Elijah’s Cave on Munt Horeb
There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1KIngs19:9, NIV)
God who comes to us through His word… Elijah’s cave is a place where we can encounter God who manifests Himself through a quiet voice to draw us out of the dark world into His light. If you long for the voice of God who is still alive and present in Elijah’s cave, and if you wait in stillness with your hearts wide open, you will also be able to hear His voice of calling that Elijah heard!
When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1Kings 19:13, NIV)
Elijah’s cave is located at the second-highest peak of Jabal al-Maqla. The altitude of the top of the mountain is 2,284m, and the cave itself is located at an altitude of 1,866m. At the pinnacle of the mountain is an almond tree. Korean-translated Bibles describe these trees as a tree with peach blossoms, but it is probably more accurate to call them almond trees.
The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaron’s staff, which represented the tribe of Levi, had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed, and produced almonds (Numbers 17:8).
Almond trees are not difficult to be spotted in the Mount Sinai. It seems that the Korean translation stating that the gold lampstands were made in the shapes of peach blossom sepals and petals, is a mistranslation. The correct translation would be ‘in the shapes an almond tree.’