It was early morning and the sun had just begun to kiss the horizon in the distance.  Our group stood near the edge of Wadi Raman (also known as Makhtesh Ramon) gazing at its Grand Canyon-like gap that stretched for miles before us.  While the beauty of sun-drenched colors and the vast blue sky was unmistakable as the sun rose above us, it was apparent from the dry ground that living here in Biblical times required a great deal of skill and know-how.  Israel’s geographic divisions are easily defined by the amount of rain which falls in those regions.  Here in what was known as “The Wilderness of Paran” so little rain falls that it was virtually unoccupied in ancient times.  It was here that Israel wandered (Num. 10:11-12; 12:16; 13:25-26), shepherds amazingly grazed sheep and Nabatean traders crossed the Fertile Crescent with their wares. 
            It was not impossible to survive in the wilderness.  Savvy shepherds understood the seasons and knew where to graze when vegetation was around.  They also knew that the limestone gorges, called wadis (wah-dees), like Makhtesh Ramon captured water in two ways.  When the spring rains fell in the northern regions water would eventually make its way down to the wilderness.  Some wadis collected the water around a spring or pool forming a steady supply of water but this did not happen very often.   The second and more likely way that water was collected was in air pockets within the limestone.  Shepherds who knew what to look for could see the difference in the stone and tap into the water beneath the surface.  Wadis made it possible to survive in the wilderness- but only if you knew what to look for and how to navigate them.
            Not long after we gazed upon the beauty of Makhtesh, our group explored another wadi with a very different terrain.  The entrance to Avdat (Ahv-daht) is misleading.  It is wide and semi-barren with high limestone walls flanking either side.  The greenery is due to a small stream which is found near the center of the gorge.  As we walked alongside the stream heading deeper into the wadi, its width grew until the end where we were greeted by a silvery thin waterfall cascading over the upper rim.  A large pool of water had collected here and it was beautiful!  As nice as a wadi may be, the comfort they offered in Biblical times was tenuous.  There were no advanced warning signals for torrents of water that could rush over the edge or through the wadi and overwhelm men and livestock.  So it was best to “proceed with caution” when it came to wadis!  And good shepherds always had this in mind (Ps. 23: 1-3)
            The ease of life that the water in a wadi offers is very tempting.  It is that kind of ease that Jesus is referring to when He tells us that “wise men build their houses on the rock” (Lk. 6:46-49).  Building in the bottom of a wadi certainly makes the water more accessible.  And it’s so much easier to step out of your tent and scoop up the water rather than carrying a jug down from the rim and then hauling it back up again.  But it’s unsafe!  You never know when a storm will send a swirling mass of water over the edge.  So as inconvenient as it may seem, building on the ridge above is far more advantageous.
            In the Fall of 1992 a well-known sailor by the name of Michael Plant set forth on a journey across the North Atlantic Ocean.  His route was mapped carefully, he was an expert at the helm and his boat was state of the art.  Two weeks into the journey Plant lost contact with his home base and repeated attempts to reestablish contact were futile.  Finally a freighter spotted the sailboat floating upside-down in the ocean but its captain was nowhere to be found.  After investigation it was discovered that a weight which was supposed to be attached to the keel was missing virtually causing the ship to be top-heavy and when a storm came, the ship could not stay upright.  A second discovery noted that the emergency beacon installed in the boat had never been officially registered so that even when the signal had been emitted it was not recognized by the radar.  It was virtually ineffective.  In a way, Plant’s boat was his wadi.  It had all the amenities but it was missing the equipment he needed to weather a storm and when the boat capsized, the result was a tragedy.
            Human beings are always looking for something to be easier, better or more convenient than what they already have.  Like Plant we map out our lives carefully, consider ourselves to be experts at something and purchase state-of-the-art amenities to fill our homes with.  But life has a way of broad-siding us with storms.  Whether they are physical or emotional, or both, they capsize us and turn our world upside-down.  The trouble is, putting trust in the comforts of this world, is like building a house in the bottom of a wadi.   There is only one way to be prepared for the storms of life: build on the Rock.  Where are you building (1 Cor. 3:10-15)?
Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div. 
