Month: February 2019

MOONSHOT

February 24, 2019 / admin

This is the first time I am writing my blog on this new website “Talia’s Joy”. It will still be available on the Google Blog site as before, at least for a while. You are invited to look at the other posts on this website too.

I haven’t written for a while because I have just started a new job and have been rather busy. It seems I failed ‘retirement’ and it is good to back in the working world. I am only working part time and, so far, I am enjoying it a lot.

It is deep winter here in Israel and it has been a cool and wet one so far – the wettest I can remember for quite a while. We haven’t had a lot of rain here in the Jerusalem area, but there have been plentiful rains and snowfall in the north where it is most needed to fill the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) and the aquifers. The Kinneret has risen 1.4 m since the start of the winter and is expected to pass the lower red line by the end of the rainy season in about a month (1). When it passes the lower red line pumping from the lake can resume. This is gratifying and a reason for rejoicing, but the lake is still far from ‘full’ and as its level falls on average half to one centimeter a day because of evaporation in summer, we could still use more rain. Please keep praying.

Even though we are still in the coldest and wettest month, there are already signs of spring. The almond trees are gracing the hillsides around Jerusalem with their lovely white and pink blossom. The brilliant red anenomes are in full bloom and the annual “Red South Festival”, celebrating the blooming of the desert land in the Negev is in full swing, with many thousands of Israelis visiting the wildflowers every weekend.

The spring flowers are already turning our landscapes into beautiful gardens.

Anenomes and other wildflowers in meadow at Beit Guvrin, 20 February 2016
Photo: Talia Good

ISRAEL ON THE MOON

The heavens declare the glory of God;
    the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
    night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words;
    no sound is heard from them.
⁴Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.

Psalm 19: 1-4

An artists rendition of Bereshit on the Moon
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5467064,00.html

Early this morning (22/02) Israel’s first moon mission was successfully launched from Florida, USA. If all goes well, this unmanned spacecraft will touch down on the moon on 11 April. This will make Israel the fourth nation to land a spacecraft on the moon, an amazing accomplishment for a beleaguered nation of only 8 million people. This tiny craft, weighing only 585 kg and about the size of a dishwasher is named “Bereshit”, Hebrew for the first words of the Bible, “In the Beginning” ( also the Hebrew name for the first book, Genesis). This spacecraft was designed and built by a private nonprofit organization, called SpaceIL, which originally intended to compete in a Google-sponsored competition to put a spacecraft on the moon. The competition was eventually abandoned as none of the participants were able to meet the deadline, but the Israeli team decided to continue. Funded mainly by private donors, the mission will cost about $100 million, a small fraction of the cost of similar landings carried out by the USA in the sixties. It is hoped the spacecraft will land on the Mare Serenitatis (the Sea of Tranquility), a dark, lava-covered area in the northern hemisphere of the Moon. You can see this Mare from Earth – it is the left eye of the ‘man in the moon’. All going well it will send back photos and magnetic data. As it has no cooling system the spacecraft is expected to cease functioning in the intense sunlight on the moon after just 3 days. You can read more about this exciting project on https://nordic.businessinsider.com/spacex-israel-moon-mission-launch-spaceil-lunar-lander-2019-2/ or go to the website of SpaceIL, http://www.spaceil.com/

SPIRITUAL WARFARE

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 6 : 12

It is not surprising that as we draw ever nearer to the times of the end, the intensity of the spiritual warfare being waged against the Kingdom of God is strengthening. In the center of the vortex, here in Israel, we are certainly aware of this and it seems the Enemy is ramping up the opposition. More and more believers here are coming under very serious attacks of the Enemy, mainly in the realm of health and finances.

