I recently went on my second pilgrimage to the Promised Land. My first pilgrimage was about 10 years ago.

I urge everyone to make this pilgrimage at least once in their life.

The words that come to my mind are “Come and see.”

These words appear again and again in Scriptures.

For example, Psalm 46 tells us:

Come and see what the LORD has done,

     the desolations he has brought on the earth. . . .

He says, “Be still and know that I am God;

     I will be exalted among the nations;

     I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:8-10).

When you tour the Promised Land, you’ll see many “desolations” that the LORD has brought on the earth.

You’ll see countless ruins—some of them dating back thousands of years. Indeed, the infinite series of desolate ruins becomes infinitely depressing.

I couldn’t help but think of the despair felt by the author of Ecclesiastes:

“Meaningless! Meaningless! . . .

“Utterly meaningless!

     Everything is meaningless!”

(Ecclesiastes 1:2)

Why is everything meaningless? Because:

“What do people gain from all their labors

      at which they toil under the sun?

Generations come and generations go . . . .

No one remembers the former generations

     and even those yet to come

will not be remembered

     by those who follow them.”

(Ecclesiastes 1:3-4,11)

When we saw ruins of fortifications, I imagined the fears of the people defending those walls. I imagined the bitter tears shed by those who loved the people slain defending those walls.

Are all these battles and fears and tears meaningless?

When we saw ruins of altars, temples, synagogues, and churches, I imagined the hopes and fears, the dreams and nightmares, the purity and depravity of those who worshiped and ministered there.

Did their worship make any difference? To themselves? To those they loved? To their faith communities? To their nations?

Did their ministries make any difference? To themselves? To those they loved? To their faith communities? To their nations?

Is all this worship meaningless?

Were all these ministries meaningless?

Are all these hopes and fears, dreams and nightmares meaningless?

Is all this purity and depravity meaningless?

It seemed to me as if the Psalm of Moses (Psalm 90) captures the despair of Ecclesiastes, complaining to the LORD our God:

You return people back to dust,

     saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.” . . .

[Y]ou sweep people away in the sleep of death.” . . .

We are consumed by your anger

     and terrified by your indignation. . . .

All our days pass away under your wrath;

     we finish our years with a moan.

(Psalm 90:3,5,7,9)

So why does Psalm 46 tell us that—despite coming and seeing the desolations that the LORD has brought on the earth—we should exalt in the LORD our God?

Clearly, the answer lies in something else about the Promised Land than about the stones of its desolated ruins.

What else should you come and see in the Promised Land?

One clue is stated in Psalm 46 itself.

We should be still and know that the LORD is God.

We don’t worship the stones of the Promised Land. Indeed, we don’t worship any work of our hands.

Instead, we must worship solely the LORD our God. (Exodus 20:3-6; Deuteronomy 5:7-10).

We must worship solely the LORD our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our strength and with all our mind. (Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Matthew 22:37-38).

We must worship solely the LORD our God who establishes the work of our hands for us. (Psalm 90:17).

We must worship solely the LORD our God who satisfies us with his unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT

Why is it depressing to see so many ruins in the Promised Land?

Why does it feel as if everything is utterly meaningless?

How can we, nevertheless, feel the unfailing love of the LORD our God?

How can we, nevertheless, sing for joy and be glad all our days?

READ MORE

For other blogs arising from my pilgrimage to the Promised Land, please read my blog “The Immense, Towering Rock Overcomes the ‘Gates of Hell’”.

The Hebrew word hesed expresses the unfailing love of the LORD our God.  To learn more about hesed, please read my blogs “The Hesed of the LORD Endures Forever”, “Hesed Saves and Nurtures Baby Moses”, “Hesed Saves Israel—Passover”, “Hesed Nurtures Israel—From the Red Sea to Mount Sinai”, “Hesed Nurtures Israel—Mount Sinai”, “Hesed Establishes the Work of Moses’s Hands—Mount Nebo”, “Hesed Blesses Forever—David”, “Walking Humbly With Hesed—Micah”, “Hoping in Hesed—Jeremiah”, “Hesed Returns Israel to Jerusalem”, “Jesus Embodies Hesed—The Vision of Isaiah”, “Jesus Embodies Hesed—Fulfilling the Law of Moses and the Prophets”, and “Jesus Embodies Hesed—Saving Sheep, Saving Coins, and Saving Sons”.