Day 6 – Thursday, May 12: Beth Shean, Shiloh, Jericho, Judean Desert, Ein Bokek, Dead Sea
Today we left the Galilee and drove south. Our final destination of the day was Ein Bokek and the Dead Sea. The sun was hazy today, with warmer temps around 90 in the south.
Beth Shean
We loaded the bus after breakfast and drove south, reading portions of Matthew 5-7 on the way. South of the Sea of Galilee we drove along the Jordan Valley to Beth Shean, the only city of the Decapolis on the west side of the Jordan. This is a massive archaeological site, primarily Roman. Here we saw the bathhouse, walked the colonnaded street, sat in the public latrenes, and sang in the impressive theater. Some in the group hiked up 190 steps to the top of the Old Testament site where Saul’s body was hung on the walls of the town square (1 Samuel 31, 1 Chronicles 10).
Shiloh
We continued south along the Jordan Valley about 20 minutes before ascending into the Hill Country of Samaria. We saw shepherds with the flocks, a few gazelles, and even one boar on our way to Shiloh (located about 20 miles north of Jerusalem). This was the location of Tabernacle for over 300 years until it was destroyed by the Philistines (1 Samuel 4). At the site we saw an impressive video presentation. By the ruins we read from 1 Samuel 3 (“Hineni” – “Here I am” was said here by young Samuel!), and Jeremiah 13.
Judean Desert & Parath
We continued our drive south towards Jericho. To get there we took a unique windy road down through the Judean Desert and specifically to the area of the Pareth (Parat in Hebrew) where Jeremiah once hid a linen belt (Jeremiah 13). The views were incredible. We spotted a few more gazelles.
“We traveled south today to there Dead Sea, but we saw great sites along the way: Beth Shean, Shiloh, Judean Desert, and Jericho. All these sites were related to the Bible in direct ways! This trip has been such an eye-opener so far, one that has touched my heart too in many ways.”
Jericho
We arrived at Jericho at the southern end of the Jordan Valley in time for a late lunch. We then climbed the site of ancient Jericho. We saw an old stone tower that predates even Abraham and a small portion of the city wall on the southern end. Mud-bricks and a burn level could also be seen in a few places. We recalled the Joshua 6 story how the city was defeated (and burned) by the Israelites.
Ein Bokek/Dead Sea
In the late afternoon we made our way along the western shoreline of the Dead Sea to Ein Bokek. We past Qumran, Ein Gedi, and Masada along the way (we’ll see these sties tomorrow). Once we arrived at our hotel, most in the group changed into our swimming suits and enjoyed a pre-dinner “float” in this unique body of water. What a wild experience this was!
Day 7 – Friday, May 13: Masada, Ein Gedi, Qumran, Wilderness of Judah, Jerusalem