Good friends of mine recently returned to Israel after a few years in Canada taking care of family matters. Getting settled back into the Land is no easy matter, even without the interference of the Enemy. Less than a month after their return they came home from their congregational meeting last Shabbat to find that their new home had been broken into and all their valuables stolen. Gone are all their computers and camera equipment, which they need to carry out their ministry and earn a living here. The youngest son also lost his computer which he needs for his online home schooling courses. They also lost the money they had raised for their resettlement. It is a dire blow for a family (God knows their name) that is also facing serious health issues and the death of a son just a few months ago. Please lift up this family in prayer, including their wider extended family which is also facing intense attack.

Theft is a serious problem in Israel. I have had my home broken into on three separate occasions and my bicycle stolen. My landlords and friends upstairs have had their car stolen from just outside on the street four times, twice this last year. It’s getting hard for them to get insurance on their vehicles. One of our neighbors also had his house broken into and car stolen recently. It’s hard not to feel anxious about this threat. The first thing I do each morning is to check that my car is still there and my house secure. It’s hard to always find that ‘peace that passes understanding’. Our possessions are not important in the big scheme of things, but we do need them to function in our daily lives, and when they are stolen it is stressful to say the least. Most of us who live in Israel live from day to day financially, and have no reserves to fall back on when disaster strikes. The Enemy knows where we are most vulnerable.

Pray that all the believers here in the land will be careful to put on the armor of God daily, and not give the Enemy the slightest opening for attack. It is hard to be that vigilant and to walk in total sanctification and faith all of the time. Please cover us with your prayers.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints

Ephesians 6: 13-18

ELECTION FEVER

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.

Romans 13: 1

Israel is in the grip of election fever. National Elections will be held on the 9th April. I have never become involved in Israeli politics to any great extent but I do believe that it is important to pray for our leaders, and that includes prayer to determine who those leaders will be.

Israel has a complex, democratic system of government. Israelis vote for party lists for the 120 seat Knesset (Parliament). Since the founding of the State in 1948 no one party has ever had an outright majority, meaning that we have always been ruled by coalition governments. Such a system gives inordinate power to the smaller, extreme right- or left-wing parties. Binyamin Netanyahu and his right-wing Likud party have been in power for the last decade.

Today (22/02) is the last day for parties to submit their lists. A few days ago Netanyahu announced that his Likud Party had formed a coalition together with the extreme far-right religious parties in anticipation of a coalition of left and centrist parties joining forces. This may lose his party votes as he has now joined forces with the extreme right, including the Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) Party, successor to the Kach Party, once led by the late-Rabbi Yehuda Kahane, and which was banned some years ago for its extreme racist stance (3). This morning the two largest centrist parties, Yesh Atid , led by Yair Lapid, and Israel Resilience , led by Benny Gantz, will run together in the elections (4). If successful Gantz and Lapid would rotate for the Prime Minister’s position. The left wing parties are in disarray and can only agree on one thing, that they want to depose Netanyahu. They are unlikely to be a threat to either the Right or the Center in this election. The latest polls are giving a lead to the Centrist Gantz/Lapid coalition, but it will be a close-run election.

In the Israeli political scene there is really only one deciding issue and that is national security. Netanyahu has remained in power because most Israelis have seen him as the best leader in International Affairs and military matters. Netanyahu is now 69 years old and faces corruption charges which may lead to an indictment before the election date. On the other hand, the Centrist coalition leaders, Gantz (59) and Lapid (55), are both former IDF c

Chiefs of Staff, and their coalition lists include other high-ranking military men, including Gabi Ashkenazi, also a former IDF Chief of Staff, and a former Defense Minister, Moshe Ya’alon.

Left to right: Gabi Ashkenazi, Moshe Ya’alon, Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz

https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5467517,00.html

You might be wondering what the terms ‘right’ and ‘left’ mean in Israeli politics. It is not primarily an economic delineation but rather a religious one. The right is mainly religious, morally conservative and ‘hawkish’ in military position. The left is more secular, morally more liberal and ‘doveish’. This is of course an oversimplification of a very complex picture.

