RVL’s mission on this trip to Israel is for us to learn more
about God through the story of His people and for us to join the story as His
disciples. In aggregate, the American church knows nothing of these things. So
RVL goes above and beyond to try to steer our group more toward joining God’s
mission rather than the typical two paths within American Christianity (either
become a legalist rule-follower or do nothing because you are “saved” and wait
for Jesus to return).
Today we went to the Wilderness of Paran and hiked Mt.
Berech in Timna Park. We hiked up Mt. Berech to get a better feel for Moses’s
journey up Mt. Sinai (no one is sure where Mt. Sinai is, so we chose this
mountain). It was a difficult journey for us, so how difficult would it have
been for Moses age 80? But, Moses knew this area well by the time he was
leading the Israelites. He had learned the wilderness area well during the 40
years he had shepherded.
RVL took us through the relationship between God and the
Israelites during the time of Moses. That relationship blossomed in the desert,
though it certainly had its ups and downs. After God had sent the 10 plagues
(to defeat the 10 main gods of Egypt), He and the Israelites spent 40 years in
the desert together; 38 of those years were in the Wilderness of Paran.
God courted Israel for 40 days after Egypt, and then “married” her on Mt. Sinai. It is astounding to think that God chose a people for Himself. Not because Israel was the best group of people, or even because God loved Israel more, but because He wanted the world to know God’s character of love, mercy, and holiness. Israel was an unfaithful bride – even on the “wedding day” at Sinai – but God was faithful for over a thousand years.
Part of a Jewish wedding to this day is to write two copies
of each party’s wedding vows so both people have one. It is crazy and awesome
to think of the 10 Commandments as God’s wedding vows with Israel. This is how
Jews view the 10 Commandments. RVL described Orthodox Jews weeping when they
hear the 10 Commandments read aloud, because God is still faithful.
We then went down the mountain and walked to a re-creation
of the Tabernacle in Timna Park. The Tabernacle was God’s traveling tent during
Moses’s era of Israel. Humans had built a world on pride and selfishness, so
out of His mercy God removed Himself from our presence because we would
immediately die if we encountered His holiness.
RVL described the Tabernacle as Creation 2.0 in that God
once again joined humans on earth. God devised a series of sacrifices and
symbolism that allowed humans to once again encounter Him face-to-face. God
used Egyptian cultural elements – like the Tabernacle design and Zodiac signs –
to lead the Israelites with symbols that they would understand, yet He reclaimed
these symbols for His purposes.
Seeing the Tabernacle was also powerful, especially to
consider that God followed through with His plan. He did live among His people.
Though their wickedness at times resulted in a harsher penalty (again, because
they were up against God’s holiness), they also were the only people ever who lived
with God and enjoyed His immediate presence.
Not coincidentally, when Jesus comes into the world, the
gospel of John uses the same word as this, so John 1 would read: “Jesus came
and “tabernacled” among us.” In America, I am often surrounded by the idea of a
cold, sterile God, who people want to put within the box of “systematic
theology”. Israel knows nothing of this God. Our God is personal and up in my
face. To be in Israel and consider how much God loves me and what He is doing
in this world is more than I can handle. Amazing.
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