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Israel Pastor's FAM Trip - Presented by GTI Tours
January 2-13, 2020
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Effectiveness for the Lord
On day one the 59 members of the GTI Pastors Familiarization Trip went to a number of Biblical sites today focusing initially on the Shephelah. Shephelah, meaning “low hills” is the location of the town of Beth Shemesh. From Beth Shemesh we looked out towards the Mediterrean as we read through the story of Samson in Judges 13-16. One of the main things that polluted Samson’s effectiveness for the Lord was a life of constant compromise by violating his life-long nazarite vow and marriage to foreign women. The name Samson, meaning “light” or “reflection of God” was ironically tarnished by Delilah, whose name literally means “darkness” We were challenged by the fact that Samson was unaware that the Spirit of the Lord had left him in Judges 16:20 after revealing the secret of his strength to Delilah.
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.
Another highlight of the day was our visit to Azekah. Azekah indicates a strategic mountain crest overlooking the valley of Elah, the home of numerous battles in the Old Testament, most notably that of David and Goliath. We talked about God used the boldness of David’s leadership to overcome Israel’s neighboring enemies.
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.
Other sites of day one included Be’er Sheva and Beit Guvrin National Park.
Ber'erSheva
Beer-Sheva (/bɪərˈʃiːbə/; Hebrew: בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע About this sound Be'er Sheva [beʔeʁˈʃeva]; Arabic: بئر السبع About this sound Bi'ir as-Sab [biːr esˈsabeʕ]) is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the center of the fourth most populous metropolitan area in Israel, the eighth most populous city in Israel with a population of 203,604, and the second largest city with a total of 117,500 dunams (after Jerusalem).
Beth Guvrin (Maresha)
Beit Guvrin-Maresha National Park is a national park in central Israel, 13 kilometers from Kiryat Gat, encompassing the ruins of Maresha, one of the important towns of Judah during the time of the First Temple,[1] and Beit Guvrin, an important town in the Roman era, when it was known as Eleutheropolis.
Archaeological artifacts unearthed at the site include a large Jewish cemetery, a Roman-Byzantine amphitheater, a Byzantine church, public baths, mosaics and burial caves.
Written by Jonny Ardavanis—Camp Director, Hume Lake Christian Camps
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