We think we’ve learned to deal with overwhelming anxiety, but each new day offers a new challenge we never would have expected.

(Photo: The Harod Valley. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)

In ancient Israel, the Harod Valley gave stage to two sets of desperate situations. From threats to insecurities to death and hopelessness, in every case the overwhelming anxiety found its peace only one way.

It’s the same with your overwhelming anxiety today.

The Harod Valley—The Shaft of the Jezreel Valley’s Arrow

At the southeastern side of the Jezreel Valley, Mount Gilboa stretches west like a fence that marked the northernmost boundary of the tribe of Manasseh.

Because the valley hosted the most important crossroads for the International Highway in Israel, the mountain range of Mount Gilboa offered a strategic high ground for the nation’s defense.

From above, the Jezreel Valley gives the geographic shape of an arrowhead pointed to the northwest.

(The Jezreel Valley is shaped like an arrow; the Harod Valley is the shaft.  Map courtesy of Satellite Bible Atlas)

• The form seems almost prophetic, as the area has given stage to numerous battles in history.
• Strategy for the future “Battle of Armageddon” also promises to occur in this area (Revelation 16:16).
• The “shaft” of the Jezreel Valley’s arrow represents a smaller valley that runs eastward between Mount Gilboa and the Hill of Moreh. This vale has the name “Harod Valley” and expands more than six miles east toward Beth-shean, meeting the Jordan Valley.

Overwhelming Anxiety #1: Gideon at Ein Harod

At the base of Mount Gilboa, a spring still flows today as it has for millennia.

• Green grass, a swimming pool, and beautiful picnic spots surround the spring that takes its name from the valley that spreads before it.
• Ein Harod, or sometimes called, “Gideon’s Spring,” represents the place where Gideon selected his three hundred men to fight the armies of Midian. (I always remember Gideon fought Midian because their names rhyme.)

The Bible describes the geography of Gideon’s position with clarity:

“Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him, rose early and camped beside the spring of Harod; and the camp of Midian was on the north side of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley” (Judges 7:1).

All of these geographical landmarks are still visible and allow the visitor to recreate the scene in his or her mind.

(Photo: Ein Harod with soldiers drinking. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)

God had already promised Gideon a great victory, but the fearful judge asked for confirmation. Even after God graciously gave Gideon the reassurance he requested, he still struggled to believe he would have victory against such overwhelming odds.

• 135,000 Midianites camped just across the valley, and the Lord thinned out Gideon’s ranks in order to expose his fear.
• The reduction of troops at Ein Harod cut Gideon’s army down to impossible odds: 450 to 1!

Not surprisingly, the Lord gave Israel a great victory—and strengthened Gideon’s faith.

Overwhelming Anxiety #2: Saul at Mount Gilboa

Years later, a fearful King Saul failed to learn the lesson Gideon acquired in the same area.

On the northern side of the Hill of Moreh, the city of Endor had a resident medium whom Saul visited in a frantic attempt for supernatural information. Surprising even the medium, God revealed through the Prophet Samuel that Saul would die the next day (1 Samuel 28).

(Photo: Mount Gilboa where Saul died and the Harod Valley. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)

The army of Israel fought the Philistines on Mount Gilboa, and King Saul and his sons were killed. Their bodies hung in effigy on the walls of nearby Beth-shean until Hebrews from Jabesh-gilead reclaimed them (1 Samuel 31).

Overwhelming Anxiety #3–4: Elisha and Jesus at the Hill of Moreh

Centuries later, the southern slope of the Hill of Moreh saw the Prophet Elisha raise the dead son of a woman from Shunem (2 Kings 4).

In the first century, Jesus raised a widow’s son on the north side of the Hill of Moreh in a town called Nain (Luke 7:11-17). (I keep the locations of the sites around the Hill of Moreh straight by remembering a simple alliteration: Nain-north and Shunem-south.)

(Photo: The city of Nain, left, on the slope of the Hill of Moreh. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)

Overwhelming Anxiety Finds its Peace

How fascinating that two sets of desperate situations occurred in the same area.

1. For Gideon and Saul, it was tremendous odds in battle at Gilboa.
2. For Elisha and Jesus, it was the death of a mother’s son beside the Hill of Moreh.

In every instance, the lessons pointed to the same principle:

Only God provides peace in overwhelming situations—even whey they are as crushing as death. (Tweet that.)

