Samaria
Our adventures today were mostly centered around Samaria and the Sharon Plain. This is north west of Jerusalem, but south of Mt Carmel. We saw many thought provoking, sites that made you dwell on the glory of God, and the plan that God had to save the world. To start the day we headed straight to Shiloh. Shiloh has two major biblical passages that we looked at so that we could understand the events. First, we need to look at Joshua 18:1-10, 19:51. This passage is where the Tabernacle of the Lord, where the Ark of the Covenant and the table with the showbread, and the altar of incense all stayed. The Tabernacle was set up at Shiloh and the Israelites came there for the apportioning of the territories. Shiloh also remained an important center from this time through the period of the judges.
The Tabernacle would logically be placed at the north end of the city because of the geography. There are valleys that run behind the city and on the side. But more importantly there is some biblical evidence for that. In I Samuel 1-4, when the news that the Ark had been captured, Eli the Priest heard all of the commotion down in the city. So we can assume from that, that the way into the city would have been from the south. And with the layout of the land, this is most probable. And as the story goes, Eli was extremely fat because he was taking the Lord’s fat portion, and when he heard the news, he fell backwards broke his neck and died.
Also in I Samuel we have the story of Hannah, a barren woman who prays to the Lord for a child. When she was praying close to the Tabernacle, Eli the Priest thought that she was drunk for she was praying while just moving her lips and not an audible prayer. Hannah prays for a son and says that she would dedicate him to the Lord. So when God answered her prayer, she gave birth to Samuel, and after he was weaned she dedicated him to the Lord and he grew up to be a judge.
After Shiloh, we made our way to Mt Gerezim with a view down to Shechem and across the valley Mt Ebal. This is the site that impacted me the most. In our Life of Christ class we had just covered the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and one of the first things He does on His whirlwind tour of Israel, He stops in Shechem. During this stop, Jesus talks to a Samaritan woman, and asks her for some water. He continues to tell her that He is the living water, and later in the conversation, claims to be the Messiah. To see the place where this exchange of words happened was unreal to me. I couldn’t stop thinking about how clear Jesus was when He said that He was the Messiah. Because He was so clear, the woman and many more came to be saved in that village. Sometimes I think about how many people would just believe because the message is so clear. I ask myself, “Why don’t they believe? It is so clear!!!” But then I have to remind myself that I did not believe, and the only reason I do believe now is because Christ opened my eyes to the truth.
Soon after that, we went to Caesarea, the port town that Herod the Great built up. This was a beautiful beach city. This is where Paul was brought and shipped out to Rome from. There is some argument that this is where Paul wrote the prison epistles. This is also the place where Herod Agrippa, in Acts 12, was persecuting Christians. James had already been killed at the time and Peter was in prison. And after he made a speech God allowed him to die… a harsh death.
Hospitality can be summed up in one word: Naiel. This is the name of our bus driver who is an Arab believer in Jesus the Messiah. After a long, long day, we are talking thirteen hours, he invited us over for dinner at his house. Feeding one family of eight is an undertaking, but feeding 50 people is something that people don’t just beg to do every day! But he was kind enough to bring us all to his house and make us all dinner. We had some Arab pizza, and fresh pita with chicken. It was very good. Naiel is the man, and we are all thankful for him and his hospitality to us by showing us God’s love in that way. So thank you.
And I'm sorry that there are not any pictures on here. I tried 3 times to put some up but there was some sort of error.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
En Gedi Trip...
I know I probably will never face such distress like David did when he was fleeing from Saul. I am sure that my enemies will not camp around me. But in my minuscule trials I will find my rest in God.
