Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Visiting the Sorek caves in Israel


We just came back from a wonderful vacation in Israel. On our last day we visited a very special place, close to Hebron, the Sorek caves. It had been on my 'places-to-visit' list for some years, actually ever since I wrote Breath of Life. The main character in this book is called Sorek.

At the time of writing I purposely picked that name. I wanted a name that was unknown, yet biblical, so I searched for weeks until I came upon a verse in Judges 16:4, Some time later, he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah. I immediately liked the name Sorek. I found out that the name appears only once in the Bible and that it has a prophetic meaning. Exactly what I needed for the main character in my book.

The Sorek caves are now part of the National Park system in Israel. After a long search in the mountains south of Jerusalem we found the entrance to the park. Upon arrival we noticed that a couple of school buses had gone ahead of us. Hundreds of Arab and Jewish students came to admire this underground miracle as well. We walked down a natural stairway and descended into the caves where it was warm and humid (exactly as I had described the womb in Breath of Life) and at first it appeared dark. After our eyes got used to the darkness, however, we became aware of the incredible sanctuary we were in. Because of small orange and pink spot lights the cave's shapes, forms and colors looked like a scene in a science fiction movie... it felt like we had arrived on another planet. Wow, awesome! Indescribable...

Following a small and slippery pathway we wandered through the caves. After the school children left it was so quiet, only drops of water falling... It was truly amazing to be there. Sorek has his origin in Israel, that makes him a very special child!

Seventh Month of Tishri
"Is it truly possible to become so overwhelmed by our natural circumstances that we forget the power of the Living Word? I was complaining about the darkness, and forgot that He overrules everything, even darkness! Darkness has no power over the Real Light. Let’s reverse that today: the Real Light overpowers the darkness. I’ll leave you with the words David wrote about this subject. You can find this in Psalm 18:28, You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light."

10 comments:

  1. How neat that you were able to visit the caves that share the name of book's character. You mentioned that Sorek has a prophetic meaning - is it spelled out further than that? Just curious!

    Have a blessed week!
    Hugs,
    Maria

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    1. 'Choice vine' or as I explained in my book: chosen one!

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  2. Hi Marja -

    Now that's an original way to name a character!

    I've been in caves in Virginia (sorry, forgot the name). They had a natural pipe organ. Truly amazing. I'm sure the caves in Israel must have been just as awe-inspiring.

    Blessings,
    Susan :)

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    1. I am not must of an underground person Susan ;) But I love caves, entering a cave is like discovering a treasure... something like scuba diving...

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  3. How interesting! So glad you shared this with us. Our pastor and his wife were in Israel this spring; I'll have to ask if they visited these caves.

    Have a wonderful weekend,
    Karen

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    1. Not many foreign tourists go there, but a lot of Israeli tourists do!

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  4. Enjoyed reading about this place in Israel. We were in Israel this past May. So many beautiful places to visit--and then being able to experience scripture at a deeper level.

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    1. Wow, I am glad to hear you had a chance to visit Israel. You might have to go again :)

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  5. Sorek is still in my heart. May I will be able to visit those caves one day. What an adventure that would be.
    Glad you share your journeys with us, Marja.

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    1. You were one of the first ones to read about him, if I remember it quite well Wyn.

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Thanks for your visit, it is my hope and prayer that this post was an encouragement to you! Feel free to leave a comment.