(Photo: The Harod Valley. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)

The Harod Valley, the Hill of Moreh, and Mount Gilboa seem as beautiful and ageless today as in the days of the Bible. Geography doesn’t change.

The lessons taught in these places offer truths as enduring as the beautiful settings in which they occurred.

Question: What gives you peace in the face of overwhelming anxiety? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

It’s the moral lesson of most movies. It’s the guiding light of many lives. After all, it sounds so right, doesn’t it?

Follow your heart.

(Photo by Photodune)

“Follow your heart” is another way of following your feelings. Even as Christians, our feelings often lead us, don’t they?

• “I don’t feel good about this.”
• “Am I comfortable with this direction?”
• “I don’t have a peace about this decision.”

Following your heart is a popular, but unwise, way to make decisions.

Although our feelings are real, they may not represent reality. And even if what we feel does have some connection to reality, it is never all of reality.

God offers a better way.

A Bad Idea: Follow Your Heart

We see life from a limited perspective, so we need to resist the assumption that because we feel something strongly, it’s true.

Don’t confuse true feelings for truth. (Tweet that.)

When God the Father spun the earth into orbit millennia ago, He knew we would need a guide to lead us through the deceptions of Satan and the maze of our feelings.

Obedience is that guide. Anything else is a bad idea.

(Photo by Umberto Salvagnin. Originally posted to Flickr as Crash! CC-BY-2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

A Better Guide

If we could see life from God’s perspective, we would realize that the obedient way is the best way—not just the moral way, but the best way (the two are always the same, but it still helps to say so).

The obedient path is the life we want because it always follows the big picture God sees.

I echo Paul’s concern when he wrote:

I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. —2 Corinthians 11:3

True, the Spirit of God can guide through somewhat subjective means—but never in contradiction to biblical principles.

A Good Idea: How to Make Wise Choices

Make it a habit to evaluate your feelings through the grid of God’s Word.

Always ask yourself: What does the Bible say about this decision? What is the obedient way? (Tweet that.)

And when there is a contradiction between your heart and the Bible?

Betray your feelings.

Don’t follow your heart.

Never lean on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6). Maintain a “pure and simple devotion to Christ.”

• Even when it means humbling yourself.
• Even when you have to stand alone to do it.
• Even when it requires facing your fears.

Remember that when you follow your heart and allow feelings to guide you, it can lead you into places that will make you feel much, much worse.

Question: When did you follow your heart and regret it? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

I Call Shotgun is a collection of 64 “letters” from authors and fathers Tommy Newberry and Curt Beavers to their sons.

There are plenty of imitation sources of wisdom that are ready to offer ungodly alternatives to our children. By design, fathers are essential to impart godliness in their words and their actions.

This book purposes to impart wisdom through words.

“You only get one shot at life, son.” That’s a great summary of the book’s goal: to equip a son for life.

The introduction is necessary reading in order to make sense of the book. For example, without the introduction the text messages suggestions appear as pull quotes and don’t always relate to the content surrounding it.

Although the book is written from fathers to sons, the authors address other fathers in the introduction this way:

We are confident that you want to equip your son with the understanding and wisdom to succeed in the world today. We wrote this book with you [fathers] in mind.

Some Great Navigation

The letters serve as a catalyst for fathers to write their own letters to their sons, in order to help pass on a godly heritage.

The book’s title, I Call Shotgun, probably refers to the common phrase that requests someone who’ll ride beside the driver—perhaps as a navigator. The subtitle reflects this implication: Lessons from Dad for Navigating the Roads of Life.

Here are a few parts of the book I liked that offer helpful navigation for life:

• I appreciate the fact that the chapter titles are more straightforward, giving a virtual topical index to the book. My top-ten favorites of the 64 chapters were these:

1. Celebrate Other People’s Success
2. Seek God First Every Day
3. Assume a Gift is Hidden
4. Leverage Your Strengths
5. Build Productive Habits
6. Prayer is Always the Answer
7. Sow, Then Reap
8. Discipline Yourself or the World Will
9. Forgive with Abandon
10. After Your Screw Up, Step Up

• The book offers a wonderful variety of topics, short, easy-to-read chapters, and practical writing.
• The content is really excellent. The essence of each letter urges sons to take responsibility, think for oneself, and to think clearly. In fact, the letters could also apply to daughters in most cases. The book is really from fathers to children.
• The back of the book offers a number of questions as “conversation starters” for fathers to engage their sons.

