In the Land of Milk and Honey

Clement Chew

I and my wife Yujie thank God for the opportunity to attend FEBC’s 15th Holy Land Pilgrimage (Nov 29-Dec 11, 2010) just after our marriage (Nov 27). It is truly a blessing to begin our life together by “feasting” in the land of milk and honey. And what a spiritual feast it was! The experience was just like attending a crash course in the university of life. Space does not permit me to write down all the things I have learned from this pilgrimage. Nevertheless, let me share some of the lessons of faith and obedience learned, and the Lord’s goodness to the pilgrims.

The Fire and the Rain

When we arrived in the Holy Land, we were in for a huge surprise. Although it was supposed to be winter, the weather was hot, just a shade below that of Singapore. The guide explained that it had not rained in Israel for nearly nine months. If this persists, Israel will surely face one of the worst droughts in its modern history. In fact, the Sea of Galilee had dropped by an astonishing five metres due to the drought and constant pumping of fresh water out of the Sea.

What is the reason for the drought? To the common man, it could be due to global warming. But the people of the land should know the reason—they had sinned against God. “And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto  my  commandments  which  I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full. Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; And then the LORD’S wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you.” (Deut 11:13-17). The Lord means every Word that He says, even till today!

As if to confirm His Word, God sent a fire to engulf the forests of Carmel. It was the worst forest fire in Israel’s history. This caused me to recall the story of Elijah, the prophet of fire, and his contention with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. The Lord sent fire from heaven that day. Could it be the case here too, seeing how unbelief has consumed much of the people in the Holy Land?

While the weather was good for the pilgrims, I could sense the people’s desperate desire for rain. Sensing their plight, the pilgrims prayed that God would have mercy on the land and send rain. The next day, I saw clouds for the first time in Israel. I joked with the guide that just as God sent a little cloud of the sea and subsequently rain after Elijah prayed (1 Kgs 18:44), maybe the same would happen in 2010. It was no joke. Lo and behold, the day after, the Lord heard the cry of the pilgrims, and sent the rain. Joy filled my heart for the people of the land that day. No complaints from the pilgrims; they came prepared with umbrellas and raincoats. Praise the Lord!

The lesson I have learned from the rain is this—God is ready to forgive, if only we would repent and come to Him for forgiveness. Our God is a merciful and gracious God.

The “Tells” and Excavation Sites

The pilgrims had the privilege of visiting several “tells” and excavation sites in the Holy Land. A “tell” or “tal” is a mound that is formed by several cities, each one built on top of the other throughout time. During the time of the Bible, they did not have cranes and dozers like we have today. Hence, whenever a city or village is conquered, the conquerors would build the new city upon the stones of the one previously destroyed. With time, a mound or a “tell” is formed.

One of the “tells” we visited was that of Jericho. Over there, we were told how an archaeologist—Kathleen Kenyon—through her excavations concluded that there was no evidence of the destruction of Jericho by Joshua and the Israelites, and that Jericho was destroyed before the time of Joshua. As a result, she lost her faith in the Bible. However, later excavations by Bryant G Wood uncovered evidence that the excavated city was indeed the city destroyed by Joshua, verifying the truth of the Biblical account. Why did Kathleen Kenyon lose her “faith”? It was because she wanted to see in order to believe! But the Bible teaches us that we must believe in order to see (Heb 11:1; John 21:19). Wood adopted this method of “Believing Bible Study” and ended up having his faith strengthened. Is faith in Christ and His Word first in my life?

The other significant place where we visited was Tal-Dan, where we got to see the great apostasy of Jeroboam I in making a duplicate of the Jerusalem temple and installing the worship of the golden calf. This syncretistic worship in the Northern Kingdom is exemplified by a grove uncovered by archaeologists. On the top of this grove was a big stone dedicated to the worship of Jehovah, and a small stone dedicated to the worship of Asherah. The people of Israel bowed down to worship both stones. The people had two “masters”. But as the Bible tells us that we cannot serve two masters (Matt 6:24), so the people ended up loving their idols instead of the one living and true God. This reminded me how it is true today that our whole being must be wholly dedicated to God. “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.” (Mark 12:30).

“But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves” (Exod 34:13)

Egypt and the Sinai Desert

During my stay in Egypt I was beset with a wheezing cough that would not go away, preventing me from climbing Mount Sinai. However that additional portion of rest at night allowed me to be fresh the next day as the bus traversed the Sinai Desert. As I looked at the rocky mountains and the acres and acres of barren desert, I could scarcely imagine how difficult it must have been for Moses to lead two million people in this wilderness for 40 years! The desert seemed uninhabitable— hardly any water, hardly any food; extreme heat in the day, extreme cold at night. But the Lord provided miraculously for the Israelites. Are we like the children of Israel who murmured and complained against God? Do we often complain about the food we eat? Are we discontented with the salary we get, or the size of the roof above our heads? Surely our circumstances are not worse than what the children of Israel faced. Surely then there is no cause for me to complain about my life, but rather to thank God for all I have in my life. The lesson God wanted the children of Israel to learn in such extreme circumstances was how they must live not by bread alone but by every word that proceeded out of His mouth (Deut 8:3; Matt 4:4). The Lord too must be my sole dependence from day to day. Without Christ, I can do nothing (John 15:5).

Our Resting Place in the Sinai Desert

The riches of ancient Egypt as found in the Egyptian museum in Cairo also brought to remembrance how I ought to live each day by faith, for without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb 11:6). Moses set for us an example: “By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment. By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.” (Heb 11:23-26).

Jerusalem and Bethlehem

While there were many sites to behold in Jerusalem and Bethlehem, I have learnt the most by observing the people and their way of life. How sad it is to see that little Christianity exists in Jerusalem! There is much idolatry and blindness in the land. Much of it is exemplified by the many idols and icons we see in so-called churches, and the Jews at large who still do not believe that Jesus Christ is their Messiah. Those who are Messianic Jews have to hide their identities or flee from the city. The rest of the Christians remain persecuted. Hence, it is little wonder that Jerusalem, the city of peace, has no peace at all. Neither does Bethlehem, the house of bread, have any bread at all.

When then will peace come? Peace will come when Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life who was born in Bethlehem, returns to the earth again. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” (Isa 9:6-7).

 

Ultra-orthodox Jews at the Wailing Wall, Jerusalem

In the meantime, what can I do as a Jerusalem pilgrim? Psalm 122:6 says, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.” After learning so many lessons of faith and obedience in the Holy Land, how can I not pray for the peace of Jerusalem? Revisiting all the pictures I had taken of the land of Israel made me yearn for the land again. May the Lord Jesus Christ come soon and bring peace to the land!

True Life Bible-Presbyterian Church.
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