Day 13 – Thursday, February 27: Precipice of Nazareth, Megiddo, Mt. Carmel, Caesarea, Jerusalem, Western Wall
This morning we depart the Galilee towards Jerusalem. We checked out of our hotel at 7:30 enroute to the area of Nazareth. The weather was perfect throughout the day, with a warmer morning, full sun, fairly good visibility, and afternoon highs in the 60s.. We read Luke 9 (Feeding go the 5000) and John 4 (miracle “from a distance” at Cana).
Precipice of Nazareth
We drove south through the Lower Galilee to the Precipice of Nazareth. The visibility from here was good, allowing us to see Mt. Tabor (Judges 4), the Hill of Moreh (Judges 7), Mt. Gilboa (1 Samuel 31), and Mt. Carmel to the west (1 Kings 18). This was essentially the “backyard” of Jesus while He grew up in Nazareth. We considered the life of Jesus as read from Luke 4. Jesus came for the purpose of offering redemption to both Jews and Gentiles alike. While Nathaniel questioned “What good can come from Nazareth?,” Philip responded, “Come and see!” (John 1).
Megiddo
Located along the edge of the Jezreel Valley is Megiddo. We drove across this broad Jezreel Valley to get here. 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 about 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. 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! We walked to the water system that was engineered to bring water safely inside the walls of the city. However, the entrance was closed.
Mt. Carmel
Driving along the “byways” (edge) of the valley, we then ascended to the highest peak of Mt. Carmel. This is a mountain range overlooking the Jezreel Valley on one side and the Mediterranean Sea on the other. Upon arriving at the site, we first entered a Carmelite chapel called Muhraha. The passages of Amos 1 and 9, Isaiah 35, and Songs of Songs 7 all refer to Carmel. The primary story (1 Kings 18) involved Elijah who confronted the 450 prophets of Baal, the Phoenician/Canaanite god of rain and thunder! Elisha was also on this mountain range (2 Kings 4). The view of the Jezreel Valley from the top of the roof of the chapel was very good. Looking west we could see not only Caesarea but also the high-rises of Tel Aviv! Nearby we ate a great buffet lunch at a nearby Druze restaurant.
“We traveled from the Galilee today to Jerusalem. We saw great sites along the way, like the Precipice of Nazareth, Jezreel Valley, Mt. Tabor, Hill of Moreh, Megiddo, Mt. Carmel, and Caesarea. The biblical connections with this land and these sites keep on coming!”
Caesarea
Following lunch, we descended down to the Sharon Plain to Caesarea. In the theater of this city built by Herod the Great in 22-10 BC, we read from Acts 10 (Peter), Acts 12 (Agrippa 1), Acts 21 (Philip), and Acts 26 (Paul). We then walked across this ancient city to see the palace, hippodrome, the location of the grand harbor, and the Crusader gate, wall, and mote. Before leaving the site we saw the aqueduct and enjoyed sticking our feet in the Mediterranean Sea.
Jerusalem/Western Wall
In the late afternoon (4:50), we began our drive around Tel Aviv before we ascended to Jerusalem. We entered this magnificent city and saw our first glimpse of the Old City. We checked into our hotel and enjoyed an later dinner. Following dinner, many walked to the Western Wall, the most hotly place for Jews today! We are looking forward to our first full day in Jerusalem tomorrow, Israel’s capital!
Day 14 – Friday, February 28: Jerusalem: Yad Vashem, Israel Museum, Mt. of Olives, Old City