Week of 1/29/2017

            One of the best pieces of advice I received while I was a student at ATS was to divide up all the reading assignments at the beginning of the semester and spread them out through the course of the term so that by the end of the semester (or by the date the reading was due) the goal had been accomplished.  This method was particularly helpful for the book I was required to read for my Theology courses, Christian Theology by Millard J. Erickson. A daunting 1253 pages and over 2 inches thick it covered every aspect of theology from each denomination and Christian perspective known to man.  Another book, The Social Sources of Denominationalism by Richard Niebhur had far less pages but its formal English proved to be too challenging for most of my classmates and I think only 3 of us actually read it all the way through (which was too bad because it was an excellent book)!  To this day I am thankful that Dr. Dale suggested that practice because it enabled me to complete every reading assignment for every course (at least 500 pages per course!) that I took during my seminary studies.
            One of the best pieces of advice given in the Bible came from a man named Reuel (Ex. 2:18) who is also known as Jethro (Ex. 3:1).  “Why two names?” you might ask.  This is not an uncommon occurrence in Biblical times.  Sometimes people had more than one name due to the multi-ethnic and multi-cultural nature of ancient societies (not so much as in our modern sensitivity to this subject but rather due to the nature of kingdoms being conquered or conquering others and assimilating their captives into their kingdom).  Two names could also be used to distinguish a life-changing event in that person’s life (Gen. 35:1-13; Est. 2:5-7; Dan. 1:3-7; Acts 9:36; 13: 6-9).  In the case of Reuel/Jethro we see another cultural device at work.  Leaders often had names that designated their title or role such as “Pharaoh” and “Abimelech”.  While these titles appear to be personal names, they are not.  That is the case with Jethro which literally means “his excellence”.  A modern day parallel to this is the way we address royalty with the words “your majesty”.  The man called Jethro is first addressed as, Reuel, a personal name, and like his title, it indicates something about him as it means “friend of God”.
            Jethro’s story begins in Gen. 25:1-5 where we learn that after the death of Sarah and in his old age Abraham has taken another wife.  Her name is Keturah and after sons have been born to her, and sons to their sons, Abraham gives each child a “gift” and sends them eastward to “live in the land of the east”.
Eventually this area becomes known as “Midian” and the descendents of Abraham and Keturah become known as the Midianites.  On a modern day map today it would cover a portion of the eastern and western sides of the Gulf of Aqaba on the Sinai Peninsula.
            While on the run from Egypt Moses befriends Jethro’s daughters at the local well and ends up staying in Midian for 40 years.  However, an encounter with a “burning bush” and wise discernment from his father-in-law sends Moses back to Egypt for Scripture’s most epic story other than the Resurrection.  Moses is reunited with Jethro after the Exodus and it is noted several times that Jethro is a priest (Ex. 3:1; 18:1).  But Jethro is not a priest for some pagan god.  In some way he has remained connected to the One True God of his forebear Abraham.  Jethro recognizes and attests that it is Yahweh who has brought Moses success (Ex. 18:9-12).  During the reunion Jethro sees the enormous load of leadership which Moses is carrying and realizes quickly that no man can take on that responsibility forever.  It’s time for a father and son-in-law talk (Ex. 18: 1-27)!  Moses took his advice and Jethro returned home.
            Have you ever had a Jethro or Dr. Dale in your life?  A person who offered you sound advice when you really needed it?  For Moses his father-in-law’s insight came at a critical time.  One man could not humanly oversee all the legal and judicial matters he was attempting to manage.  From the Bible’s perspective godly counsel is a valuable asset in anyone’s life (Prov. 12:5-6, 15; 13:20; 25:11-12; Ecc. 4:9-12; Eph. 5:6; 2 Tim. 1:13; Heb. 10:24).  Perhaps you have been given advice at a critical time in your life and it has proven to be immensely helpful.  Maybe you are looking for someone to be that kind of mentor right now.  Take a close look at the qualities of Jethro then.  He was strong, but kind, had a considerate disposition, used wise judgment and most importantly had a deep relationship with the God he served.  If you are looking for insight or guidance these qualities are crucial for keeping you on the path God desires.  God might also be asking you to be a “Jethro” to someone.  If so, the same is true in reverse.  Base your advice on the Scriptures, just as Paul did with Timothy (2 Tim. 3:10-17) so that your words will be “apples of gold” (Prov. 25:11) and a blessing to those who hear them.
Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.        
