Day 3 – Monday, May 6: Caesarea, Carmel, Megiddo, Precipice of Nazareth, Tiberias
Today was our first full day here in Israel and a great start to our trip. We made many biblical connections all day long. Today was also the Holocaust memorial day, making for a special time at Caesarea this morning. The weather included a great bit of sun in the morning, with clouds and sun in the afternoon. Temps were in the 70s. We read from Psalm 44:8 as we left the hotel at 7:30.
Caesarea
Our first stop here in the Sharon Plain was Caesarea. We were the only group here! This was an impressive coastal city built by Herod the Great over a 12 year period (22-10 BC). In the theater we read from Acts 8 (Phillip), 9 (Paul), 10 (Peter), Acts 12 (Agrippa 1), Acts 21 (Philip), and Acts 26 (Paul). From here we walked across the city to see the palace, hippodrome, the location of the grand harbor, and the Crusader gate, wall, and mote. At 10 a.m., the sirens sounded as we then stood in silence in honor of the 6 million Jews who were killed in the Holocaust. We also saw an impressive porphyry (purple) statue, probably that of Hadrian. Before we left the site, we saw the aqueduct that brought water into the city.
Mt. Carmel
Our second destination of the day was to Mt. Carmel, a mountain range overlooking the Jezreel Valley on one side and the Mediterranean Sea on the other. The place visited here is call Muhraha. We first entered a small Carmelite chapel where we read passages such as Isaiah 35, Amos 1 & 9, 2 Kings 4, Songs of Songs 7, Jeremiah 46 & 50, and 1 Kings 18 that reference Mt. Carmel. This last narrative captures the confrontation that took place between Elijah and the prophets of Baal! We then climbed to the roof to the chapel for an incredible view. The visibly was very clear! Here we could see Mt. Gilboa (1 Samuel 31), the Hill of Moreh (Judges 6-7, 2 Kings 4), Mt. Tabor (Judges 4-5), Cana (in the Lower Galilee (John 2,4), and Nazareth (Luke 1,4). Following this visit, we drove five minutes to a wonderful lunch at a Druze restaurant.
“Today was our first full day here in Israel. The 15 of us enjoyed the day, with many biblical connections along the way. We are already impressed with how beautiful Israel is. Each of the regions are unique.”
Megiddo
Located along the edge of the Jezreel Valley is Megiddo. This archaeological site was about 25 layers of occupation spanning a period of about 2,500 years! It was a Canaanite and Israelite city. Pharaohs like Thutmose III conquered it in 1468 BC. Climbing the site, we saw 3 series of city gates, Solomon’s stables and palace, a sacrificial altar from the Early Bronze Period, and a grain silo. Unfortunately because of repairs being done, the water system was closed.This was engineered to bring water safely inside the walls of the city. We also had a great view of the Jezreel Valley referred to as the Valley of Armageddon in Revelation 16. In the end, God wins when Jesus returns!
Precipice of Nazareth
To end the day we drove across the Jezreel valley. We passed near Tel Jezreel (Kings 21 and 2 Kings 8-9 and the slopes of the Gilboa Range (1 Samuel 31) on our way to the Precipice of Nazareth. The visibility from here of Mt. Tabor, the Hill or Moreh, Gilboa, and Mt. Carmel to the west was so impressive! To the east we could even see the Hills of Gilead across the Jordan Valley (in Jordan today). We considered the life of Jesus as read from Luke 4 and John 1.
From here we drove to our hotel (En Gev) on the Southeast side of the Sea of Galilee. It’s a very nice “kibbutz-hotel” on the shoreline of the lake. Upon arriving, we enjoyed dinner and a free evening. What a great first full day!
Day 4 – Tuesday, May 7: Gamla, Katzrin, Hippos/Sussita, Khirbet Cana
