Psalm 18 and Wilderness

Friday I had the opportunity to go down to the are of the Dead Sea with a few friends. After a bit of a fiasco involving faulty alarm clock and a flat tire, we headed out of Jerusalem at about 3:30am. We started hiking the snake path at Masada at 5am sharp, arriving at the top in plenty of time to watch the sun rise through the haze. From there we stopped briefly at the Dead Sea to slather ourselves liberally in the black mud found along its banks. We then raced along steep and winding paths to the source of the David Wadi, wondering at the fertility of the region in the midst of such a desolate wilderness.

Some of the scenes and experiences from the day reminded me of Psalm 18, especially since such scenes and experiences were probably fresh in David's mind when he wrote the psalm.

Verses 1-2

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who addressed the words of this song to the LORD on the day when the LORD rescued him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul.

He said: I love you, O LORD, my strength.
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,

my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

This is the stronghold of Masada. Today it is mostly known as a fortress built by Herod the Great and one of the last holdouts of Zealots in the rebellion against the Romans. However, as most things in this land, its history goes back much farther. While one cannot say for sure, considering its position and tactical advantages, it is as likely as any place to have been the stronghold that David was at in 1 Samuel 22:4 "And he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold." At very least David is certain to have been familiar with the sight of this hill and would have recognized its defensibility. In spite of the advantages of such a spot, though, David relied on God, realizing that true safety is only found in Him.

Verse 28

For it is you who light my lamp;

the LORD my God lightens my darkness.

Here's the view as we began hiking. With the moon and stars and the sun beginning to think of making an appearance there was enough light to be able to make out the trail without the need of flashlights. If it were in the middle of the night with clouds and no moon, it would be very dark indeed.

Verses 29-36

For by you I can run against a troop,

and by my God I can leap over a wall.
This God--his way is perfect;

the word of the LORD proves true;

he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
For who is God, but the LORD?

And who is a rock, except our God?--
the God who equipped me with strength

and made my way blameless.
He made my feet like the feet of a deer

and set me secure on the heights.

He trains my hands for war,

so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
You have given me the shield of your salvation,

and your right hand supported me,

and your gentleness made me great.
You gave a wide place for my steps under me,

and my feet did not slip.

In the first picture in this section one can discern a tiny path, winding its way up the mountain. While I did not personally walk on this path, on this trip I did climb on one of the more hazardous trails that I've gone on in Israel. Most of the "dangerous" paths I've been on have had railings and/or hand holds. This one did too, but not as many. In addition to being steep and winding, the rocks had been smoothed by thousands of people traversing it, making the footing treacherous. It wasn't bad, really, but it does give an idea of the danger of wandering around the wilderness wadis that David called his home when he was hiding from Saul. There are always rocks just waiting to betray your footing, and there is no stop before the bottom of the wadi. One does indeed need deer's feet. Though we didn't see any on this trip, it is usually a common sight to see ibex leaping about the hills, heedless of the danger. In contrast, the second picture has a very broad and pleasant path.

Verses 37-42

I pursued my enemies and overtook them,

and did not turn back till they were consumed.

I thrust them through,

so that they were not able to rise;

they fell under my feet.
For you equipped me with strength for the battle;

you made those who rise against me sink under me.
You made my enemies turn their backs to me,

and those who hated me I destroyed.
They cried for help,

but there was none to save;

they cried to the LORD,

but he did not answer them.
I beat them fine as dust before the wind;

I cast them out like the mire of the streets.

The wind was blowing from the east, carrying a very fine dust on it, so fine that it would not have been discerned, but for its irksome effect of obscuring vision. To make such a dust David's victory must have been complete indeed.

It's always good for me to get out into the land, to see what the Bible writers saw and walk where they walked. Things have changed much between their time and mine, but there is still enough left to begin to get a glimpse of what life was like and to start to understand their thoughts and images.

New Experience

Apparently I have not yet plumbed the depths of experiences one can have in Israel.

I have had several people approach me and ask for help. (Mostly in the form of, "Slichah, *hebrew hebrew hebrew*," which they then have to translate for me into "Do you know where ____ is?") Usually I do know where ____ is, so that combined with the fact that apparently I look at home enough here to look like I would know, makes me feel like maybe I sort of look like I belong here. How's that for a convoluted sentence? Suffice it to say, I take comfort in the idea that I don't look as out of place as I often feel.