Some Speed Bumps

As great as the journey is, the book still has a few speed bumps.

• Adding the names of the authors’ sons before each chapter—and concluding each chapter with “Dad”—probably had the intentions of reminding the readers that these are letters. Certainly, these additions do make them more personal.  But I felt these personal additions distanced me from the content. It reminded me that I’m reading something NOT originally meant for me. It would have been more effective to leave off the salutations and closings.
• The personalized nature of this book—using names, second person, personal stories: “Remember when?”—may connect with the sons, but with me, the reader, I felt disconnected.
• The intermittent “handwritten” font is distracting.
• I love the practical lessons on so many topics—true wisdom based on biblical principles. However, the Bible is seldom quoted or even referenced, and it would have been easy to add some verses in parenthesis.

Overall, A Great Trip

Although the book has these few drawbacks that impair its effectiveness, the content in each chapter overshadows these weaknesses.

Certainly, any collection of writings will only be as effective as the character of the one who wrote them. We’ve all seen the charades of fathers who write what’s right but live what’s wrong. This volume does a great job suggesting what fathers should teach their sons—both by words and by example.

For fathers who want to impart wisdom to their sons, this book gives some great ideas for topics that are essential for successful, godly living.

I Call Shotgun is worth the trip.

Question: What is the most valuable lesson your father taught you? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

• Why does the cactus turn itself perpendicular to light?
• Why does the bear get fat before hibernation?
• Why does the olive tree rotate its leaves?

The answers are all the same.

(Photo: Mosaic of a bear at the Caesarea Byzantine mansion. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)

Each is preserving for the future.

• By turning to avoid heat, plants preserve moisture.
• By stuffing itself with food, the bear can sleep a long time without eating. (I wish I could do that.)

God designed His creation—from plants to animals to people—to be savers.

The problem with people? We need a lesson on saving from ants, plants, bears—and Jesus.

(Photo: Cactus with flowers in Israel. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)

Saving—It’s Only Natural (Except When it Isn’t)

Saving is a natural part of our lives. Think about it:

• None of us go to the grocery store for every meal.
• We don’t fill up our gas tank every time we drive.
• When we travel for a week, we pack for more than one day.

Planning ahead makes sense. But we seem to miss it in several key areas.

Like saving money.

(Photo: Olive leaves in Aijalon Valley. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)

Why Saving Money Slips through the Cracks

Jesus spoke more about money than He did about heaven and hell combined. Usually, when we think of money and spirituality, our minds default to giving money.

But saving money is also in the Bible.

We just let it slip. Why? The reason often goes something like: “I’m trusting God.” This sounds really spiritual. We even quote verses:

• “Jesus said not to worry about tomorrow and that we should trust God for our daily bread.”
• “The Lord commanded: ‘Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth.’”

Hey, who can argue with that? Ironically, the context of Jesus’ words do.

• Jesus’ commands dealt with the sin of worry and the idol of money. They had nothing to do with the wisdom of preparation and saving money.
• Biblically speaking, saving money for the future and trusting God for the future are not mutually exclusive per se.

(Photo by Scott Bauer, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

The principle of saving goes back even further than Jesus.

How to Balance Saving Money with Trusting God

1. We are to trust God to provide. Obviously, storing up stuff can indeed become an idol (Luke 12:190-21). But trusting God doesn’t preclude the wisdom of saving.

Go to the ant, O sluggard, observe her ways and be wise, which, having no chief, officer or ruler, prepares her food in the summer, and gathers her provision in the harvest. —Proverbs 6:6-8

The wise ant “prepares” and “gathers” its food. I other words, the ant earns and it saves.

2. Scripture teaches that saving for future needs (including saving for giving) is simple wisdom. See for example: Genesis 41:47-48; Exodus 16:4-5; 1 Corinthians 16:2.

3. The amount isn’t as essential as the discipline of consistency. It will add up and it will be a blessing (Proverbs 13:11). My wife and I saved for 9 years for our first trip to Israel.

We should be wise with what God has provided—and save.

Any ant, plant, or bear can tell you. It’s not only natural—it’s necessary.

