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By Marc Turnage

In the northeastern corner of the Jezreel Valley sits the dome shaped hill of Mount Tabor. The steep slopes on all sides of the solitary mountain lead to a plateau on top, 1000 meters by 400 meters in area. The tribal territories of Zebulun, Issachar, and Naphtali meet at Mount Tabor.

Mount Tabor played a prominent role in the story of Deborah and Barak. They gathered the Israelite forces at Mount Tabor prior to their battle with the Canaanite forces of Jabin, king of Hazor, that were led by his general Sisera (Judges 4). The Israelites used the steep slopes of Tabor to their strategic advantage against the Canaanite chariots. So too, their gathering at Tabor prior to the battle may have to do with the connection of the mountain to cultic worship (see Deuteronomy 33:18-19; Hosea 5:1).  

Mount Tabor served as the site for several battles during the Hellenistic and Roman eras. Josephus, who became a historian of ancient Judaism, fortified the mountain as part of his efforts in the Galilee during the First Jewish Revolt against Rome (A.D. 66-73). 

Christian tradition, from the time of the Church Fathers, identified Mount Tabor as a possible location for the site of the event of the Transfiguration. The Gospels do not specify the location of this event, simply calling it “a very high mountain” (Matthew 17:1; Mark 9:2). The earliest tradition identifying Mount Tabor as the location of the Transfiguration comes from the Gospel according to the Hebrews. 

This work no longer exists, but Church Fathers quote passages of it in their works. Origen, citing the Gospel according to the Hebrews, identified the location of the Transfiguration as occurring on Mount Tabor. If this was written in the Gospel according to the Hebrews, then this tradition dates to the late first or early second century A.D. Cyril also knew the tradition that placed the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor. 

Both Eusebius and the Bordeaux Pilgrim do not mention the mountain being a sacred mountain. Thus, while some early Christian traditions located the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, it was not treated as a sacred mountain or site within the early Byzantine period. Today, visitors to the mountain find a church on its summit.

Marc Turnage is President/CEO of Biblical Expeditions. He is an authority on ancient Judaism and Christian origins. He has published widely for both academic and popular audiences. His most recent book, Windows into the Bible, was named by Outreach Magazine as one of its top 100 Christian living resources. Marc is a widely sought-after speaker and a gifted teacher. He has been guiding groups to the lands of the Bible—Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, and Italy—for over twenty years.

Website: WITBUniversity.com
Facebook: @witbuniversity
Podcast: Windows into the Bible Podcast

Have you ever been in a desert or dry wilderness and seen what happens when there is water from a spring or river? The land closest to the water is transformed into a garden oasis. The brown dryness of the desert may surround the oasis, but the land around the flowing, life-giving water is lush with vegetation. The water transforms the nature of the landscape.

On a certain occasion, Jesus said to a crowd gathered in Jerusalem for the Festival of Tabernacles, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38 NKJV). Jesus described what will proceed from one connected to Him: rivers of living water. The image He chose had a pointed significance for His audience who understood the impact of living water upon dry lands. 

As followers of Jesus, what does the world around us look like? Does life-giving water flow out of our hearts and lives, bringing vegetation and signs of life into the parched land around us? Or don’t we see any difference? Does our presence in our world make any difference?

Jesus’ words indicate that the evidence of whether or not we believe in Him is, in part, whether or not rivers of living water flow from us. If we do truly believe in Him, which means we obey Him, then the natural result is rivers of living water flowing from us. You cannot have a desert where living water flows; the land around it must be transformed.

It is common today for Christians to blame the forces of secularism, the media, politicians, and Hollywood for the decline of religion and morality in the world. This would not be the opinion of Jesus. Jesus’ statement in John suggests that the reason for the dryness and bareness in our world today is because of us.

Water brings life. This is true in the natural world; it’s true in the spiritual world. Jesus said that rivers of living water would flow from those who believe in Him. Our faith in Him evidences itself in the world around us, in the lives we touch. So how is the river flowing from you impacting your world?

PRAYER

Father, help me through my obedient action to demonstrate my faith in Jesus. May life-giving waters flow from me into my world for Your glory. Amen.

By Arlene Bridges Samuels  

Millions of Christians who support the Jewish state are confident in God’s eternal covenants with Israel and the inerrant truths of Scripture. That’s why recent resolutions of the Presbyterian Church USA’s (PCUSA) Committee on International Engagement are so unsettling.

