Peaks and Pits: How the Land of the Bible Reflects the Life of a Believer

By Roger D. Mardis and Governor Mike Huckabee

Travelers to the Holy Land can all attest ... this truly is a land of “hills and valleys” (Deuteronomy 8:7, 11:11) and so is life!

Hills and valleys, highs and lows, peaks and pits—whatever one chooses to call them, every person has some good days and some bad ones.

In this inspirational Christian book, Roger D. Mardis, a seasoned pastor, preacher, writer, and traveler, reflects on the many places and locations in Israel (mountains and/or valleys), to take you on a thirty-day journey to learn about the Holy Land—and life. As you read this devotional guide, you’ll consider questions such as:

•What is the problem with pride?
•When were you tested in life—and what did you learn?
•What is the purpose of God’s law?
•What does it mean to “abide” in Christ?

At the conclusion of each day’s reading, you’ll find questions like the ones above that will help you make your way on your journey—whether you’re enjoying a peak or trying to slog through a pit.

Embark on a journey that will challenge your life and bring you closer to the Lord with the lessons in this book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Nov 25, 2020
• ISBN: 9781664209220

Roger D. Mardis

Roger D. Mardis has served as a pastor for almost four decades. Most recently, he pastored Agape Baptist Church in Scottsboro, Alabama. Today, he serves as President of Friends of Nazareth, Inc. He is also the author of Big Doors Swing on Small Hinges: A Little Word Can Make a Big Difference (2014) and Sail On … Examining the “Ships” of Christian Life (2016). Mardis and his wife, Michelle, live in Florence, Alabama.

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Copyright © 2020 Roger D. Mardis.

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WestBow Press

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org

ISBN: 978-1-6642-0923-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-0924-4 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-0922-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020920294

WestBow Press rev. date: 11/25/2020

It is my joy and honor to

dedicate this book to the memory of my dad, William B. (Bill) Mardis (1936-2014), and my father-in-law, Billy Max Stephens (1943-2012). Michelle and I were both blessed with great dads who were great men and who made a great impact on us and so many others.

Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all you do be done in love (1 Corinthians 16:13–14).

Contents

Foreword

Preface

An Aid for Your Exploration

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. Valley of Shinar

Genesis 11

2. Mount Sodom, the Dead Sea

Genesis 13, 19

3. Mount Moriah

Genesis 22

4. Mount Sinai (Horeb)

Exodus 19–20

5. Valley of Eshcol

Numbers 13, 32

6. Mount Nebo

Deuteronomy 32, 34

7. Valley of Achor (Trouble)

Joshua 7

8. Valley of Mizpeh

Joshua 11

9. Valley of Sorek

Judges 16

10. Valley of Elah

1 Samuel 17

11. Mount Carmel

1 Kings 18

12. Valley of Beracah

2 Chronicles 20

13. Valley of Shadows

Psalm 23

14. Valley of Sin (Sorrows)

Psalm 32

15. Valley of Despair

Psalm 34

16. Valley of Baca

Psalm 84

17. Valley of Dry Bones

Ezekiel 37

18. Valley of Jezreel (Decision)

Joel 3

19. Valley of Jordan River

Matthew 3

20. Mount Precipice

Luke 4

21. Mount of Beatitudes

Matthew 5–7

22. Mount Eremos

Mark 1, Matthew 28

23. Mount Herodium

Matthew 17: 14-21

24. Mount Tabor (Transfiguration)

Luke 9

25. Mount Hermon (Caesarea Philippi)

Matthew 16

26. Valley of Hinnom

Luke 16

27. Mount of Olives

Matthew 21, 24; Acts 1

28. Mount Golgotha (Calvary)

Matthew 27

29. Mount of Temple

Matthew 24, Revelation 11

30. Mount Zion

Hebrews 12

Conclusion

Let’s Get Together

Friends of Nazareth, Inc.

Foreword

As you may know, I too have a deep love for the land of Israel and have been there many times. In fact, I have actually visited each of the locations spoken of in this book. I can honestly attest that the Holy Land is not only a land of milk and honey; it is a terrain of hills and valleys.

In addition to the land being like that, so are our lives: mine, yours, everyone’s. I have personally enjoyed some great accomplishments and have experienced what many would call successes or mountains. I have also had my share of defeats, criticisms, and hardships. Yes, even governors go through valleys. I have known some peaks and pits.

