Israel Trip - Day 3

How can the days keep getting better?

An example of the tough climbing route up Timna

Today was one of the more physically exhausting things I've ever done. We hiked and climbed up 3,000+ foot Mt. Timna in the Paran wilderness to get a sense of what it would have been like for Moses to listen to God's instructions and climb Mt. Sinai to meet with him. It was 100 degrees and treacherous terrain. But as we emptied ourselves physically, we understood more and more what God demands of His people when He says that He wants everything we've got.

"Moses! Come up here!"

RVL's shouts echoed off the mountains as we stood in the valley below, and we started off—in all our modern hiking gear, driving home how much more amazing it would have been for an 80-year old man to make this trek in sandals, not once, but four separate times! Oh, and Mt. Sinai is actually twice as high as Mt. Timna!

RVL delivered a powerful lesson at one of our stops on the way up about Moses meeting God at the burning bush and God telling Moses his name—I AM . . . I AM in charge . . . I AM all you need . . . I AM enough for this moment . . . I AM, and you are not. In ancient times, your name wasn't just something people called you. It was your whole reputation, identity, and character.

The lesson at the bush

That lesson gave a whole new perspective on God's command not to take His name in vain. It's not about swearing—although that may be a part of it—it's about anything that empties God's name of meaning, anything that doesn't put Him on display in all His glory for the world to see. As the Hebrews said chillul hashem. Instead, what we must do what Christ prayed in the Lord's prayer, kiddush hashem, we must "hallow" God's name. We must add great meaning to it by the way we live and by the way we treat others. I'm struck by how this is so much more powerful of a way to teach our children about this commandment.

When we reached the summit, we learned how God's covenant with Israel, given at Sinai replicates a marriage ceremony, and the 10 commandments are the wedding vows. The truth dawned on all of us that these were never meant to be a legalistic set of don'ts that God would use to determine who earns salvation and who doesn't. Instead, they are a beautiful expression of the kind of loving relationship a groom wants to have with his bride. The Bible was never about salvation by works! God didn't change his mind when He sent Jesus and say, "Now I'll save my people by grace!" 

It was always grace.

Always grace.

And we live out our loving relationship to God by keeping the vows we took on our wedding day. What a thought!

The Holland Christian Ebeneezer

We were challenged to make a decision on top of Timna—to follow God and make His name known to all the world as a Kingdom of Priests. That's our mission as believers. We set up an Ebeneezer to mark that decision, adding to the pile of stones that our students laid down on their trips two weeks ago. 

Then we were introduced to tzitzits, the ceremonial knots worn by Jews to remind them that they are called to be a Kingdom of Priests to the world. Accepting that call as well, we were each given our own tzitzit to mark us as God's Priests.

RVL readying us to receive our tzitzits

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In the afternoon, we toured a replica tabernacle and learned about how when it was done, the high priest prayed a 7-part prayer, echoing God's 7 days of creation. The tabernacle was about making space for God here on earth. That is our call too. 

How are we making space for God in our jobs? In our various subject areas? In our relationships?

That's what priests do. They make space for God, and He fills it up.

What an amazing day!

So powerful to do this trip with the people who we work with!