The committee’s 28-3 vote last week asserting that Israel is an “apartheid” state is a disturbing sign of their bias against the Jewish nation. The committee also decided to add the Palestinian day of mourning to their calendar, declaring May 15 as Nakba Remembrance Day. Nakba, meaning “catastrophe,” describes Israel’s declaration of independence on May 14, 1948 as a disaster. These recent decisions by the PCUSA disregard God’s plans for modern Israel to continue fulfilling prophecy as a “light to the nations” (Isaiah 42:6).

The apartheid accusation is chief among the PCUSA’s upside-down claims made during their General Assembly meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, June 18–July 9. Harkening back to the appalling decades when South Africa was truly apartheid—a minority white population ruthlessly oppressing its majority Black population—the PCUSA leadership has turned Isaiah 5:20 into a present-day fact. “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.” 

Painting all members of a PCUSA church as promoters of Israeli defamation would not be accurate or right. I have friends who are members of the denomination and they are faithful believers working and praying for changes within their churches. However, key influencers in the PCUSA leadership and committee hierarchy also have a long track record of engagement in anti-Israel policies, including the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement (BDS)—economic warfare against Israel. They keep steering their denomination into anti-biblical channels, dismissing God’s ancient covenants with the Jewish people that are still in effect today. 

The foundational problem seems to be theological. Replacement theology has infected denominations for centuries with the erroneous idea that the Church has “replaced” the Jewish people as God’s chosen people—that God has terminated His covenants with the Jewish people and permanently evicted them from Israel with no future plans and blessings. 

Nevertheless, in Genesis 17:7, God declares to Abraham, “And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.” God chose the Jewish people to transmit His words through Jewish scribes and to provide universal salvation through our Jewish Savior. God does not lie, nor does He change His mind. 

We are surrounded by the results of a dramatic shift toward weakened fidelity to Jesus, Scripture, and faith. Amid rising global anti-Semitism, certain church leaders have for decades regrettably woven a thread of anti-Semitism into their congregations’ outlook. Case in point: On Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2015, the Reverend Dr. J. Herbert Nelson II, Stated Clerk of the PCUSA General Assembly, declared: “The continued occupation in Palestine/Israel is 21st-century slavery and should be abolished immediately.” 

Within the PCUSA itself, Presbyterians for Middle East Peace (PMEP) spoke out against Rev. Nelson, observing that he “seems to blame all Jews as the culprit, ignoring the many reasons why Americans support Israel.” The PMEP added, “Lashing out at the U.S. and global Jewish community is beyond the pale. Gratefully, his actions and words do not match the work of local PCUSA and Jewish congregations in communities across the nation.”

Regarding the current resolutions, the PMEP stated that the anti-Israel motions “made a mockery of the PCUSA’s historic commitment to hearing all sides and doing deep research on issues prior to taking controversial decisions.” They went on to say that the Committee on International Engagement did not invite a single U.S. or Israeli Jewish voice to offer further perspective and that there were “no representatives of the thousands of organizations that have not deemed Israel to be an apartheid state.”

The Jewish state itself is now undeniably the focus of accusations and lies from Palestinian leaders that sometimes echo Iran’s threats and find a welcoming home in PCUSA’s wrong-headed rulings. Fortunately, groups and individuals opposing the guidelines of the PCUSA are taking action. After decades of PCUSA’s ill-begotten decisions, Shurat Hadin, the Israel Law Center, filed a case against them in 2014 saying that they “violated the U.S. tax code through unlawful lobbying and contact with Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization.” The PCUSA has been active for decades in the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement. 

I also applaud the Philos Action League, newly minted by the Philos Project, which promotes positive Christian engagement. Right now, they are conducting peaceful protests at the PCUSA General Assembly. On July 2, the Christian organization tweeted, “We are continuing to protest the GA225 vote declaring that 1) The false claim of apartheid (among several other claims) is anti-Semitic and hurts relations between Christians and Jews” and “2) that not all Christians believe the claim of apartheid.”