Sometimes, while reading the Psalms, I can not envision what the circumstances are like. This past Saturday and Sunday I got the opportunity to see firsthand what conditions David was probably in. On Shabbat we all piled in the bus and headed for En Gedi, the spring of the wild goat. It is a city on the banks of the dead sea on the west side of the lake about halfway down. The terrain that surrounds this place is extreme. The dead sea sits about 1300 feet below sea level. And on the east side there is the trans Jordanian plateau that is over 2000 foot climb, and on the west of En Gedi there are jagged peaks and the Ascent of Ziz which leads to Techoa (Close to the Herodian) And we had the chance to hike a little bit of the ascent. The whole area is harsh terrain. With the smell of sulfur in the air and the blazing sun beating down on you like an angry parent, there is little which one can find relief in. Except, in the spring of the wild goat. In David's time, when he was fleeing in the wilderness, there were no camel packs, no ice makers, no refrigerators, no sunblock... he was the real mountain man! So much more would this spring be refreshing to his soul. And we can understand when he talks about as the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs after You God. This has become more real to me, because after walking up the mountain I was longing for water, but no matter how thirsty I am, that is nothing compared to how I need to be longing after God.
When David says that God is his refuge, and that He gives him shade, he is really tapping into some serious analogies. Being in the place where David was writing these things was amazing because there is little shade in the land, except in the ravines. We hiked down one, and the temperature must have dropped by at least 10 degrees. It was so nice to have some shade from the sun.
God is good, and in his wisdom let David recognize these simple illustrations of the glory of God, in the midst of seemingly dire circumstances. And God is good to let me see the circumstances that David was in when he wrote them. Psalm 18,56,57,63.
In addition to the hike, we all got to swim in the Dead Sea! It was amazing! You really can not sink. I felt like I needed to be putting forth a lot more effort than I was to be able to float the way I was. After swimming, we made a fire on the beach, and Abner gave a devotional on David and the Psalms, and when he was the moon was rising up over the Trans Jordanian Plateau. I took some pictures that I'll post, but it doesn't look like the moon, it looks like a sunrise. But if you look closely you'll be able to see the stars in addition to the moon that looks like the sun.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
SHEPHELAH...
Today was one of the best field trips that we had. The combination of biblical sites and the adventure of spelunking, the excitement of seeing where David fought Goliath, and where he grew up. The Shephelah played a major role in biblical times. It is home to many of the easier routes up to the hill country. There are five major valleys making up the Shephelah, or the “Low Lands”, and those are: the Aijalon valley, Sorek Valley, Elah Valley, Guvrin Valley, and Lachish Valley. These valleys are broad and have very good soil to have crops such as wheat and barley and some of the best grapes come from the vines in these valleys. Each valley has cities that contribute to the significance of role the valley plays.
Since we visited the Aijalon Valley on the Jerusalem approaches trip, we started out with the Sorek Valley. We started out at Beth-Shemesh where we looked at two major events. We looked at Judges 13-16 which involves Samson, and I Samuel 6-7:2 which has to do with the Ark of the Covenant. Beth-Shemesh means House of the Sun. This city was a Canaanite city and was probably named because the inhabitants worshiped their god of the sun. From the tel-Beth Shemesh we could see the broad valley and Timnah in the distance giving some guard to the entrance of the valley. And further than that to the south of Timnah is Ekron, which provides more control of the mouth of the Sorek Valley.
As we were at Beth-Shemesh we read the account of how the Ark of the Covenant was brought up from the Philistine cities up to Kiriat Jearim. This really made me think of the fact that the Lord is in control of everything. The fact that the Ark was taken in the first place, when the Israelite were depending on themselves, and God allowed the Ark to be taken so that the Israelites might repent of their sins, and then the Ark was brought back to them… by some cows. Of all things, cows! Again, this account that was written actually knew all of the terrain, and was a first hand account. There is an emphasis in the coming DOWN from Kiriat Jearim, and taking it back UP to Kriat Jearim. Knowing the geography helps to understand what really happened when we read the Bible.
We then went to Azekah, in the valley of Elah where David and Goliath had their feud. As we stood on the tell on the top of the hill we could clearly see the where they probably were and where Goliath stood every morning taunting the Israelites. The Philistines were camped from where we were standing, at Azekah, all the way to Socoh, and it was really neat seeing how many Philistines were actually there to cover all that ground! From the top we drove down to the brook that goes through the Elah Valley, close to Azekah, probably where David chose the 5 smooth stones to sling at Goliath. After reenacting the events of the fight I realized again how this fight was not David’s or the Israelites, but God’s. That was probably the highlight of the trip… all of these fights were not anyone else’s but the Lords. For example, when the Amorites were chased as far as Azekah with hail stones from the Lord. No one caused that but the Lord.