Question: Is saving money a contradiction to trusting God? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

Just a road winding its way up into the Hill Country of Judea. A large satellite dish sits on one hill. A dry streambed divides patches of tall weeds. Greenhouses clump together next to wheat fields.

(Photo: The Elah Valley. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)

Like the other valleys in Israel’s Judean foothills today, the Valley of Elah appears so commonplace. Very ordinary.

But back up 3000 years and the Valley of Elah offers one of the most strategic battlefields in Israel.

It was here David killed Goliath.

That day speaks significance to the days of your life that feel ordinary.

The Shephelah Foothills

With the Hebrews dominating the Hill Country of Judea and the Philistines controlling the coastal plain, the buffer between these enemies was the Shephelah—often rendered “foothills” or “lowland” (Zechariah 7:7; 2 Chronicles 26:10).

• Shephelah comes from the Hebrew term that means, “humble, lowly.”
• The valleys of the Shephelah separated the Hill Country and the coastal area—specifically the Philistines and the International Highway.
• Judah’s control of the Shephelah at any given point served as a barometer of Israel’s strength.

Five valleys cut in an east-west direction through the Shephelah and offered convenient passages from the Philistine Plain to the Hill Country of Judea. So convenient, in fact, they had to be guarded vigilantly.

The Valley of Elah was one of them. That’s what made David’s battle with Goliath so critical.

(Photo: Elah Valley pistachio /terebinth tree. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)

Elah is the Hebrew term for the Terebinth Tree, which still grows in the valley.

David and Goliath in the Valley of Elah

Having lost control of the Hill Country farther north, the Philistines tried to come up the Valley of Elah to gain access once again (1 Samuel 14; 17). The valley offered a backdoor entrance to the Hill Country via Bethlehem. They had to be stopped.

• The Philistines camped on the south side of the valley—between Socoh and Azekeh—and faced King Saul’s army on the strategic hill to the north.
• The vale between them offered a level middle ground, the approximate location where the modern highway runs today.

(Photo: Elah Valley from Socoh panorama, courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)

Dr. Todd Bolen comments on his photo above:

This panoramic view of the Elah Valley from the south is an approximate view of what the Philistine army saw as they faced the Israelites in the battle commonly known as “David vs. Goliath.”  The Philistines were encamped on the south side of the valley and King Saul’s forces occupied the hill on the northern side.

How ironic that the two men who faced each other in the middle ground came from two towns at either end of it. The valley begins just east of Gath and ends near Bethlehem.

Five Smooth Stones and One God

A small bridge spans the brook in the Valley of Elah today. The dry streambed has rocks scattered here and there.

Some assume David selected five stones from the stream that snaked through the valley so that he could take down Goliath and his four brothers. Probably not.

• Only Goliath stood in the valley to defy the young Hebrew.
• David’s choice of five stones more likely represented all he could easily carry.
• Most sling stones measured the size of a fist, so carrying more than five of them could have inhibited David’s ability to maneuver.

(Photo: Sling stones from Lachish. British Museum)

David came to the Valley of Elah that day from Bethlehem, a mere twelve miles away. But he didn’t come to be a national hero.

• His father had instructed the young shepherd to check on the welfare of his brothers in the army.
• But once he arrived, David took the responsibility no one else would accept.

It was just an ordinary day in an ordinary valley. But it changed David’s life forever.

(Photo: Elah Valley. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)

How Your Ordinary Becomes Extraordinary

David lived many thousands of days that never made it to the pages of Scripture. That’s true of all of our days. But ours are no less significant.

God often uses ordinary days in extraordinary ways. But don’t live for that extraordinary day. Just stay faithful.

God will use your faithfulness on ordinary days in extraordinary ways—in His time. (Tweet that.)

The Lord isn’t calling you to do anything extraordinary today. Just stay faithful to the ordinary tasks He has called you to do.

He will make your simple faithfulness great in His time (1 Peter 5:6).

Question: What  helps you see the significance in your ordinary days? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

It was an exciting time to be alive—to see if all computers would crash. (It was also a great time for practical jokes).

But for the great yew tree at Crowhurst, England, the year 2000 was no big deal. Tree experts say this tree has seen the millennium change four times. Ho hum.

(Photo by Dan Gregory CC-BY-SA-2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

That means when Jesus walked the earth two thousand years ago, the Crowhurst yew had already stood for two thousand years—dating to the time of Abraham!

