Day 01 - Shephelah: Yad Hashmonah, Beth Shemesh, Azekah, Beit Guvrin

Our journey towards Jerusalem began today in Shephelah- the lowlands of Israel. Our sight was clouded by the haze that settled on the landscape, so we had to trust Ronan when he repeatedly told us what we COULD be seeing if it was a clear day. Despite the haze, the Shephelah’s rolling fertile hills were a beautiful sight.

Within the Bible (and into the present day) we are consistently given a picture of God’s blessings and power through what he gives in Shephelah. When God’s covenant people were obedient, it was a place of promised abundance fulfilled. We clearly saw that abundance through the vineyards and wheat fields all around us (Deuteronomy 8:6-9). When the people lost sight of God, or attempted to compromise with his commands, Shephelah became a place of strife and battle where God’s primacy was affirmed(1 Samuel 4, Judges 6 ). 

We began our day in the gardens of Yad Hashmonah (1 Sam. 4:1-7:2), learning about olive pressing, mikvahs, wine pressing, and burial practices– setting the groundwork for later teaching. We spent time learning from Ronan, atop the heights of Beth Shemesh and Tel Azekah as we looked down on the valleys where Samson retaliated against the Philistines (Judg. 13:1-16:30) and David faced Goliath (1 Sam. 17). We discussed the ways heroic men fell short and acted like children (Saul and Samson) but children with eyes fixed on God became heroes and stood as kings (David 1 Sam. 17). As one member of our group pointed out, the true hero of the Hebrew scriptures is God Himself–not the incredibly fallible people who we clumsily force onto pedestals of our own making. 

After spending time in the heights, we then went down to the depths- and God was still there (Psalm 139)! We descended into the darkness of an ancient cistern, and took in the otherworldly beauty of Beit Guvrin’s caves and columbariums. A beautiful, and refreshingly cool,  way to end our day in Shephelah.

Tomorrow we head into the Wilderness!