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Israel Study Tour with Grace Central Coast
October 28 - November 9, 2019
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Faith should be bold and courageous
From our first day in Israel, my God reminded me that my faith should be bold and courageous. I’m reminded that our King wants us to drink from His living water to be satisfied, and that we often fail Him by choosing things of this world.
We visited Beth Shemesh, an area below the Judaean mountains where Samson was born and raised. Here we explored the strict parameters of Samson’s life as a Nazarite, and how he compromised his calling by giving into his own selfish desires. During this time, the Spirit put on my heart the areas in my own life where I have been compromising my faith, and what it looks like for me to seek Jesus for things like satisfaction and value.
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.
Later on, we hiked to the top of Azekah, a mountain that overlooks the Valley of Elah where David fought Goliath. Pastor Ken spoke of David’s life, and how unlikely a boy like him was capable of defeating a fierce warrior like Goliath. David, in his defeat of Goliath, displayed boldness and courage in a living King, and we were challenged to think of how we can show that same boldness in our lives for others.
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.
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