MORNING EXCURSION
One morning, my husband attended a business meeting at the church in Jabal Amman, Jordan. They discussed church matters that did not require my attendance. During previous research, I had discovered that Rujm al-Malfouf, a largely unknown archaeological site, was only about a mile away. Since it was so close, I decided to walk there while the business meeting was in progress.
I meandered through the medical district and crossed busy Zahran Street. I walked past the Iranian Embassy and other heavily guarded compounds and homes to finally arrive at Rujm al-Malfouf.
The gate was locked, but an elderly man in the Jordan Department of Antiquities’ guard shack had a key. He could not speak English, but another man translated for me. He told the guard that I wanted to see the site.
HISTORY LESSON
Rujm al-Malfouf is not the most impressive archaeological site I have ever visited, but it is interesting nonetheless. In the heart of bustling Amman is a large, circular tower constructed of limestone slabs. It is over 2,500 years old. Built in the Iron Age by the Ammonites, it was later reused during Roman times.
Rujm means “hilltop” and malfouf roughly translates to “round tower.” This is an appropriate definition for a round tower that was built on top of a hill. With a diameter of 72 feet and height of 18 feet, the tower was well fortified. It had at least two floors, perhaps three, and several rooms. When it was first built, the tower may have been taller than its present 18 feet. Adjoining the tower are ruins of a cluster of small rooms.
Because archaeologists have been unable to precisely date the tower’s construction, no one is certain why it was built. Some speculate that it served as a fortification for the Ammonites against enemy aggressors. The tower could have served as a watchtower and/or signal tower. It is also likely that the tower and adjoining rooms were built to store harvested crops. In all probability, it served a variety of purposes throughout the last two-and-a-half millennia.
THE OLD AND THE NEW
A few months after my solo visit, my husband could join me at the site. We explored it more extensively together. As we walked through the ruins, I noticed that a skyscraper was being constructed a few kilometers away. How fitting, I thought: an old tower and a new tower.
I considered what it must have been like 2,500 years ago, as the Ammonites built Rujm al-Malfouf. What an undertaking that must have been! I imagined planning sessions and the recruitment of laborers. Day after day of hard work went by until a structure was completed that still stands today.
I wonder if the skyscraper looming in the sky above modern Amman will still be standing 2,500 years from now. I won’t be around to find out, but I admire those ancient people who built Rujm al-Malfouf. They did not have computer-generated architectural plans, power tools, heavy machinery, or solid steel. Yet, with only their brains and brawn, they constructed Rujm al-Malfouf. The builders are forgotten, but what they built so efficiently has stood the test of time.
LIFE LESSON
My visits to Rujm al-Malfouf taught me a valuable lesson. There is little doubt that humanity will also one day forget me. But my contributions to the Kingdom of God will outlast my time on this earth. How true are the words penned by Charles Studd:
“Only one life, ‘twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.”
I want to build my life upon the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Rock (I Corinthians 10:4 KJV).
Matthew 7:24-25 tells us that building our lives upon Jesus Christ requires us to also hear and obey His Word. Jesus said, “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.”
When I hear and obey God’s Word, I ensure that I am building upon a solid foundation!
PRAYER: God, help me remember that what I am building during my time on this earth will outlast me. Help me to build purposefully. I want my contributions to the Kingdom of God to stand the test of time.
