A Walk in the Land
Deepens Your Walk with the Lord
Our Mission
To teach and encourage those who love the Bible, the land of the Bible and the people of the land and to lead educational tours to Israel that forever change the way you read your Bible and worship the Lord
Our Prayer
“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26
Scripture Study
Mount of the Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount
Psalm 1:1, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.”
Lincoln had his Gettysburg. Martin Luther King, Jr. had his dream on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and Jesus had his Sermon on the Mount. You can probably quote a line or two from each of these famous messages. Lincoln longed to see his war-torn nation discover “a new birth of freedom” in the coming years. Exactly one hundred years later the Birmingham preacher also longed for a day when he would see his four little children living in a nation where they would not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the “content of their character.” Ground-breaking messages for their day, yes, but both rooted in the biblical message that only a nation that knows God will know no hatred or prejudice.
Any nation or soul that embraces a spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ will experience a changed heart. And changed hearts lead to changed character. In his Sermon on the Mount and specifically in the popular eight beatitudes of Matthew 5:3-10, Jesus explains not what one must do to be forgiven of his sins, but rather what one will look like after he has been forgiven. In fact, one will look remarkably like Jesus.
#1—“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The poor have little or no means to provide for themselves. The poor in spirit thus recognize their need to depend upon God. Only then can they enjoy his rich character.
#2—“Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.” The mournful know the true depth of their sin. They know that it offends God, yet they turn to him in their brokenness to find a healing for their sin that only he can provide.
#3—“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” The meek have a proper appreciation of their strengths and limitations. They don’t pine for more than God gives and they rejoice in the successes of others.
#4—“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” A righteousness-hunger finds no satisfaction in sin. No tolerance for partial obedience. No joy in complacency.
#5—“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” The merciful show mercy because they have experienced the power of mercy in their own lives. When one has received pardon, he is far more eager to grant pardon.
#6—“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” The pure in heart have no secrets to hide. Behind closed doors you would find them living just as they do in the open.
#7—“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” The peacemakers live above the chaos of daily pressures. They sow seeds of calm and joy wherever they go.
#8—“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The persecuted realize that the battle is the Lord’s as did David when he stood before a Philistine warrior-giant so long ago. The persecuted will not compromise their righteousness to escape ridicule or shame.
Today, an octagonal-shaped church, symbolizing the eight beatitudes, marks the traditional location where Jesus gave his most famous address. Jesus said that those in a right relationship with him will be blessed. Do you see yourself in his words?
Daniel McCabe
Life in the Land
Dani's Vineyard
If you step outside of my house in northern Alabama, you’ll find oak, pecan, sweet gum and pine trees. But if you step outside of my friend Dani’s house in the Judean hills, just southwest of Jerusalem, you’ll discover his lovely vineyard.
Dani has invited me to visit him on my next trip to Israel. Perhaps you might like to come! Zechariah 3:10 reads fittingly, “In that day … everyone will invite his neighbor under his vine and under his fig tree.”
Here’s what Dani wrote about his vineyard, “This is a 25-year-old grapevine with a trunk measuring 6-8 inches in diameter. The grapes are still partially green, but they will turn amber in the second half of August when they are ripe and ready to eat.”
How beautiful! Please consider liking this post to let my friend know how much you appreciate him taking the time to take these photos for us.
Daniel McCabe
On Location
My Favorite Places to Visit in the Old City of Jerusalem
I was recently asked to share my five must-see places to visit in the Old City. Here they are in no particular order.
#1, Moriah Books and Judaica at 40 Misgav Ladach St.
There’s a bookstore in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City, located near the massive staircase that leads down from the quarter into the Western Wall Plaza. On previous visits to the bookstore our group has met Eli Ben Yosef, a Torah scribe who, according to Israel First TV lived in Persia until the age of twenty when his family emigrated to America. He later moved to Israel, studied at a yeshiva and trained as a scribe (a sofer), following in the footsteps of his father.
I don’t know if Eli is still working there, but you should definitely stop by the bookstore, look around and inquire about him. Tell Eli your name and he’ll write it on a scroll of vellum or parchment. With it he’ll also include an Old Testament verse of his choice. Usually the verse he picks will correspond to your name in some fashion, but one time we got a scroll for a friend that included a rather random verse from the Bible. Now, I like every verse of the Bible. There’s no bad verse of the Bible, right? But when my friend looked up the verse that Eli chose for his name, it had nothing to do with anything. Something like, “Then the Amalekites were smitten with a great smiting.” Even so, Eli’s scrolls with the Hebrew spelling of your name and a corresponding verse are quite beautiful.
Stroll around the shop. It’s a great place to hang out and see what they have. It’s filled with a large assortment of souvenirs.
Adam Keim