Working our way southwards we hit Maresha, which is the hometown of the prophet Micah. Here we saw well excavated and preserved Hellenistic and Idumean cities. This was also the spot that is in II Chronicles 14:9-15 that talks about Asa repels an attack by Zerah the Ethopian king.
Lachish was the next spot that we visited. This is where Joshua smote the inhabitants with the edge of the sword. Meaning that he didn’t burn or destroy the city. This is something that helps out with the 1446 exodus from Egypt. Archaeologists who look for burn layers for the Israelite periods are looking for the wrong things because the Lord told them that they would be living in houses that they didn’t build, and reaping fields they didn’t plant. They wouldn’t burn down the cities that they conquered, they would just move into it.
Gath, the hometown of Goliath was the last place that we went to. This was a nice hike up to the tell. And as we were up there you can tell why this was a good city to have. It controlled the entrance to the Elah Valley and you have a commanding view of the coastal plains and the hill country. This was the one of the places fled from Saul. Of all places, this one is ironic, because it was the hometown of Goliath who David killed not too long before he visited the city this time. And this is where David acted insane so that his life would be spared. David was not only thinking about himself when he fled to Gath. Yes, David was fleeing for his life, but he knew that if he were to flee to some other town in Israel, Saul would have punished both David and the people helping him. So he wasn’t just thinking about himself when he came to Gath.
Since we visited the Aijalon Valley on the Jerusalem approaches trip, we started out with the Sorek Valley. We started out at Beth-Shemesh where we looked at two major events. We looked at Judges 13-16 which involves Samson, and I Samuel 6-7:2 which has to do with the Ark of the Covenant. Beth-Shemesh means House of the Sun. This city was a Canaanite city and was probably named because the inhabitants worshiped their god of the sun. From the tel-Beth Shemesh we could see the broad valley and Timnah in the distance giving some guard to the entrance of the valley. And further than that to the south of Timnah is Ekron, which provides more control of the mouth of the Sorek Valley.
As we were at Beth-Shemesh we read the account of how the Ark of the Covenant was brought up from the Philistine cities up to Kiriat Jearim. This really made me think of the fact that the Lord is in control of everything. The fact that the Ark was taken in the first place, when the Israelite were depending on themselves, and God allowed the Ark to be taken so that the Israelites might repent of their sins, and then the Ark was brought back to them… by some cows. Of all things, cows! Again, this account that was written actually knew all of the terrain, and was a first hand account. There is an emphasis in the coming DOWN from Kiriat Jearim, and taking it back UP to Kriat Jearim. Knowing the geography helps to understand what really happened when we read the Bible.
We then went to Azekah, in the valley of Elah where David and Goliath had their feud. As we stood on the tell on the top of the hill we could clearly see the where they probably were and where Goliath stood every morning taunting the Israelites. The Philistines were camped from where we were standing, at Azekah, all the way to Socoh, and it was really neat seeing how many Philistines were actually there to cover all that ground! From the top we drove down to the brook that goes through the Elah Valley, close to Azekah, probably where David chose the 5 smooth stones to sling at Goliath. After reenacting the events of the fight I realized again how this fight was not David’s or the Israelites, but God’s. That was probably the highlight of the trip… all of these fights were not anyone else’s but the Lords. For example, when the Amorites were chased as far as Azekah with hail stones from the Lord. No one caused that but the Lord.
Working our way southwards we hit Maresha, which is the hometown of the prophet Micah. Here we saw well excavated and preserved Hellenistic and Idumean cities. This was also the spot that is in II Chronicles 14:9-15 that talks about Asa repels an attack by Zerah the Ethopian king.
Lachish was the next spot that we visited. This is where Joshua smote the inhabitants with the edge of the sword. Meaning that he didn’t burn or destroy the city. This is something that helps out with the 1446 exodus from Egypt. Archaeologists who look for burn layers for the Israelite periods are looking for the wrong things because the Lord told them that they would be living in houses that they didn’t build, and reaping fields they didn’t plant. They wouldn’t burn down the cities that they conquered, they would just move into it.
