The Land of Benjamin (22 February 2009)

Sunday was another day in the field... and I will get to that soon. We thought it was going to rain on us all day but we missed it pretty well. But the fact that I am saying that means that a lot of people living in this land are feeling quite relieved--God has been sending rain! Praise Him, because He has been merciful! I'm sure there is still a good bit of rain that the people would like to see to really rest easy, but still. We have to take it as it comes I guess. I'm not sure how many inches we got, but it rained a lot on Saturday and into Sunday. :o)

Sunday's field study was all in the land of Benjamin, and focused around it's importance to Israel. Bejamin is right in the center of a lot of the action. The Central Benjamin Plateau, which is surrounded by Mizpah, Ramah, Gibeah, and Gibeon, (just north and west of Jerusalem) controls the main routes to the west, imperial highway. This was important especially for the southern tribe of Judah because they are blocked in by wadis to the left and right and needed to go north to get to any trade. To the east, there are (2) routes to Jericho from the Benjamin plateau, and a third from Jerusalem. jericho was right on the eastern side of Israel, and during the time of Jesus it was also the eastern eage of Rome. This all made Jericho(both the OT and NT sites, about a mile from each other) a very important and strategic spot. This is why Joshua took it when the Israelites came into the land. (not to mention that it is an oasis in the middle of a wilderness, with 3 big springs supplying much water.) The main route that takes you west from the plateau leads you through Gezer, the "front door" of Benjamin. Gezer is like a hinge between Jerusalem and Egypt. It connects the coastal highway with the routes east to Benjamin. This is why it was used to make a pact between Egypt and Solomon, thru his egyptian wife.

Ok, having said all that, here are my thouhts about the day...mainly on the wilderness. It's not very informative on what we did the whole day, but if you like hearing deeper thoughts on the land, then here it is..
We made 4 main stops for the day-- The Wilderness, The Jerichos (both NT and OT), Nebi-Samwil (from where you can see the Central Benjamin plateau), and Gezer.

Our first stop was on top of the ridge between the Qilt and the Og wadis, from where you can see the town of Jericho to the East of the wilderness, and this is oddly enough where much of my thought keeps returning. Even though the wilderness of Judah (or technically, Benjamin) is seen, and rightly so, as a symbol of difficulty, darkness, danger, and death, there is something about looking out over the rolling hills that is beautiful. As strange as it may be, it is probably one of my favorite places to look at. Whenever we go to a place of strategic geo-political position, where there is much to gain from controlling and inhabiting the spot, it reminds me of how much Israel (as a people, and as they also represent us as God’s people) played the game of international politics.

Because the Israelites did not fully destroy the prier inhabitants of Canaan when they entered the land, they were constantly drawn into affairs (in more than one sense) with people and places around them. They could not be content with the land that God gave to them, or keep to themselves. All that God really required of them was to be faithful to Him and live in the land he allotted them, but when land, resources, and power become enticing, they could not restrain themselves from going after the things that the world around them sought after, such as power in holding cities and routes and trade. They wanted the land, yes—but for the wrong reasons, it seems. I suppose that is why the more luxurious places, the places that held socio-political importance, such as Gezer, do not catch my interest in this way.

Places like Jericho and Gezer were indeed of great importance to the people, especially as we look back and study what did happen, not what we wish would have happened. Though I may now see the Israelites’ history in light of their desertion of God time after time, I must remember that I am just like them. These “worldly” things do have impact on our lives and so it is good to be reminded of how the world looks at things, so that I don’t get stuck mentally in my own wilderness while physically I am in the middle of a busy city, and cannot find which way to go, for pure lack of knowledge. So I will stop to reflect and say that yes, these things, too, are good because they teach us the thought patterns of the ancient Israelites, with their successes and failures.

The wilderness has so much danger, yes, but there are usually people there, leading their flocks to graze, or traveling though. I used to see Psalm 139:7-12 as verses speaking about running from the Lord’s presence. After another reading, however, because of the wilderness imagery, it seems to be speaking about circumstances that the psalmist imagines himself ending up in and possibly even fears. He speaks about the depths of the earth, and the day fading into night all around him. These are possible circumstances in the wilderness that would cause trouble, for the water runs unexpectedly through the bottom of the wadis and the darkness brings the danger of robbery. Yet the Psalmist uses these pictures to say that the Lord sees him even then—the darkness is like light to the Lord. This statement takes great confidence in God as his protector.

That is what I see that is so beautiful about the wilderness. The pictures that are linked to the wilderness are so great and so deep that they extend back to the creation of the earth. There must be a reason that when Israel was created as a people before they were brought into the land that God promised and before Jesus began His ministry, they went into the wilderness to be tempted. The Bible says that the testing of our faith produces steadfastness. Yes, the wilderness is a picture of darkness to us, but it forces us to see God’s good despite it and through it, as he provides just enough “green pastures” to feed the flocks in need. Yes, it is a picture of the formlessness of the earth in its beginnings, but that is when the Lord “hovered over it” as he says he longs to do still with his people (Genesis 1:2 ; Deuteronomy 32:8-14; Matthew 23:37). It is a picture of the intimate love God has for His people and the utmost dependence we as His people have upon Him for everything.