In Peaks and Pits, Dr. Mardis, a seasoned pastor, reminds us how the ups and downs in Israel can reflect the highs and lows in life. In other words, we can learn about our Lord and our life by seeing them through the topography of this land.

Having pastored for many years myself, and having studied the Bible for decades, I have come to value a good resource that is theologically pure, devotionally appealing, and practically helpful. The book you hold in your hand is that type of resource. The thirty chapters before you will take you to thirty locations and will contain thirty lessons. No, there are really many more lessons than that.

Whether it is in your personal devotion time, in a small group setting, or in another congregational format, Peaks and Pits is a great read and a valuable resource. I encourage you to get your copy today; I am glad I got mine.

Governor Mike Huckabee

Preface

Preface.jpg

As a pastor and a student, I’ve had the opportunity to read my fair share of books, sit through hours of meetings, and attend hundreds of classes and conferences. During that period of time, I’ve written down many notes, quotes, and pithy statements. Perhaps it was a sermon outline or an effective illustration. Never did it cross my mind to document all the sources or settings so I wouldn’t later be accused of plagiarizing someone else’s idea.

I don’t pretend that all the material in this book is original with me. Yes, I did write it all, but no, I didn’t think it all up. What I did was gather a lot of bullets, and if they fit my gun, well, I fired away. As one preacher said years ago, I’ve milked from many cows but made my own butter.

The goal of this book is not to offer original ideas or display scholarly thought; rather, it is to encourage other believers who might be enjoying a mountain or enduring a valley. Whether it’s a peak or a pit, these pages have a challenge for you. I hope you will enjoy.

Remember, there is joy in the journey.

An Aid for Your

Exploration

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At the conclusion of each day’s reading, there are a few questions you can read and study through that will make your journey, whether it’s scaling the peaks of a mountain or descending into the depths and darkness of a valley, a little bit more navigable and meaningful.

These questions are intended to stir up thought or discussion. Your small group or Bible study class can use this tool to heighten interaction. The list of questions is not long, and it certainly is not exhaustive; many others can be added.

I do hope you’ll utilize these tools to better help you understand the pits and appreciate the peaks.

Acknowledgments

This book, like so many others, is not merely the work of a single writer. Many people have contributed in many ways to enable Peaks and Pits to become a reality. I sure hope to not leave anyone out, but I do want to thank the following for their help and efforts:

• Cyndi Rogers has been a faithful friend and ministry partner for years. Last year, she began working in our Friends of Nazareth (FON) office. She can interpret my handwriting, read my mind, and convey my thoughts (kind of scary). Thanks, Cyndi.

• Highland Baptist Church in Florence, Alabama is where our office is located; they have been gracious hosts.

• Many people proofed and corrected this work before publication. To each of you, thanks.

• Much appreciation to Steve Cox for his friendship and support of this project; blessings, my friend.

• To all my team at WestBow Publishers, thank you for your help and support.

• Thank you, Clayton, for some great photographs and for your friendship.

• Amer Nicola is not only a great guide in the Holy Land, he has become a dear friend, and he is a faithful Christ follower. He has taken me to most of the places in this book. Thanks, Amer.

• To my awesome wife, Michelle, thank you for your patience and encouragement as I’ve finished this project. You truly make the journey enjoyable.

• Last but not least, this book has been written for the glory and honor of Jesus Christ alone and to advance His cause in His hometown. Soli Deo Gloria.

Roger D. Mardis, President

Friends of Nazareth

Florence, Alabama

rogermardis.com

Introduction

For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land … flowing forth in valleys and hills. (Deuteronomy 8:7)

But the land into which you are about to cross to possess it (is) a land of hills and valleys. (Deuteronomy 11:11)

Valleys and hills, hills and valleys; such is the topography of the Holy Land, the land of Israel. It doesn’t matter your location or vantage point. From the mountain peaks in the North, along the Lebanon and Syria borders, one can look out across the land to other high places and just as many valleys. Along the coastal plain near the beautiful Mediterranean Sea, one can view mountains on the horizon. Jerusalem is surrounded by mountains. The Dead Sea, the lowest place on the earth, is bordered by mountains such as Mount Nebo and Masada. Likewise, the Sea of Galilee is attached to the Golan Heights, the Valley of Doves, and Mount Arbel.

