Daily Devotion for June 30, 2006

Day 5

 

Jericho

 

He called out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"  Luke 18:38

         (click on the photo below for a LARGER view)

Jericho has a fascinating location and history. Jericho stood by a mountain pass near the northern end of the Dead Sea. As one of the few gateways into the Judean Mountains, Jericho was a natural place for the Israelites to enter the Promised Land. After crossing the Jordan, it was the first city they defeated.

 

In NT times, Jericho stood on one of the few roads connecting the Via Maris, a major trade route to the west, and the King’s Highway, which ran through the east.

 

It is the lowest city in the world (more than 1,000 feet below sea level), and also appears to be the oldest. This old city could not exist without the generous waters of its spring, and those life-giving waters have never failed Jericho.  For many centuries, they have made this the world’s most famous oasis and probably its oldest inhabited city.  Archaeologists have discovered remains dating back to 8,000 BC, about 6,000 years before Abraham lived!

 

The ancient settlement has been sliced into by archaeologists like a giant layer cake.  Successive layers of buildings and cultures have been revealed.  Even for the pilgrim who is strictly a non-expert, this is an impressive and educational “dig.”  The gushing waters close by (Elisha’s spring) continue to irrigate the famous Jericho oranges, grapefruit, bananas and dates which are sold along the streets.  In summer, the fresh cool orange juice, which comes from Jericho, becomes an absolute necessity!

 

The pyramids of Egypt are four thousand years younger than the great tower of Jericho.  This means that the town was already old when it was captured by Joshua (Joshua 2-6).  Even Elijah and Elisha stopped by here (2 Kings 2).  Herod turned the place into his winter residence, a kind of Palm Springs or Sun City in ancient Palestine.  For Jesus, it was a convenient stopping place when he came down from Galilee along the valley of the Jordan.  By following the valley road from the Lake of Galilee, the inhospitable land of Samaria could be avoided completely.

 

Here too Jesus was hailed as “the son of David” and here he healed the blind man (Luke 18:35-43).  This was also the home of Zacchaeus, the short tax collector, in whose house Jesus dined (Luke 19:1-10).

 

Near this city, close to the Dead Sea, the famous caves and settlement of Qumran were found by a Bedouin shepherd boy in 1947.  These caves yielded the oldest manuscripts of the Bible.  The oasis of En Gedi (“Goats Spring”) with its memories of David and Saul (1 Samuel 24:2-23) is also not far from old Jericho. 

 

Prayer
“Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!”  We make the prayer of the Jericho blind man our own.  It is simple and to the point.  We too need your mercy, your healing and your caring love.  “Lord, that I may see.”  For though we may see physically, our spiritual blindness can be cured only by your power.  May we too look up from the dust and recognize your holy face.  May the darkness give way to your light.  And may we praise and thank you every day of our lives.   Amen

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While in the Middle East for a Biblical Study Journey with fellow Word Among Us Students, a 5-person crew is filming and taking pictures of the various sites. This vibrant photographic material will be incorporated into next year's Word Among Us classes.

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