Ignoring clear Scriptures on several key issues, the PCUSA membership is slowly diminishing. The Christian Post published a report stating that last year, 100-plus churches, 51,000 members, and four presbyteries left the denomination. The PCUSA congregations have declined for decades due in part to embracing liberal views. With upwards of 60 million American evangelicals who claim a pro-Israel stance, my guess is that the PCUSA’s anti-Semitism has also driven away members who care about Israel. Since its founding in 1983, this branch of the Presbyterian Church has fallen from 3,121,238 members to 1,193,770, a 62 percent loss.

Despite the recent resolutions from the PCUSA, I am thankful for pastors and churches that remain faithful to the clear, God-inspired message of the Bible. The sound teachings about His covenantal promises to the Jews are eternal. For us as non-Jews, God graciously set up a system of adoption. He receives us into His family when we recognize our redemption from sin through His Son’s sacrifice and resurrection. 

Let us pray that American denominational leaders drifting from biblical truths will encounter Arab voices like Yosef Haddad, a Greek Orthodox Christian Arab who grew up in Nazareth. Although Arab Israelis are not required to serve in the military, Haddad volunteered to serve in an elite Israel Defense Forces (IDF) unit where he became a commander. “From the second I stepped in the unit I was treated like family. There’s no difference between any Golani soldier. It doesn’t matter if he’s Jewish or Arab or Ashkenazi or Ethiopian.” 

Yosef later founded an Israeli Arab organization called “Together.” He speaks worldwide to disparate audiences with a clear message. “We say the truth. We show the facts. The whole truth. Israel is not perfect, but the way Israel is represented in the Arab world, in the media, is completely far away from reality.” 

Friends, you know that we live in chaotic times. Isaiah 40:28-31 is the perfect passage to reflect on today: “The everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

Please join CBN Israel in prayer this week for Christians worldwide to stand with the Jewish nation and people:

• Pray for mainline churches across the globe to wake up to the biblical truths about Israel and the Jewish people.
• Pray with praise that God has sustained a remnant of churches, Christian organizations, and individuals who consistently stand with Israel. 
• Pray for the Philos Action League to grow stronger and inspire new like-minded groups to rise up around the world.
• Pray for Israel’s interim government to operate with wisdom and steadiness in the weeks and months leading up to the next election on November 1, 2022.

Arlene Bridges Samuels pioneered Christian outreach for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). After she served nine years on AIPAC’s staff, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem USA engaged her as Outreach Director part-time for their project, American Christian Leaders for Israel. Arlene is an author at The Blogs-Times of Israel, a guest columnist at All Israel News, and has frequently traveled to Israel since 1990. She co-edited The Auschwitz Album Revisited and is a volunteer on the board of Violins of Hope South Carolina. Arlene has attended Israel’s Government Press Office Christian Media Summit three times and hosts her devotionals, The Eclectic Evangelical, on Facebook.

When Polina and her husband immigrated to Israel in 2004, they found the historic Galilee area a beautiful place to put down roots. But soon, they discovered that there were few good job opportunities—and the very low socio-economic conditions made it difficult to thrive. 

Polina eventually found work at a local factory to help pay the bills. Then, about three years ago, her husband tragically lost his life to cancer. Polina, now 58 years old, has struggled ever since his death to survive alone on a meager income. 

Sadly, her small, dilapidated apartment often floods, causing toxic mold—a major health hazard. Because of her limited income, she can’t even afford minor repairs. With no husband or family, where could she turn? 

Thankfully, Polina found help at a local community center that partners with CBN Israel. When she shared her plight, friends like you sent professionals to her home who removed the toxic mold and made needed repairs. Plus, caring donors provided food for her during this challenging time. Polina was touched, saying, “I have never received such kindness and generosity from anyone… I am so grateful for your love and compassion.”

Your gift to CBN Israel can bless Israel’s neediest communities with food, medicine, and financial aid—and share God’s love in crisis situations. With the ongoing pandemic, terrorist attacks and more, the cries for help in the Holy Land have escalated. 

Your support can reach out to aging Holocaust survivors, lonely refugees, young families, and more with compassionate relief. 

Please join us in bringing hope to others!

GIVE TODAY

By Marc Turnage

The city of Hebron played an important role, particularly within the Old Testament narratives. The city features prominently in the stories of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as well as Joshua and Caleb, and, eventually, David, who reigned for his first seven years at Hebron. 

