Late Post for 9/5

Field Study into the Old City: Part Two
“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore” (Psalm 121, ESV).


I have heard this Psalm quoted my entire life—especially when making big decisions or maneuvering through life’s changes. It was not until my second organized trip into the Old City, did I make sense of this Psalm. As we stood at the highest point in the supposed ruins of King David’s Palace, I felt so small. Mountains are towering over every point of the palace. As David wrote this Psalm, he was calling to the LORD for help from his enemies, because without help from the LORD, Israel would be destroyed. David—and all of Israel—needed to depend on the LORD for safety. Now this verse actually makes sense. My eyes are awakening to the connection between God, His people, and His land.
We started our day at the Temple Mount, which also was one of my favorite parts of the trip. As we climbed on some of the stone used to build this incredible structure, I was in awe of its massiveness. How could something so large have been built--and then destroyed--without cranes or bulldozers? We were able to climb down the steps from the ritual cleansing tub and I was able to almost imagine what it would be like for a Jewish man in ancient times. We then made our way over to the southern steps leading up to the Temple. This is how Jesus, his disciples, and all other Jews would have ascended to the Temple. Our group was told to make note of each step, for they were placed strategically. Each step has an associated prayer (Psalm) that is meant to be prayed as you crossed it. They are called the Psalms of Ascent, Psalms 120-134. As discussed before, I have read these Psalms since I was little—how have I missed the significance and connection they each have to the preservation of Jerusalem and the Temple? Sitting on these very steps, learning about the Temple and Jesus’ fulfillment of so many promises, allowed me to picture him cleansing the Temple, listening to teachers, and praying to God the same way we did.
After the Temple, we walked through the Arab quarter to get to the Pools of Bethesda and St. Anne’s Cathedral. John 5 described it as a place where “a multitude of invalids” would come to be healed. Here, Jesus healed a man who had been sick for thirty-eight years. “Get up, take up your bed, and walk” (John 5.8). The Bible talks about places for the sick many times, but I never would have imagined them to be so small and tight. These places must have been filled with the needy—which must have been why Jesus would always go to them. We walked into the cathedral for a beautiful time of worship and sang one of my favorite hymns, “Come Thou Fount.” The last stanza of the song reads: Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love. Take my heart Lord, take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above. What a better place to sing of our need for redemption than a place known for healing? We all were off key, but we sounded like angels, and I could almost hear the voice of the crippled man still singing praises to Jesus.
After lunch, we were able to explore Hezekiah’s tunnel and David’s palace. We saw what was actually used to save God’s people; ways that the Israelites were able to defend themselves which placing all dependency on God. The tunnel, so small and tight, was able to keep Israel alive. Both places have so much history in them, that it was almost overwhelming to keep track of it all. The cool part is that the Bible has a lot of the same information within its pages.
Walking around the Old City again allowed me to learn more of the incredible designs the Israelites used to live. As I looked around my group praising God in the cathedral, I realized that I am beginning to learn what the Bible is meant to say. I am able to see the Holy Land, be surrounded by a community of His chosen, and see How God is continually upholding His promises to His people.