The focus on national security as the overriding concern means that internal issues often get pushed aside. Israel faces many internal challenges such as the inequity of wealth, the rising number of poor, crises in the education and health sectors, just to name a few. I am praying that, whatever government gets into power, at least some of these issues can receive the attention they deserve. It is important of course that we face the external threats to our existence but that is meaningless if we self-destruct from inside.

TENSION IN THE SOUTH

It is almost a year now since the “March of Return” protests began at the Gaza border and in the last week or so there has been an increase in the number and violence of the confrontations. Until recently the main confrontations were on Fridays, after Muslim prayers, but this week there have been violent protests on the border on a daily basis and we have also seen the resurgence of balloon-borne incendiary devices. It is difficult to get much news as the elections are dominating the media and, quite frankly, I think we are all getting a bit bored with it all. It is sad when such things become routine and ‘normal’.

This week top military analysts have warned that we can expect an increase in tension and confrontation as the elections approach and a full-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip is looking more and more inevitable. Today the IDF began a 3-day military-wide exercise simulating an all out war with Gaza. The drill will include the ground forces, armor, artillery and aircraft and will involve the use of live-fire exercises, troop deployments to various areas, aerial maneuvres, and include a test of the emergency call-up procedures. Though the IDF claims that this ‘surprise’ exercise was part of its routine training programme, it comes in wake of an assertion by the former military ombudsman, Maj. Gen. (res.) Yitzhak Brick, that the army was not prepared for large scale war (5). I suspect is also designed to send a message to Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip not to continue pushing the escalation any further. Please pray that they get this message. A full-scale war would result in the great loss of life on both sides, but would be a terrible humanitarian disaster in Gaza, which is already teetering on complete collapse.

JERUSALEM AND THE TEMPLE MOUNT

In recent weeks there has also been a rise in terrorism in Jerusalem and the West Bank. On Thursday night last week (21/02) 10 Molotov coctails were thrown at a bus carrying Jewish tourists in Siloam (an Arab village in Jerusalem), about 400 m from the Western Wall. The bus was destroyed by fire but miraculously all the passengers escaped (6).

On Friday (22/02) thousands of Muslim worshippers entered the Bab-al-Rahama (the Mercy Gate) compound. This Gate is known to Christians as the Golden Gate through which Yeshua (Jesus) will return. Israel closed this compound in 2003 because excavations were being carried out there which posed a threat to Jewish antiquities on the site. On Friday the Waqf, the Islamic Endowment, which controls activities on the Temple Mount illegally opened the gate and permitted the entry of Muslim worshippers. Today Israel detained the Waqf Council chairman, Sheikh Abd al-Athim Salhab, and the Deputy Director of Awqaf in Jerusalem, Sheikh Najeh Bkerat (7). No doubt this incident will raise the temperature on the Temple Mount and could lead to increased rioting and terror attacks. Please pray for the peace of Jerusalem

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who love you …”

Psalm 122:6

REFERENCES

BEIT GUVRIN AND MARESHA NATIONAL PARK

February 9, 2019 / admin

Beit Guvrin April 2015
Photo copyright: Talia Good

When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled one hundred eighty thousand chosen troops of the house of Judah and Benjamin to fight against Israel, to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam. But the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah the man of God: Say to King Rehoboam of Judah, son of Solomon, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, “Thus says the Lord: You shall not go up or fight against your kindred. Let everyone return home, for this thing is from me.” So they heeded the word of the Lord and turned back from the expedition against Jeroboam.

Rehoboam resided in Jerusalem, and he built cities for defense in Judah. He built up Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, Beth-zur, Soco, Adullam, Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, fortified cities that are in Judah and in Benjamin. He made the fortresses strong, and put commanders in them, and stores of food, oil, and wine. He also put large shields and spears in all the cities, and made them very strong. So he held Judah and Benjamin.