The prominence of Hebron within the Bible stems from its location along the major north-south road through the central hill country of Israel. Located 20 miles southwest of Jerusalem, Hebron sat at the juncture of two roadways that ascended from the basin of the biblical Negev. One came from Beersheva in the west, and the other came from Arad in the eastern Negev basin. These two roadways came together at Hebron, which sits at 3050 feet above sea level, the highest point in the southern hill country, in the heart of the tribal territory of Judah. 

The hills and valleys around Hebron offer a fertile region with iron-rich soil that enables the growing of grape vineyards, olive trees, fruits, and terraced land for growing wheat and barley. Also, sheep and goats can be grazed in the surrounding region. 

The ancient site of Hebron (Tel Rumeideh) sits on roughly seven and a half acres. A spring on the lower east slope of the tel provided the water for the city. To the east of the biblical tel sits the ancient shrine of the Machpelah, or the Tomb of the Patriarchs. 

The building, whose basic structure dates to the first century B.C./A.D., is built over the cave that traditions ascribe that Abraham purchased to bury Sarah (Genesis 23). Tradition ascribes it as the burial location of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Leah. For this reason, the site has been revered since ancient times, and is a place of prayer for both Jews and Muslims. No significant excavations have taken place at the Machpelah. 

Hebron played an important role in the stories of Abraham, who lived at Hebron, pitching his tent at the “oaks of Mamre.” Sarah died at Hebron, and Abraham, who was a nomad, purchased land in order to bury her there. The Israelite spies spied out the land near Hebron (Numbers 13). 

The last reference to Hebron in the Bible is as the place of David’s initial reign as king of the tribe of Judah. When he was made king over all Israel, he moved from Hebron, where he had reigned for seven years, to Jerusalem where he ruled over the twelve tribes of Israel. David’s son Absalom instigated his rebellion against his father at Hebron (2 Samuel 15:7-10).

Marc Turnage is President/CEO of Biblical Expeditions. He is an authority on ancient Judaism and Christian origins. He has published widely for both academic and popular audiences. His most recent book, Windows into the Bible, was named by Outreach Magazine as one of its top 100 Christian living resources. Marc is a widely sought-after speaker and a gifted teacher. He has been guiding groups to the lands of the Bible—Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, and Italy—for over twenty years.

Website: WITBUniversity.com
Facebook: @witbuniversity
Podcast: Windows into the Bible Podcast

“Let My people go, so that they can serve Me” (Exodus 7:16).

Moses repeatedly uttered this refrain to Pharaoh, insisting the Egyptian ruler release the Israelites, the descendants of Abraham. Many modern translations translate Moses’ command as “Let My people go, so they may worship Me,” but the word better translates as “serve.”

Everyone loves a story of freedom; it’s one of our inalienable rights as Americans. The Exodus is one of the great stories of freedom in human history—an enslaved people miraculously led by God to freedom from their oppressive masters. It was such a potent story that in the “Slave Bible”—a Bible given to African slaves brought to the Americas—the story of the Exodus was removed, being deemed too problematic.

Our love for liberty spills over into our faith and spirituality. We often focus on our “freedom” in Christ, or that Christ has “freed” us. But freed us for what?

The Exodus from Egypt is not only about the slave going free, but about God redeeming a people from slavery to serve Him. Throughout the Bible, the theme of freedom is closely tied to the theme of worshiping God and devoting one’s life to Him. True freedom is found only when we surrender our lives to the will and purposes of our King.

The Bible mentions God’s kingship for the very first time in connection with the deliverance at the sea: “The Lord shall reign forever and ever” (Exodus 15:18). A king is to be served. God established Himself as Israel’s deliverer and its king. The people, then, were freed in order to serve: “Let My people go, so that they may serve Me.”

The problem, however, is that we often don’t want to serve. We want freedom and liberty on our own terms. The Bible views things differently: God is the King; we are His servants. He is the one who created and reigns over all existence. We were created to know God and to serve Him only.

Jesus spoke far more about service and servanthood than He did about freedom and liberty. Why? Because He understood that we either serve God or something else (Matthew 6:24)—but we have to serve somebody.

God delivered the Israelites to serve Him. And today, He still frees people to serve Him. We have freedom and liberty so that we can know God and live for His purposes. How will you use your freedom?

