Day 6 – Sunday, September 8: Beth Shean, Sahne/Gan HaShlosha, Shiloh, Jericho, Judean Desert (Theme of the Day: Obediently hearing God speak)
Today we checked out of our hotel here in Tiberias and began out journey southward. It’s been a great stay here in the north, connecting with Jesus at many sites. Following breakfast we loaded the bus and left at 7:30 once again. We read portions of Matthew 5-7 (Sermon on the Mount) as we drove to Beth Shean, our first site.
Beth Shean
We traveled south of the Sea of Galilee nearly 20 miles through the Jordan Valley to Beth Shean. This ancient site is an incredibly large site, with many ruins from the Roman Period. We saw colonnaded streets, the bathhouse, agora, public latrenes, and the theater. Some in the group climbed to the top of the OT site. According to 1 Samuel 31 (and 1 Chronicles 10), the body of Saul was hung on the walls of the town square after he died on near by Mt. Gilboa. The men from Jabesh Gilead (located on the east side of the Jordan Valley), came at night to rescue the body of Saul.
Sahne
Nearby to Beth Shean, we added an extra site to cool off and have fun in the water! This national park is called Sahne (Gan HaShlosha). This natural pool is fed by the Harod Spring at the base of Mt. Gilboa (the same spring mentioned in the Gideon story (Judges 6-7). We had a great time swimming and getting under the water falls. We spent about an hour here.
Shiloh
Next, we drove into the Hill Country of Ephraim/Samaria to Shiloh. When we arrived, we saw a hologram about the Tabernacle. Then we made our way up this ancient site where the Tabernacle once stood here for over 300 years. It was destroyed by the Philistines (1 Samuel 4). We watched a short movie about the events that took place here. We also read from 1 Samuel 3 (the call of Samuel) and Jeremiah 7. Among the ruins we saw a massive Middle Bronze wall that was incorporated into the Israelite site. Other structures, including perhaps the Holy of Holies area (as proposed by archaeologist Dr. Scott Stripling) could also be seen. It was young Samuel who said, “Hineni” (“Here I am!”) When God called Him into service. Others like Moses (Exodus 3), Abraham (Genesis 22), and Isaiah (Is. 6) used this word. The author of Hebrews (in Hebrews 10) even quotes from Psalm 40 where the word appears there also.
“What a special day it was today and what great sites we encountered! First, Beth Shean is a huge impressive site with both Old and New Testament connections. Shilo was another site where we stood together in the proposed ‘Holy of Holies’ by some archaeologists! It was a heart-inspiring experience!”
Judean Desert
Driving past Bethel (Gen. 12, 28) and Mishmash (1 Samuel 13-14), we then continued through the Desert of Parat (a small section of the Judean Desert), we enjoyed some incredible vistas as we drove a windy road down to the bottom of the desert. We saw one gazelle on the way. We read from Jeremiah 13 (hiding the linen belt). We drove into a Jewish community (Maale Adummim) for a wonderful view of the Wadi Qelt. Here we met “Isaiah, the Prophet” and heard words of encouragement and Isaiah 40. Shlomo also sang Psalm 23 for us in Hebrew.
We descended down towards Jericho and to our hotel for the night (Kibbutz Almog). Since the city of Jericho was closed off today, we could not see the ancient site where the “walls came tumblin’ down.” We hope to include it in tomorrow’s schedule. At the hotel, we enjoyed dinner and an overnight here at this modest place.
Day 7 – Monday, September 9: Qumran, Jericho, Ein Gedi, Masada, Dead Sea (Theme of the Day: Finding God in the desert)
