Israel – MEA (c) 20170222 (35) Life in Jerusalem -‘The Flowershop’
“Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.” (Luke 12:27)
From our travels throughout Israel and walking around the markets and streets of Jerusalem, these Bible verse certainly ring true. Israel is “a land of wheat and barley, of grapevines, fig trees and pomegranates; a land of olive oil and honey” as the Bible says in Deuteronomy 8:8″. We discover this particular flower shop in Ben Yehuda Mall. It is one of many flower shops in the area, but this is one the prettier ones.
The people of Israel can be likened to flowers whose ‘happy faces’ open up to all those around them. People are blessed by their presence, regardless of the season, the weather, the time of day, or the politics surrounding them. “All people are like grass, and all human faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.” (Isaiah 40:6)
Flowers grown in Israel include lilies, cyclamen, chrysanthemums, roses, tulips, carnations, orchids, iris and gladiolus. Because of the hot and unfavourable temperatures in Israel, flowers are grown and harvested under controlled farming conditions. This enterprise can be found in agricultural communities such as A kibbutz (a collective community where the land is communally owned and each member’s work benefits all or moshav make their income from; or a moshav where each family works its own land, while purchasing and marketing are conducted co-operatively.
As a result, Israel produces huge quantities of flowers for export and it has become a major player in the global florist industry, e.g. supplying traditional European flowers during the winter months. Israel’s flower and plant exports earn an estimated $200 million annually. This is a great achievement considering that more than half the land in Israel is desert and only 20 per cent of the land is arable. As a result and out of necessity, Israel has become one the leading countries on water ‘production’ through advanced research, technology and biological breakthroughs where this small country produces 95 per cent of its own water and food requirements.
As we continue on our way, we say goodbye to this beautiful little flower shop, and bring to mind the miracle of God’s grace over His people and over the Promised Land expressed in this Bible prophecy. “You will no longer be spoken of as Abandoned or your land be spoken of as Desolate; rather, you will be called My Delight is in Her and you land Be’ulah (married)”. Isaiah 62, 4-5.
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