“In Israel, in order to be a realist, you must believe in miracles.” – David Ben-Gurion
As we continue to see thousands of rockets, drones, and missiles launched at Israel, Ben-Gurion’s words remind us that miracles are, thank God, still happening every day in the Holy Land. Our greatest defense is not the Iron Dome or American aircraft carriers. These are tools that God uses to keep His covenant and protect Israel in these times of war.
One of the most amazing things about visiting Israel is the opportunity to see how God’s miracles have protected this land and people for thousands of years, and continue to do so today. One of my personal favorite places to visit in the holy land that I recommend to everyone is to take a City of David tour through Hezekiah’s Tunnel. It is experience that reminds us all that God’s hand is always present, and of the truth of what we read in the Bible.
The biblical story about this tunnel is found in II Chronicles 32. In the late 8th/early 7th century, Jerusalem is about to be attacked by the Assyrians, and the concern among the Jews is that the water source for Jerusalem is outside of the city walls, and if the Assyrians lay Siege to Jerusalem, they will have all of the water while the residents of the city die of thirst. King Hezekiah told the people that “God will save us from the King of Assyria”. After much discernment, Hezekiah tells the people to dig a tunnel over 500 meters long to redirect the water into the Pool of Siloam. This tunnel would be dug from opposite sides of the hill and would come together in the middle. The Bible teaches that this is what happened, and that the Assyrians died of a plague that God brought upon them when they were stuck outside of the city with no water.
Engineers still have no idea how this tunnel was created, given that the two teams digging it met perfectly in the middle without any form of communication between them. With no radar, sonar, walkie-talkies, or radios, the teams miraculously met in the middle, creating one long tunnel that redirected the waters. Excavators in 1880 found the Siloam Inscription, a commemoration of the tunnel written 2700 years ago, archaeologically verifying the biblical account.
Today, we are again being attacked from what was the ancient Assyrian Empire. From the same region as ancient Assyria, bombs and rockets are being targeted at Israel. And just like it was 2,700 years ago, God continues to protect the Holy Land and the people in it. The miracle that manifested as a tunnel happened then, and the miracles of the Iron Dome and Iron Beam defense systems are the modern manifestation of God’s hand in every moment.
Today, each of us can walk under the ruins of Jerusalem in this tunnel and traverse the engineered waterway ourselves. It is especially magnificent to explore during a hot summer day, where the cool water still runs to the Pool of Siloam. To remember the past and be grateful for the present.
Israel is in the miracle business… and business is good.
Rabbi Michael Barclay is the Spiritual Leader of Temple Ner Simcha in California (www.NerSimcha.org); the recipient of the Bnai Zion Distinguished Humanitarian Award; a columnist, author, and international speaker; and the host of the new CRN radio show and podcast “The Rabbi’s Table: Dialogue Not Debate,” which can be found on all platforms. He can be reached directly at Rabbi@NerSimcha.org, or through PubliusPR.com