One of the great joys of my life has been to make many journeys to the Holy Land. When I begin to train a group of people for an upcoming trip, I always remind them that they need to be in good spiritual and physical shape. Groups will be walking, climbing, descending, and then some. You may walk as many as twenty thousand steps per day, and none of those are flat.

Why? Because this very special piece of land is not just holy, it is hilly.

Hills and valleys not only describe the land of Israel; it also describes life.

Everyone will have times in their life when they will scale the mountain peaks of success or find themselves enjoying the benefits of a great family, education, or career. However, life and history tell us that these same people will face their share of dark and difficult valleys. All it takes is a phone call, a diagnosis, a pink slip, or divorce papers. In those moments, it may not matter where you work or how much you know.

At one season in my life, I thought I would have a career in coaching. Not that I was ever a good athlete, but I always loved the game and athletics. I still enjoy watching way too many games.

As I was preparing this manuscript, news broke that Lane Kiffin had been hired as the University of Mississippi’s new head football coach. I’ve been well aware of Kiffin’s amazing and agonizing career (especially when he moved to Alabama and worked with Nick Saban).

Kiffin talks about his mountains. He has coached three Heisman Trophy winners, won two National Championships, been the youngest head coach in the National Football League, and earned million-dollar contracts and long winning streaks. He also recalls the valleys: He was fired midway through his second season with the Oakland Raiders; there were campus riots when he left the University of Tennessee; and he was fired at USC. His is a life of highs and lows, positives and negatives, good times and bad.

Coach Kiffin is a work in progress.

So am I.

So are you.

The Christian life is similar to the Holy Land. There will be some mountains, and there will be some valleys. The truth is, you probably won’t stay on either for long.

For almost six decades, I have been learning about life, and in the last few years (since 2014), I have taken an interest in the Holy Land. In these pages, I will try to whet your appetite concerning Israel and at the same time try to help us all get a better handle on this thing called life. Like Moses and Peter and Coach Kiffin, I too have enjoyed some victories (mountains) and struggled through some valleys.

I hope you will join with me and glean what we can from Israel’s, and life’s, peaks and pits.

Valley of Shinar

Genesis 11

When you first saw the name Shinar, you probably wondered, Where in the world is that? Or maybe you thought, I’ve never heard of that one. But really you have, though maybe by another name. Shinar is the geographical location for the city of Babel, in which Nimrod and a host of others built a tower, the Tower of Babel. Oh, that Shinar!

The Valley (or plains) of Shinar is located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in southern Mesopotamia or south Babylon(ia). This area is to the north of the Persian Gulf.

Many historians and theologians suggest that the events of Genesis 11 actually occur prior to those of chapter 10, and the scattering of chapter 10 is a result of the judgment of God on their rebellious actions. Perhaps it is placed here to smoothly lead into the genealogy of Shem and our introduction to Abraham. As such, the intent is not to be chronological but literary.

The Tower of Babel story is one of the four key events in Genesis 1–11. In each of the four areas—Creation, Fall, Flood, Babel (nations)—humanity disobeys God, the Lord judges sin, and in grace, God provides a fresh start. It really is true; the common thread and underlying theme of the entire Bible is one of grace and redemption.

Babel, in the village of Shinar, is more than just a geographical location. It is a psychological rallying point, a place where people could say, Look what we’ve done. Humankind has always wanted its own utopia or society apart from God, or one in which God is excluded or not wanted. Kind of reminds me of much of our society today. It’s the kind of place where you worship the creature or creation but not the Creator.

Dr. Henry M. Morris, in the Biblical Basis for Modern Science, suggests that after the Flood, the seventy family groups named would represent about a thousand people. Geometric progressions are slow to build at first. So it is very much possible for the whole earth to gather in this valley. Don’t forget: God had told Noah’s descendants after the Flood to be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth (Genesis 8:17; 9:1, 7). It wasn’t God’s plan for them to settle in Shinar.

Look at what happened. They began to make bricks (when God builds, He uses stones), and their intention was to build a tower (ziggurat) that would reach into the heavens. People wanted to build a city, a tower, and a name for themselves. Three times, man said, Let us. When