Day Nine: From Springs to Spirit

City, Spring, Tunnel, Pool, Road, and Steps This may sound like a strange collection of words, but together they tell the story of Jerusalem, from its earliest mentions in Scripture to the birth of the church.

We began in the City of David, where David’s palace once stood and where official houses lined the slopes of Area G. These ruins later became silent witnesses to the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC under Nebuchadnezzar. Just below the city, at the Gihon Spring, archaeology, tradition, and Scripture converge to remind us of Jerusalem’s earliest days in the biblical story.

Fast forward to the days of King Hezekiah. When Sennacherib of Assyria threatened the city, Hezekiah’s men carved a tunnel from the Gihon to bring water safely inside the city walls. That tunnel still stands, and we walked its dark path, water still flowing beneath our feet. Its waters emptied into what, by the first century, became the Pool of Siloam. The very pool where Jesus healed a blind man and sent him to wash (John 9:7). It was also here, during the Feast of Tabernacles, that pilgrims celebrated God’s provision and longed for Messiah’s arrival.

From the pool, one would have ascended the Pilgrim’s Road, the ancient street where worshipers once made their way up to the temple. We came to the end of this road at the Southern Steps of the Temple, where Jesus taught, where His followers gathered, and where the Spirit descended at Pentecost. Here the early church was commissioned, and from here the Gospel began to spread to the ends of the earth.

Today, we were reminded that God placed Israel at the crossroads of the world for a purpose. And He has placed us at the crossroads of our world for a purpose. He has positioned us in this time, in this place, among these people, for His mission.

Prayer

Lord, awaken us each day with expectancy for Your Spirit. Fill us with Your power. Make us attentive to the purpose You have placed before us in our generation, that we might live on mission for You. Amen.

“Jerusalem is not just a place on the map, but a place in God’s heart, and from it, the world was changed.” – Anonymous Pilgrim Saying

With Expectancy,

Jerrell