Day 01 - Shephelah Region: Yad Hashmonah, Beth Shemesh, Azekah, Beth Guvrin (Maresha)

Our first touring day which was packed with sites to visit.
Our first stop was in a Kibbutz area where we saw replicas of a Synagogue, an Olive Oil press (Gethsemane, which is where the Garden where Jesus prayed got its name), and examples of burial caves.

Our second stop was Azekah, where we could look over the valley were David went into battle with Goliath only with that which God provided for him and not what the King wanted to give him.  Our challenge from Jared was for us to figure out what was God equipping each of us before we go into “battle” for him.

On our way to the Dead Sea we stopped to see a few caves which were amazing in the detail in which they were constructed and preserved until this time. Arriving at the Dead Sea was a spectacular view of the Dead Sea near to the hotel where we are spending the night.  Many of us floated in the Dead Sea water (which was heated by the hotel for us.  What an amazing experience!)
Tomorrow we move on to Masda and another full day of connecting the sites with Biblical history.

(Travel Days March 14 and 15, 2022):

After about an hour delay leaving DFW, we were finally on our way.  For many of us this was the opportunity to get some sleep during the long flight to Itanbul.  Many of us took that opportunity and got some rest.
Once in Istanbul, we encountered our next delay as we navigated our way through the airport.  PTL there was another delay that allowed us the time need to get through another security screening, but longer than expected.
We finally made it to Tel Aviv and thanks to GTI were able to navigate our way through passport control, customs and Covid testing.  We finally arrived into our rooms at about midnight in our hotel.

Jim Burke

Additional writing by Jacob DeLany:

Our first stop on the trip was to a biblical garden. I happened to see these verses on a pedestal next to one of the displays.

 “I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.” Ezekiel 36:24-28

 As we started going through Israel, it really hit me that this is the land that I’ve only read about. This was the site of so many of God’s greatest triumphs.  We stopped at Bet-Smemesh, the site of where Israel lost the Ark of the Covenant to the Philistines in 1 Samuel 4 and 5. We also saw the Valley of Elah and Azekah, where David and Goliath fought in 1 Samuel 17. 

 In both of these sites, God destroyed his enemies with total victory. God humiliated the idols of the Philistines and infected them with tumors until they returned the Ark of the Covenant. God killed the blasphemous giant through a teenage boy. 

 God is always victorious, and he always keeps his promises. Reading through Ezekiel 36: 24-28 filled me with joy. God has promised that he’ll bring his people back to himself. No enemy will be able to stop him. He is our God, and we are blessed to be his people. Being able to see Israel with my own eyes reminded me of that. And this was only the first day!