Week of 1/22/2017

The year was 1985.  I was home-schooling my son Erick and his younger brother, Christopher, was charged with entertaining himself until “school time” was over.  Our schoolroom was a bedroom we’d converted for the purpose of housing desks and books and Christopher would play in the next bedroom with toy cars while Erick and I went over his school work.  He would literally spend hours lining the cars up in a “traffic jam” and then make-believe the police arrived to get the whole mess sorted out.  This past Christmas we had the joy of spending the holiday with Christopher and his family.  It was such fun to see his son Micah carry on the “family tradition” by surrounding himself with toy cars and driving them over the little rug decorated with streets and roads for hours.  That saying, “Like father, like son” is so true!
            There is a very popular children’s song which speaks about a man some might call the “Father of Faith”.  You know the one I’m talking about- Father Abraham!  He was born in the great Mesopotamian city of Ur over 4100 years ago.  Archaeology has proven Ur to be a bustling city full of all the benefits of urban living- schools, libraries, commerce, crafts and the Arts.  Abraham and his father Terah were affluent and well-established.  It appears by the Hebrew grammar in Gen. 11:31 that Terah is actually the first one God calls to leave Ur and head out towards Haran.  Father and son pack up their earthly goods and the people under their care and head along the Euphrates.  A long established trade route that provided ample water and food supply, following the river took them over 577 miles north and lasted about a month.  They came to Haran and took a well-deserved respite.  But something changed while they were in Haran.  It may have been that Terah decided he was too old to now turn west into a harsher environment to complete the journey or it could have been that Haran was just too nice to leave.  Whatever the case, Terah remains in Haran and the call to “go forth” is issued to Abraham who responds and heads out for Canaan (Gen. 12:1-5).
            Bruce Feiler in his book Abraham writes, “Despite their plainness, many things about these words stun: first what they ask of Abraham; even more what they promise in return”.  It truly is a surprising request.  Like Terah Abraham is not young!  He and Sarah have no children and he doesn’t even know where he’s going.  The God he has chosen to serve is just as extraordinary as His call.  Unlike the polytheistic culture Abraham has come from where gods are represented by earthly objects, are as numerous as the stars in the sky and have characteristics quite like their earthly counterparts, this God is singular, has no visible physical attributes, and cannot be explained in human terms.   Yet His voice is crystal clear and Abraham is compelled to finish the journey.  He packs up and heads out toward Canaan.
            Genesis 1-11 records God’s initial dealings with humankind.  The Fall has tainted God’s Creation and its effects are evident in human behavior and relations.  But God has made a promise.  There will be a “Seed” who will set things right (Gen. 3:15).  With each event a figure emerges but is He the Seed?  The same question arises when Abraham enters the picture.  Genesis 25:7-8 certainly answers the question with a solid “no”.  However, the New Testament gladly shows us that the covenant God made with Abraham (particularly that all the people of the earth will be blessed by Abraham; Rom. 4:13-17; Gal. 3:6-7) is the conduit by which the Seed would come.  That promised Seed is Abraham’s descendant (Mt. 1: 1-16, Lk. 3:23-38).  But what if Abraham had not gone?  What if he’d followed in his father’s footsteps and stayed in Haran?  In an extraordinary act of faith Abraham leaves his father, leaves his country and goes to the place God has promised to lead him.  For Abraham it was, “Like father, NOT like son”!
            If we were to base our respect for Abraham on this passage alone, we might place Abraham on the highest of faith pedestals.  But we would be wrong to do that.   Reading Abraham’s entire story (Gen. 11:26-25:11) reveals that Abraham struggles with his faith just like you and I do.  However, when God first speaks to him, he listens and takes action.  Perhaps your faith journey has brought you to Haran.  You’ve heard God’s call and you’ve gone “from your country” but have stopped along the way.  A professor of mine wisely said, “Many a believer begins the spiritual life following righteousness and somewhere along the route, they grow distracted, and begin following the wrong things”.  The church in Ephesus faced this too (Rev. 2:1-4).  If you’re in Haran right now, what will you do?  Will you remain there like Terah?  Or will you listen to God’s call and respond like Abraham did?  One thing is for certain, Abraham’s faith was rewarded far beyond what he expected.  The same will be true for you if you do the same (Is. 51:1-2; Eph. 4:20-21; Heb. 11:1-3, 8-12, 17-19).
Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.        
