The Lord is gracious

Day 1: Kiriah Jearim, Bet Shemesh/Cistern, Azekah, Bet Guvrin/Maresha, and Lachish

Incredible start to the trip! Some may be feeling the jet lag, but it did not stop us from a full day!

“The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness” Psalm 103:8

Hearing the words read from Psalm 103 in the ruins of a synagogue, we began our day.  The synagogue sits in a biblical garden that we toured, seeing our first olive press of the day.

“For my people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water.” Jeremiah 2:13

When we reached Bet Shemesh, we were able to pause and hear the story of Sampson. While hearing the story in Judges, we could look out upon the Zorich valley in one direction and the lands from where Delilah came in another direction. To see the landscape as you are hearing God’s word…the visual picture becomes that much more tangible and real. A few steps away we were able to go down into a cistern, aka “Hard Rock Café” (according to Wes, the milkshakes there are pretty chalky)! Not a usual tourist stop,

“David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. ⁴⁷ All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” I Samuel 17:45-47

“Tel” was a popular term today for us. At Azekah, we walked up the tel and then gathered as West read the story of David and Goliath. We sat listening overlooking the valley of Elah and the land of the Philistines.

The remainder of the afternoon we walked through the caves at Maresha and a quick stop at Lachish. We are currently en route to the Dead Sea. Rumor has it, there may be a little floating this evening!