Within Eyesight!

Today, we toured the Shephelah, the hilly country of southern Israel between the Judean mountains and the coastal plain. We visited the site of the ancient (and modern) city of Beth-Shemesh which overlooks the valley of Sorek, where the majority of Samson's story took place.

Our tour guide pointed out Zorah (Samson's village) and Timnah (the Philistine village where he found his wife). The two towns were only a couple miles apart, just down the road and across the valley from each other, well within eyesight.

One of the great things about visiting the Holy Land is that these scenes in Scripture come to life. The next time I read the story of Samson, I'll picture the valley where it happened.
--Andrew Winter

Clouds scatter the sky above us. The sun peeks through, making spotlights on tels and valleys. Stepping off the bus, we walk up a steep, paved path that turns into carved chalk steps. It still feels humid from the rain earlier today. We look up and see tall brick walls and carved limestone upon rocky hills. Long grass grows between the boulders that ascend up to the ancient ruins of Lachish. Our tour guide, Judah (pronounced Ya-Who-Dah), made the “ch” harsh in his thick accent making it sound more like Lah-Heesh. We continue up the ramp on the side of the fort. It takes a sharp turn right before the entry that makes it easier to defend. We walk up onto a giant plateau and can see for miles around us. Jerusalem is to the left. Rolling hills, covered in residual fog, are in front of us. The coastal plains are behind us. We imagine how Hezekiah’s armies protected themselves from the Assyrians here and later on how the Jews fell to the Babylonians here.

--SJ Winter