Inside Israel's Heart

The Bible reads differently when you're in Israel. Today I read about David hiding from Saul in the mountains, in the forest, in a field with Jonathan, or clamoring down a mountain with his men intending to do Nabal in until Abigail, coming down the other side of the mountain, caught up with him and saved his life and his destiny in God with her wisdom. Israel has lots of mountains, and great vistas to be seen from them or of them. Today Jody and I took another hike on portions of the trail that goes all through Israel. It would take 2 months to hike it all.

Some areas are sort of steep - going down is, needless to say, much easier than going up. I can feel myself growing stronger with each hike. After reading the portions of Scripture mentioned above, I felt like I was walking where David might have. At least I could "feel" what it must have been like on the trails for him. It's beautiful territory but the fact that this is where it all took place, makes the stories different. They don't feel so much like stories of way back when and over there when you're here. I know what it sounds like now to tramp down rock strewn mountain paths.

There's a constant welcoming of people. Hospitality is a way of life here. Last night 17 people came to 'our' home from a visiting group from all over America. They are a group called Hands to the Land, who come to be of help to Israel. They came last night for a concert of Alyosha's music followed by a time of refreshments and mingling. Somehow they all fit into the living room, plus the grand piano,though it's not a very large home. They welcomed the opportunity to be in the home of Israelis. What sweet people they were.

On Friday night, for Shabbat, we have 24 people from Germany coming for Shabbat dinner who are in the Land on some mercy mission. This week we will be accompanying them while visiting Holocaust survivors to bring gifts, love and joy and to let them know they're still cared about and haven't been forgotten. That from German believers, as I said in a previous email, who are intent on making up for what pain and sorrow Germany brought upon Jews. Every year a group comes from Germany for that purpose. It would seem a spirit of reconciliation is upon them - to which I say, Amen.

I had one really genuine Israel experience a few days ago. I went to a funeral, well actually a memorial service taking place a few months after this man died, when they put the stone on the grave. The man died of a physical condition but really of a broken heart. Why? Because his daughter was murdered by 2 Palestinian men while out walking one evening. The daughter was an adult and had her own daughter who was of course there with her grandmother.  Many others gathered around the grave. When I first entered the cemetery I felt a sense of grief that was almost palpable. But when we got to the grave site a different feeling impressed me, one of a people bound together to survive, to be strong in the midst of sorrow.  Death is not new to them.

The daughter of the murdered woman is around 16-18 years old. She is also the granddaughter of the deceased. She was wrapped in the arms by another woman but it wasn't clear who was holding who up, as both seemed to need support. I was told that K, the older of the two, was the survivor of another Palestinian attack in which she and a friend were grabbed and stabbed numerous times. K has a small knife which she was able to pull out and used to slice into one of the Palestinians. K's friend died but despite 19 knife wounds, K lived and was able to give the knife to the police who were able to obtain a DNA specimen that somehow enabled them to capture the Palestinians who are now in jail for murder.  It was at the trial that K met the mother and father of the first mentioned murdered woman. They adopted each other and K became like the daughter they lost to the parents and quite close to that woman's daughter whom she was now holding on to.

The experience of being there, hearing them say the prayers in Hebrew that are always said at Jewish funerals was both familiar and foreign to me. The prayers are a praise to God, but in America most Jews don't understand enough Hebrew to know what it says, though Hebrew is used for prayers. But here in Israel, they know the words give glory to God even in the shadow of death. While most Christians would tend to think that without Yeshua these people wouldn't sense God's strength, His presence, or even His joy. But for those who have faith in God, they give him praise and sing His praises, often with great fervor and/or joy, and they speak of trusting in Him, sometimes more than Christians do as their need for Him is great. But then, after all, the whole Tenakh (O.T.) is filled with Jews giving praise to God. Why would then not now?

After the memorial service, we all went back to the home of the wife and in typical Jewish fashion, there was a lot of food. I have to add that the house was filled with Israeli art which was inspiring to me. All Biblical. Israel is about the Bible, no matter what level of faith one has.

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