Day 07 - Galilee - Jerusalem: Harod Spring, Caesarea Maritima, Azekah

Valleys, Kings, and the Road to Jerusalem

Today was a travel day in the truest sense. We left Galilee under dark skies and a fierce storm, heading south through the Jezreel Valley and then west toward the coast. The landscape shifted constantly outside the windows, green fields, wide plains, then the Mediterranean horizon.

Our first stop was Harod Spring. Here in Judges 7 and 8, Gideon’s army was reduced from thousands to three hundred men. At the same spring, Saul later gathered his forces in 1 Samuel 28 before facing the Philistines. Standing there, we compared these two leaders. Gideon, hesitant but obedient. Saul, fearful and increasingly distant from God. The same ground, two very different responses. It was a reminder that leadership is shaped less by position and more by trust.

From there we continued southwest to Caesarea Maritima, Herod the Great’s port city on the Mediterranean. We walked through aqueducts, the theater, palace remains, and the hippodrome. Built to honor Caesar and display Roman strength, the city later became central to the Gospel’s spread to the Gentiles. We reflected on Peter and Cornelius in Acts 10 and Paul’s imprisonment and defense before Felix and Festus in Acts 24-26. Even a newly opened cistern converted into a prison cell added weight to the story.

The afternoon brought a long drive south and east into the Shephelah. After some time in traffic, we ascended Tel Azekah overlooking the Elah Valley. There we revisited 1 Samuel 17 and the confrontation between David and Goliath. Seeing the valley makes the account feel grounded and real.

By evening we arrived in Jerusalem. The city now lies before us as we prepare for our final three days.

 
A Closing Devotional Reflection

Today we stood in places where decisions were made that shaped history. At Harod, Gideon’s army was reduced so that Israel would know victory came from the Lord. In the Elah Valley, David stepped forward when others stood back. In Caesarea, Peter crossed cultural boundaries and Paul stood before powerful rulers to testify about Christ.

In each location, the question was not simply about circumstances, but about trust.

When Gideon’s army was reduced, the odds looked worse, not better. When David faced Goliath, the imbalance was obvious. When Peter entered Cornelius’ home, it challenged long held assumptions. Yet in each case, obedience opened the way for God to act.

1 Samuel 17:45 says,
“You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts.”

Faith is not denial of reality. It is confidence in the greater reality of who God is.

As we enter Jerusalem, a city filled with triumph and tragedy, courage and compromise, we are reminded that every generation must decide how it will respond. Will we hesitate like Saul, or step forward like David? Will we guard our boundaries, or follow the Spirit like Peter?