Musings from Israel, part One

(Earlier this year, I had the amazing privilege of attending a study tour in Israel, with our pastor, David Tarkington, and a wonderful group of people from my church. Our guide, Yoni Gerrish, helped us tour the country, and brought scripture to life for us for 10 days.

This is the first of a series of posts which are inspired by my trip to Israel.)

An Ever Flowing Stream

Jeremiah 17:7-8 Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yeilding fruit.
In the northern part of Israel, we toured the Tel Dan Nature Reserve. The springs of the Dan are the source for the Jordan River (Jor-"Dan"). This was a breathtakingly beautiful area, with rushing streams and waterfalls, and we paused to consider a few verses. In the Jeremiah passage above, the LORD is symbolically represented by the river, the waters. In another passage, Isaiah 58:11, we read, "The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail."

Yoni told us that the upper spring in Dan never stops flowing. As we see from Isaiah 58:11, God is our ever-flowing stream. And if we read John 7: 37-38, we see the words of Jesus, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."

Obviously, water is a very important spiritual metaphor. Physical water brings physical life - the flowers bloom, the trees bear fruit. And spiritual water brings spiritual life, not just a little bit, but an abundance..."rivers of living water." With God as our source, our ever-flowing stream, our spiritual life should be one of abundance and continuous growth.

After the Nature Reserve, we visited the Hermon Stream Waterfall. This gorgeous waterfall is referenced in Psalm 42, which also employs the water metaphor.

As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?...

O My God, my soul is cast down within me; therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan, and from the heights of Hermon, from the Hill Mizar. Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; all Your waves and billows have gone over me.

Psalm 42:1-2, 6-7