Recently, in Jerusalem, a special ceremony was held commemorating the discovery and excavation of the original “pilgrimage road” from 2,000 years ago. This road is a series of steps that begin at the ancient Pool of Siloam to the Temple Mount.

          The Pool of Siloam was a large pool where men would wash to prepare themselves to travel up to the Temple Mount. This video provides some details about the project and its significance.

https://www.ifcj.org/news/fellowship-blog/walk-the-pilgrims-road-that-led-to-the-jewish-temple-2000-years-ago

               The Psalms of Ascent are a collection of Psalms that were recited by Jewish pilgrims as they traveled to Jerusalem for the three annual feasts that all men were commanded to honor and celebrate. There have been many theories that have tied these Psalms found in Psalms 120 -134 to the place where they were cited.

          These Psalms were written by David and Solomon, so they were written prior to 2,000 years ago. The location where they were recited during the time of Jesus and even before is certainly brought to light with this recent discovery.

               The Psalms ascent begins with the pilgrims in a place of distress. As we move through the series, there is a recognition of “Our help comes from the Lord the Maker of Heaven and Earth.” (Psalms 121)

          Our trust must be in the Lord and Him alone. That is what makes us secure. (Psalms 125) There is a plea for the Lord to bring restoration. (Psalms 126). It is the Lord who provides safety and security. He builds the house. He guarantees our future through children. (Psalm 127)

          There is recognition of the historic assault on those who have been against God’s people and pleading for the Lord’s judgment on them. (Psalms 129) There are cries for the Lord’s mercies and waiting patiently while our eyes are on Him. (Psalms 130, 131) As God’s people gather together in Jerusalem, there is a declaration of the blessings of the Lord in unity. (Psalms 133)

As the pilgrims are in Jerusalem, the collection of Psalms ends with these words of praise.

Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,
    who stand by night in the house of the Lord!
Lift up your hands to the holy place
    and bless the Lord!

May the Lord bless you from Zion,
    he who made heaven and earth! (Psalms 134)

          What a great picture of the spiritual life we have through Jesus Christ. We begin in the distress of sin and distant from the Lord’s presence, and we end in the place where God’s presence dwells and where there is perpetual worship.

          We are being constantly reminded in our present day of the faithfulness of God’s Word and that what the Lord has promised will come true. We wait patiently and in hope as we journey to the New Jerusalem.

That is the question that came to my mind when Debbie and I visited there on a group tour in 2000. We had an opportunity to stay in Cairo and then travel south. We stayed at a hotel on the Nile. To my surprise, instead of the murky waters of the Nile in Cairo, the river was a pristine blue, something you would expect to see in the Caribbean. It made me wonder if that is what the Nile looked like during the time of Moses.

          We saw the ancient pyramids and rode camels. We saw the incredible ancient temples and structures. These feats of engineering are still a marvel and a mystery to this day.

          When we read the Old Testament and look at recorded history, Egypt was at one time the most powerful nation in the world. It was a place of refuge for Abraham and Jesus. Although it was the place of slavery for God’s people for 400 years, it became the place where some of the remnant of the Hebrews during the Babylonian captivity tried to flee to escape the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.

          Egypt was known as having a formidable army. One that was often a threat to the security of Israel and other nations. They were known as the possessors of other nations and victorious in battle.

          However, as we viewed the condition of Egypt today, it is only a shell of that former great empire. History will account for this by looking at the historical record and pointing to the world dominance of the Babylonian Empire and the succeeding world powers. History shows world powers come and go.

          However, the Bible is a predictor of history. We see this in the words of the Old Testament prophets. We see it in the Book of Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar’s statue of gold.

          But when we read the Bible, we see the prophets speaking to the nations of the world on God’s behalf. The Lord, through these prophets, spoke words of warning and rebuke and spoke of their destiny.

          My moment of insight came when I was reading Ezekiel 29. This is what we find. Then God said,

“Because you said that the Nile is yours and you made it, I am your enemy and the enemy of your Nile. I will make all of Egypt an empty wasteland, from the city of Migdol in the north to the city of Aswan in the south, all the way to the Ethiopianborder.”  Ezekiel 29:9,10 (GNT)

But as the Lord often promised, devastation was not the end of the nation.

“The Sovereign Lord says, “After forty years, I will bring the Egyptians back from the nations where I have scattered them, and I will let them live in southern Egypt, their original home. There, they will be a weak kingdom,the weakest kingdom of all, and they will never again rule other nations. I will make them so unimportant that they will not be able to bend any other nation to their will.” Ezekiel 29:13-15 (GNT)

What we see is that the Lord God is not a regional god or a god of just a nation. He is the creator of the world and ruler overall. He raises up and puts down. We don’t always understand all that has happened in history and why the Lord allowed the wars and devastation that have taken place. His ways and thoughts are higher than ours.

          We are certain we serve a God who knows the beginning from the end. He is working out His purposes and eternal plan. Our call is to trust in Him. To be diligent in serving His purposes in the world. To be diligent in our study of scripture and anticipate the future God has for those who belong to Him.