Four years ago while in a Mediterranean cruise I spent four full days in Egypt, and it seemed like the preface to an altogether too short visit to Israel. To the Bible student there is so much of interest in Egypt, for it was out of Egypt, that God through Moses delivered His people Israel. While there you think of Joseph who was divinely sent to that country to preserve life (Gen. 45:5).
You visualize Moses in the little ark of bulrushes, and his miraculous deliverance. You think of the terrible plagues visited upon the land and its people, and, above all, you meditate with awe upon the reputed hiding place of Joseph and Mary and the infant Jesus, that is, if you believe, as I do, that it is the authentic hiding place. Leaving Egypt with so many thoughts of God’s dealings there, we immediately visited Israel, but for one day only. In this short time, however, we saw much that was of great spiritual interest to us.
Before leaving home in this trip, we asked our two grandsons aged eight years what they would like for us to bring them from Israel. The answer was to bring them some water from the River Jordan. This we did. They took the water to their school, and the teacher gave the class a lesson on this river. I wrote a brief diary of our visit, and concluded with these words : “I hope that we may be spared to some day make an extended visit to the land.”
Later, while casting about for some place to go on a short vacation, I came upon the diary, and I said : “This is the answer, we are going to Israel.” Arrangements being completed, my wife, my daughter and I started on a most inspiring trip by air. How commonplace air travel has become ! To think that we were just three of a company of one hundred and twenty-five persons in space forty-five thousand feet off the earth and traveling at six hundred miles per hour, in perfect comfort, eating and drinking (coffee) as if we were in our own home. What would our grandfathers think if they could see the developments in travel today ? And to my mind, the end is not yet. No doubt Daniel saw our day when he spoke of the end of human rule. “Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall shall be increased” (Daniel 12 :4).
Within approximately six hours we landed in Ireland. From there we went to Paris, and thence to Rome. We thought of Paul before Caesar, of his own hired house, and of his ignominious death. We remembered his letter to Timothy : “For I am now ready to be offered, and the times of my departure is at hand” (2 Tim. 4:6). What an exhortation to us, his brethren. From Rome we then flew to Israel, passing over several islands mentioned in the Bible. Our plane came down at Lydda (now called Lod) airport. After passing through all the formalities of customs and immigration, we realized we were actually in the Holy Land, an indescribable feeling indeed. We almost felt that we were on holy ground. This was really the beginning of eighteen days of a thrilling spiritual experience.
We remember that Peter visited Lydda and healed Aeneas of the palsy, and as a result of this miracle all Lydda turned to the Lord (Acts 9:33-35). It was from Lydda that an urgent message was sent to Peter to come at once to Joppa because a wonderful woman named Dorcas had died, and Peter by the Spirit raised her from the sleep of death (Act 9 :36-41). We wandered if we might actually be walking where Peter walked. It is quite possible that we were.
From Lydda we proceeded to Tel Aviv, a large and busy city of approximately five hundred thousand people, nearly one hundred percent Jewish. Fifty years ago it was a desolate wilderness, consisting of sand dunes. What courage, what determination, what faith in an ideal, to visualize such a miracle, for it surely is a miracle. But, undaunted, they press on, for we saw row upon row of large apartment buildings in the process of erection, We were told that these are to take care of the new refugees coming into Israel in almost a constant stream. The city is well kept, and the hotels are excellent. The city is beautifully located on the shore of the Mediterranean, and to see the surf breaking upon the beach is truly a picture to behold. Even the sea itself is full of Bible history. From our hotel window we could see Joppa, and we could visualize Jonah fleeing to Tarshish, and the storm that arose (Jonah 1:4). And we can imagine Jonah’s surprise when he was cast ashore and realized that he was a passenger in a great fish. Paul, too, had a terrifying experience on the same sea. He was calm, but his fellow passengers were afraid. This wonderful brother of ours gave splendid advice to the men aboard, and one we could well apply to ourselves. I refer to Acts 27 :31: “Except ye abide in the ship ye cannot be saved.” How true in our case ! Except we who are in the Ark (Christ), remain in the Ark, we cannot be saved.
The language in Israel is strictly Hebrew, not Yiddish, but, of course, English is well known and much used. We learned quickly one well-known word, “Shalom”, which seems to mean everything that is is good, but really means peace. Everywhere we went, and had occasion to greet anyone, we said, “shalom, shalom”, It is so easy to say and seems to say so much.
Naturally we were interested in the stores, particularly the gift shops, searching, of course, for something purely Jewish. One thing that struck us forcibly was to see a Mazuzar on every doorpost, and in the hotels in every room. So, in order to discover what these were and what they were used for, we purchased one. They are quite small and contain a parchment scroll upon which is written in Hebrew parts of the Law given at Sinai, and a prayer. Why do they fasten them upon the doorposts of their homes ? The reason is that God commanded Israel to do it, and why (Deut. 6:6-9). What a challenge these verses are to the mothers and fathers of today !
You find that many Bible names have been given to the streets and hotels, for instance : Dan hotel, Sharon, Tadmon, King David, etc. Tel Aviv was until quite recently the capital of Israel, but the capital has now been transferred to Jerusalem. The meals in all of the hotels were excellent and in great abundance. Of course there is no such thing as ham, bacon or pork in any form, and naturally no pigs are raised in Israel.
I know of no place where it is easier to get about. There are numerous conducted tours with very efficient trained guides. If you wish to go to any special place of interest to you, simply hire a taxi. They will take you anywhere, and explain points of interest on the way. Surprisingly, they will not accept a tip.
The spirit of the people is wonderful. They are not living in an atmosphere of fear as one might suppose. I asked one young man who was a lieutenant in the Israili army why he fought so gallantly in what appeared to be a hopeless cause. His answer was filled with hidden meaning. This is what he said : “We are fighting for our home.” To further show the spirit of the people, we visited at the humble but scrupulously clean home of a man who had acted as our guide, and who, together with his wife and two children, had left a good position in Argentina and come to Israel. He told us that he would rather be poor in Israel than rich in Argentina. It is interesting to know that the now famous Nasser of Egypt was among the three thousand Arab prisoners who were exchanged for five Israeli prisoners of war. It has irked this man very much to think of the unequal value of the exchange.
It may be of interest to know the currency of Israel. Israel’s pound is divided into prutas. There are one thousand prutas to the pound, and, compared to the American dollar, there are one thousand seven hundred and ninety prutas.
We made several side trips to places of interest, but these will be spoken of later. The foregoing is what might be called a preface to a remarkable journey through God’s land of the past and future. Our visit to Jerusalem will be the subject of our next article. “Most glorious things are spoken, Jerusalem of thee.”
“To all God’s saints the token of love and liberty.”
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