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

Our first day walking the Land of Israel had us learning so much and taking mad notes! We are recovering from travel and acclimating to a new time zone.

We started our day visiting a Biblical Garden called Kiriath Jearim where we learned about seasons and harvests, wine pressing and wheat threshing. We saw graves and gardens and a vineyard, an ossuary and a mikveh (a bath for ritual cleansing).

The Ark of the Covenant with the very presence of the Living God was in this area. The Ark was not simply “God in a Box” to spit out blessings like a vending machine, but a reminder to remember—and not to forget—God.

Yad Hashmonah, the “Memorial of the Eight” here honors eight Finnish soldiers who were killed at war.

Our tour guide, Ronen, introduced us to the Seven Species from Deuteronomy 6:7-8 “For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey. Deuteronomy‬ ‭8‬:‭7‬-‭8‬.

Our next site was Beth Shemesh where we considered the life of Samson, one of the judges in the Bible who lived a complicated life of compromise. Ronen encouraged us that, “God is using us in different ways,” and challenged us to ask, “Are we following the right God?”

We hiked Tel Azekah, which overlooks the Valley of Elah, where the account of the well-known battle of David and Goliath took place. Saul was “a king who acted like a boy” (afraid to defend his people and place) and David was “a boy who acted like a king” (risking his life to protect the people and the place).

Next, we visited Beth Guvrin/Maresha where we explored several caves that were created by ancient mining for limestone and chalk. Now inhabited by bats and birds, they are striking examples of soft stone/rock.

Beersheba, the southern border of Israel (boundaries were from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south) was our final stop. The name means “Well of the Oath” or “Well of Seven” and the town is renowned for Abraham’s Well. Located in the desert—or wilderness—the well was the center of social life and provided the essential resource of water.

What a beautiful beginning to our Israel Adventures! Our understanding of the wilderness, compromise, the importance of water and the value of foods (Seven Species) is growing as we go.