From its lush exterior you’d never guess the tree had a center lifeless and hollow.

A lot of people live life like this old tree.

• From all appearances, they look full of life and vigor, but on the inside they have an empty hollow.
• The longer they live, the bigger the hole gets on the inside.

Life can weather your faith. But God’s love shows us how He can fill that empty hollow with life far more vibrant than the outside facade.

But only He can do it.

How the Empty Hollow Grows

As Christians, it’s often surprising to wake up and find our lives feeling empty. After all:

• We have given our lives to Jesus Christ, but our pain has only increased.
• We stay busy serving God, but honestly, it isn’t fulfilling.
• We keep our noses clean, but morality alone doesn’t fill our emptiness.

After a while, desperation and disillusionment set in. We’re doing our best, but we still feel empty.

And too often, sadly, we feel isn’t safe to say so.

(Crowhurst Yew has an empty hollow. Photo by Donald Macauley, Flickr: The Crowhurst Yew CC-BY-SA-2.0)

Seeing What’s Missing

Filling the emptiness in our lives begins by recognizing it. That’s what Josiah did.

When Josiah saw that his people lay in the ashes of unfaithfulness, he made several deliberate decisions:

In the eighth year of his reign while he was still a youth, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherim, the carved images, and the molten images. . . . When he had purged the land and the house, he sent… to repair the house of the LORD his God. (2 Chronicles 34:3, 8)

I see in Josiah’s actions several steps that help fill the emptiness even believers can feel.

(Crowhurst Yew has an empty hollow. Photo by Donald Macauley, Flickr: The Crowhurst Yew CC-BY-SA-2.0)

Filling in Your Empty Hollow

Often, neglect manages to creep in. Josiah shows the remedy:

1. Josiah began by seeking God. Life is about our relationship with the Lord, not simply activity for Him.

Don’t confuse busyness with significance. God’s priority is knowing Him before serving Him. (Tweet that.)

2. Josiah removed what threatened his relationship with God. For Josiah, that meant cleaning out the idols. For us, it may mean cancelling cable TV or even changing jobs. Easy? Never. But always worth it.

3. Josiah restored what supported his relationship with God. That began with repairing the temple. For us, it may mean something as simple as having a quiet time first thing each day—before anything else. It may also mean getting some good Bible study tools.

(Photo by Peter Trimming from Croydon, England. Flickr: St. George’s Church, Crowhurst, CC-BY-2.0)

In the end, it isn’t about how we feel. But often our pain is an indication something needs to change.

It is of no advantage to be near the light if the eyes are closed. —Augustine

If your life looks great on the outside, but on the inside you feel empty, it’s time to review and renew your purpose for living.

It’s all about knowing and loving the Lord first.

Question: What have you removed (or repaired) in your relationship with God that has helped you? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

It’s too easy to tell myself, “Just 5 more minutes,” about 7 more times. Plus, snoozing never helps! I feel just as tired after snoozing as I did beforehand.

I gain nothing. I’ve only lost time.

(Photo by diego_cervo, via Vivozoom)

The problem of “mind over mattress” is one we all face, and we all deal with it in different ways.

• Some people set the alarm earlier to allow for the snooze.
• Others put the clock out of reach so they have to get up to turn off the alarm.
• Others tell themselves, Tomorrow I’ll begin to get up on time; but not today.

Spiritually speaking, we’re often called to “wake up” and get moving.

The problem? We’re tempted to slap the snooze button.

But when we do, we never gain anything.

We only lose precious time.

Check the Clock

When we wake up in the middle of the night and see the time on the clock, we smile and roll back over into Never-Never Land. It’s not time yet to get up.

But when we snap awake with only five minutes before the alarm, our minds prepare to rise and face the day.

Being aware of the time lets us know when to get up.

(Photo by Pavel Ševela CC-BY-SA-3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

The Scriptures serve as our spiritual alarm clock:

Knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is at hand.” —Romans 13:11-12

“Night” and “day” represent the present time and a coming hour.

In other words, because the return of Christ could be at any moment—since the ultimate salvation for Christians is any day now—it’s time to quit snoozing.

Spiritually, it’s time to wake up and smell the coffee.

Don’t Go to Work in Your Pajamas

Most of us know what to wear and where to wear it.

