milk, honey, and then some

 The sunshine and the 70 degree weather sure did keep us out and about the last several of days. But let envy not take over your heart, dear snow-bound reader, the rain and cold have dragged me back inside. So here I am with a blanket around my shoulders, the heater on, and a hot cup of tea with in arm's reach; ready to finally share some pictures and a few words on where we have been and what we have seen. 

The pictures are from a few days of travel around the  Holy Land.

This here is the view of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. This can be considered as the "honey" of the promise that God gave to Moses concerning Israel in Exodus 3:8. Have you ever wondered why there weren't streams of flowing milk and honey when the Israelites stepped foot into the promise land? The phrase "milk and honey" meant that the land would be fruitful, bountiful, abundant, etc. The "honey" is more referred to the crops of the land. In fact, in Ex 3:8 the word "honey" in Hebrew refers to the thick, very sweet syrup produced my dates (which grow on palm trees) and not bees. Read about the "milk" in the next picture. 

(Land for grazing livestock. You find shepherds and their animals here.)
The "milk" is referred to the livestock of the land. So the promise was that there would be good conditions for crops and livestock in the land. This is interesting because Egypt (where they were) was a great land for crops, harvest, animals, etc (Deut 11:10). It was so good that you could literally part the soil with your foot because it was so moist (Deut 11:10). However, the Promise Land was not that great because it did not have a water source, it's water source was the rain (Deut. 11:11), which is not very stable nor secure. Plus, the land was full of hills and valleys which meant that it had plenty of rocks, tough terrain, etc (Deut 11:11). But the Lord said this of that arid land, "a land (promise land) for which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning even to the end of the year" (Deut 11:12). And this "He (the Lord) will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain for your land and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, and your wine, and your oil" Deut 11:14. So the Lord brings His people into a land where they must depend on Him. He promises to give them a plentiful land if only they keep His commandment, "to love the Lord your God and to serve Him" (Deut 11:13). How great is that?! It reminds me of Proverbs 3:5 "Trust the Lord your God and lean not on your own understanding."
One last note, the mention of grain, wine, and oil in Deut 11:14 is exactly the order that those crops grow in this land til this very day! The grain comes in around May/June, grapes in August and the olives in Sept/Oct. 

This picture is half of a large wall that holds names of people who have donated at least $1 million to the Hebrew University. Steven Spielberg is one of the names, along with a few banks from New York and some other "American" companies. These donors are from all over the world.

These holes are graves or burials from a very long long time ago. I say that because I don't remember the date that they are dated back to:) People must have been tiny back then.

Sight of the Old City from the Mount of Olives. In the most bottom part of the picture is a cemetery filled with white washed tombs. This cemetery already existed before and during the time of Jesus. On the graves themselves you will not find flowers, instead you will find heaps of rocks, stones, and pebbles. That is the custom here for showing respect to the dead.

Russian Orthodox church on the Mount of Olives.

                                    

The ruins of Herod's getaway spot, Herodium (or Herodian). This fortress stands on a volcano-like hill (758 meters high) that Herod constructed himself. He was very much obsessed with Egypt and wanted the hill to resemble a pyramid, so he ordered that the mount be made bigger so that it was massive and tall. He succeeded, you can see this mount from Jerusalem. The fortress is round, with square rooms. It is said that the place was designed very esthetically with a lot of charm. One of the structures still standing is a sauna, shower, steam room  which is made in a dome like fashion. Many architects today do not know how they were able to achieve the dome structure back then. Herodium also does not have a water source, so Herod brought in the water by stone "pipes." I can't recall all else that was said about him, but this guy was a great builder and inventor. Herod's tomb was discovered here in 2007.

Doesn't this picture remind you of this image?

In Bethlehem, the Church of the Nativity. It supposedly stands on the place/house where Jesus was born.

The doors are so tiny because it said that the inside of the church was very beautiful at one point. But during battles, loss of powers, etc. people groups would go and and take/steal articles from inside the church. At one point, who ever held power over the church at that moment, decided that they would make the entrances and exits tiny so that nothing else could be carried out of the place. 

This is star is believed to be the place where Jesus was born.

Silly, huh?! They may have knocked off the name, but the coffee is no where near Starbucks quality. 

This museum marks the parable of the Good Samaritan and also it is believed that the inn stood where the museum now stands. The museum holds beautiful mosaics from all over and those that are centuries old. 

"I see you..." Oh and yes, those are centuries old tombs that the boys are using as back rests.

On top of a fortress once used by the Crusaders.

The left picture, past the girl is the road to Jericho. See how easy it is to get mugged and even killed? Actually, you can still get mugged and be held at knife point to this day on the road to and from Jericho. 

That's all folks. Next post will be on monasteries, Jericho, the wilderness, and the land of Samaria.