“He found him in a
desert land, and in the howling waste of a wilderness; He encircled him, He
cared for him, He guarded him as the pupil of His eye. Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, That
hovers over its young, He spread His wings and caught them, He carried them on
His pinions” (Deut. 32:10-11).
Hey Gang: Thank you
and blessings to all who covered us with prayers as we returned to Israel once
again. In our sojourn we had to make
four aircraft changes and we had to run through airports in all the four
changes. At the Newark Airport, on our
way over, we were two terminals away from our departure point with less than
thirty minutes- due to a problem and delay in departure from Chicago to
Newark. Since all of our party were
considered older than dirt, they put us in push chairs and ran full speed
through the crowded terminal. We arrived as they were doing the final
loading. But made it we did.
Twelve hours later the wheels of our Boeing 777 touched down
and we were ‘home’. It has always amazed
me, in each of my twelve touch downs at the Ben Gurion Airport, that a feeling
of peace settles into my soul. As we
went with the crowds through the visa check-in procedure, it reminded me of
what it must have been like in Jerusalem during the celebration of Passover. Even today the city of Jerusalem and
surrounding suburbs cannot be classified as a large city when compared to the
mega cities around the world.
But we are told that the population swelled in Jerusalem and
the surrounding bergs to more than two million people. There are two peak times for ministries to
schedule tours to Israel, October-November and February-March and, as we
learned, this was a bumper year for tourists.
We were very pleased to clear the intake process and get
into the Tel Tamar Van and hit the road for the desert. Two hours later we arrived at The Biblical
Park of Tel Tamar and settled in for fifteen days of work and fellowship. People have asked me, on many occasions, if I
was not afraid to be located four miles from Jordan, who at this point is not
overly happy with Israel. My response,
no, there is no press in the Arabah and very few in the Negev. They don’t like the desert and will do all in
their power to stay away from it.
And, where there is no press, there is no deep haters of
Sons of Ishmael with Sons of Isaac. The
main concerns of the people of the Arabah is water and survival. We had a daily visit from Mohammad, who has a
deep respect and even love for Tel Tamar and the people who freely come and
give of their time and talents to make their lives easier. Sunday nights were special for the ladies in
the crowd; Mohammad brought his wife and four beautiful little children to
visit. There is a softness about the
Bedouin children that makes them especially beautiful.
I have stood on the top of the Tel (hill over a rebuilt
city) many times and looked across the valley to Bozrah, which is located in
Jordan about six miles distant. Isaiah
wrote the following words about this very special place: “Who is this who comes from Edom, With garments of glowing colors from
Bozrah, This One who is majestic in His apparel, Marching in the greatness of
His strength? It is I who speak in righteousness, might to save” (Isaiah
63:1).
In our first trip to Tel Tamar, then known as Kibbutz Ir
Ovot and located in the Wilderness of Zin, where Moses and the children of
Israel trucked for forty years and it was called Oboth (Num. 21:10). At Kibbuts Ir Ovot in 1984 lived Rabbi Pearlmutter
and his family. Simca and his family had
been in a survival mode for many years and, in a sense, when Blossoming Rose became
involved, it made his life a lot easier.
He often told the story that at every meal they set a place at the table
for “He who will come from Edom”, expecting
that he and his family would join the growing crowd of believers who would walk
with Jesus to the Eastern Gate.
Well, my friends, I could go on for hours but will give you
a shovel full at a time. In the 30 plus
years that we have sojourned in the Arabah of Israel, we have seen many prophecies
fulfilled- but none more profound that the greening of the desert. What was barren waste land on our first trips
is now beautiful vineyards and fields of flower, fruit and vegetables, many
which provide for the needs of Europe.
We are fearful for these final days of President Obama’s
presidency for many believe he is going to throw Israel under the bus by voting
‘aye’ on the UN resolution that Israel must return to the boundaries of
1967. I believe God gave our nation a
reprieve from judgement by Donald Trump’s victory, but are we facing an even
more dangerous fate if Pres. Obama says “yes”.
Joel 3:2 gives us fair warning: “I
will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat,
On behalf of my people and my inheritance, Israel, Whom they have scattered
Among the nations. And they have
divided up My land”.
Something to think and pray about, my friends. Continue to
pray for the incoming new administration.
Blessings,
Gramps
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