PRAYER

Father, today I submit my will and my life into Your hands. You are the King; may I follow You today as Your faithful servant. Amen.

By Arlene Bridges Samuels 

Some readers may not be aware that in the Holy Land, approximately 80 percent of Jewish Israelis are secular, and 20 percent are religious. The land is a vivid tapestry of Jews from across the world, populating Israel from dramatically distinct nations, such as China, Russia, Ethiopia, Yemen, North America, Brazil, and France. Indeed, the Jewish Agency reports that 255,000 Jews from 150 nations made Aliyah (immigrated) to Israel between 2010 and 2019. 

In Ezekiel 34:13, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob declares, “I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land.” In recent months, Jewish Ethiopians and Ukrainians have been landing by the thousands at Ben Gurion Airport, many kissing the ground of their Jewish homeland. 

In Zephaniah 3:20 God promised, “At that time I will bring you back, even at the time I gather you; for I will give you fame and praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I return your captives before your eyes.” In the last 15 years, Israel’s fortunes have exponentially mounted, for example, as the “startup” nation’s innovations, natural gas rigs, and Abraham Accords agreements have benefited not only Israel but nations across the globe.

The Bible consistently reveals a promise-keeping God. Amid escalating anti-Semitic, anti-Israel detractors insisting that Jews are trespassing on the land that God awarded to them 3,000 years ago, the Scriptures documented the biggest real estate deed in world history—not in square footage but as the epicenter of world happenings.

Jewish immigrants bring with them a fascinating mixture of 35 languages and dialects. However, Hebrew is the official language in modern Israel. How that came about is fascinating. For 2,000 years, Hebrew only appeared as a written language and was spoken in prayers. That is, until Eliezer Ben-Yehuda set about reviving it in 1881 when he moved to Israel’s capital, Jerusalem. He was successful in turning this ancient language—which hadn’t been the spoken language of the Jewish people since biblical times—into a modern spoken one. 

Hebrew is now heard on every Israeli street amid the many dissimilar immigrant languages. Hebrew is the only language to have died, been revived, and still in use today. It is a communications miracle—the paradox of an ancient tongue turning into the modern Jewish state’s official language. 

Arabic is the second most common spoken language in Israel, with its 1.5 million Arab Israelis. More than half of all Israelis came from Arab lands during the War of Independence in 1948. The émigrés found refuge in Israel after Arab countries confiscated their homes and businesses and forcibly expelled 850,000 Jews. They had lived in Arab lands for more than two millennia. Their exile began in 70 A.D., when Romans pushed them out of their ancient homeland.

The tiny fledgling nation, just weeks old in May 1948, had inadequate resources yet plenty of determination. Israel began welcoming all the Jewish refugees. Despite the overwhelming odds of war, the heartbreaking shadow of the Holocaust, and chaos in every direction, Israel fulfilled its mandate for a sovereign Jewish state right away. In his reading of the Declaration of Independence on May 14, 1948, Prime Minister Ben-Gurion stood at the podium of a former art gallery in Tel Aviv, naming the modern country “Israel” and declaring, “The State of Israel will be open for Jewish immigration and for the Ingathering of the Exiles.” 

While Israeli immigration is a historic success, Israeli politics is a system that sometimes defies understanding. On June 20, 2022, a political earthquake shook the government. Israel dissolved its Knesset, the governing body, and then wrangled for days over the details of the next election. It apparently will take place in the fall—and will be their fifth election in three years.

Israel holds the dubious distinction of having more frequent elections than any other country. With such instability, it is a miracle that the country functions as well as it does. Their government is a parliamentary democracy in which citizens vote for a party, not a person. In some election cycles, there may be up to 24 parties vying for a place leading up to the election. 

Israel’s founders set up the parliament by following their ancient biblical model, the Sanhedrin. In Hebrew, this governing body is called the Anshe Knesset HeGedolah, Men of the Great Assembly. During the days of the Second Temple, this group included 120 members composed only of men who were prophets and elders. Today, an electoral system determines members by the number of seats the political parties win in the national election. Men, women, Jews, and Arabs are Members of Knesset and most are secular Israelis. 

Despite plenty of roadblocks and thorny conflicts between the Democrats and Republicans in the United States, our politics may look slightly simpler with presidential elections every four years. Israel’s politics, on the other hand, are quite chaotic. 