I Chronicles 11: 1-12

The Beit Guvrin – Maresha National Park is one of my favorite spots and it lies in the Judean lowlands 14 km east of Kiryat Gat on Route 35, and only a 40 minute drive through gorgeous forested hills from Jerusalem (see map below – use the + and – buttons to zoom in and out)

This Park covers an area of around 741 acres ( 300 hectares) and preserves the archaeological site of the Biblical City of Maresha, which lay on the crossroads of the Mesopotamian-Egyptian trade routes, and the later city of Beit Guvrin. Adjacent to the Park are the remains of the Roman city. Situated on a chalk ridge, the soft, easily excavated rock lent itself to underground living and some 500 caves with 3500 rooms have been found. The caves were occupied at least from the time of King Rehoboam of Judah, who reigned from 931 – 913 BC, until around the 8th Century AD – a period spanning approximately 2000 years and representing the cultures of the Judean Kingdom, the Persian/Idumean period, the Greek and Roman periods, the Byzantine Era and the early Muslim Era. The various caves were used for a wide range of purposes, including dwelling places, bathhouses, food stores, winepresses, columbaria (dovecots), olive presses, hiding places, stables, quarries and burial caves. Many of these caves have been opened to the public and provide a fascinating glimpse of life in the caves through the different eras. The Park was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2014.

Tel Maresha, February 2019
Photo: Talia Good

Remains of fortifications from Jewish to Hellenistic Period 9th – 1st Century BCE
Tel Maresha
Photo: Talia Good

Underground Oil Press, Beit Guvrin. February 2016
*Photo copyright: Talia Good*

Frescos in the Sidonian burial cave, Beit Guvrin, 2015
*Photo copyright: Talia Good*

In addition to the archaelogical sites the Park offers panoramic views of the surrounding Judean lowlands and preserves the beautiful flora and fauna of the area.

Flora and Fauna

The Bet Guvrin-Maresha National Park, in addition to its archaelogical and historical significance, also protects a good example of the ecosystems of the Judean lowlands. These low hills are covered with Mediterranean Batha scrubland interspersed with lush meadows, which provide sustenance for grazing sheep and cattle, even today. In spring the meadows are a colorful riot of wildflowers.

Spring wildflowers at Maresha, February 2019
Photo: Talia Good

View of Judean lowlands from Beit Guvrin. February 2016
The Land of Milk and Honey.
Photo: Talia Good

Anenomes and other spring flowers at Beit Guvrin, February 2016
Photo: Talia Good

Almond trees in blossom and a field of winter wheat at Beit Guvrin, February 2016
*Photo copyright: Talia Good*

Judean Bugloss and Crown Daisy , Beit Guvrin January 2019
*Photo copyright: Talia Good*

Redstart eating black widow spider, Beit Guvrin, January 2019
*Photo copyright: Talia Good*

History

The first recorded mention of the city of Maresha is in the passage of II Chronicles quoted above. Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, and the fourth King of Israel reigned from 931-913 BCE. Solomon had disobeyed the Torah by marrying many foreign wives, among them the Ammonite mother of Rehoboam. These wives had led Solomon astray into the worship of the terrible pagan gods, Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Molek the god of the Ammonites. For this God told Solomon he would wrest the kingdom from his hand, but for his father David’s sake, not during Solomon’s lifetime. After Solomon’s death his son, Rehoboam became the fourth king of Israel, but Jereboam, who had been in charge of the labor force of Joseph during Solomon’s reign, rebelled against Rehoboam and established the northern Kingdom of Israel, leaving only the Tribes of Benjamin and Judah, and the city of Jerusalem, under Rehoboam’s control.

Rehoboam gathered an army from the tribes of Benjamin and Judah with the intention of winning back the northern tribes but God spoke through Shemaiah, the prophet, warning him not to attack for this division of the nation was God’s will. Instead Rehoboam returned to Jerusalem and directed his energies into fortifying 15 of the cities of Benjamin and Judah, among them Maresha, as recorded in II Chronicles 11:1-12. From this we can infer that Maresha was already settled by members of the Tribe of Judah at this time. Situated at the crossroads of the major trade routes, overlooking the coastal plain to the south and west and with a vast collection of underground caves, it would have been an ideal place for a fortified garrison of troops.