However, yesterday, I had quite a different experience. I was, as usual, minding my own business, looking at a map and being a little geeky, when a young man came up to me and politely asked if he could help me. It turns out he was a ranger in the park I was in, so it was sort of his job, but in a country where good customer service is not exactly highly valued, such an offer is a rather rare and pleasant surprise.

Prayer of St. Augustine

O God, by whose laws the poles revolve,

The stars follow their courses,

The sun rules the day

And the moon presides over the night;

And all the world maintains,

As far as this world of sense allows,

The wondrous stability of things

By means of the orders and recurrences of seasons:

Through the days by the changing of light and darkness,

Through the months by the moon's progressions and declines,

Through the years by the successions of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter,

Through the cycles by the completion of the sun's course,

Through the great eras of time by the return of the stars to their starting points.

God of life,

There are days when the burdens we carry chafe our shoulders

And wear us down;

When the road seems dreary and endless,

The skies grey and threatening,

When our lives have no music in them,

And our hearts are lonely,

And our souls have lost their courage.

Flood the path with light, we beseech you;

Turn our eyes to where the skies are full of promise.

Our hearts are restless, O Lord, until they rest in you.

Apocryphal Tolkien

I happened to watch The Return of the King last night and was struck by the similarities between what is shown in this scene, especially from about 5:30 to about 8:30....

...and a battle described 1 Maccabees:

1 Maccabees 6:33-34, 37, 42-46
Then the king rising very early marched fiercely with his host toward Bathzacharias, where his armies made them ready to battle, and sounded the trumpets. And to the end they might provoke the elephants to fight, they shewed them the blood of grapes and mulberries.

And upon the beasts were there strong towers of wood, which covered every one of them, and were girt fast unto them with devices: there were also upon every one two and thirty strong men, that fought upon them, beside the Indian that ruled him.

Then Judas and his host drew near, and entered into battle, and there were slain of the king's army six hundred men. Eleazar also, surnamed Savaran, perceiving that one of the beasts, armed with royal harness, was higher than all the rest, and supposing that the king was upon him, put himself in jeopardy, to the end he might deliver his people, and get him a perpetual name: wherefore he ran upon him courageously through the midst of the battle, slaying on the right hand and on the left, so that they were divided from him on both sides. Which done, he crept under the elephant, and thrust him under, and slew him: whereupon the elephant fell down upon him, and there he died.

I would say that Tolkien knew his apocrypha.

And just for fun, here's what Eleazar SHOULD have done:

Historical Rights

I was perusing head lines in the Jerusalem Post today when I came across this quote (from this article):

"You don’t have to be a biblical scholar to recognize the incontestable Jewish nature of Rachel’s Tomb and the Cave of the Patriarchs."

Yes, actually, such recognition might flow much more easily if one is, in fact, not a biblical scholar.

Let me back up a little. Recently, Rachel's Tomb (in Bethlehem) and the Cave of the Patriarchs (in Hebron) were placed on Israel's list of Heritage sites. There are generally two responses to this action.

The first reaction is the one taken by the Palestinians, and much of the rest of the world. This is a political move to attempt to claim more Palestinian land for Israel and should not be tolerated.

The other reaction is the one taken by the author of this article. Historically speaking, the Jewish people are connected with the Old Testament and the stories of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Bible records the burial of Rachel near Bethlehem and the burial of Sarah and various other members of that family near Hebron. As these are the tombs of their ancestors, they should clearly have the right to revere them.

A lot of the question comes down to Historical Rights. Everyone in this land who tries to claim it bases their claim in history. In recent history, Palestinian refugees claim houses in Israel (currently occupied by Jewish Israelis) as their ancestral homes, where the lived until 1948. Looking at more ancient history, Jews claim Jerusalem as their capital, citing it's defeat by King David 3000 years ago. In return, Palestinians claim Jerusalem, claiming to be descendants of the Jebusites who controlled it before David. Does history give rights in the present day? And if so, what layer of history do you choose?

