Greater Than Solomon: Renewal for Both People and Creation in Jesus

by Claude Levi

 

This morning, I climbed Sulaiman-Too—Solomon’s Mountain.

From almost anywhere in Osh, you can see it rising above the city. For thousands of years, this mountain has been a sacred place, a landmark for travelers along the Silk Road, and a destination for people seeking healing, blessing, fertility, and something beyond themselves. Many of its ancient places of worship are still in use today. (Read more about the history of Sulaiman-Too at the UNESCO World Heritage Centre.)

I have spent the past week in Central Asia with a group of people thinking, praying, listening, and asking what it means to see barren lands and barren hearts restored in this part of the world. This morning, these two ideas converged—regeneration of people and regeneration of creation.

A Mountain of Seekers

As we climbed, a colleague who has lived and worked in Osh for many years explained some of the mountain’s history and traditions. We passed caves and small spaces carved into the rock. Places where people burn incense. Families gathered in prayer.

At one place, I watched a woman lie down and slide along a smooth section of rock. I was told that people have done this for generations as part of traditions associated with fertility, healing, and blessing.

 

Sliding along the smooth section of rock — a tradition carried on for generations, associated with fertility, healing and blessing. Photo: ReGen Global

 

Watching her, I thought about the apostle Paul in Athens. Paul walked through a city filled with shrines and objects of worship until he found an altar inscribed, “To an unknown god.”

I see that in every way you are very religious, he told them. Then he began to tell them about the God they did not yet know – Acts 17:22–23

Standing on Sulaiman-Too, I was reminded that the human search has not changed very much. For generations, people have climbed this mountain looking for something.

Healing.
Blessing.
Fertility.
Protection.
Meaning.
God.

The mountain carries Solomon’s name. Solomon is remembered across religious traditions for his wisdom, wealth, and greatness. Jesus once spoke to people who admired Solomon and told them:

The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom. And now something greater than Solomon is here. – Matthew 12:42

For us at ReGen, that search ultimately leads to Jesus. Someone greater than Solomon.

Athens in Paul’s day. Jerusalem in Jesus’ day. Osh today. Young and old, rich and poor—people are still searching.

 

Looking Down

When we reached the top of Sulaiman-Too, the whole city of Osh opened below us, and beyond it stretched the Fergana Valley.

 

From the top of Sulaiman-Too — Osh below, and beyond it the Fergana Valley disappearing into the haze. Photo: ReGen Global

Fields. Farms. Roads. Homes. Families. Communities disappearing into the haze. On the way up the mountain, I had encountered people seeking healing, blessing, and hope. Looking down from the top, I saw another kind of longing.

The whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now, waiting to be liberated from its bondage to decay. – Romans 8:21–22

Creation groans. People cry out, too. The land longs for renewal. So do the people who live on it.

Across this valley, there are depleted soils and struggling farms. There are also families, communities, and individuals carrying struggles of their own. We cannot talk about restoring land while ignoring the people who depend on it. And we cannot talk about people flourishing while the land beneath them continues to deteriorate.

Standing on Sulaiman-Too, those two parts of ReGen Global’s work came together for me.

Barren lands.
Barren hearts.
Both longing for renewal.

One Small Piece of Land

Earlier this week, we spent time on a piece of land ReGen Global recently helped purchase in the Osh region. It is one very small piece of this enormous valley. Right now, it does not look like much. There is plenty of work ahead.

A well has been drilled. We are bringing in power. We are building soil with compost and manure. Our team is working alongside local farmers and families, experimenting with regenerative practices and learning what works in this particular place.

Our prayer is that this land will become a demonstration of what is possible when depleted soil is cared for, regenerative principles are practiced faithfully, and people are given opportunities to flourish alongside the land.

Perhaps one day someone will stand on this same mountain, look across the valley, and see thousands of small restored farms like it. We do not know, but we can begin with this one.

A Small Part to Play

Sulaiman-Too has watched generations of history unfold beneath it. Travelers passed along the Silk Road. Kingdoms rose and fell. Families lived, worked, worshipped, struggled, and hoped. And now, at this moment in that long story, we are here.

ReGen Global has been given a small part to play. We do not have to restore the whole valley today. We do not have to solve every problem. We simply need to be faithful with the ground, the people, the relationships, the skills, and the opportunities God has placed in front of us.

Part of Something Bigger

This week has reminded me that while our part may be small, we are not working alone. In Bishkek, we attended a conference with organizations serving communities throughout Central Asia and sharing the good news of the Gospel. Here in Osh, we have spent time with ReGen team members, local farmers, families, and partners.

Across this region, many people are serving faithfully—in spiritual ministry, agriculture, education, health, business, technology, and community development. Each is carrying one piece of a much larger work.

That is what restoration looks like: different people, with different skills and callings, faithfully caring for the piece that has been entrusted to them.

Take the Next Step

I am coming home with a renewed conviction that restoration rarely happens through one giant act. More often, it is built through thousands of small acts of faithfulness—most of them unremarkable on the day they happen. Over time, they become something larger than any one of us could accomplish alone.

That is why ReGen is looking for people who want to come alongside this work:

An invitation: Could you bring your skills to this work?

We need agronomists, biologists, engineers, technologists, educators, entrepreneurs, investors, donors, family counsellors – people with practical skills who believe restoration is possible.

If that sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you.

Prayer & Praise: Would you pray with us?

Praise God for these past days in Kyrgyzstan — for the people we have met, the relationships being formed, and the doors that are opening.

• Pray for the work already happening across Central Asia.
• Pray for the ReGen Global demonstration land near Osh, that it would become a place where both land and people flourish.
• Pray for the farmers and families we are walking alongside.
• Pray for our team members and partners, and for the many others faithfully serving communities throughout this region.
• And pray for the people of the Fergana Valley — that those who are searching would find what they are looking for, and that barren hearts and barren lands would experience renewal.

From one small piece of land in Osh, we are praying for a valley restored. And from this small moment in history, we are trusting God for a story that reaches far beyond us.

The work continues.

 

This article was first published in the ReGen Global Newsletter and is posted here with kind permission from the author. Connect with the team at info@regen.global.

Read more on Creation Care on The BAM Review Blog.

 

 

 

Listen to Mark Polet, Co-Founder of ReGen Global, share on the BAM Stories Podcast

Header Photo by ReGen Global: Sunset over the Fergana Valley — farmland stretching toward the hills beyond Osh