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Israel Study Tour with North Pointe Christian School
June 6-17, 2016
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The crossroads of life
Quotes of the day:
"Are we gonna see the Eiffel Tower from the airplane?" —Kayla
"I'm really excited to have less butts touching my shoulder when we get off the plane" —Mr. Bell (he had the aisle seat right by the bathroom)
"Hold your camels" —Ronen ( our guide)
Day one was amazing! After not sleeping much on the plane rides, we were all a bit sluggish! However, once we arrived we hit the ground running. First, we headed to Tel Gezer. Tel Gezer was a key city in the ancient world due to its strategic location for water, agriculture, trade, and defensibility. We also saw the city gates that Solomon rebuilt. At the city gate, judges would sit and settle disputes fairly. We were reminded that the city was a place of justice. We are to be city gates in our world and judge fairly. God has placed his people in the crossroads of life, just like Tel Gezer. Just like Gezer, we are to be cities on a hill and shine bright for Jesus. Deuteronomy 16:18-20. Next at Gezer we saw large stones. These stones were used by the Israelites as a memorial/reminder of the wonderful works God had done for them. Joshua 4:4-8. We were challenged to think of how we can remind ourselves of the amazing works God's done in our own lives.
Gezer
Situated near the International Coastal Highway and guarding the primary route into the Israelite hill country, Gezer was one of the most strategic cities in the Canaanite and Israelite periods. Gezer is a prominent 33-acre site that overlooked the Aijalon Valley and the road leading through it to Jerusalem. The tel was identified as biblical Gezer in 1871 by C. Clermont-Ganneau who two years later found the first of many boundary stones inscribed with the city’s name.
From Gezer we ate lunch, went to Beth Shemesh, went into a cistern, crawled in the cave were David cut off apart of Saul's cloak (Adullam) , Azekah ( the place of the David and Goliath story), and eventually ended up at our hotel. It's been a great start to our trip and we have all learned so much!
Prayer Requests:
-health and safety for the team
-for the Holy Spirit to open our hearts and soak it all in
Beth Shemesh
A border city between Judah and Dan, Beth Shemesh was given to the Levites. Beth Shemesh was the most important Israelite city in the Sorek Valley as it watched both east-west traffic through the Sorek Valley and north-south traffic along the “Diagonal Route.” Recent excavations have shown a thriving city here from the Middle Bronze Age through the Iron II period.
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