Day 6 – Thursday, October 15: Beth Shean, Shiloh, Jericho, Judean Desert, Ein Bokek, Dead Sea
We checked out of our hotel in Tiberias today. It’s been a great two full days and three nights here in the north end of the country. Following breakfast, we loaded the bus at 7:20 and departed at about 7:30. We read portions of Matthew 5-7 as we departed. Our final destination for the day would be the southern end of the Dead Sea (Ein Bokek). The weather was about the same as the last few days, with hazy sunshine and highs around 85 again (a little cooler at Shiloh). 🙂
Beth Shean
We drove south out of Tiberias and continued through the Jordan Valley about 20 miles 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. Most in the group climbed about 200 steps (in total) to the Old Testament site where Saul’s body was hung on the walls of the town square (1 Samuel 31, 1 Chronicles 10). The view from on top of the Roman city below was amazing! Even though it was a bit hazy, this site was overwhelmingly impressive!
Shiloh
Next, we drove into the Hill Country of Ephraim to Shiloh. On the way, we drove through the Desert and Hill Country of Samaria. 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 watched a short movie about the events that took place here. We also 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. Other structures, including perhaps the Holy of Holies area (as proposed by archaeologist Dr. Scott Stripling) could also be seen. It was young Samuel who said, “Hineni” (“Here I am!”) when God called Him into service.
Jericho
The next part of the drive from Shiloh was again unique. We drove past Ai (Joshua 7-8) and Mishmash (1 Samuel 13-14) on our way through the Parat Desert (Jeremiah 13). This is in the heart of the Judean Desert. We finally arrived at Jericho at the southern end of the Jordan Valley and enjoyed maqluba, an Arab dish of chicken and rice cooked upside-down. The salads were also wonderful! We then climbed the site of ancient Jericho (called Tel es-Sultan). We first looked east across the Jordan to recall a few biblical connections (e.g. Moses, Mt. Nebo, Dt. 31; Joshua crossing the river (Joshua 3), Elijah & Elisha (2 Kings 2), and Jesus’ baptism (Matthew 3). We then saw an old stone tower that predates even Abraham and a small portion of the city wall on the southern end. Mud-bricks and a burn level could also be seen in a few places. We recalled the Joshua 6 story how the city was defeated (and burned) by the Israelites. Praise God for the historicity of the Bible as it happened just as recorded and confirmed by archaeology!
“We drove the Galilee to the Dead Sea today, and included a few sites on the way! The most impressive archaeological site was Beth Shean. What a massive city it must have been! Jericho was especially inspiring as we saw the very same retaining stone wall (upon which was a mud-brick wall) that Joshua saw! Wow!”
Ein Bokek/Dead Sea
We ended the day by driving about an hour to Ein Bokek. This is an area of hotels clustered together along the shoreline of the south end of the Dead Sea. We made it to our hotel about 5:50, in time for us to check, to quickly change into our swimming suits, and then float in this unique body of water called the Dead Sea. It is about 33% salt and minerals, making it impossible to sink. Dinner followed after a good shower on our own at the hotel. It was another great day!
Day 7 – Friday, October 16: Masada, Ein Gedi, Qumran, Wilderness of Judah – Wadi Qelt, Jerusalem, Western Wall
