We would like to extend a warm welcome to you and we are glad that you are here.
If this is your first time here, we extend a very warm welcome to you. We suggest that you read our previous blog posts on this link Previous Blog Posts, to give you some background information and how we got to this point.
We continue with our Israel trip…
Something we found so special about our tour of Israel was that we were visiting some sites which were away from the well-trodden tourist sites. As we left the possible site of Naboth’s vineyard our coach drove downhill a little distance to a fountain at Jezreel, where King Saul and his army spent the night before the fateful battle with the Philistines. There were a couple of coaches with Jewish school children.
After a brief stop there and having an explanation of the significance of this fountain and pool, it was time to set off for Mt Carmel. As our coach drove a couple of hundred yards, it got caught up in a deep trough in the road and could neither go forward nor reverse. It took more than half an hour to get us moving again.
We drove along Jezreel valley for some miles before starting the ascent to Mt Carmel. The views were breath taking as our coach weaved its way up. Since we had set off early that morning, we were one of the few groups that had arrived there by that time.
For the benefit of those who may not be familiar with the importance of Mt Carmel, below is a quick synopsis. (Please read the whole story in 1 Kings 18:16-45)
There was a king of Israel named Ahab who was married to Jezebel. This couple was not obedient to God, and they started and promoted false worship. They worshipped and sacrificed to a god named Baal. God was not pleased with this and sent the prophet Elijah with a message, that because of this rebellion/apostacy, God would shut the heavens and there would be a drought for three and a half years. Fast forward, at the end of the three and a half years, Elijah sent a message to Ahab that they should meet on Mt Carmel and Ahab can bring the prophets of Baal and they can prove who was the true God.
Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, “How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!” But the people were completely silent.
1 Kings 18:21
The test was that both sides separately prepare an altar and lay a sacrifice, a bull. Each party would pray to their god and the true God will be the one that answers with fire and burn the sacrifice.
The conclusion was the prophets of Baal failed to have their sacrifice burnt and God of Elijah sent fire from Heaven and burnt the sacrifice.
We reflected on this story and event as we stood on Mt Carmel looking down into the Jezreel Valley. It felt so overwhelming and surreal as we shared this special moment. As we were getting ready to leave the viewing point, another group of black tourists arrived – they were dressed in a blue uniform and spoke a language that sounded familiar to Wim and me. From the uniform we soon gathered that they were coming from Malawi and were members of CCAP church (Church of Central Africa Presbyterian). Wim and I quickly approached them and introduced ourselves as their “neighbours” coming from Zimbabwe. What a joy we had – soon two gentlemen came forward and started speaking to us in Shona – and they were so fluent. Wow! We quickly gathered that they had lived in Zimbabwe for a number of years. After a photo shoot between our two groups, it was time for us to go as we had lost more than half an hour due to our coach being stuck. We could only say in Chichewa (Malawian language) “Zikomo kwambili” – Thank You very much.
Mt Carmel was a real mountain top experience as we reflected on what happened on this very mountain in the times of Elijah.
Lessons from Mt Carmel
There are several lessons that we can learn from the Mt Carmel experience; below are a few that we would like to share with you.
Lesson 1 Compliment each other
As a couple you should compliment and help each other when one of you is going astray. You should build each other up and encourage each other to be the best version of yourselves. Ahab and Jezebel were a couple that encouraged each other in pursuing a bad path.
Lesson 2 – Call to Decisiveness
Elijah’s question “how long should you waver between two opinions” is so important in our families and lives. Sometimes we are caught up in analysing a situation such that we suffer from what is commonly referred to as paralysis of analysis – you do not take any action due to over analysing. We encourage that after gathering all the necessary information, you should make that decision. You may not have all the information needed but with the best information you have, a decision is necessary. Wim and I feel that sometimes making a bad decision is better than not making a decision at all. That way we can build and learn from our “bad” decision and improve it or make a completely different one. In Shona there is a saying that goes “Hwerengera imbavha yenguva” (Procrastination is the theif of time).
Lesson 3 – A Question of Faith
As we shared in the ingredients of a happy family blog post, Wim and I believe that this is one area where you need to discuss as a couple and family. Better still, this discussion is to be had when people are still courting. Elijah’s challenge was “If the Lord is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him.” It should be clear whom you will worship in your home.
As we left Mt Carmel, our group was so overjoyed and uplifted by the experience that we started singing a chorus “We are marching over to Jerusalem”. Other tourists who were arriving at Mt Carmel looked on and joined in our joy as we danced to our coach.
From Mt Carmel we drove southwest towards to the Mediterranean Sea to a place called Caesarea Maritima, where as per the record in the Book of Acts, Cornelius the centurion was baptized by Peter and we were also to visit the prison where Paul had been kept before he was sent to Rome for trial.
Time was tight as we had lost that more than 30 mins when our coach was stuck. As we arrived in the parking lot of this place, it soon became apparent that things were not in order: The entrance had been closed as it required about two hours to complete the tour of the facility – we were late. We didn’t allow our spirits to be dampened as we had such a fulfilling second day starting at Cana of Galilee.
Since the sun was about to set, our group leader suggested that we have worship on the beach as the sun set. We stood in the warm waters of the Mediterranean as one lady minister who was also part of our group shared the word of God in worship. We were singing heartily as we witnessed the beautiful sunset on the Mediterranean.
As we made our way back to our coach, we noticed a newly married couple who had come for a photo shoot with the beautiful sunset backdrop. After seeing and hearing us sing, they requested if we could sing for them! We were not a choir per se, but just a group of Christians being blessed by their visit to the Holy Land so far. We quickly looked for a song that we all knew by heart – you guessed it “We are marching over to Jerusalem” that we had sung a couple of hours before as we left Mt Carmel! (As a two day old “choir of strangers” we did our best!)
We sang our hearts out as we joined this young couple on their special day.
This trip was getting better by the day – it was getting even more special. That was our last activity for the second day and now we had to make our way to our new base further south in Bethlehem in the West Bank. Yes, you read right – in the West Bank. As our coach approached the security check point, there was a long queue of tourist coaches entering the West Bank. As we checked in to our beautiful and comfortable hotel, it became apparent that most tourists do stay in the West Bank. As we went down for our dinner, we met other groups from South America and the USA.
After dinner as we settled and reflected on the experiences thus far, we thanked God for the opportunity that had been granted to us.
Our alarm sounded to announce the arrival of a new day – the schedule Day 3 had a trip to the Jordan river, city of Jericho, Bethany (Lazarus tomb) and Bethlehem. Please subscribe and share