The author mentioned above continues his argument, trying to emphasize that the Jewish layer of history predates that of all other claimants, and therefore is the one that counts:

"Sites such as Rachel’s Tomb and the Cave of the Patriarchs are part of the national and religious patrimony of the Jewish people, and we do not need anyone’s permission to renovate and maintain them. Our reverence for these sites and attachment to them predates Muhammad and precedes Jesus, and no one has the right to lecture us about where and how we choose to serve God."

There is, however, a bit of a problem with his argument.

Let's start by looking at the Cave/Tomb of the Patriarchs. To quote Ehud Netzer from The Architecture of Herod, the Great Builder, "To the present day there is a general consensus among scholars that this structure in Hebron, which is well preserved and perhaps even intact, was built by Herod [the Great]." Admittedly, Herod does still precede Jesus and Mohammed, but not by much. Of course, the fact that this structure was probably built by Herod does not mean that it is not built on top of the Tomb of Machpelah. Tradition may have preserved the actual site, and Herod may have built on top of it, trying to please the Jews. Or, maybe, Herod just built on a random cave with no connection to the Patriarchs. It's hard to say how much validity the Jewish claim to this site has, at least in the ancient past. We'll let it pass for now and move on to Rachel's Tomb.

Rachel's Tomb, clearly of relatively modern Islamic construction, is a sheik's tomb. Again, there is a possibility that it was built on top of the site of Rachel's tomb, but in this case the archaeological connections are even more uncertain.

So do the Jews have the right to claim these sites as heritage sites? Maybe, maybe not. Within more recent history, these sites have probably been revered by the few Jews living in the land for over 1000 years. I know less about modern history, but at the very least, they have apparently been revered for the last 100 years. Does this give them a right?

I'll leave that for you to ponder. I have no easy answers.

I would really like it, though, if people claiming historical rights would check their historical facts.

Pools in the Wilderness

Isaiah 41:18 (NKJV)
I will open rivers in desolate heights,
And fountains in the midst of the valleys;
I will make the wilderness a pool of water,
And the dry land springs of water.

Words like "water" and "wilderness" (or in the Hebrew, "mayim" and "midbar") occur often throughout the Bible. When used in conjunction they would have been very evocative to the ancient mind.

What pictures come to your mind when you think of wilderness? Maybe something like this?

Mountains, as far as the eye can see, with no human habitation in sight? Where I grew up, that was the wilderness.

As for water in the wilderness, maybe one would think of something like this:

a small mountain lake, or this:

a rushing waterfall.

While not everyone is from the Rocky Mountain region, a good many people have been there or have at least seen pictures. While these pictures might not be the ideal image of "water in the wilderness" for everyone, I imagine that most of the English speaking world would agree that those words fit the pictures above.

It's a problem.

These don't come close to the image an ancient Israelite would have at the words "mayim ba'midbar." If we are to properly understand the intent of the Biblical authors (who wrote in a language very much tied to the land) we must understand the land where they lived and the imagery they wished to evoke by the words they used.

The Hebrew word translated as "wilderness" can also be translated as "pasture land." That evokes a bit of a different image in the mind of most Americans. Maybe something like this:

a field full of lush, green grass. Or maybe even something slightly less lush, realizing that things do dry out in the summer:

Are these the images David would have had as he wrote Psalm 23? Would he have pastured his flock in fields like these?

In the summer, the "midbar" that David would have known looks something like this:

and in the winter you might be lucky enough to see it looking like this:

Prime pasture for the flocks of sheep and goats that frequent this area.

What about the "still water?" The "pools of water in the wilderness?" Maybe this:

a clear, quietly flowing river? Maybe a small lake or pond?

Think again. When you think of green pastures and still waters, when you think of pools in the wilderness, think of this:

In America, we live in a land of plenty - plenty of water, plenty of grass, plenty of everything. Israel is, in many ways, a harsher land. Life can be hard. A little pool of water and a little bit of grass is a great gift from God. It is enough to say, "I shall not want."

Gezer: A lesson in Middle Eastern Diplomacy

This last Saturday I went on another field study, this time around the region of Benjamin. It was again my second time on this trip (with only a few minor changes in itinerary), so you can re-read my original thoughts here if you want to review the area we covered. This time, instead, I am going to offer a few thoughts on the Biblical site of Gezer, our last, and possibly my favorite, stop of the day.

