Day 3 – Friday, September 5: Caesarea, Megiddo, Beth Shean, Precipice of Nazareth, Tiberias
Today was our first full day here in Israel. We are all excited to engage with the Bible and the primary land where biblical events took place. The day’s weather was very hot with full sun and afternoon highs (at Beth Shean around 100). After a wonderful full breakfast, we loaded the bus and left about 7:30. We read Psalm 100 and the “Modeh Ani” prayer of thanksgiving as we drove north to our first site. We also learned the song, “Oh, the Sun’s Coming Up.”
Caesarea Maritima
We drove north in the Sharon Plain to get to our first site, Caesarea Maritima. It was a city built between 22-10 BC by Herod the Great.We started the the theater where we read portions of Acts 8, 9, 10, 12, 21, and 26. Peter, Phillip, and Paul were all here sharing their faith in Christ. Among the ruins the praetorium (palace, where we saw a replica of the Pilate Inscription found in 1961 in secondary use), hippodrome, and the area of the harbor. We then entered the Crusader part of the city. We saw a short 10 minute movie about Herod and Caesarea. Before leaving the site, we also saw the aqueduct that brought fresh water into Caesarea from the Carmel Range.
Carmel Range
Leaving Caesarea, we drove through the Carmel Range (or Mt. Carmel). This range separates the Sharon Plain with the Jezreel Valley. Although we did not drive to the top of this ridge, on the bus we read from Isaiah 35, Amos 1 and 9, and Song of Songs 7. The primary story connected with Elijah the the Carmel Range comes from 1 Kings 18.
Megiddo
As we drove along the edge of the Jezreel Valley arrived at Megiddo, an archaeological site that has about 25 levels of occupation that span 2,500 years! After seeing a model of the tel (ancient mound), we walked to the top of this Canaanite/Israelite site. We saw two Canaanite gate complexes, the gate, stables and palace area of Solomon (1 Kings 9:15), a sacrificial altar (Canaanite), and a grain silo. The also enjoyed a great view of the surrounding hills from here and the valley itself (Revelation 16:16). We left the site but deciding down 180 steps through the impressive water system that was designed and engineered to safely bring water into the city. It was remarkable to descend down and up through this amazing engineering project.
“Today was our first full day! While it was on the warm side, we enjoyed the sites we visited and the many connections made between the Bible and the land of Israel! We started and ended the day with great food too! It is wonderful to have three nights here in Tiberias.”
Beth Shean
We left Megiddo and drove east. We passed Tel Jezreel as we read from 1 Kings 21 and 2 Kings 8-9. These stories reference Naboth (who had a vineyard), Joram, Jehu, and Jezebel. To our south was the Gilboa Range We read from 1 Chronicles 10 (also recorded in 1 Samuel 31) about Saul and his three sons dying here. We continued east through the Harod Valley (an eastern finger/extension of the Jezreel Valley really) to Beth Shean, the only city of the Decapolis on the west side of the Jordan. Beth Shean is a massive archaeological site, primarily Roman. Here we saw the Roman bathhouse, the colonnaded street, and public latrines, and the impressive theater. Some in the group climbed about 190 steps to the Old Testament site where Saul’s body was hung on the walls of the town square. The view from on top of the Roman city below was amazing! Even though the heat reached about 100 here, this site was overwhelmingly impressive!
Precipice of Nazareth
To end the day we drove north across this broad part of the Jezreel Valley to get to the Precipice of Nazareth. The view from here of Mt. Tabor (Judges 4-5), the Hill of Moreh (Judges 6-7, 2 Kings 4), Gilboa (1 Samuel 31), and even Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18) to the west was impressive! Unfortunately because of the haze we could not see the Hills of Gilead across the Jordan Valley to the east (in Jordan today). We considered the life of Jesus as we read from Luke 4 and John 1.
Tiberias/Sea of Galilee
It took about an hour (driving past the modern Arab town of Cana, John 2 and 4) to arrive at our hotel in northern Tiberias (the Ron Beach Hotel). It is located along the western coastline of the Sea of Galilee. We enjoyed a nice sunset over the water from the balconies of our hotel before dinner. The “Shabbat dinner” was amazing! We retired to our rooms for a good nights rest. Some of us wake early tomorrow for “Hill 713.” It was a great first full day!
Day 4 – Saturday, September 6: Optional Sunrise Hike in the Upper Galilee (“Hill 713”), Arbel, Yardenit, Magdala, Capernaum, Boat Ride
