Day 6 – Thursday, January 9: Qumran, Wadi Qelt, Shiloh, Beth Shean
Today was another brilliantly sunny day, with temps around 70 (a bit cooler at windy Shiloh). We have appreciated so far this dry weather pattern here in Israel (it was wet and rainy last week before we arrived). After breakfast, we headed to Qumran, only two minutes away). We read from Jeremiah 32 (about putting documents into clay jars to preserver them) as we drove to Qumran’s entrance.
Qumran
The most significant discovery in all of Israel was the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran in 1947. We arrived here at about 7:45 a.m. We walked up to the edge of the cliffs of the Judean Desert to see Cave 6, one of 12 caves in which fragment of scrolls were found. These texts of Scripture and other sectarian texts were written by the Essenes. At the site itself we saw many miqveot (plural for mikve, or ritual baths), cisterns, and the scriptorium. In front of Cave 4 (and 5 & 10), we read from Psalm 19 and “151,” an extra psalm found here. We also remembered 2 Timothy 3:16 about God’s inspired Word. Thanks be to God for the preservation of His Word and the joy, instruction, direction, and hope it provides us!
Wadi Qelt/Judean Desert
We drove back past Jericho and began our ascent towards Jerusalem. We turned off the road for a fabulous view of the Wadi Qelt, part of the Judean Desert. Here we heard “Isaiah the prophet” share from chapter 40 of his book. We also heard Shlomo sing Psalm 23 in Hebrew.
Shiloh
Next, we drove into the Hill Country of Ephraim to Shiloh. When we arrived, 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 first heard about the five red heifers who are now housed here (they came from Texas). Next, we saw a hologram about the Tabernacle. After walking to the top of the site, we watched a short movie about the biblical events that took place here. Standing within the suggested “Holy of Holies” we 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. It was young Samuel who said, “Hineni” (“Here I am!”) When God called Him into service. Abraham, Jacob, Moses and Isaiah also used this meaningful word in response to God’s calling upon their lives. Before we left Shiloh, most in the group enjoyed a huge hamburger and fries brought in from Eli, a Jewish community.
“We traveled north today from the Dead Sea area to the Sea of Galilee. Our sites and experiences in between were amazing once again. We continue to be blessed by perfect weather and a wonderful spirit among the group!”
Beth Shean
We traveled north from here along the Jordan Valley to Beth Shean. The ride took about an hour and a half. Since we arrived late, we were allowed to stay beyond the closing time. 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. Many 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.
Tiberias
At 5 p.m. we drove about 18 miles to the southern end of the Sea of Galilee, and then another five to Tiberias. We checked into our hotel (Ron Beach, located right on the water’s edge), followed by a wonderful dinner (with ice cream!) and a restful evening. We are staying here four nights!
Day 7 – Friday, January 10: Arbel, Yardenit (Jordan River Optional Baptism), Kinneret Cemetery, Magdala, Ancient Boat, Boat Ride
