You are currently browsing the category archive for the 'Lower Galilee to Jerusalem' category.
This morning we all packed up and left our hotel at Tiberias and started our long Journey towards Jerusalem. Daniel, our tour guide, kept on telling us that we were going there last, because we had to “earn” our way there. (smile) Beth She’an was our first stop today. It is the Greco-Roman decapolis city where King Saul fell to the Philistines at Gilboa. It has been in just the past ten years that most of this site has been unearthed.The site was HUGE — upon first sight, it literally took my breath away. We toured the area’s ruins for two full hours looking at the ancient forum, marketplace, Roman bathhouses (including an ancient gym area), and a gigantic theater. We also drove by an amphitheater, where gladiators fought their battles and men were thrown to the lions…
On a side note, I’ve learned by now, that purchasing water on these long tour days keeps you going a lot longer. I splurged a little today and bought myself an iced coffee that hit the spot “just right”!
On the road to Gideon Springs, we passed by Mount Gilboa (pictured below), where King Saul felt forced to commit suicide when facing defeat by the Philistines. In light of Saul and Jonathan’s deaths, David cursed the mountain: “O mountains of Gilboa, may you have neither dew nor rain, nor fields that yield offerings.” (2 Samuel 1:21). As you can see (probably not as clearly as I could), this curse still holds to this day…
Gideon Springs was a refreshingly fun spot. Lots and lots of locals were enjoying the cool spring waters during our visit. I got in the water and demonstrated to my tour mates the correct way to drink water from the springs…
We were not able to visit the city of Jericho (other than a highway “drive-by”) as it was given over to Palestinian Authority as part of a peace agreement in 1994. It is believed to be one of, if not the oldest cities in the world. The oldest stairs and walls ever found are located at this site and the layers of 23 ancient civilizations were uncovered here that may be as much as 9,000 years old.
The last place we visited on this day was the northwestern shores of the Dead Sea where the Qumran, or Dead Sea Scrolls, were discovered. I remember taking a summer class on this when I was in Bible college. I found it all very boring at the time, but now am much interested in going back and re-reading my course material (smile)…
There was a couple of guys there with camels that were charging $1 for a ride or to even take a picture. I guess that I don’t even remember taking this little video clip, but I do remember that I did not pay for it! Ha-ha!
The last part of the day, of course, involved us driving up into the mountains of Jerusalem, another very moving experience. One of the female pastors on the tour — I can’t remember her name at the moment, but Pastor Ray’s wife — got up and started singing “Create in Me a Clean Heart”. That was pretty cool… and then one-by-one, different pastors started getting up and reading Psalms of ascension from the Bible. Psalms that were written while ascending to Jerusalem. When we finally came through the tunnel and saw all sites, the group erupted in cheers and applause. It was a glorious moment to be sure. Again, I found myself tearing up…
We arrived at our five-star hotel, where we will be staying for the next three of four days while attending the convention. During dinner, President Hayford, or more affectionately, Pastor Jack was walking around the room and welcoming everyone. I was touched on the back, so now, like Pastor Brent, I will never be able to shower again. LOL! My room is very nice, although it does not have wireless Internet capabilities — a big bummer. I am going to go right now and see about connecting on the main floor, which they say is an option. I leave you today with a few video thoughts that I just filmed this evening upon my arrival…
