Humble Beginnings

After night one, we were up and ready for another day of experiencing the land of the Israel. Striving to make the most of every minute we are here, we woke up at 6, had breakfast and a devotion, then headed to our second experience in the Shephelah. We were anticipating a long and exciting day of exploring some very meaningful places in the Bible.

The first stop was Beth-Shemesh and the Soreq Valley, the region is Samson. As we arrived at a rocky sitting place we all gathered around to look at what the Scripture had to say. In Judges 13-16 we see the story of Samson. We discussed the impact of leaving a legacy through our lives, whether good or bad, and how big of a difference that legacy can make in the next generations. Will we follow what is right in our own eyes, or faithfully obey and follow what is right in the eyes of the Lord?

The next experience led us on a steep, difficult hike up Tel-Azekah, where at the top we overlooked the incredible Valley of Elah. Most famously known for the setting of the David and Goliath story, this site really impacted our group in tremendous ways. We looked at the Scripture from the beginning of King Saul's reign up to the anointing of young David as future king of Israel to the killing of Goliath, the Philistine giant. What is amazing is that the geography that we read in Scripture clearly lines up with exactly what we saw before our very eyes this morning! We were reminded that the Lord looks inwardly at the heart and our obedience while man commonly looks at outward appearance to find leadership and success. We saw the great faith that David had and his obedience to boldly follow through with his faith to the point of going up against Goliath. Because he was faithful and obedient, God helped him defeat the enemy so that the whole world would know that there is a God! Are we faithfully and obediently using the tools and experiences that God gives us to make His Name known to the world?

After a refreshing lunch, we then made our way to a tel that is the location of the old city of Gath, the Philistine city where Goliath was from. Along the way to the top, we stopped and went inside a small cave, where shepherds would typically bring their sheep for protection, shelter, and security. We saw a picture of how God is our protection and shelter, but also remembered that Jesus was humbly born in a similar place. He came into the messy, sinful world to bring rescue and hope for everyone! This was amazing to reflect on as we all stood in this little cave just like the ones found in Bethlehem. Upon reaching the top of this tel, we had an incredible 360 degree view of the land from the coastal plains all the way to the Judaean mountains. We could see for miles and miles!

We finished the day by exploring the Cave of Adullam, where David fled by himself after fleeing from Saul and departing from Gath in 1 Samuel 21-22. Here we learned about the importance of community in our lives and how it is so crucial to have strong relationships with people that can help encourage and strengthen our faith. If David had remained alone, who knows what would have happened, but community came to him and he thrived! Community changes everything! Are we being intentional about building meaningful relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ in community?

Today was a long, hard, and exciting first full day. The Lord spoke in huge ways to our group! Tired and hot, we hopped on our bus and headed south to our hotel for dinner and our second night’s stay here in Israel! We are now down south in the Negev, or desert region, anticipating another full day tomorrow. We are so thankful for the life-changing experience that we had today, and look forward to sharing it more with everyone personally when we get home. Thanks for keeping in touch!