“I will open the rivers on the bare heights and springs in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water and the dry land fountains of water. I will put the cedar in the wilderness, the acacia and the myrtle and the olive tree; I will place the juniper in the desert together with the box tree and the cypress, that they may see and recognize and consider and gain insight as well. That the hand of the Lord has done this, and the Holy One of Israel has created it” (Isaiah 41:18-20).
Hey Gang: My fifth ‘Sign of the Times’ is one that most folks tend to overlook and is found in Isaiah 35:1: “The wilderness and the desert will be glad and the Arabah will rejoice and blossom; Like a crocus”. When the Jews began to return to the land of their heritage there was no great outcries that they were occupying someone else’s land. Why? Because it consisted of swamp lands and desert and broken down buildings. There are those who say the Jews literally stole the land from the Sons of Ishmael who owned it but did not occupy it. Such is not truth – they bought the land from the Arab owners and payed a dear price for every inch that they bought.
On our first trips to Israel we worked on a Kibbutz in the Arabah called Ir Ovot. I would describe, what we saw the first time we drove into the Kibbutz, but it was indescribable. It was a dessert-swamp that produced one crop – mosquitos that asked your blood type before they attacked. But over in the one corner of the kibbutz we found long rows of plastic that were suspended from hoops in the ground; under the plastic were rows of half inch hose that were suspended above the plants that had been placed in the ground. We learned that it was a new irrigation system, designed by a Jewish farmer, that allowed growing crops in the desert called “drip irrigation”.
Simply stated, there was a head over each plant that provided a steady drip of water on the plant. Keep in mind that the Arabah consist of the Plains of Lot that were very fertile grounds during the days of Abraham and Lot. Lot, when given the option to choose the location where he would settle his flocks, chose the lush valley that covers portions of the Arabah. If you picked up a hand full of soil, it would feel like a dry, very sandy substance; but, when water was added, it became some of the most fertile soil of Israel.
So, how does that fit in with the above prophecy that the desert will bloom like a rose? We made eight subsequent visits to Israel, six of which were spend on the Ir Ovot, (now Tel Tamar), Kibitz. On each subsequent trip we watched a literal transformation of the desert from a bleak, sandy desert to beautiful fields of vegetables, flowers, tree plantations, tropical fish and Peter’s fish plantations. Today flowers, vegetables and other products that are raised in the desert are shipped around the world.
In Isaiah 41:18-20, the prophet's talk of a future restoration of Israel coincides with an occurrence in modern Israel - the construction of a vast irrigation system to improve farming. The lack of available water, including rain, is one reason why Israel had been a desolate, unproductive land, during much of the past 2000 years. But, during the 1900s, when many Jews returned to their ancient homeland, they built a network of irrigation systems. And during the past century, more than 200 million trees have been planted in Israel.
We have been truly blessed to watch the blossoming of the Arabah both from the standpoint of the beauty of the country side, but also from the beauty of God’s words and the fulfillment of His promises. Another sign that He is preparing to come soon for His children. Are you watching?
BLessings,
Gramps
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