Gath, the hometown of Goliath was the last place that we went to. This was a nice hike up to the tell. And as we were up there you can tell why this was a good city to have. It controlled the entrance to the Elah Valley and you have a commanding view of the coastal plains and the hill country. This was the one of the places fled from Saul. Of all places, this one is ironic, because it was the hometown of Goliath who David killed not too long before he visited the city this time. And this is where David acted insane so that his life would be spared. David was not only thinking about himself when he fled to Gath. Yes, David was fleeing for his life, but he knew that if he were to flee to some other town in Israel, Saul would have punished both David and the people helping him. So he wasn’t just thinking about himself when he came to Gath.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Bethphage to Herodian...
Matt Davis
Land & Bible
9.19.07
Jerusalem Approaches
It never ceases to amaze me when I can catch a glimpse of God’s genius. Today it was a glimpse at His planning of the land of His chosen people, Israel. We were focusing on the approaches or routes that lead to Jerusalem. From the beginning God had a plan for the layout of the country and the geography plays a huge role in Israel’s success and protection. From the east, coming from Jericho, on the Ascent of Adumim anyone traveling would have to go over the Mount of Olives. And of course any travel in the land of Israel is going to be, for the majority of the time, will be on the ridges. Travel will rarely be in the valleys, just because it is harder to go up and down in elevation.
Our first stop on the Mount of Olives was at Bethphage in garden overlooking Bethany. Bethany was where Jesus raised Lazarus up from the dead in John 11. And if you think about it one of the most amazing miracles. I mean if someone has power over death in that one instance it is very convincing, this is one of the reasons why many saw and believed in Jesus. This miracle goes against the grain when it comes to the publicity that it received. In Jesus’ ministry He would be telling people to not tell anyone about these miracles that He was performing. But this one was different. Messengers came to Jesus and told Him that he was sick, but Jesus waits 2 days before He sets His sights on Bethany. And during His journey Lazarus dies and Mary comes to tell Him. Now Jesus knew that this was going to happen, and that there were going to be people following Him to Bethany, and He also knew that there would be mourners there. So as the people were there watching and listening to what Jesus said, “Lazarus, come out!” they would have thought he was crazy. But this was to prove His authority over sin.
Many other events in the life of Christ happened on the Mount of Olives. Jesus’ ascension takes place here, as well as the start of the triumphal entry, and the Olivet discourse. Many aspects of these events that I have never thought about were helpful to me today. Take the ascension for instance, I have never really thought about how that really happened. Did Jesus just take off like a rocket ship and go up into the sky, go through the atmosphere, up past the moon, past Pluto, and off until the people couldn’t see Him anymore? Well, the bible says that He was taken up into a cloud and the cloud is what probably took him away. And this event is how He will return, which is exciting.
After the Mount of Olives we headed to the Ketef Hinnom, or the Shoulder of Hinnom, where two silver amulets were found with the oldest inscription of biblical text. The priestly blessing from Numbers 6 is what is found on them. This archaeological find really hurts liberal scholars who want to say that the Pentateuch was written later, because of the age of the inscription which is 600 B.C.
One of the most impressive places we visited was the Herodian. This was a fortress that Herod built up for himself on an existing hill making it on very high ground. He could see the dead sea and the back side of the Mount of Olives. From Josephus’ writings we find our that he wanted to make a memorial for himself, and so he decorates it very extravagantly. This is where Herod wanted to be buried. Archelaus’s, Herod’s son, brought out all Herod's ornaments to adorn the pomp of the funeral. And Josephus goes on to describe all of the things that went into putting on this funeral: purple robes, gold, jewels, diadems on his head, and a scepter in his right hand. This was the King of the Jews (politically speaking), and no one liked him at all. Now contrast that with Jesus King of the Jews (spiritually speaking) who rivaled Herod at age 2. Jesus barely got a tomb to be buried in and He is the one who can save a soul. The radical nature of Jesus’ humility is so convicting to my own heart. This is not to say that Jesus will never be the ultimate king and rule over all with all authority, but his first coming showed us His humility. And at Christ’s “lowest” point here on earth, that was really His greatest time. He conquered death and sin. Herod’s highest point could never compare to anything Jesus did.
