by Jerod Gann
"One of my favorite parts of the trip was the “Shrine of the Book.” This area of the museum houses actual pieces of the Dead Sea Scrolls."
Today we traveled back to the great and beautiful city of Jerusalem. This Holy and ancient city has many layers of history and Jewish culture beneath it, but today we had the opportunity to be immersed in the relatively recent history of the Jewish people.
We began by visiting the Parliament of Israel, called the Knesset. We were very honored as guests to be personally guided through the halls of what would be the equivalent of the U.S. capitol. Our guide explained to us the importance of the transparency that the government has between them and the people. This transparency demonstrates their great love for the people of Israel and their willingness to be servants of their country.
Next, we walked down the street to visit the Israel Museum. Here we got to see an amazing model of the city that was built out of stone in the 1960s. This model helped me to see the significance of the temple mount to the people of Israel as well as better visualize the route that Jesus walked during the week leading to the cross. Also at the museum, and one of my favorite parts of the trip, was the “Shrine of the Book.” This area of the museum houses actual pieces of the Dead Sea Scrolls. These 2,000-year-old scrolls are archaeological evidence that the Old Testament we read in our Bibles today is the same text that Jesus used and referred to in his day. This was very exciting to see in person!
After this we experienced Yad Vashem, one of the most impactful sites I have ever visited. This museum tells the tragic story of the Jewish Holocaust. The ugliness of the acts that resulted in the death of 6 million Jews became very real and personal to us. As we saw pictures, read journals of victims, and heard stories from Holocaust survivors, I could tell that all of our hearts had been crushed as we realized the magnitude of this horrid event. It is impossible for me to describe the overwhelming feelings that came as I stood in the massive room containing shelves upon shelves of what must have been thousands of books. These books contain the stories of the victims that left behind husbands, wives, and orphans.
We finished out our day by going back in time the biblical site of the Valley of Elah, the place where David killed Goliath in the name of Yahweh. It was truly breathtaking to overlook the valley and imagine the campgrounds of both the Israelites and the Philistines. Here Dr. Sanders reminded us that whether we lose or win, our battles belong to God. Everything belongs to Him and so do we.
I could not think of a better way to spend this day than with my love on our anniversary. Thank you ETBU for this transformational opportunity of a lifetime.