In the 5th year of Rehoboam’s reign, c926 BCE, the Egyptian Pharoah Shishak swept through the Kingdom of Judah capturing all the fortified cities (including Maresha) and Jerusalem, carrying off all the treasures of Solomon’s Temple and the King’s house (II Chronicles 12:9, 1 Kings 14: 25-26). Shishak did not destroy Jerusalem and Rehoboam continued to reign over the Kingdom of Judah as a vassal king under Shishak ( II Chronicles 12).

Rehoboam was succeeded by Abijah who in turn was succeeded by Asa, the 3rd king of Judah. During his reign, Asa restored and restocked the fortified cities, including Marasha. Some years later, in the early 9th Century BCE, Pharoah Shishak’s son sent a massive army, under the leadership of Zerah the Ethiopian, to raid Judah but this army was defeated by Asa at Maresha.

Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and 300 chariots, and came as far as Mareshah. And Asa went out to meet him, and they drew up their lines of battle in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. And Asa cried to the Lord his God, “O Lord, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O Lord, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.” So the Lord defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as Gerar, and the Ethiopians fell until none remained alive, for they were broken before the Lord and his army.

2 Chronicles 14: 9-13

After the Persian conquest in 586, and the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, the region of Judah was settled by the Idumeans, an Arab people from the east. In the 4th Century BCE, Sidonians and Greeks joined them bringing Hellenistic culture to the region. During this time Maresha was an important cosmopolitan trading center. It was also home to some Egyptians and a population of Jews, some a remnant from the pre-Persian population and some migrants from the coastal plain cities.

In 113/112 BCE the Hasmonean (Maccabean) John Hyrcanus conquered Idumea, including the town of Marisa (the Greek name for the city of Maresha) (Josephus “Antiquities of the Jews’ 13:257). Hyrcanus laid waste to the city.

The city of Maresha was resettled by Jews but it remained a small settlement until it was destroyed in 40 BCE by the Parthians. After its destruction by the Parthians Maresha was abandoned and the town of Bet Guvrin, to the north of Maresha, became more important. Josephus reported that the Romans, led by Vespasian, conquered Bet Guvrin in 68 CE. In 200 CE the Roman Emperor, Septimus Severus, granted Bet Guvrin the status of a city and changed its name to Eleuthropolis (the City of the Freedmen). Beit Guvrin, in the Roman period, again became an important junction where 5 roads met. The Roman city was clearly a large and important one as it boasted an amphitheatre that could seat 3,500 and a 4000 square meter bathhouse among other things.

In the following centuries the city’s Jewish population increased and in the 3rd and 4th Centuries CE it is mentioned in the Talmud and the Midrash. Important Jewish sages, including Rabbi Yonatan and Rabbi Yehuda Ben Yaakov, lived there. A synagogue inscription and a large Jewish cemetary have been found on the site of Beit Guvrin.

During the Byzantine Period Beit Guvrin became an important Christian center and a number of churches were built there, including the Church of St. Anne. In 796CE an anti-Christian bedouin group destroyed the town, heralding the beginning of the later Muslim period.

Remains of Byzantine Era St Anne’s Church, Beit Guvrin, March 2014
*Photo copyright: Talia Good*

The Bell Caves were at their height of production during the end of the Byzantine Period and the early Arab (Muslim) period ( 8-10th Centuries CE). About 800 of these bell-shaped caves, which were limestone quarries, have been located and many of them are linked by underground tunnels. Some of these caves, near the Park entrance, are open to the public today.