Thinking about Christ’s work on the cross should make us love Him more and more. This is the man that saved our souls. This is the man we worship. This is the man that cares for us. This is the man that is our king. What an amazing God we serve.
Land & Bible
9.19.07
Jerusalem Approaches
It never ceases to amaze me when I can catch a glimpse of God’s genius. Today it was a glimpse at His planning of the land of His chosen people, Israel. We were focusing on the approaches or routes that lead to Jerusalem. From the beginning God had a plan for the layout of the country and the geography plays a huge role in Israel’s success and protection. From the east, coming from Jericho, on the Ascent of Adumim anyone traveling would have to go over the Mount of Olives. And of course any travel in the land of Israel is going to be, for the majority of the time, will be on the ridges. Travel will rarely be in the valleys, just because it is harder to go up and down in elevation.
Our first stop on the Mount of Olives was at Bethphage in garden overlooking Bethany. Bethany was where Jesus raised Lazarus up from the dead in John 11. And if you think about it one of the most amazing miracles. I mean if someone has power over death in that one instance it is very convincing, this is one of the reasons why many saw and believed in Jesus. This miracle goes against the grain when it comes to the publicity that it received. In Jesus’ ministry He would be telling people to not tell anyone about these miracles that He was performing. But this one was different. Messengers came to Jesus and told Him that he was sick, but Jesus waits 2 days before He sets His sights on Bethany. And during His journey Lazarus dies and Mary comes to tell Him. Now Jesus knew that this was going to happen, and that there were going to be people following Him to Bethany, and He also knew that there would be mourners there. So as the people were there watching and listening to what Jesus said, “Lazarus, come out!” they would have thought he was crazy. But this was to prove His authority over sin.
Many other events in the life of Christ happened on the Mount of Olives. Jesus’ ascension takes place here, as well as the start of the triumphal entry, and the Olivet discourse. Many aspects of these events that I have never thought about were helpful to me today. Take the ascension for instance, I have never really thought about how that really happened. Did Jesus just take off like a rocket ship and go up into the sky, go through the atmosphere, up past the moon, past Pluto, and off until the people couldn’t see Him anymore? Well, the bible says that He was taken up into a cloud and the cloud is what probably took him away. And this event is how He will return, which is exciting.
After the Mount of Olives we headed to the Ketef Hinnom, or the Shoulder of Hinnom, where two silver amulets were found with the oldest inscription of biblical text. The priestly blessing from Numbers 6 is what is found on them. This archaeological find really hurts liberal scholars who want to say that the Pentateuch was written later, because of the age of the inscription which is 600 B.C.
One of the most impressive places we visited was the Herodian. This was a fortress that Herod built up for himself on an existing hill making it on very high ground. He could see the dead sea and the back side of the Mount of Olives. From Josephus’ writings we find our that he wanted to make a memorial for himself, and so he decorates it very extravagantly. This is where Herod wanted to be buried. Archelaus’s, Herod’s son, brought out all Herod's ornaments to adorn the pomp of the funeral. And Josephus goes on to describe all of the things that went into putting on this funeral: purple robes, gold, jewels, diadems on his head, and a scepter in his right hand. This was the King of the Jews (politically speaking), and no one liked him at all. Now contrast that with Jesus King of the Jews (spiritually speaking) who rivaled Herod at age 2. Jesus barely got a tomb to be buried in and He is the one who can save a soul. The radical nature of Jesus’ humility is so convicting to my own heart. This is not to say that Jesus will never be the ultimate king and rule over all with all authority, but his first coming showed us His humility. And at Christ’s “lowest” point here on earth, that was really His greatest time. He conquered death and sin. Herod’s highest point could never compare to anything Jesus did.
Thinking about Christ’s work on the cross should make us love Him more and more. This is the man that saved our souls. This is the man we worship. This is the man that cares for us. This is the man that is our king. What an amazing God we serve.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Rosh Hashana...
