Day 01 - Crossroads of the World: Shephelah

Shalom and good evening to all! Today was our first day exploring the Holy Land, and what a deep dive it was into the Scriptures and the rich history of Israel. Our team awoke to a delicious buffet for breakfast. After, we met outside for a morning devotional led by Pastor Ralph. He inspired us with the theme for our trip, “Crossroads of the World”. God places His people in strategic places within the culture that surrounds us to bring the attention and glory to Him and Him alone. Ralph taught that this is what God did in Biblical times, and His strategy has not changed. As God’s children, He has gifted us in the ways we are called to impact those around us. That is our mission.

After our devotion, we boarded our bus and made our way to the first site of the trip, Gezer. Pastor Ralph and our guide, Yehuda, taught us about this key location in the history of Israel as a vital trade route for thousands of years, dating back into ancient times when nations would vie for control of the fertile crescent. As a result, the Israelites and Philistines clashed often over it. It was the crossroads of the ancient world, and looking out from that location, we were moved by how strategic God was (and is) about the positioning of his people.

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 tell 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.

Our second stop was at Beth Shemesh. Yehuda pointed out Zorah, where Samson was born and lived. Down from Zorah, we saw the Valley of Sorek and the area where Timnah, a Philistine city, used to be. Samson’s first “girlfriend lived at Timnah and his last girlfriend, Delilah, lived somewhere in the same valley.  We reflected on Samson’s life and what we can learn from him. Beth Shemesh was also the site where the Philistines returned the Ark of the Covenant on a cart. The Philistines figured that if the cows would walk up the hill on their own, that it was God’s will that the Ark be returned to its rightful spot. The Scriptures say that the cows went lowing the whole way, but they stayed on the road and did not waver. We discussed that yes, God calls us to do things that we may not understand or even like, but we are called to obey anyway, even if we “low all the way.” Obedience is so important, even when it’s difficult for us in our humanity.

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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Our third stop for the day was at Azekah. At this location, we overlooked the Valley of Elah, which is the historic site where David defeated Goliath the Philistine. Pastor Ralph taught us about the difference between Saul, who stood a head taller than all the men around him and had weapons and armor, and David, the young shepherd boy with a stone and sling. In that conflict, Saul should have been Israel’s champion, but he was afraid. When he realized that David was willing to fight, Saul tried to put his own armor on David. Ralph helped us see how this Scripture should apply to our lives. Do not wear someone else’s armor. You are gifted specifically and intentionally by God to do what he’s called you to do in life. Do what you’re called to do, in the way you’re called to do it. As our Pastor so eloquently taught us today, “throw your own stone”.

Azekah
Azekah (Heb: עזקה, ʿazeqah) was a town in the Shephelah guarding the upper reaches of the Valley of Elah, about 26 km (16 mi) northwest of Hebron. The current tell (ruin) by that name has been identified with the biblical Azekah, dating back to the Canaanite period. According to Eusebius' Onomasticon, the name meant "white" in the Canaanite tongue. The tell is pear shaped with the tip pointing northward. Due to its location in the Elah Valley it functioned as one of the main Judahite border cities, sitting on the boundary between the lower and higher Shephelah.[1] Although listed in Joshua 15:35 as being a city in the plain, it is actually partly in the hill country, partly in the plain.

Our fourth and final stop of the day was Maresha (Beth Guvrin).  Located in the Judean southern lowlands (the Shephelah), Maresha was a thriving city in Biblical times and the Hellenistic period. It is especially known for its maze of hand-chiseled caves. These caves were used for columbarium (caves with hand-carved niches used for raising pigeons), cisterns and quarries for brick making and caves that pressed olives creating oil. Yehuda explained the olive oil production process of that time, including stone basins used to crush olives into pulp. These were often placed in caves, where the moderate temperature improved the efficiency of the oil production. The olive oil was used in baths, cooking, and most commonly – for operating oil lamps. It was key ingredient to commerce. Olive oil is referenced throughout scripture and is often associated with abundance, joy and gladness.

Maresha - Beth Guvrin      
Maresha was on the cities of Judah during the time of the First Temple and is mentioned as part of the inheritance of the biblical tribe of Judah in the Book of Joshua (Joshua 15:44). In 2 Chronicles 11:5-10, it is named as one of King Rehoboam’s fifteen fortified cities.  It was destroyed by Sennacherib in 701 BC and eventually became the capital city of the Idumeans.

Eight hundred bell-shaped pits in the area are remains of ancient quarries, probably dating to the 4th–9th centuries AD. Because this stone was too soft to be used for building, people mined the stone to be burnt for lime and used it in mortar and plaster. The quarry was opened from a 3.5-foot (1-m) hole in the hard Nari surface above and then was widened out to create the mine.

After leaving Maresha, we boarded our bus and followed the road east all the way to the Dead Sea, which is almost a two-hour drive. It was incredible to witness the change in landscape. As we drove, we saw markers on the cliffs beside us showing how far above (or below!) sea level we were.

Thank you all so very much for praying for our trip, for our safety and for our hearts and minds as we learn more about Israel and grow deeper in our faith. Being here forever changes how we will read the Bible. We want to grow in our faith in a meaningful way in the days to come, and we’re so very thankful to have all of you at home supporting us. 

That’s all for today. Much love and peace to all reading these words. We love you and we cannot wait to share more of our adventures!

CIC Israel ‘22