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Israel Study Tour - Grace Bible Church
April 23 - May 3, 2014
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How long will you waver?
Day 6: Beth She’an (Scythopolis), Mt. Carmel, Mediterranean Sea, and Caesarea
Several stops today, but just highlighting a couple…
Beth She-an: Our roundabout route to Jerusalem from the Sea of Galilee began at Beth She’an, first seeing remains of an Egyptian’s governor’s house dating back to the Old Testament time period. Biblically, we know from 1 Samuel 31:10 that Saul’s body was temporarily fastened to the wall in this area and it’s vantage point to view the Valley of Armageddon. Walking down in the same area, we got to tour through remains of a 1st century Roman city, Scythopolis, a city with a population of 80,000+. At the heart (cardo) of the city, was the theatre, key politically for entertaining and drawing people to the city. This city is one of the most preserved Roman cities, originally destroyed in the 749 A.D. earthquake, abandoned, and discovered again in the early 1990s and the excavation began.
Beth Shean
Located 17 miles (27 km) south of the Sea of Galilee, Beth Shean is situated at the strategic junction of the Harod and Jordan Valleys. The fertility of the land and the abundance of water led the Jewish sages to say, “If the Garden of Eden is in the land of Israel, then its gate is Beth Shean.” It is no surprise then that the site has been almost continuously settled from the Chalcolithic period to the present.
Mt. Carmel: “Great victories on God’s behalf” Our stop at Mt. Carmel focused on the “duel” between God and the Baal gods. Matt Clinger shared from I Kings 18 when Elijah challenges Israel in verse 21 saying, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” Matt pointed out that prior to this challenge, Elijah had spent time in isolation and living with a widow in her upper room, virtually devoid of community. Possibly not Elijah’s ideal life, but “he was being prepared for the future showdown.”
Mt. Carmel
Biblically, Mt. Carmel is referenced most often as a symbol of beauty and fertility. To be given the “splendor of Carmel” was to be blessed indeed (Isa 35:2). Solomon praised his beloved: “your head crowns you like Mount Carmel” (Song 7:5). But for Carmel to wither was a sign of devastating judgment (Nahum 1:4).
And tonight we arrived in Jerusalem!
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