To have a majority in Knesset, 61 votes are required. No party in Israel’s history has ever gotten a majority, and that is why heated coalition building takes place. It is a political tug of war. 

Israel is a powerhouse, a small giant of human endeavor. Its balancing act between government stability, terrorist threats, and massive successes in many sectors could easily be classified as an ongoing, miraculous paradox. 

Within the U.S. and Israeli governments, conflicts and division have been and still are erupting. Each country is attempting to govern amid toxic issues. Nevertheless, what happens between these strong allies is highly cooperative and beneficial. 

I have often advised committed, pro-Israel advocates to govern their passions with wisdom. Walking in facts and commitment while preserving relationships is important. In this season of world history, wisdom is more necessary than ever. Let us remember, we stand with Israel not because we are perfect or Israel is perfect. In John 4:22 we have an answer: “You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.” In Genesis 17:7, “And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.”

Please join CBN Israel in praying for the nation and people of Israel:

• Pray for Israel’s fifth election coming up, that Israelis will elect the right parties that can govern best. 
• Pray for the newest Jewish immigrants to Israel—Ethiopians and Ukrainians—all arriving from dangerous locations.
• Pray for both Jewish and Christian organizations that provide massive amounts of help to Israel’s newest citizens. 
• Pray that Christians will grow in their advocacy for Israel amid the increasing threat of a nuclear Iran.  

Arlene Bridges Samuels pioneered Christian outreach for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). After she served nine years on AIPAC’s staff, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem USA engaged her as Outreach Director part-time for their project, American Christian Leaders for Israel. Arlene is an author at The Blogs-Times of Israel, a guest columnist at All Israel News, and has frequently traveled to Israel since 1990. She co-edited The Auschwitz Album Revisited and is a volunteer on the board of Violins of Hope South Carolina. Arlene has attended Israel’s Government Press Office Christian Media Summit three times and hosts her devotionals, The Eclectic Evangelical, on Facebook.

By Marc Turnage

The first seven and a half years that David reigned, he reigned in Hebron, which sat in the heart of the tribal territory of Judah, David’s tribe (2 Samuel 5:5). As he expanded his rule to all of Israel, he decided to conquer the city of Jerusalem, which until this time was ruled by the Jebusites (2 Samuel 5:6-10). Why did David select this city? 

Geographically it sat off the major north-south route through the central hill country; it did not have natural roads leading east or west from it. He selected it, however, due to its location. The city, on its southern end, was bounded by the Hinnom Valley, which formed the boundary between the tribal territory of Benjamin (Saul’s tribe) and Judah (David’s tribe). Also, by virtue of it not being captured by the Israelites, no tribe could lay exclusive claim to the city. It offered a place where he could consolidate the political and religious center of his kingdom.

The city of Jerusalem that David conquered covered about eleven acres. It sat on what is known as the eastern hill. To its east, stood the Mount of Olives, which is separated from the eastern hill by the Kidron Valley. To its west stands the western hill, which is separated from the eastern hill by a valley known as the Tyrpoean Valley. To its south lies the Hinnom Valley. To its north lay the upper heights of the eastern hill, where Solomon built his palace and the Temple. 

The Bible identifies the eastern hill, specifically the northern portions, as Mount Zion. This can be confusing for modern visitors to Jerusalem because in the Byzantine period (4^th-6^th centuries A.D.) the western hill was mistakenly identified as Mount Zion, and that nomenclature has stuck. In the Bible, however, the eastern hill, especially its northern area, where the Temple came to be built, was referred to as Mount Zion.

Today, the eastern hill sits outside of the Old City walls, even though it is the oldest part of Jerusalem. It is referred to as the City of David. As we hear in Psalm 125, the mountains surround Jerusalem; while the psalm brings to our minds the beautiful image of God surrounding his people, strategically, this was to Jerusalem’s detriment. On all sides of the eastern hill, hills higher than it surround it. So why was the city built here? Because of its water source, the Gihon Spring. This karstic spring continues to flow even today. Recent excavations have uncovered a large fortification built around the spring to protect it. 