• We don’t go to work in our pajamas.
• We don’t take showers in our suits or dresses.
• We don’t sleep in blue jeans.

We know what to wear at night and what to wear during the day.

They’re not the same.

How to Quit Slapping Your Spiritual Snooze Button

Spiritually, we’re told to apply the same logic.

The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. . . . But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. —Romans 13:12, 14

(Photo by Batholith, Own work, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

1. Get Ready for the Day.

Do you recognize your spiritual snooze buttons? To “make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts” means don’t put yourself in a position that will ignite an urge to sin.

• Don’t hang around certain people if they influence you to compromise (1 Corinthians 15:33).
• Don’t watch a certain movie or visit a certain Web site if it’s going to tempt you to sin (Proverbs 7:7-27).
• Don’t go to the mall if you will needlessly buy something (Proverbs 30:15-16).

Where are you hitting the snooze button in your spiritual life? We’re all tempted to do it.

• We see a problem with money or our marriage and we’ll say: “Just give me five more minutes, God.”
• Or if a habitual weakness with lust is recognized, it’s tempting to slap the old spiritual snooze button and put it off.  “Lord, I need just five more minutes . . . months . . . years, and then I’ll walk with Christ.”

2. Put on Your Day Clothes.

Because Jesus could return at any moment for us, we need dress ourselves with deeds that Christ would do.

• Meditate on the truth of Scripture daily (Proverbs 8:34–35).
• Live for the goals and glory of God—and not yourself (2 Corinthians 5:15).

Do you hear it? The alarm is ringing.

It’s time to wake up and get dressed. You need not choose to snooze.

Question: What helps you quit snoozing spiritually? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

The Hinnom Valley is such a site. It represented a place of evil atrocities for centuries. Like, really evil.

(Photo: The Hinnom Valley. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)

My favorite place to see the Hinnom Valley is from a balcony in the southwest corner of the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu.

Inevitably while I stand there, I think of King Manasseh and the horrific atrocities he committed in the area before my eyes.

The infamous valley reminds me of more than Manasseh. It also represents my redemption.

And yours.

King Manasseh and the Hinnom Valley

King Manasseh ruled in Judah for 55 years—the longest reign of all the Hebrew kings (2 Chronicles 33:1-2).

Even though Manasseh had one of the godliest fathers in history, Hezekiah, King Manasseh was Judah’s worst king.

• He lived just like the godless nations God destroyed in bringing Israel into the land.
• He adopted a pagan worldview—idolatry, astrology, child sacrifice, witchcraft, and sorcery—violations stated in Deuteronomy 18.

The Hinnom Valley served as the place where the evil occurred:

He made his sons pass through the fire in the valley of Ben-hinnom; and he practiced witchcraft, used divination, practiced sorcery, and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.—2 Chronicles 33:6

(The Hinnom Valley is south of Jerusalem. Map courtesy of Satellite Bible Atlas)

It’s impossible to know why, but Manasseh sought to break God’s law with as much passion as his father, Hezekiah, had sought to keep it.

• Manasseh rebuilt the high places where one would worship idols.
• He built altars in the temple to idols.
• He built altars to the stars.

(Photo: Hinnom Valley from Mount Zion. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)

In a literal sense he rebuilt what Hezekiah had torn down. Look at how the prophet Jeremiah put it:

And they have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, and it did not come into My mind.—Jeremiah 7:31

How did God respond to Manasseh? He spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. So God brought in the Assyrian army, “and they captured Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze chains, and took him to Babylon” (2 Chronicles 33:10-11).

• When it says they captured him with hooks, the Hebrew word refers to a hook that was put through the gills of large fish.
• It is used of a ring used in the noses of wild beasts to subdue and lead them.

Manasseh’s life is revealed as an out-of-control, unmanageable beast, which the Assyrian generals took and subdued by a ring in the nose.

Attitude Adjustment—And Redemption

What a great change occurred at that point:

And when he was in distress, he entreated the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. When he prayed to Him, He was moved by his entreaty and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God.—2 Chronicles 33:12-13

Hard to believe, isn’t it? In his distress, he called out to God, and Manasseh finally let go of the illusion that he was in control—and he humbled himself greatly.

Jesus and the Hinnom Valley

Perhaps because of the atrocities committed here, Jesus used the Hinnom Valley as an illustration of the eternal torment of hell (Matthew 18:9).

