By Elon
This first appeared in the Moriel Bulletin April 2011.
Passover has just finished here, and we thank God
indeed for the rainfall that we have had here. It was totally
undeserved considering the state of the nation, and it was a welcome
blessing, to a water starved country like Israel. Rain here is rarely
drizzle like in Europe. In fact its a fairly violent affair with very
loud thunder and spectacular electrical storms. It is easy to see why
the Psalmist exclaimed when he saw the glory of God in His creation
:“the voice of the LORD is upon many waters, the God of glory
thunders... the voice of the LORD is powerful, the voice of the LORD
is full of majesty”.
Just recently we returned from a trip down to
Eilat. The desert is a strange place indeed, and at times
breathtakingly beautiful as the light changes the colour of the rocks
in hue throughout the day. (It's also probably the only place in
Israel where you can get some peace and quiet.) Being in Israel is
like living in a Bible Encyclopedia. You get to see things that
enhance your understanding of the Scriptures right in front of your
own eyes. On a little jaunt into the desert, we visited one or two of
the camping sites of the Children of Israel before they crossed the
Jordan river. It was a very hot day, and as we stood there in the
heat our guide was explaining to us about the species of Acacia tree
that we stood under, that in some cases its roots could go down to
150 feet below the surface, where it could reach the water even in
the driest summers. Israel, unlike, for example, the U.K, (where it
rains nearly all the time) enjoys rain only on a seasonal basis. This
is particularly so in the Aravah (from a Hebrew word meaning “dry”)
desert, where the rivers too are seasonal. In the rainy season these
river beds (Hebrew: nahal, Arabic wadi) can be raging torrents,
washing away roads, bridges and anyone foolish or unfortunate enough
to be caught in their path. The sky may be blue and cloudless
overhead, but it may have rained in the mountains miles away and the
unsuspecting hiker will know nothing until a raging flood some metres
deep comes racing down the wadi smashing them against its rock walls
and carrying them off. People die every year from not taking heed to
the warnings. This has something to teach us too. In Isaiah 59:19 in
the context of the LORD marching forth in judgement we read:
"And so shall they fear the name of the LORD from the West and from the Rising of the Sun (the East) His glory, for He (i.e. the LORD, or "it" meaning His judgment both are possible renderings from the Hebrew), shall come like a pent up river which the Spirit of the LORD drives along."
This reminds how vitally important it is that we
know the times and seasons and be watchful to avoid being swept away.
That day should not overtake us like a thief if we remain awake (see
1Thess. 5:1-6, and in Luke 21, Jesus commanded us to watch for the
signs of His coming and when we saw certain things we would know that
the season of our redemption draws nigh.).
During the dry season the surface river water
dries up and the only water is deep underground. Only trees that
have deep roots can survive. This illustrates for us the need to be
rooted and grounded in the LORD and His Word to survive in a hostile
enviroment.
“Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.”
May we be deep-rooted and frutiful for Him!
