Through the Valley Of the Shadow of Death

(This is call Saint Georges Monestary: This is the place where Joseph and Ana concieved Mary after all this time that they didn't think they'd have a child. It's built into the Mountain side of Wadi Quid)
This is Wadi Quid aka The Valley of the Shadow of death ANND the where we were standing is thought to be the back side of the mount of temptation (where Christ was tempted) BEAUTIFUL!!
(Harod's Winter Palace: Don't worry those weren't the official columns but you get the idea.)

A long description but highly appropriate for the view and the biblical lessons learned today. Today was our Jericho field trip, we started off at the Winter Palace of Herod, this is the Palace that the Hesmoneans built and were taken over by the Romans and Harod gained control. Now Harod I don't like him very much he is what we'd call paranoid. He had such a fear of the Jews revolting against him that he took GREAT measures to ensure that wouldn't happen. This included, Marrying Marianne (A Hesmonean) later killing her little brother who had just been ordained a high priest and after that killing everyone of his Son's so that he would maintain power. In the midst of doing this he built temples or "holy places" to try and gain Jewish Favor. Although he was kind of a scum bucket he did construct some of the most BEAUTIFUL palaces and fortresses. Harod also died in this same "winter palace" and was taken to be burried 24 miles to Herrodian.
Next stop was at Tell Jericho, we looked at THE OLDEST archeological discovery in the world. The wall of Jericho. We not only saw the wall but we saw where the wall had fallen and our ancestors had climbed through the over take the city. Interestingly enough there was Grain found imbedded within the walls of Jericho... WHY? well because the Lord told Joshua not to take anything from the city so he was true to what the lord had asked.
Lastly we stopped at Wadi Qelt, this is where Christ did his last physical walk from Jericho to Jerusalem before he was crucified. Just thinking of that alone, was a testimony builder, of Christ's love for me, as he wandered through the "wilderness" contemplating the trials and pain he was going to face, thinking of me individually and knowing when he thought of me that it was all worth it.... As he did the same for each of us. I have come to realize that the atonement is such a thing of hope, it is what is missing in every religion. It makes me feel like I have reason to live when I think of it. These different religions I have been studying only see the death and destruction. We see the life and the light of Christ; it's something I yearn everyday for people to understand. I want them to be as happy as I am and it only comes through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
It is also where the parable of the good Samaritan comes from. If you look in I think it's songs of solomon chapter 3:4 it is the shepherds song, from David. He talks about crossing the valley of the shadow of death, this was that valley. It was given that name because it was a long stretch with no people, this is often where robbers would come to take people rob them and leave them for dead. Just as the man who was helped by the good Samaritan. Think for a moment about the story, A levite and a Priest walk by him..... A great point was brought up about this, the Levite and Priest did not stop because they were on their way to the temple to do holy things, so they were essentially going to do good. It was believed back then that if you saw someone with an open wound and oozing from that wound was any type of fluid, if you stopped to help them you were considered unholy/unclean. So if that priest had stopped to help that man he wouldn't have been able to preform his "good Duty." How often do we think that we are off to go do something good, such as a church calling, or delivering a meal; something of that nature, but we do not stop to help the "man along the road" although we are doing something good, we aren't doing the best. Remember that God said, if you do it unto the least of these my brotheren ye do it unto me. it also is reversed if ye do it NOT unto the least of these my bretheren ye do it NOT unto me. We then stood atop that beautiful mountain contemplating and Sang "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief" never have words penetrated to deeply into my soul.