Bet She’an, Mount Carmel, Caesarea Maritima

We crested the hill looking over Bet She’an and were overcome by the size and beauty of the city. It looks nothin like anything we have seen up to this point. It is a huge sprawling city covered in marble columns that look like they were taken from Rome. We walked down the side of the hill into the stone covered streets, beside the massive columns into the theatre of this town. Here we sat and thought about the significance of this town. It was situated at one of the northern most points of the “Via Maris” which serves a s the highway connecting Egypt to the civilizations in Mesopotamia. As a result this city was shaped by the cultures around them. The theatre we sat in was evidence of the Greek influence, however the entertainment here was more Roman in content. Filled with plays that were vulgar and grotesque in content meant only for entertainment it felt like a dark place. It was sitting in these seats we discussed how we can live in a culture without being influenced by it.

From here we headed to Mount Carmel to the place where Elijah challenged the prophets of vail. Even with our view being limited by the clouds you could look down from the top of the mountain to the village at the base of the mountain where the people would have walked two hours up the mountain to the place where Elijah showed them just how great our God is! He gave the prophets of Baal almost the entire day to prove their god, and then at 3:00 – the time of sacrifice – Elijah prayed to God and He sent a fire that consumed the sacrifice and the altar it was offered on. I’m struck by just how far Elijah is willing to go to prove and show God to the Israelites. I hope I can be that bold and go to that length to show God to those around me.

Our final stop for the day was in a city called Caesarea Maritima. Historically, this city is hugely significant. This was a city built by Herod the Great that was an architectural feat unmatched for centuries. The jewel of the architecture of this city was the port he built. It was the largest man-made port in the Mediterranean Sea, which gave Israel its only port city in the entire country. This gave Israel the ability to connect to every major port on the entire Mediterranean Sea. Biblically, Paul either left from or returned to this port city on every single one of his missionary journeys, and on one occasion he was placed on house arrest in this town. To think that Herod – who cares nothing for God – built the place that God used to take the gospel to the world is evidence of how God can use all things for His own glory. I hope that we will find launching points in our lives to take the gospel into the world.

It’s been a great trip so far, filled with high points, I look forward t the next few days in Jerusalem.