Excavations of the City of David have uncovered remains dating back over four thousand years. The excavations of the City of David reflect the history of the city; its role as the capital of the kingdom of Judah; its destruction by the Babylonians; its smaller size in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah. Its water systems. Structures from the first century, and evidence of its destruction by the Romans in A.D. 70. It was here that the exiles remembered when they were dispersed and longed to return (Psalm 137).

Marc Turnage is President/CEO of Biblical Expeditions. He is an authority on ancient Judaism and Christian origins. He has published widely for both academic and popular audiences. His most recent book, Windows into the Bible, was named by Outreach Magazine as one of its top 100 Christian living resources. Marc is a widely sought-after speaker and a gifted teacher. He has been guiding groups to the lands of the Bible—Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, and Italy—for over twenty years.

Website: WITBUniversity.com
Facebook: @witbuniversity
Podcast: Windows into the Bible Podcast

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:1-2 NKJV).

Have you ever heard the sayings: “you are what you think” and “beware of the company you keep”? The psalmist highlights that the blessed person is the one who watches the company he or she keeps and meditates upon God’s instruction all day. 

Those whom we surround ourselves with affect and impact our thoughts and behaviors. Be careful, the psalmist warns. While we must guard ourselves from the negative influence of some, we must actively choose to meditate and delight in God’s instruction.

The one who does this, the psalmist compares to a “tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither” (verse 3). In the dry, hot climate of the Middle East, plants that are without sufficient water supply wither and die. 

Those plants with ample water can sustain their life and will produce fruit. The psalmist uses the image of a well-watered tree to suggest that the one who acts as he outlines in verses 1 and 2 will thrive regardless of the weather conditions. He further describes this tree as producing fruit.

The Bible often uses the image of a tree or plant-producing fruit as a symbol of the actions of a person. The psalmist expects that our meditation and delighting in the law of the Lord will not simply remain a cognitive or emotional reality but will instead lead us to act and behave in a manner consistent with God’s instruction. 

He concludes his image of the fruitful tree by saying, “whatever he does shall prosper” (verse 3). 

We are responsible for our spiritual growth. We have to guard ourselves from corrupting influences around us. And, we have to make sure that we delight in God’s instruction all day, every day. Such meditation should lead us to bearing good fruit.

Do people look at our lives and see a fruitful tree, or do our lives look like “chaff which the wind drives away” (verse 4)? Our intentionality in cultivating our spiritual growth and maturity will determine what they see. What do you delight in?

PRAYER

Father, today may I guard myself from influences that can corrupt me from following You, and as I meditate upon Your law and instruction, may my life bear fruit to Your glory. Amen.

By Arlene Bridges Samuels 

In past centuries, explorers could never have imagined sailing the seas in search of underwater treasures beyond those in sunken ships. However, in today’s explorations, another kind of fortune lies deep: natural offshore riches accessible only through modern technology. Indeed, the 1999 discovery of natural gas fields off Israel’s coast set off an energy “seaquake” of massive reserves in a world beset by increasing energy anxiety.

On June 6, the Israeli Navy escorted a new natural gas rig into the Mediterranean. Israel contracted with Energean Power, a British energy company, to locate its new floating production, storage, and offloading vessel in the Karish (“shark”) gas field that was discovered in 2019. From the Marine Admiralty Yard in Singapore, two tugs guided the 772-ton rig on a journey of 5,532 nautical miles. After 35 days—crossing six seas—they finally cruised through the Suez Canal. The Karish rig now sits in the Mediterranean Sea about 90 miles west of Haifa. And it may be operational in the last quarter of this year. 

As examples of potential, the Tamar and Leviathan fields, operating since 2004 and 2009 respectively, have drilled into the depths of the energy treasure chests to tap into a combined extract potential of an estimated 690 billion cubic meters of natural gas. And that’s good news for the energy-dependent nations of Europe.

Presently, the small Jewish state’s big rigs are towering in their Mediterranean maritime zone and rising into one of the world’s leading natural gas resources. Although Russia has the world’s largest gas reserves, Israel’s massive fields are God’s resounding blessing, as their modern land mass is only 270 miles long and 85 miles wide. 

Psalm 37:6-8 is a beautiful reminder: “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deep in storehouses.”

The natural gas fields are set to profit—and even rescue—other nations, as well. On June 15 Israel, Egypt, and the European Union inked a significant agreement for Israel to export natural gas to Egypt, where it will be liquified for export to Europe. 

