Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.
Matthew 7:24-27
My last post about a month ago about my trip to Israel (being back in May is becoming more distant), was about us reaching the desert in the south of Israel. Last time I wrote about the Israelites wandering there, pitching their tents around God’s tent (tabernacle).
While driving through the desert, it becomes quickly apparent how desolate it is. I can understand why the ancient Israelites complained as they wandered in the wilderness. However, there are sandy, lower areas with more vegetation. When the road passes through these areas, there are often posts with height markers on them along the road. What are these?
Here’s the problem: when it rains hard (which isn’t often but it happens, even in the desert), the water runs off the hard soil, cascading into valleys (wadis) and causing flash floods. People in these canyons can be caught unaware and are swept away. It could be bright and sunny where they’re at, but raining heavily upstream. The height markers along the road show drivers how deep the water is in case a rare river is crossing over the road.
When Jesus told his parable about the wise and foolish builders (see above), he used familiar imagery to his listeners. In Israel, sand is most commonly found in the destructive paths of wadis. It is a terrible place to build! Your house may survive a year or two or more, but eventually a flood is going to come and sweep everything away. Ignoring Jesus’ words may seem to work fine for a time, but eventually will be to our detriment. May we be wise and do what he says!