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View of the Promised Land from Mount Nebo
''Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab
to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the Lord showed
him the whole land ... all the land of Judah as far as the western
sea, the Negev and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho,
the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. Then the Lord said to him:
'This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
when I said I will give it to your descendants. I have let you
see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.' By TERRY HOUSHOLDER High above the Jordan Valley, the view from the top of Mount Nebo from the Moses Memorial Church at Siyagha is impressive. Arriving on a clear day, it was easy to spot the sights that Moses witnessed - the Dead Sea, the River Jordan that flows into it, and the green Jordan Valley. Also in the distance is Jericho, the first city the Israelites conquered after reaching the Promised Land. A tall, modern sculpture of a snake on a pole overlooking the mountaintop church refers to both the Old and New Testament.
God had sent venomous snakes as a punishment to the Israelites in the desert. Many people were bitten and died. When the people confessed their disobedience to God, he ordered Moses to ''Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone bitten can look at it and live.' So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.''(Numbers 21:8-9) ''And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the son of man be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.'' (John 3:14-16). The church is a simple building built over the remains of a structure that dates back to the fourth century. The most interesting part is the Old Baptistery. The central part of the baptistery floor contains a beautiful mid-sixth century colorful mosaic. We stopped for lunch at the nearby town of Madaba, a Christian community of northwestern Jordan that contains the renowned mosaic map of the Holy Land. Housed in the Church of the Map, it was discovered in 1884 in the rubble of an old Byzantine church when resettled Christians started building the present Greek Orthodox Church of St. George. Dated to the sixth century, the mosaic is the oldest existing map of Palestine. It is a record of both Jewish and Christian history, depicting important biblical sites in the Holy Land. Also in the vicinity, along the famed King's Highway, which winds through some of Jordan's most beautiful scenery, are several fine Crusader castles. They are visible along the route to Jordan's jewel - Petra, a city unique to the ancient world, which was carved into the sandstone valley of the Shara mountains. |
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