The trilateral memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed in Cairo at the East Mediterranean Gas Forum by Israel’s Energy Minister Karine Elharrar, European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Tarek El-Molla, Egyptian Minister of Petroleum. El-Molla told reporters in December that Egypt’s two liquefying production facilities were fully operational after the Damietta plant had been dormant for eight years. The trilateral agreement is a win-win-win in an era of global energy challenges and complexities. 

Commissioner von der Leyen was full of praise. “What a special moment,” she exclaimed. “I very warmly welcome the signing of this historic agreement.” She went on to say that Israel’s energy and water economy make them a “key player in the world.” It was a refreshing change of tone from EU leaders who have a habit of praising Palestinians and criticizing Israel at the United Nations. 

Israel drills, Egypt liquifies, and then ships will ply the waters to Europe, carrying Israeli and Egyptian energy relief to liberate Europe from its dependence on Russian gas. 

With the Russian bear and Europe sharing many borders, Europe’s fortunes have been diminishing amid worries about energy and food shortages. Since Russia launched its assaults against Ukraine earlier this year, Europe has implemented anti-Russian sanctions that have put their own energy supplies at risk. With Europe currently beholden to Russian gas, Israel is now a hero in the eyes of Europeans.

After signing the trilateral agreement in Cairo on June 15, EU Commissioner von der Leyen made news a few days later in Brussels about Ukraine’s application for membership in NATO. In a June 17 Tweet she proclaimed, “Ukrainians are ready to die for the European perspective. We want them to live with us the European dream.” 

Although her words are hopeful, the 27 EU member states meet June 23-24 to consider Ukraine’s admittance to NATO. Their decision must be unanimous. Amid discussions that are tangled in competitive country applications and a myriad of hoops that applicants must jump through, allowing Ukraine to join NATO quickly—or at all—would be a miracle. 

Challenges to Ukraine’s membership are also making waves north of Israel where the words “complexity” and “ultimatums” find no better home than in the Middle East.

Unfortunately, despite the admirable MOU agreements between Israel, Egypt, and the European Union, a maritime dispute is underway that could blow these plans right out of the water. Interim Lebanese Prime Minister Mikati has charged Israel with “encroaching on Lebanon’s maritime wealth and imposing a fait accompli in a disputed area.” Adding Hezbollah’s terrorist threats has prompted Israel to increase security with naval, submarine, and missile defense assets for the Karish field.

The United States has served as an on-and-off mediator since 2000, when the maritime disputes arose with the first discoveries of natural gas. Lebanon’s economy is on life support, so it is not surprising that they desperately contend for the maritime border. In response, Israel’s Energy Minister Karine Elharrar said on Army Radio that the field was “entirely in undisputed territory” and that even the United Nations says it is not in Lebanon’s waters.

On June 17, CNN reported that negotiations are taking place with compromise proposals from mediator Amos Hochstein, U.S. senior advisor for energy security. The major problem seems to be that Lebanon and Israel calculate the maritime border with two differing methods. The U.S. compromise proposes an S-shaped maritime boundary where Karish would go to Israel and another field that holds potential for natural gas would go to Lebanon. 

God is using Israel once again to bless the world, this time from the oceans He created. As Christian advocates for Israel, may we continue to proclaim God’s plans for Israel as promised in Genesis 12:3: “And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Join CBN Israel this week in praising God for His beautiful creation and lifting up prayers for this historic memorandum of understanding:

• Pray for a compromise agreement beneficial to both Israel and Lebanon.
• Pray for U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein to persist in wise, acceptable proposals.
• Pray with praises for our Creator God who has given the world the gift of oceans.
• Pray that Israel’s energy rescue in Europe will open the eyes of Israel’s enemies. 

Arlene Bridges Samuels pioneered Christian outreach for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). After she served nine years on AIPAC’s staff, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem USA engaged her as Outreach Director part-time for their project, American Christian Leaders for Israel. Arlene is an author at The Blogs-Times of Israel, a guest columnist at All Israel News, and has frequently traveled to Israel since 1990. She co-edited The Auschwitz Album Revisited and is a volunteer on the board of Violins of Hope South Carolina. Arlene has attended Israel’s Government Press Office Christian Media Summit three times and hosts her devotionals, The Eclectic Evangelical, on Facebook.