Day 9 – Tuesday, May 6: Yad Vashem, Shephelah: Gezer, Beth Shemesh, Lachish, Socoh, Jerusalem
Today began with a very solemn visit to Israel’s Holocaust Museum & Memorial and ended with a fun and inspiring visit of the Elah Valley where David defeated Goliath and the Philistines. The weather was perfect, with sunny skies and high temps in the 70s. Our morning jackets were quickly shed as it warmed up. We read from Psalm 137 as we left the hotel at 7:30. Shlomo also sang the psalm in Hebrew for us.
Yad Vashem
Our first stop in the morning required us to drive to West Jerusalem. Here we visited the Israel’s Holocaust Museum & Memorial. It is called Yad Vashem, named after a verse in Isaiah 56:5 that mentions the “memorial and a name.” Among a section called The Avenue of the Righteous, we first heard the personal story from Shlomo about his family during this tragic event. He lost 12 family members in Vilna, Poland (pictured). This included four first cousins. We then walked through the Children’s Memorial and the museum itself. It was a somber experience recalling the horrors of the Holocaust and the loss of six million Jews.
Gezer
In the late morning, we descended west to the Shephelah (lowlands) of Judah. Our first stop was Tel Gezer. Located on the Aijalon Valley, this was both a Canaanite and Israelite city, full of walls, towers, and gates. We saw the replica of the “Gezer Calendar.” We also recalled Ecclesiastes 3 about the “seasons of life.” From the observation mound we saw the Aijalon Valley mentioned in Joshua 10 (i.e. the sun standing still over the Valley of Aijalon….) Among the Middle Bronze ruins many of us used the new steel stairway down to the bottom of the water system (175 steps down). This water system was originally used by Canaanites. We then left these Canaanite ruins and continued to the Israelite (Iron Age) area to see ancient house structures and a chambered gate dating to Solomon (1 Kings 9). Walking back to the bus we saw the Canaanite high place and standing stones.
Beth Shemesh
From here we continued south to visit the site of Beth Shemesh. Located along the Sorek Valley, Beth Shemesh was a prominent Israelite town known for their many water cisterns. Across the valley is Zorah, the hometown of Samson (Judges 13-16). Further west down the valley was the Philistine city of Timnah where Samson’s first wife was from (only 3.5 miles away). We also read the narrative of 1 Samuel 6 about the Ark of the Covenant being returned to Israel by the Philistines living in Ekron. We could see the story unfold right before our very eyes! The battle between Amaziah and Joash also took place here (2 Chronicles 25).
“Once again, we re-adjusted our schedule because of the closure of the Dead Sea road again. It was another great day, as we started in Jerusalem at Yad Vashem, and ended in the Shephelah (lowlands) of Judah visiting Old Testament sites. We ended the day seeing where David fought Goliath.”
Lachish
In the southern Shephelah is Lachish. This was our next stop. Lachish was a Canaanite city taken by Joshua in two days (Joshua 10). Later, it became an important well-fortified city under the leadership of Rehoboam (2 Chronicles 11). The Judean city saw two destructions, one at the hands of the Assyrians in 701 BC (2 Kings 20, Isaiah 36), and later by the Babylonians in 587 BC. Before climbing the tel, we first saw the newly-completed Visitor Center. We saw a replica of the war relief of the battle (the real one is in the British Museum in London) and we watched a wonderful video about the site, including the famous Assyrian siege of the city. Climbing the site, we saw a replica of the Lachish Letter #4, one of about 18-20 ostraca (pottery with inscriptions). It mentions Azekah and Lachish as two Judean cities holding out. Jeremiah 34:7 says the same thing. Also among the ruins we saw the double walls and gates, the Assyrian siege ramp, and the palace.
Socoh
In the late afternoon on our way back to Jerusalem, we climbed some of the site of Tel Socoh. This ancient city located along the heart of the Elah Valley has been not excavated, yet it is mentioned in the story of 1 Samuel 17 (the Philistines camped on the ride between Azekah and Socoh). It was in the narrow part (in Hebrew, gai) of the valley where David battled Goliath. David faced the battle with this giant in the confidence of the Lord! We can face our battles with the same confidence!
We returned back to the Hill Country of Judah by taking a unique two-land road back to Jerusalem and our hotel. Following dinner, we enjoyed a free evening on our own.
Day 10 – Wednesday, May 7: Old City Jerusalem, Qumran, Dead Sea, Judean Desert/Wadi Qelt, Old City Jerusalem
