As I sat on the edge of the Sorek Canyon, I heard the wind whisper into my hear, watched the wind lead the trees in a rhythmic dance, and witnessed the clouds racing towards the eastern entrance of Jerusalem. Once home to those under Solomon’s rule, the Sorek Canyon knew of the greatly desired peace among the world. “During the lifetime of Solomon, all of Judah and Israel lived in peace and safety,” (I Kings 4:25). Sanding on her ledge, I could sense the peacefulness of the canyon. As the sky radiated with a photoshopped blue, the land was eager and strong to fulfill its duty as crop bearer. After all, Sorek means, “Best Vine.” The people of this land knew they were among the best of the best. Thus, they were content with whatever the Lord bestowed upon them. If I could only have that same amount of gratitude and appreciation for the Lord, I would be under the same amount of peace as them.
Would you believe me if I told you I stood in the homeland of Samson. Didn’t think so. Stepping away from the group, I journeyed to the end of the hill. Situating myself upon a white-capped stone, I looked out onto the surrounding hills. To my right, lay the hills which Samson unleashed 300 lit foxtails to ruin his enemies crop season. Straight ahead, the sun devourers the shade and she moves towards me. Samson was here once. Him and his people lived in Bet-Shamesh. Is is possible that Samson witnessed the same picture as me? Did he watch the sun devour the shade? did he ever remove his sandals to feel the texture of the ground? I was sitting in the middle of a buffer zone for the Eocene Shephelah. Listen to me as I tell you... I was witnessing history pirouette before me.
[Below: the sun devouring the shade and the sun coming out to say "hey.]
Historically, presently, or futuristically, a running theme in life is life itself. A longing for a better life, wanting a radical life, trusting God for guidance in our lives, in need of water to give us life, and/or searching for the meaning of life. Winding down the first day of our three day field study, the concept of life could not escape my mind. We spend most of our field studies prying the minds of these historical people, trying to understand their means of living, and their ways of creating resources out of nothing. I came to the conclusion: much of their goal in life was the survive. Some survived, but many died. They lived in times that were not ideal for that of Orange County. They had to find ways to build wells, cisterns, retaining walls, and towers to give and guard their lives. They disperse into armies to increase their ownership of land. They created routes and walked long hours to protect their land that possessed their lives. How true is this for us today? We want to live, but we end up trying to survive. Biblically, those that depended on God not only survived, but lived. They lived along the side of God. Historically, presently, and futuristically, the theme for ultimate life is dependency upon God, not on ourselves.
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