May 29, 2026 - Good Morning! It’s Friday, May 29.
My sister’s spending a week of vacation in Arizona. When I heard about her trip, I warned her to be prepared for hot weather. I’ve been there only once, an August day in Phoenix. The experience, I imagine, was very similar to vacationing on the face of the Sun. And it’ll be 107 degrees this coming week in Phoenix.
But come to find out, she’s not in Phoenix at all, she’s in Flagstaff, where the temperature today will top out at a cool, crisp 60 degrees, and go down into the 30’s tonight. What a difference 150 miles (and 6000 feet in elevation) can make. It brought to mind the geographical and meteorological relationship between Jerusalem and Mt. Hermon. The Holy City is often hot and dry, like Phoenix, but Mt. Hermon, 150 miles north (and 6000 feet higher), is always pleasantly cool. And in the winter it snows there. Mt. Hermon, in fact, is the site of the only ski resort in Israel.
The ancient world had the technology to store and preserve ice and snow for the warmer months. King Solomon could have very well had this capability. His Proverb 25:13 might be a clue - “Like a snow cooled drink at harvest time (summer) is a trustworthy messenger to the one who sent him; he refreshes the spirit of his master”. Perhaps the wise King escaped the summertime heat at a vacation palace in the mountains. Perhaps he wrote this proverb there.
The rich and powerful have always had the option of spending hot seasons in cool places, and cold months in warm climes. But most of us are planted in one place, and have to adjust and deal with whatever the weather sends our way. That reminds me of another proverb of sorts, shared with the church in Philippi by the Apostle Paul - “I have learned to be content whatever my circumstances” (4:11). And two verses later, Paul delivers what may be his most profound and powerful word of teaching - “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength!”.
Meet you back here on Monday,
David
cindertex50@yahoo.com
