerful.

Many people know Petra because of Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark. But long before Hollywood, this place was woven into the biblical world.

Before the Nabataeans, Petra was tied to ancient Edomites. It is here, or in this region, that the prophet Obadiah likely spoke his piercing words of judgment against Edom. They had watched Judah fall during the Babylonian exile, failed to show compassion, exploited the vulnerable, and then ravaged the land once the people were taken away. Pride carved in stone eventually collapses.

Years later, Petra reappears quietly but significantly in the New Testament backdrop. An Edomite named Antipater married a Nabatean princess Cypros, embedding himself into the ruling family connected to this region. Antipater and Cypros had a son, Herod the Great.

Later, Herod the Great’s son, Herod Antipas, would marry a Nabataean princess (Phasaelis) from Petra, the daughter of Aretas IV. This same Aretas IV is mentioned in 2 Corinthians 11:32, the king who had the governor of Damascus shut down the city in an attempt to arrest the Apostle Paul. 

Petra is iconic. But more than that, it is connective tissue. It undergirds the world of Herod the Great, Herod Antipas, John the Baptist, and even the Apostle Paul. When we step into the world of the Bible, the words of the Bible gain weight, texture, and depth.

We ended the day with a Jeep ride into the desert, watching the sun set over the wilderness. As the light faded, we reflected on Israel’s long sojourn in places like this. The wilderness was never wasted. It was formative. It revealed hearts, exposed dependence, and taught a people how to walk together.

One clear takeaway surfaced as the day closed. God has made us for community. The enemy seeks destruction through isolation. Formation happens together.

May we be a people who lean into community, who care for the hurting, who bring in the poor, and who refuse to let the weak or weary fall behind. We are not meant to journey alone.

We are the body of Christ.

Jerrell