Divided

A day that  starts with waffles, pizza, and chocolate milk for breakfast should not be a day full of dealing with divisions and conflict, yet that was our day today.  The pizza and waffles (and chocolate milk) were delicious - and certainly let our thoughts float to our kids at home who would have LOVED this breakfast - and our tour today was challenging.  Not in a deep spiritual way, but in a way that tossed our brains and our hearts around.   We started the day in Tel Dan National Park, where the largest natural spring in the Middle East is found.  It forms 3 major tributaries of the Jordan River.  Beautiful...there is no doubt about it.

Tel Dan is also the place that marks where King Solomon's two sons, Rehoboam and Jeroboam divided the kingdom.  Rehoboam set up two golden calves, one in Bethel in the southern part of Israel and one in the northern part of Dan (the land held by the tribe of Dan) which became a place of idol worship and sacrifice.  As Pastor Jake reminded us today, you can take the people out of Egypt but you can't take Egypt out of the people.  It was incredible to be there and see the "well of Dan" under a massive tree that has grown there since the time of Rehoboam, which also holds a large brick from the structures he had erected there.

What is so overwhelming about this area is that is also at the meeting point of Israel, Lebanon, and Syria.  Not that we chose to be so close to these areas, but it was both awesome (meaning full of awe!) and fearful at the same time.  Here is a picture of us standing where you can see Lebanon on the horizon over Andrew's shoulder, and the mountains of Syria are just out of the picture over my shoulder.  It was incredible to hear the story of land and countries fought for, given over, taken back, and desiring to be reclaimed; the stories of the people, their lives, their homes, their lands divided and conquered through conflict of the worst kind, lost and regained.  The conflicts done in the name of religion.

This little town in Lebanon was divided right down the middle, half was in Lebanon, half was in Syria. You can see the dark tree line in the middle of the town; that used to be the border between the two countries - it actually went right through a house at one point during the conflict.  I was overwhelmed by the impact of the conflicts, both past and present, on the people of the area...Israel, Lebanon and Syria.  I had a real sense of God's hand holding everything back; once his grace is removed, it's a flood of evil, of hatred, of conflict...of division.  It is the battle that will take place on the plain of Armageddon that we talked about yesterday.  Being here...I can actually picture it.  The good news is...we win :)

We also visited Caesarea Philippi today - the place where Jesus asks his disciples, "Who do you say that I am" (Matthew 16:13-20).  It was beautiful and really put the story into context for us.  There is so much to unpack in that part of our day...Jesus bringing his disciples to a place of pagan worship, the rock in which it was located, the water being the only source of water in the region.  We could picture Jesus there, with his beloved disciples, teaching them, talking with them and loving them.  I think for both of us, this had a huge spiritual impact...."who do you say that I am?"  There is no doubt, sitting surrounded by the same rocks and trees that Jesus was, that we know exactly who He is.

Again - falafels for lunch, but this time we also had a choice of a schnitzel in a pita, or a Druze pita (a very large crepe looking bread, filled with sour cheese, hissop and olives).  Don't know why, but I stuck with the schnitzel!!

It is the Jewish Shabbot (Sabbath) today, so everything closed down by about 4:00 so that everyone could get home before sunset.  We enjoyed a lovely Shabbot meal tonight, complete with a ride in the Shabbot elevator - at sunset on Friday it is set to automatically stop and every floor and it just keeps going up or down...you just move right along with it so that you don't have to do any work!  Lovely!

One last picture - mostly for our boys (we miss you!!).  Everything is slower here in Israel, but I thought this sign was funny!  Slow down for the lizards!!  How great is that??