Today was an amazing day. It began as they all do: wake-up call at 6, breakfast at 6:30, at the bus by 6:50. It's a routine to which we've all quickly adjusted. There is, as you may imagine, so much more to do and see than daylight will permit and none of us wants to miss a thing. Before the bus rolls, however, there are always two things on the agenda: devotions and the saying of the Shema in Hebrew and English. That is, the text of Deuteronomy 6:4-5. Both are very special parts of the morning.
The focus of today was twofold: A journey into the land of the Patriarchs (Abraham and Hezekiah) and the 
introduction of Herod. We began with a relatively short bus ride to Tel Arad whose ruins date to 3000 B.C. I peered into a well from which Abraham very likely drank. When Joshua sent out the spies they would have walked past here. In all there are six cities represented in this Tel the last of which was constructed by King Hezekiah. Standing there, thinking of all the history that happened here was surreal. What came next was so far the most emotionally charged event of the trip.
Ray walked us through a series of stories and events from the bible which link Abraham, the Jewish sacrificial system and the crucifixion of Jesus. For most this was brand new. For those of us who had already been exposed to it, there was an entirely new dimension. We were hearing it IN its actual context. We were "in" the story.
A few steps up the hill, we were treated to another surprise: the only Jewish Temple dating from the Iron 
Age found anywhere. Its discovery made Tel Arad one of the top ten archaeological digs in Israel. It was designed as a replica to the Jerusalem Temple at about 1/20 scale. The attention to detail and the things historians were then able to learn about Jewish worship from that period are stunning. The truly stunning thing is it shouldn't exist. King Hezekiah, in obedience to Torah, ordered all "High Places" outside Jerusalem destroyed. For reasons unknown, this one was respectfully preserved, covered in dirt and left for others to discover thousands of years later. What a feeling it was to realize we were standing in the midst of a Temple belonging to a people who worship the same God we do.
What took place next as we sat around the Sacrificial Altar, built exactly to the biblical specifications, is
not possible for me to adequately describe. Ray walked us through an overview of the sacrificial system. As he did so, echoes of the Abraham narrative we had earlier heard came rushing back. As Ray detailed the sacrifice itself he drew from his pack a Shofar. None of the 53 of us had seen it. As he blew, the sound reverberated around those stones and tore at our hearts. The emotion was palpable. Then came the final piece, Jesus himself, God's sacrificial lamb who was crucified at 9 and died at 3, exactly as God had foreshadowed hundreds of thousands of times through thousands of years of priestly practice. As Ray, quoting Jesus on the cross screamed, "It is Finished!" all of the pieces fell suddenly in to place. There was no other thing to do but weep. It's what we all did. Someone started singing, "Jesus paid it all". Most of us couldn't get through it. I don't know how long we sat there in the wake of that moment. It was a while. No one wanted to move. Eventually, of course, we had to. Other groups were waiting to enter the area. As we rose, loaded up our gear and began to walk down off the hill, the only sound was what our feet made in the rocks. You must know that for this group that is highly unusual.
There were two other major parts to this day, but I will have to catch up tomorrow (as well as write about Sunday). I want you to know at least this: I experienced today the most amazing display of hospitality ever in my life. And this from a Bedoin Muslim woman who has no idea what I am called or where South Carolina is. Think on that a while. I also want you to know I saw Masada, Herod's desert fortress
overlooking the Dead Sea. I've seen pictures and helicopter fly-overs but those did not do justice to this nature defying place.
I hate to admit this but I am tired and sore. I don't know how many miles we have hiked since Thursday or how many thousands of feet in elevation change we have traversed. The number is high in both cases. I must have twisted my ankle somewhere in Wadi Zoar and it hurts. In spite of that, my mind and heart are about to burst. You can't imagine the blessing of what God has allowed me to experience. I am not worthy, but I am so thankful. As I head toward sleep, which will be very easy, I will be thinking about Ray's last words before we left the Temple ruin at Tel Arad. "Jesus died so that we might become partners with Him in this Story. I want to be in this story. How about you?"