Soon enough we will have a free day here in Israel. We have been going on adventures, either out in the field or in the classroom for the last couple weeks. This week was Rosh Hashana, which is the Jewish New Year, and Biblically it is the feast of Trumpets (Lev 23:23). We have been learning a lot about what these festivals actually mean. The word for feast in Leviticus 23 is better translated times. So in the beginning of the chapter it would read more accurately, "The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, These are the appointed times of the Lord that you shall proclaim as holy convocations; they are my appointed times." Following this verse are several different days that God had told the Israelites to set aside for an appointment with God, such as the Sabbath, Passover, feast of firstfruits, feast of weeks, feast of trumpets, day of atonement, and the feast of booths.
Why are there appointed times if God is approachable every day? It was explained to me this way: Say I'm friends with my doctor, Dr. Smith, and I saw Dr. Smith on the street today. And we chatted it up, and we talked about the family, sports, polar caps, etc. I talked to him very casually and about things that were important at the time. But lets say I had an appointment next Monday with Dr. Smith and I just didn't show up. I knew I had an appointment because it was in my planner, and it was also in Dr. Smith's planner. And the receptionist and Dr. Smith was counting on me to show up, so I would get charged for missing the appointment. You see, Dr. Smith is still Dr. Smith when we met on the street, but next Monday I planned on seeing him in a different context.
So these different days that are celebrated by the Jewish people were appointed by God. Romans 14:5-6 says, "One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and he gives thanks to God." What does this mean for us today? I would say that you have to be aware of God who has given you the day to live and recognize that HE is holy and give thanks for that.
Coming up on Saturday is another holiday for the Jews, and that is Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement. This is exciting because if falls on a Shabbat, and in Israel (minus the Arab's, who are also celebrating Ramadan) the country will pretty much shut down and everyone will be inside. So I think I might go play on the highway because there won't be any cars on it!
I meant to actually talk more about our trip to Ashkelon last Saturday, but I got rambling, so I'll write another one recapping that within the next couple of days.
Why are there appointed times if God is approachable every day? It was explained to me this way: Say I'm friends with my doctor, Dr. Smith, and I saw Dr. Smith on the street today. And we chatted it up, and we talked about the family, sports, polar caps, etc. I talked to him very casually and about things that were important at the time. But lets say I had an appointment next Monday with Dr. Smith and I just didn't show up. I knew I had an appointment because it was in my planner, and it was also in Dr. Smith's planner. And the receptionist and Dr. Smith was counting on me to show up, so I would get charged for missing the appointment. You see, Dr. Smith is still Dr. Smith when we met on the street, but next Monday I planned on seeing him in a different context.
So these different days that are celebrated by the Jewish people were appointed by God. Romans 14:5-6 says, "One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and he gives thanks to God." What does this mean for us today? I would say that you have to be aware of God who has given you the day to live and recognize that HE is holy and give thanks for that.
Coming up on Saturday is another holiday for the Jews, and that is Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement. This is exciting because if falls on a Shabbat, and in Israel (minus the Arab's, who are also celebrating Ramadan) the country will pretty much shut down and everyone will be inside. So I think I might go play on the highway because there won't be any cars on it!
I meant to actually talk more about our trip to Ashkelon last Saturday, but I got rambling, so I'll write another one recapping that within the next couple of days.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
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!:)
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!:)
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Multiple Views...
As you know I am not the only one here in Israel learning and studying. I hope that you guys check out other blogs of my fellow IBEX members. John Lafferty, my room mate has a blog: http://laffertyjr1.blogspot.com/ called the Fourth Star Will Not Fall.
Theo Low also my room mate has another blog: http://theoldenglish.blogspot.com/ called Looking Back to the Mercy Tree
Steve Crawford also has a blog: http://stephencrawford.wordpress.com/ called Commentary on a Vapor, Vo. IV
I hope you enjoy a different perspective on time spent in Israel. Shalom
Theo Low also my room mate has another blog: http://theoldenglish.blogspot.com/ called Looking Back to the Mercy Tree
Steve Crawford also has a blog: http://stephencrawford.wordpress.com/ called Commentary on a Vapor, Vo. IV
I hope you enjoy a different perspective on time spent in Israel. Shalom
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