“Announce in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem and say: ‘Sound the trumpet throughout the land!’Cry aloud and say: ‘Gather together! Let us flee to the fortified cities!’Raise the signal to go to Zion! Flee for safety without delay!For I am bringing disaster from the north, even terrible destruction.” Jeremiah 4:5-6 The third day of our Galilee trip led us north. The Rift Valley runs north and south of the Sea of Galilee. To the north a few miles lies the city of Hazor. This was a major city 3000+ years ago, forming one of the protective barriers of the northern […]
Author Archive: Brian Johnson
Overlooks
Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past.Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you.When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided all mankind,he set up boundaries for the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel. Deuteronomy 32:7-8 The second day of our Galilee trip began south of the Sea of Galilee at the site of Beth Shean. It’s located in the Rift Valley where the rift connects with another valley heading west that attaches to the large Jezreel Valley, making this another […]
From Sea to Dusty Sea
The LORD is slow to anger and great in power;  the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished.His way is in the whirlwind and the storm,  and clouds are the dust of his feet.He rebukes the sea and dries it up;  he makes all the rivers run dry.Bashan and Carmel wither  and the blossoms of Lebanon fade.The mountains quake before him  and the hills melt away.The earth trembles at his presence,  the world and all who live in it. Nahum 1:3-5 I’m falling little behind after a long weekend traversing the Galilee region in northern Israel. We were on the […]
Rejoice, Rewind!
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 Today is the eighth day of Sukkot, marking the end of a week of celebrations. Jerusalem has been busy with extra people visiting the city for the holiday. The eighth day is known as Simchat Torah or The Rejoicing of the Torah. On this day, people around the world pull out the Torah Scrolls and dance around them with, celebrating God’s revelation through his […]
Signal Fires
And may (my lord) be apprised that we are watching for the fire signals of Lachish according to all the signs which my lord has given, because we cannot see Azekah. Lachish Letter 4 Saturday was another field study, but for another class than Physical Settings. We visited Lachish and Mareshah, two cities in the Shephelah. Lachish was probably the second most important city in the kingdom of Judah, having large fortifications. The Assyrians (c. 701 BC) and Babylonians (c. 587 BC) both besieged here and destroyed the city. There were ostraca (potsherds with writing on them) found here which […]
A JUC Sukkot
Last night (Friday evening) we had JUC Coffeehouse, drinking some good beverages (I had a yummy hot cocoa). We also had performance: people singing or reading. I decided to write a poem and read it, which was well received. There’s some inside jokes here, but I think you’ll be able to appreciate it nonetheless. ‘Twas a night during Sukkot, when all through the LandAll the people were stirring, from the small to the grand!The sukkah was built rock solid with care,In hopes that Elijah soon would be there. The students were active far from their beds,While books and papers spun […]
Past, Present, and Future Tents
The LORD said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the LORD’s Feast of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days….On the first day you are to take choice fruit from the trees, and palm fronds, leafy branches and poplars, and rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. Celebrate this as a festival to the LORD for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. Live in booths for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to […]
Fasting and Forgiveness
The LORD said to Moses, “The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present an offering made to the LORD by fire. Do no work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the LORD your God. Leviticus 23:26-28 Today is Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), which began last night at sundown. I’m sitting outside in the garden at JUC. There is barely a car on the road. Last night I wandered around with a few others from […]
Of Death and Life
The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;   my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.   He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2 Our third and last day of the long weekend, Monday, brought us to the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth at over 1300 feet below sea level. It is the saltiest body of water in the world at 30-40% (by comparison the ocean is about 3% and the Great Salt Lake in Utah is about 15%). Additionally, the sea is dying, […]
The Dry South
What a desolate place this is. C-3PO, Star Wars: A New Hope Continuing my long weekend journey, Sunday was our journey south to the dry land of the Negev. Negev is Hebrew for dry and south, which accurately describes the region. The first part of the Negev is what we can call the Biblical Negev, which is a set of basins immediately south of the regions mentioned last time. This region is just past the rainfall line, receiving less than the amount needed to grow grain. Instead, shepherding works better. The ancient city of Arad was in the eastern Negev. […]