Day 10 – Monday, March 2: Land of Goshen – Tanis/Zoan, Cairo
Today was day 10 and the last full day of this 11 day biblical Egypt tour. We traveled by bus to the NE corner of the Delta and to the “land of Goshen.” We visited a site not visited by many groups at all! We even had a police escort (in front and in back) as we bussed through small villages and past the fields of Goshen. We actually had a few sprinkles of rain on the way, but it all dried out once we arrived. The temps were again in the 60s. We read from Psalm 78 (that mentions Zoan, the biblical name for Tanis) as we left at 7:10 a.m.
Tanis & the Land of Goshen
The traffic going north out of Cairo wasn’t too bad this morning. With a motorcycle policeman leading the way, we went through small villages once we got off the main highway that goes further north to Alexandria. This was the “land of Goshen” in biblical times. Joseph was brought close to here (to a site only about 12 miles south of Tanis called Avaris). He became the vizier (“prime minister” status) in Egypt. For the next 225 years or so, the Israelites lived in this region. Oppression began with the “pharaoh who did not know Joseph.” This led the way to the birth of Moses, and his upbringing during the New Kingdom. It was Moses who led the Exodus through the Yam Suph in Hebrew (“Sea of Reeds”) and into the desert of the the Sinai. The crossing most likely took place east and south of Tanis (i.e. the northern tip of the Gulf of Suez today), although others may suggest a different location for the crossing and desert wanderings.
In the Bible, Tanis (the Greek name) is mentioned as “Zoan.” Not only does Zoan appear in Psalm 78:12, but also Numbers 13:22 (which interestingly tells us that “Hebron was built only seven years before Joan in Egypt.”). Isaiah 19:11 also mentions Zoan. In this passage the “pharaoh’s wise counselors” are defined by being “fools.”
The archaeological site of Tanis provided us a great opportunity to connect on this last day with the biblical history between Joseph and Moses. However, there are other connections too (with Osorkon mentioned in 2 Kings 17:3-4 and Hosea 7:11. He is mentioned as simply “So” in the Bible, and is probably Osorkon III). Also the tomb of Shoshenq III is here at Tanis. It has been suggested the Soshenq I may have been the “Shishak” of the Bible.
It took about an hour to visit the site. We saw standing obelisks, hieroglyphics that mention the names of pharaohs like Shoshenq and Siamun (according to conventional chronology, it has been suggested that he was the pharaoh who conquered Gezer and then gave it to his daughter, Solomon’s wife (see 1 Kings 9). There is pottery all over, mud bricks, and massive cut stones on the surface. There was even a relief of Egyptian god Seth here.
Only a tiny fraction of the site has been touched archaeologically! The site is about 200 hectares in size (each hectare is about 2.5 acres, so the size is about 500 acres, give or take!).
“We had an incredible day today here in Egypt. We traveled north into the Delta region and specifically to the “Goshen” area! We connected with Jospeh, Moses, the Israelites, and a few more later pharaohs mentioned in the Bible. It was a cultural experience to drive up to this region.”
After our visit, we drove straight back to our hotel in Cairo. Let’s just say the traffic was amazingly slow in some places. However, our drivers did a great job maneuvering! We enjoyed our last dinner together at 6 p.m. Many fly home in the early morning hours tomorrow.
What a great group God brought together. Special thanks to Pastor Trinity (for his leadership) and Nate (and his Egyptology knowledge) and their groups. We blended so well together, with new bonding friendships over these last 10 days! Praise God for His provision.
One last word to conclude this day and this entire tour, and perhaps a “life lesson” from Egypt to remember:
It is God who is the only true God. All the gods and goddesses that we learned about are just pagan figures and images. God is the Lord of all! As the ancient Israelites witnessed the miraculous and providing hand of God throughout their history here in Egypt (some of it very difficult), we do ourselves still today! As God instructed Moses to say to his fellow Israelites, “I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians…” (Exodus 6), we are thankful that God’s redemptive history pushed forward through the Passover and on to Jesus Christ who fulfilled the Passover and make salvation available to us all! Jesus went to the cross as our Passover Lamb, allowing us to “make exodus” from our bondage to sin, and freeing us through the forgiveness of our sins! Everything we saw and experience here in Egypt ultimately points us to Christ, our Lord and Savior! Amen!
This word closes out what was a wonderful tour with an amazing group! Praise God!
Day 11 – Tuesday, March 3: Departure Back to the U.S.
