Stop Two-Mount Nebo
The second stop on the CLS Biblical Tour was Mount Nebo. Here we are, atop this mountain ridge, elevated 2,600 feet above sea level. It took a long time to drive to the summit, I cannot imagine doing the same on foot, in the desert heat. In the distance, you can see the Dead Sea and, on clear days, all the way to the West Bank of Jericho and Jerusalem. One thing that surprised me about this area of the world is just how close all these famous sites and cities are to each other. 16 miles to Jericho, 31 to Jerusalem from this location, not far at all! The problem comes with passing borders.
This is the memorial place of Moses. Deuteronomy states that it was here Moses was shown the Promised Land, although he would not be allowed to enter it. It is said Moses died on this mountain and was buried somewhere in the area, a location still unknown.
The Death of Moses
34 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—from Gilead to Dan, 2 all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Mediterranean Sea, 3 the Negev and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. 4 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.”
5 And Moses the servant of the Lord died there in Moab, as the Lord had said. 6 He buried him[a] in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is. 7 Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone. 8 The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days,until the time of weeping and mourning was over.-Deuteronomy 34:1-6
Mount Nebo contains Byzantine mosaics and the remains of an ancient church, as well as a modern memorial church restored by the Franciscans in 1993. This has been a place for Christian pilgrimages for years, including Pope John II in 2000 and Pope Benedict in 2009.
The Brazen Serpent sculpture, created by Italian artist Giovanni Fantoni, is perched on the mountaintop in front of the Memorial Church of Moses. It is a modern replication of Moses’ serpent that saved those who looked upon it from the plague that God sent to Egypt and the cross of Jesus.
As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
that whoever believes in him may have eternal life (John 3.14-15)
More detailed pictures of the area.
Meet my lovely friend Sinead! A NY native, she is also with CLS and has the biggest heart! Love this girl!
Puppy Frog Adventures 