Benjamin... the land between

Matt Davis
Land & Bible
9.12.07
Field Report #4

Mission: Possible. What was the mission, you ask. It was to explore and learn about the land allotment of the tribe of Benjamin along with the “front door” to Jerusalem. These field trips really start the class before we actually go on to the field, in the classroom. We learned in the classroom about the verses that actually are assigning the land to Benjamin. In Joshua 18:11 we learn that the lot of Benjamin, “fell between” the tribes of Ephraim and Judah. And also we learned about the different routes that cut east and west between Jericho to Jerusalem to the coastal plains.
In the following verses in Joshua they tell about how Benjamin is “in between”, it goes into great detail about the boundaries of the territory. I mean it really goes into detail. This is one of the evidences we have as to the authenticity of this account. It shows that this was written by an eyewitness. Because why would someone who was writing this a century later write in such detail? And if someone tried they would probably mess up on certain things that only eyewitnesses would recall.
We started out our day at near Kiriat Jaarim, which is near the border of Benjamin and Dan. Heading due west we went down into the Aijilon Valley, which is the next valley north of the Sorek Valley. We stopped briefly at Emmaus, which is not the city where the two disciples were heading for when Jesus, after the resurrection, appeared to them. The explanation to why this was not the site really made me think about how important it is to learn the original languages, and to actually study traditions and figure out where they really came from.
One thing that we have learned here in the land of Israel is that travel is on the ridges, and out of the valleys. This is important because the geography of the land changes so drastically and you can really tell why it is such a big deal to find the easiest way from point A to point B. Definitely one of the easiest ways to get from the coastal plains through the mountains is the Beth Horon Ridge route. This is because it continuously follows a single ridge. There is not really any loss in elevation once you get on it. It goes straight up. The bible says that this route is where Amorites flee from the Israelites led by Joshua, and large hailstones fell at the Ascent of Beth Horon. This is also the same occasion where Joshua prayed to God for the sun to stand still at Gibeon and the moon in the Valley of Aijilon, which is visible from the ridge route. Thinking about these miraculous things that hadn’t happened before or since then, made me meditate on the magnitude of God. When we got out of the bus, and we were standing there listening to Bill talk on the route, I saw a praying mantis, and I thought about how God is big enough to control the weather, in a way that is more like a sniper in battle, picking off the Amorites. But yet God cares so much about that little mantis, to give it food, and to make everything work in his body. And so how much more about me to give me salvation. Wow.
So after meditating on how awesome God is, we worked our way over onto the other side of Israel. The eastern side of Israel has its own beauty which is like none other. After being on the western side of the hill country where it is green and beautiful, and receiving the western breeze off the Mediterranean, I don’t think that I was prepared for the wilderness. The contrast between the two places is incredible. Wandering for 40 years (even though it wasn’t exactly the same) seems a little more real to me now that I know what the wilderness is.
We were at Jericho, and got to see the tell (a mound where a city is built over another) where the ancient city was. And while we were marching around the city like the Israelites, Abner wanted to point something out to us. In one of the layers in excavations there was a pot that had been discovered. And this pot was pretty much in tact. It was broken, but the dirt around it held its form. And when they discovered this, there was ash in it and this ash turned out to be burnt wheat. This would seem weird to the excavators, because why would one burn their grain, that’s a waste. But this layer dated back to the 1400’s BC, and what happened then? Joshua led the conquest of Jericho! And since God told them that none of the booty was to be kept for themselves, everything got burned. This really puts a cramp in liberal scholars’ style, especially about the date for the Exodus. This was also a reminder that God is really in control. And when God is fighting for you, who can be against you?

Sorry about no pics on this one... I'll try and get them up soon. But I have loads of homework to do!!! bah!:)