Jerusalem

This Ignite the Truth episode was filmed in the hills of Gilo, a quiet neighborhood on the southwestern edge of Jerusalem overlooking the Judean Hills. Known for its pastoral beauty and green forests, the area reflects the perfect landscape to associate with the Psalms, poetry born out of the tension between life’s struggles and an unshakeable trust in God.

Presented by Bridges for Peace International President and CEO Peter Fast, this teaching explores Psalm 37 and David’s call to remain faithful in a world filled with injustice and the apparent prosperity of the wicked.

Gilo’s biblical roots run deep. It is mentioned as the hometown of Ahithophel, King David’s counselor who betrayed him during Absalom’s rebellion (2 Sam. 15:12), and in Joshua 15:51 as part of the inheritance of the tribe of Judah.

Archaeologists have uncovered evidence of a continuous Jewish presence here across thousands of years. The finds include a small Iron Age Israelite settlement, a First Temple-period fortress and ancient farm artifacts and graves from the Second Temple period.

This neighborhood stands above the rest—literally—at 857 meters (2,812 ft.) above sea level, offering sweeping panoramic views of Jerusalem and the Judean Hills. Established in 1971 as the city expanded following the Six Day War of 1967, Gilo today is home to a diverse population of native Israelis and Jewish immigrants from around the world, a multicultural character that began in the 1980s when the neighborhood’s immigrant absorption center began welcoming newcomers.

That sense of peaceful community was interrupted during the Second Intifada, when Gilo’s elevation and proximity to surrounding Arab villages made it a frequent target for sniper fire and machine gun attacks. The violence was persistent enough that a concrete barrier was erected around part of the neighborhood for protection, a sobering reminder of how fragile peace can be. The wall came down after the intifada ended in 2010 and the violence subsided.

Today, Gilo is once again what it was always meant to be: a peaceful refuge overlooking the hills of Jerusalem, a neighborhood with access to the city without all the noise. It is a fitting place to sit with Psalm 37’s ancient call: to wait with anticipation and to rest in the quiet confidence that God sees, God acts and the story is not yet finished.