The Friends of Israel

March 13-23, 2015

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Growing deeper

I feel the roots of my faith growing deeper with each day we spend touring Israel. Words can’t really properly express what it’s like to actually see with my own eyes the places in the Bible that up until now have only been seen in the form of words on a page or pictures in a book. This exciting experience continued today as we went to Beth Shean, Gideon’s Spring, Neot Kedumim, the Vally of Elah, and finally…Jerusalem.

Beth Shean was a visual feast for the eyes. To me, it seemed to resemble Caesarea Maritima (with the amphitheater and columns) and Capernaum (with all the gray blocks of stone) all rolled into one. These ruins contain the remains of 20 cities and about 15% of it can be seen today. The highlight for me was scaling the 180 steps to the top of the tel of Beth Shean. The view from the top of it was spectacular, and we could see the whole city with a bird’s eye view.

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.

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Our next stop was Gideon’s Spring. It is here that Gideon brought the army of Israel to elect only 300 warriors who would join him in battle against the Midianites. Jim Showers presented a devotional while we there. With only 300 warriors, they had no business winning the battle, and it was interesting to hear that God dwindled down the amount of warriors so that they would not be able to boast in themselves. God wanted men who trusted in Him, and He wants the same trust from us. When we face enemies or trials, God is there with us. He uses these moments to remind us He is there.

After a nice lunch, we went to Neot Kedumim. This is the biblical landscape reserve in Israel. While there, we were able to plant acorns in little pots. Though they will be slow-growing, it’s nice to know that we helped contribute to some future oak trees that will one day stand tall and mighty in Israel. We planted them in pots to observe the rules and spirit of the seventh year sabbatical of the land. Next year they’ll be transplanted into the ground!

From there we quickly stopped at the Valley of Elah to see where David slayed Goliath. The story of David and Goliath is obviously a very well known one from the Bible, so once again it was so cool to be able to see where it actually took place. Coursing through this valley is a wadi (annual stream) from which David took his five stones.

Tel Azekah and Elah Valley

The Brook Elah is famous for the five stones it contributed to the young slinger, David. Some surmise that David chose five stones instead of the one needed in case he needed to face Goliath’s four brothers.

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Finally, we drove up to Jerusalem. It was a surreal moment, and you could feel the anticipation and excitement in the air on the bus. We then unloaded from the bus, checked into our hotel, and capped off the day with a tasty dinner and a stroll down Ben Yahuda Street to see some of the local shops. All in all, it was another wonderful day and we look forward to tomorrow!

- Steve

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