Here also, Judas, the betrayer of Jesus took his own life. Hence, the residents later named the place “Hakeldama,” or “Field of Blood” (Acts 1:18-19).

(Photo: Hell freezes over—Hinnom Valley with snow. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)

The Hinnom Valley—Infamous and Famous

In 1979, Dr. Gabriel Barkay discovered the amazing Ketef Hinnom Amulets in the Hinnom Valley.

• These two small silver scrolls have the priestly benediction Numbers 6:24-26 etched on them.
• They date to the First Temple Period (586 BC) and represent the earliest copy of Scripture we have.

(Photo: Ketef Hinnom with Gabriel Barkay. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)

The Hinnom Valley—A Picture of Redemption

Today when I see the Hinnom Valley, it looks far different from the time of Manasseh. Today the valley hosts musical concerts and offers a park with lush, green grass for children with Frisbees.

How ironic: in times past, children were killed there. Today, they play.

It’s almost as if the Hinnom Valley has been redeemed from the horrific acts of idol worship and child sacrifice.

Just like Manasseh was redeemed.

(Photo: Hinnom Valley with green grass. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)

In Manasseh’s wickedness, he removed all the fences of God’s law, and thus he removed the protection and provision God’s law intended to provide. Only after Assyrian nose hooks did he discover the value of the fences, and to his credit, he began rebuilding them.

Manasseh illustrates for our lives the awful results of living without fences and the awesome grace of God toward all who would turn to the Lord in sincerity.

Question: What have you learned from the nose hooks God has given you? Please leave a comment by clicking here.

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That’s what David thought as he wandered in a thirsty wilderness, running from a problem he couldn’t solve.

(Photo: The Wilderness of Judea. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)

Chased by the jealous King Saul, David took refuge in the Wilderness of Judea and prayed, “My flesh yearns for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water” (Psalm 63:1).

This barren land is a picture of our own challenge with waiting on God.

It also pictures the place of refuge God provides for us while we wait.

The Wilderness of Judea—A Dry and Weary Land

David wasn’t kidding about the land being dry and weary.

It consisted of endless piles of rocks, steep hills, no trees, meager vegetation, little water, slight shade, and lizards.

As far as they eye can see, it is empty, dry, and depressing.

But the Wilderness of Judea is still one of my favorite places to visit in Israel. This wasteland sits almost completely unchanged from biblical days.

(Photo: Wilderness of Judea near Jericho. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)

It’s easy and eerie to gaze across the landscape and ponder that men such as Joshua, Jeremiah, John the Baptist, and Jesus saw these hills almost exactly as I was seeing them.

A Place of Waiting on God—A Place of Refuge

During one of the most desperate times of David’s life, the one who was the anointed future king of Israel found himself running as a renegade in the very land over which he would one day rule.

• Ironically, the remoteness of the Wilderness of Judea offered an ideal hideaway.
• Throughout the Scriptures, this wilderness is often described as a place both of escape and of spiritual solitude. Why? Because no one would want to follow you there!

The “dry and weary land” served as a backdrop for David’s own weariness. And the lack of water around him illustrated an even deeper thirst he felt: “My soul thirsts for You” (Psalm 63:1).

At the height of his emotional and physical distress, David sought refuge in his spiritual life.

He yearned for God.

Waiting on God in His School of Preparation

During the many years that David fled from Saul, the Lord used this wilderness to shape David’s character through the discipline of waiting on God.

The Lord does the same in our lives.

(Photo: Nahal Bokek in the Wilderness of Judea. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)

God often allows the weary circumstances to compel us finally to do what we should have done at the beginning: surrender all control to God.

A place of confusion can become a place of refuge when we trust God completely. (Tweet that.)

The unchanging landscape of the Wilderness of Judea reminds us of God’s unchanging commitment to shape our lives as believers to resemble the life of His Son.

With that as our goal, isn’t the weary wilderness He leads us through worth it?

Question: What helps you stay strong as you’re waiting on God? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

Adapted from Going Places with God: A Devotional Journey through the Lands of the Bible (Ventura, Calif.: Regal Books, 2006); and from Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus: A Journey through the Lands and Lessons of Christ (Ventura, Calif.: Regal Books, 2008). Used by permission.