Excellent!
The most dangerous Christian in the world is not the one who knows the Bible frontwards and backwards, the firebrand preacher, or even the most uncompromising believer. The most dangerous Christian is the one who has entered into the cooperative process with Jesus and has allowed Him to touch every part of their soul.
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Matthew 4 and Luke 4 describe the temptation of Jesus in the Judean desert. Most of my life I had a mental image of that desert as being mostly sand dunes, rocks and lizards. One day, out of curiosity I decided to check out that wilderness, where it was, what was in it, what it was like at that time.
I wondered, what was there out there that could tempt Jesus? During the 40 days before Satan showed up, that is. Here’s some of what I learned:
East and south of Jerusalem, it’s one of the smallest deserts in the world, much of it lying adjacent and west of the Dead Sea. Craggy and rough, it’s hilly and mountainous with steep cliffs and deep ravines. It was difficult but not impossible to traverse on the well-used paths and trails that criss-crossed the area.
There are streams and many wadis, some containing pools of water in shaded areas; and also beautiful oases. The most famous oasis in the Judean Desert is in Ein Gedi near the northern part of the Dead Sea, called David’s Waterfall.
There are also many fruit trees and other vegetation (see the section on trees below).
Sparsely inhabited but not empty, the desert contained several small villages on its edges. Bethlehem was one, a place where many of Jesus’ relatives lived.
Bedouin encampments the size of small towns (the Bedouin were and still are very hospitable people to visitors) plus camels, sheep, goats, and donkeys.
Leopards and other wild animals also inhabited the area, although leopards are scarce today.
Herodium today seen from the side.
The spectacular Herod’s Palace (Herodium) south of Jerusalem may contain his burial site (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herodium and http://allaboutjerusalem.com/attraction/herodion-national-park).
This palace complex was atop an artificial hill built by Herod the Great, the site of several archeological digs through recent years. After his death this opulent summer “resort” was used by many Roman officials.
Also in the desert is the fortress of Masada which overlooks the Dead Sea, captured and built up by Herod the Great as a military base. Both Herodium and Masada were occupied by Roman officials and solders who regularly traveled to and from those sites. Both are Israeli National Parks and popular tourist attractions today.
Many fruit or nut trees occupy wadis and oases, including date palms, pistachios, wild figs, carob and acacia:
Carob / Locust trees bear fruit that is edible green or dried; the dried fruit is used in candy and other foods as a substitute for chocolate. The sweet, soft flesh of the green fruit is called “honey.”
Carob and acacia (below) are legumes, members of the pea and bean family.
Acacia is a “rain tree,” so-called because its leaves fold together in rain or high humidity. Edible and primarily used as animal fodder, it provides helpful gum and has many medical applications also. The Tabernacle and Ark were made of acacia wood.
Considering everything there was for him to see and do in that wilderness, what was Jesus tempted with?
Food, people, animals, a magnificent natural environment and impressive man-made structures — a better question might be, what wasn’t Jesus tempted with?
Anything and everything that human beings today are tempted with, including distractions, tempted Jesus in that desert. Think he doesn’t understand your situation? He does.
I Cor. 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” (NIV)
And Hebrews 4:15, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet he did not sin.”
A wonderful glimpse of one form of worship in heaven. There are many others…
Looking today for a different article, I came across this one that I had not added earlier.
One night in May, 2008 I awoke in the wee hours of the morning worshiping God in my spirit – singing to Him about how wonderful He is, how magnificent, how merciful, how loving, exalting and praising him in poetry set to music.
I could see myself doing this, like watching a television set, as part of a group of worshipers in heaven. But it did not resemble any sort of worship service I’ve ever been a part of or seen in my life!
Some were up high in the room, in rows, some low, every space filled with exquisite movement and sound. You’d think some would crash into others, falling in tangles of arms and feet. But no-one did.
We were singing and dancing as we flew around in perfectly synchronized three-dimensional…
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Many thanks for this word, Cheryl. Needed greatly right now, I think.
Lot of hammers at work! We recently moved into a new home in an area that is still being developed. Big jackhammers break up boulders and smash rocks preparing the ground for new construction. Smaller hammers rhythmically bang nails into lumber erecting new structures. Hammers are powerful tools in the hands of craftsmen.
While listening to these physical hammers, the Lord has been showing me that He provides us with a spiritual hammer. It is known at the Bible – God’s word. It, too, is a powerful tool.
Jeremiah 23:29 says, “Is not My word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?”
Matthew Henry’s Commentary explains this verse by saying that the unhumbled heart of man is like a rock. If the heart is not melted by the word of God as a fire, it will be broken to pieces by God’s…
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Esther's Petition 