The Bell Caves 2015
*Photo copyright: Talia Good*

In the Bell Caves, January 2019
*Photo copyright: Talia Good*

In the Muslim period the town was called Bet Jibrin and it was prosperous, no doubt largely due to the limestone produced in the Bell Caves, but also due to the good pastureland around it and its strategic location. We have this description of Bet Jibrin from the Muslim geographer, al-Muqaddasi:
“[Beit Jibrin] is a city partly in the hill country, partly in the plain. …[T]here are here marble [sic] quarries. The district sends its produce to the capital [Ramla]. It is an emporium for the neighbouring country, and a land of riches and plenty, possessing fine domains. The population, however, is now on the decrease and impotence possesses the men.”

The city was conquered by the Crusaders in 1099 CE and in the years following they fortified the city, which they thought was Beersheba, and dug a moat around it. They also restored the Church of St Anne. In 1157CE the Crusader fortress of Ashkelon fell to the Muslims and Bet Jibrin’s importance declined but it continued to be an important crossroads where taxes were imposed upon passing caravans.

The Arab village of Beit Jibrin stood on the remains of Bet Guvrin until 1948. In June of 1948 the Eygptian army took over the British Police Station built there at the beginning of the Second World War, and Arab refugees from Jaffa took up residence in the Bell Caves. They fled to Hebron, together with the approximately 2000 inhabitants of Bet Jibrin, when the area was captured by the Israeli Defense Forces on October 27, 1948. Kibbutz Bet Guvrin was founded next to the ruins of the Roman town, in May of 1949.

Archaeological excavations began in the area in 1900 and so far some 500 caves with about 3500 rooms have been located, along with the Roman amphitheatre and bathhouse, but most of the area has not yet been excavated.

Eleutheropolis — Maresha and Bet Guvrin today

http://www.netours.com/images/stories/shephelah/maresha/eleutheropolis.jpg

Raindrops Are Falling

February 2, 2019 / admin

Update written on January 26, 2019 can be seen on https://cryforjerusalem.blogspot.com/

SNOW IN JERUSALEM

February 2, 2019 / admin

The Temple Mount (upper left) and Silwan, Jerusalem, 10 January 2013
Photo: Talia Good

God thunders marvelously with His voice;
He does great things which we cannot comprehend.
For He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth’;
Likewise to the gentle rain and the heavy rain of His strength.

Job 37:5-6

Snow begins falling in Jerusalem, 10 January 2013
Photo: Talia Good

Yesterday we all got excited here in Jerusalem. Schools closed early and the Municipality stationed its ‘snowplows’ at strategic places around the city. Everyone stocked up on groceries and candles, and hunkered down at home. Snow was forecast. The storm arrived in the north in the morning, with heavy snow falling on Mt Hermon, in the Golan and on the higher hills of the Galilee. It was expected to spread to the central hills, including Jerusalem around nightfall. All day here we experienced gale force winds and a choking sandstorm as the SW winds whipped up loess dust from the Sahara and dumped it on us. My poor garden looks like someone took a flame thrower to it. The rain began late afternoon with lightning and heavy hail, and this continued all night, but no snow fell here in Mevaseret, much to our disappointment. Some light snow did fall in central Jerusalem and the hills to the south, but it got washed away quickly by the heavy rain and hail. This morning it is cold and windy but the rain has stopped and the storm is passing on. I guess all the ‘snowplows’ are getting back to their normal jobs. Perhaps I should explain that we don’t have real snowplows here, just a fleet of around 150 tractors with scoops, which normally are employed for digging ditches etc.