Gezer lies in ancient "no-man's-land" - in sight of the hill country of Israel and in sight of the Philistine coast. Both wanted it, but its safe to say that neither had it...at least not for long. During the time of David it was apparently under Canaanite rule, and though he managed to expand his kingdom greatly, he didn't make it quite that far.

Why was Gezer such a sought after city, the proverbial belle of the ball (locally speaking? Simply put: trade. Gezer was along the ancient international highway. Traders and armies regularly passed this town: Egypt, going to fight Syria (and vice-versa); spices, fresh off the windy desert, bound for Tyre; so on an so forth. This was a route that could enrich whatever kingdom controlled it. Control over even one city on the route would have been a huge boost for relatively small kingdoms like Judah and Philistia. However, its great value also entailed great risk: there was always someone with a bigger army, ready to snatch it away. In the game of Risk, it would be Europe: you bide your time, stacking up armies and then fight hard to take it all over in one turn, only to be utterly annihilated by your opponents in the next round.

There are, however, a large number of towns along this route, of roughly equal strategic importance...except to the kingdom of Israel. The easiest routes from the coast to the capital city of Jerusalem is through the Aijalon valley, and the mouth of the Aijalon valley was guarded by Gezer. Safety, as well as riches, were on the line for the kingdom of Judah.

Eventually David died and Solomon, his son, became king. Solomon was not a man of war and would have no hope of capturing Gezer on his own. He used other methods of expanding his kingdom, most of them apparently involving marriage. The Bible records that he had 700 wives. Most of them were princesses of a sort, married to validate his control over a region or to seal a covenant with a neighboring kingdom and effectively widening Solomon's range of influence.

One such marriage just happened to be to a daughter from a very powerful empire: Egypt. The fact that such a marriage occurred gives us reason to believe that at this time either Solomon was very powerful indeed, or Egypt was very weakened, or possibly a combination of both. Very powerful kings did not give their daughters in marriage to very weak kings, from whom no help could be expected. Thus, at this time at least, it seems that Israel and Egypt were on roughly equal footing. For her dowry, the king of Egypt conquered Gezer and gave it to his daughter.

1 Kings 19:15-17 tells the story:
And this is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon drafted to build the house of the LORD and his own house and the Millo and the wall of Jerusalem and Hazor and Megiddo and Gezer. (Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and captured Gezer and burned it with fire, and had killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and had given it as dowry to his daughter, Solomon's wife; so Solomon rebuilt Gezer).

Archaeologically, Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer all have something in common: they all have 6-chambered gates, which seem to date to about the time of Solomon (thus, they are called, "Solomonic gates" - original, no?).

So, through this alliance, Solomon gained Gezer. This gave him relative safety from attack from the east, and probably also increase his income from taxes immensely. Egypt, in return, was likely allowed safe passage through the area, and possibly given a break from the tolls. Everything seemed happy.

Then Solomon died. His son Rehoboam became king in his place, but he was not the son of the Egyptian princess. Things had changed.

1 Kings 14:25-26 tells the story:

In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem.
He took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king's house. He took away everything. He also took away all the shields of gold that Solomon had made.

What the story doesn't tell us is something that is obvious with a quick glance at the geography. Shishak would have come up from Egypt travelling along the coast. To get to Jerusalem from the coast he would have gone right past Gezer, the place his father conquered and gave to Solomon. He must have reclaimed it in the name of Egypt and kept right on a-trucking up to Jerusalem. Who knows if there was even a fight? Technically, the city belonged to Pharaoh's daughter as her dowry. Perhaps there was even a small Egyptian outpost there who just opened those big "Solomonic Gates" and let the rest of the army in to refuel before climbing up to Jerusalem. Maybe that was the plan all along.

It's clever. Sneaky. And in a place where Jacob is a hero for tricking Esau and Laban, its very Middle Eastern. It is good to be friendly, to form alliances...but everyone is always looking out for their own interests. If friendship will serve that, then friendship it will be. Until something more profitable comes along. It doesn't sit well with our western mindset, this trickery and two-facedness, but it fits with this land, both now and then.