Day 07 - Megiddo, Mount Carmel, Caesarea Maritima

What an amazing day! First we went to Megiddo, and saw in very visible ways the wealth of Solomon. We walked the length of one of his stables and saw the ingenuity of using the spring’s water pressure to pump water up to the stable yards. Megiddo overlooks the very fertile Jezreel Valley and you could say that he was a king who showed success in every way. Yet as we looked more closely, he had stopped following God's description of a good King. 1 Kings 11:11 tells us that Solomon did not please the Lord. Our Father let him keep the kingdom but not his son. After Solomon, the 12 tribes split and 10 went up to Dan. If Solomon was trying to create a legacy he failed. To protect your family is to follow the Lord.

We then drove to Mount Carmel and immediately found ourselves in the forest. The Israeli oak trees are strong drought resistant trees that can dig deep roots into the Rocky Mount Carmel. From the top of the mountain, we learned how Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal. Elijah was telling the people that you could not live in both worlds. You had to choose the world of Baal or follow the Lord.

Our next stop was the town of Caesarea Maritima where Peter preached to the Gentiles for the first time and where Paul was imprisoned for two years. What is amazing about this city is that it barely existed until Herod built an ingenious place for the ships to dock. He literally built a marina and the town rose up from that.

As we continue on this adventure to see Ancient Man and Modern Man I am so amazed and so appreciative of our God and that wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit. In the evening we arrived in Jerusalem where a bus stopped at floor 6, my room is on floor 2 and I now have to leave and find dinner which I think is on floor 4. Yes, I am grateful for the Holy Spirit!
- Paulamarie Young