Havoc on a main arterial road in Jerusalem , 10 January, 2013

Snow is not the first thing that springs to most people’s minds when they think of Israel’s climate. Israel lies at a latitude of around 30 degrees North in the subtropical region, on the edge of the great deserts of Arabia and the Sahara. Its climate can be characterized as hot and arid. And so it is most of the year. For around 8 months a year not a drop of rain falls and the days are boringly (is that a word?) hot and sunny. However our brief winter can be surprisingly cold and wet, and snow falls most years on the higher regions of the Galilee, the Golan and especially on Mt Hermon, which at a height of 2,814 m (9,232 ft) gets snow every year. The central mountains of Judea and Samaria, and the high Negev region- get snow about every 5 years on average. Jerusalem lies at an altitude of around 800m ( 2620 ft) and therefore it is cold enough to get snow at those times. Down on the coastal plain and in the Judean foothills it almost never snows, so many children who live there have never seen snow. I believe the last time it snowed in Tel Aviv was in 1931! In recent years some snowless municipalities have begun to truck in piles of snow, dump them in parking lots and let the kiddies play. If that doesn’t happen, then some enterprising daddies find a friend with a truck!!! (see below)

If the snow won’t come to you, take some home for your children!!
Haas Promenade, Jerusalem. February 20, 2015
Photo copyright: Talia Good

Of course snow is not just fun for children (and, let’s admit it, for grown-ups too), it fulfills an especially important role in our lives here. The slow snow melt filters down through the porous rocks and fills the underground aquifers upon which we all depend. Through the prophet Jeremiah, God warned the Israelites to turn from their sin and so avoid the coming Exile to Babylon, saying:

“Ask now among the Gentiles,
Who has heard such things?
The virgin of Israel has done a very horrible thing.
Will a man leave the snow water of Lebanon,
Which comes from the rock of the field?
Will the cold flowing waters be forsaken for strange waters?”

Jeremiah 18: 13-14

The snow water of Mt Hermon, which lies mainly in Lebanon, filters down under the ground and emerges lower down in springs coming forth from the rocks of the field. This is good, clean, life-giving water. This water is one of the primary sources of the water that replenishes the Sea of Galilee, from which we draw water for household use, agriculture and industry even today. Why would we forsake such a goodly water source and go into Exile? God is saying, I have given you all you need here, great and generous gifts, such as living water, so why would you allow sin to destroy all that. Isn’t this true of our lives too? If we live in relationship with God, accept his good gifts in Yeshua, his Messiah and his Word, why should we risk losing all that wonderful bounty by falling into sin?

Snow is also a symbol of God’s life-giving word. As the rain and snow come down from heaven and water the Earth bringing life, so is God’s word that comes down from heaven. If we receive it, it will bring us life also, a rich and abundant, and everlasting life.

For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.

“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater,
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me ^[cvoid,

Isaiah 55 : 8-11

Snow, for its whiteness, is also a symbol of purity. Speaking through the prophet Isaiah to the people of Judah, warning them of the coming disaster of the Babylonian exile, the LORD says:

Come now, let us argue it out,
    says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
    they shall be like snow;
though they are red like crimson,
    they shall become like wool.
If you are willing and obedient,
    you shall eat the good of the land;
but if you refuse and rebel,
    you shall be devoured by the sword;
    for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Isaiah 1: 18-20

Both the prophet Daniel and the writer of the Book of Revelation, believed to be John the Apostle, had a vision of One, Ancient of Days, in heaven, and both described His hair and clothing as being as white as snow.

As I watched,
thrones were set in place,
    and an Ancient One took his throne,
his clothing was white as snow,
    and the hair of his head like pure wool;
his throne was fiery flames,
    and its wheels were burning fire.

Daniel 7:9

Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands I saw one like the Son of Man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow;

Revelation 1:12 -14

Clearly snow was a phenomenon well known by the people of Israel even though it was probably rare and confined to the mountain chain as it is today. In ancient times the coastal plain was riddled with malarial swamps and thick forests, and the climate unbearably hot and humid in the summer months. It was therefore along the mountains of Judah and Samaria that most of the people would have lived, and in winter they would have experienced snow at times.

Month: February 2019

MOONSHOT

BEIT GUVRIN AND MARESHA NATIONAL PARK

Raindrops Are Falling

SNOW IN JERUSALEM

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