Week of 1/15/2017

            The sandy earth stretched before me, a pale and dusty carpet that was surprisingly dotted with green sprouts which reminded me of Daffodil shoots pushing their way up through the earth in Spring.  In the distance the land met with the sky, slowly turning from pale blue to the deep, rich tones of dusk and sunset.  I have always been drawn to this kind of landscape.  Whether it is a quiet deserted beach or a windswept field, each place causes me to reflect on the “smallness of me” and the greatness of God.  I felt the same way here in the wilderness of Paran, the home to wanderers such as Abraham and Israel.  Did they feel the same way when they viewed this landscape? 
            There are three main characteristics in this geographic region: shepherds and herds, wide open space with plenty of room for herds to roam, and desert-like areas such as the Negev (Gen. 13:1), the Wilderness of Paran (Num. 13:16), and the Wilderness of Zin (Num. 27:12-14).  Life in this area is unpredictable because of the low rainfall and sparse population.  It can be a silent and lonely place.  It can also be a place of solace and peace.  Life in the wilderness is demanding, exhausting and exhilerating.  It emphasizes the need for community and the necessity of placing your survival in the hands of the Lord.  You will see this in play when you read through Old Testament passages that involve places like the Red Sea (Ex. 13:17-18; 14:1, 9, 21-25), wadiis (Num. 21:12-15), cisterns (Gen. 37:18-24), and Mount Sinai (Ex. 19:1-2), or people like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses who recognized their success there was due to the Lord’s hand upon their lives (Gen. 12:14-18; 21:22-24; 26:1-4; Ex. 15:1-3).
            The wilderness can evoke several responses from us.  It may bring up thoughts of fear, distress and desperation as it did in the story of Hagar (Gen. 21:9-21).  It may remind us of Elijah’s flight there and how the Lord used the wilderness as a place of restoration after his showdown with the prophets of Baal and Jezebel’s subsequent threat on his life (1 Ki. 19:1-8).  It may remind us of disputes and arguments over territory and wells as in the days of Abraham and Isaac (Gen. 21:22-34; 26:18-25). The wilderness may remind of us of Jesus when He was tempted by Satan and withstood the test by quoting Scripture (Mt. 4:1-11; Lk. 4:1-13).  For Jesus the wilderness became a place of testing and fortitude.  It stands to reason that since so many people across the pages of Scripture faced time in the wilderness, that the wilderness will be a part of our life too although we may not find ourselves literally stuck in it like some reality show contestant.  Through His Word the Lord tells us that it’s inevitable; life will lead you into the wilderness at one time or another (Ps. 23:4)!  Therefore, all these stories are examples for us to draw upon when we face our own wilderness experiences.
            While it may seem like uncharted territory to us, it is possible to survive and thrive in the wilderness.  There are still people living and surviving in Israel’s wilderness area today.  It takes a little know-how, but it can be done.  Abraham survived there and Moses led a nation through the wilderness.  Each knew the lay of the land, but they also acknowledged that their survival was ultimately the result of the Lord.  Like our Biblical predecessors it is beneficial for us to remember WHO guides and protects us through those wilderness experiences (Ex. 15:13; Neh. 9:19; Ps. 31:3; Jn. 16:13).  With that in mind it is important to remember that wilderness experiences are not necessarily BAD!  Oftentimes they can bring us closer to the Lord and help us to recognize that if we are in  the wilderness, the Lord will provide a way for us to come through it (Phil. 4:10-13).
            I am not a fan of those reality shows I see advertised on TV where average people agree to be dropped off in the middle of nowhere and are faced with the task of finding their way back to civilization.  The shows are not really about how these people survive.  They are more about how soon they will fall apart because they are not prepared for the stress of living in “the wilderness”.  Some manage to conquer their fears and survive.  They are held up as a symbol of what humankind can accomplish by sheer human will.  But I think the Scriptures present a different picture.  We may have some skill at maneuvering through a wilderness experience but any ability to do so is truly something given by God and not due to our own merit (see David’s testimony to Saul concerning his skills as a shepherd: 1 Sam. 17:31-34).  Perhaps you are facing a wilderness experience right now.  You may wonder what the outcome will be.  It may be a fearful time or it may be one of rest.  Whatever the case may be, it is a time you can use to draw closer to the Lord, to see His hand at work in your life and to learn more about dependence on Him.  The question is, will you?
Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.    
Week of 1/8/2017