Day 01 - Yad Hashmonah, Beth Shemesh, Azekah, Caves of Adullam, Beth Guvrin (Maresha)

After a late night arrival in Israel Monday night, we were able to spend today touring the land of Israel!

We spent the day in the Shephelah (the place between the mountains where the Israelites lived) and the coast (where the Philistines lived). The Shephelah is where the people of God met the rest of the world. We talked about why God chose this land as the promised land for his people. Of all land, why this land? We talked about how, even though this land is relatively quite small, it stood at the crossroads of the ancient world.

We started our day at an archaeological park. The Bible began to come to life as we got a glossary for so many of the images and ideas we find in the Bible. 

We moved on to Tel Gezer, a city that Solomon built up after he became king. We talked about how King Solomon was supposed to use his position to influence the rest of the world but, instead, found himself influenced by the cultures around him. It made me wonder if (or where) I am being influenced.

After Tel Gezer, we traveled to Bet Shemesh and talked about the story of Samson, a story that happened in the valley we stood above. We talked about how so much of the story of Samson was a story of compromise. Again, he was to be a witness for God but found himself compromising as he became influenced by the world around him.

We then traveled to Azekah, a mountain that overlooks the valley where David fought Goliath. We learned that the story of David vs Goliath is less a story of the boy David vs the giant Goliath and more a story of God vs the god of Goliath and the Philistines. This is one of the most familiar stories in the Bible, and yet, hearing it where it happened brought the whole story to life. 

We ended our day at the Caves of Adullam. This was a cave in the area where David had to hide from Saul when Saul was looking to kill him. We ended our day in a way that made a deeply personal impact.  Our group is already becoming a community … and the Bible is coming to life!