Category: Israel Study Trip

Another lovely sunrise over the mountains of Moab and across the Sea of Galilee greeted us as we began our day from the 2nd floor of our seaside hotel.

The bus driver carefully steered our van on the crowded switchbacks along the Sea of Galilee until we climbed the hills to the Mt of Beatitudes. The site was ideal for Jesus to instruct his disciples and the crowd with his teachings of a new way of life for those who desire to follow him. Sadly, the area has become commercialized and we only spent a short time photographing a few points of interest.

We continued our ride to the Northern most section of Israel known as the area of Tel Dan. Enroute, we enjoyed a time of singing then Andrew taught us the meaning of Talmadim and how the Jewish boys would go to school to study the Torah then choose someone they admired to be their Rabbi and diligently strive to follow his ways to become an honored Rabbi. He challenged us to follow Jesus (our Master Rabbi) closely to be able to imitate him in our daily lives.

Tel Dan Nature Reserve has both natural beauty and historical sites. We learned that Tel means “mound” and Jordan means “out of the Dan”. Here is the location of Dan Springs which feeds approximately 2/3 of the Jordan River. It’s icy waters come from the Mt. Hermon snow melt although there was no sign of snow on the mountain today.

Excavations have uncovered the ancient city of Dan including the gate area and double wall at the entrance of the town and the king’s seat beside the gate. They also had an altar or high place for golden calf worship which was indicated by the cut stone, size, and steps which are pagan practices. This type of worship began when the kingdom of Israel was divided and Jeroboam wanted to keep the people from having to travel to Jerusalem to worship. I King’s 12:26-33

More recently a stone was found outside the city gate in the market place area that records that the Syrians met David’s army which helps historians and archeologists verify David’s existence during this time.

Another very fascinating excavation is the ancient Canaanite gate at the town of Leahem, likely seen or passed through by Abraham when he came to save Lot. (Gen. 14:13-16) Found in 1966.

Caesarea Philippi was built by Philip, the son of Herod the Great. The Banias River flows through the cave and is one of the 3 tributaries of the Jordan River. This is where the shepherds came to sacrifice goats and to appease the god, PAN. They threw the sacrifice into the water and thus the water turned to blood and became known as the Gates of Hedes. It was here that Jesus visited with his disciples and where Peter identified Jesus as the Messiah.

We continued our journey through the hills of the Druze people who are a minority group and have a very confusing form of religion but have developed tremendous terraced agriculture and made the land fruitful and productive with the best cherries and apple orchards, along with planting grapes on 4 different altitudes to create a variety of flavors from the same root stock. The grapes bring in revenue through wineries.

The next stop was at an overlook close to the Syrian Border where we could see the UN Buildings and other abandoned cities due to the destruction of ISIS.

Our journey continued to Katzrin which is a reconstructed 4th-7th century Talmudic village where we viewed the stone called Moses’ seat. We were challenged with the thought of whether we would be able to sit in Moses’ seat. We were also able to see the only ancient working olive press in Israel and a wine press.

We were privileged to experience rain and sleet today and rejoice with the Israelis that the early rains are a part of their promise from a Faithful Creator. James 5:7

We started our day at Mount Arbel, some chose to hike up and some rode the bus and hiked to the lookout. It was a beautiful hike, with views of the sea of Galilee, but challenging in places and required some almost vertical climbing. Mount Arbel is the tallest mountain around the sea of Galilee. Probably the mountain where Jesus went to pray, (Matthew 15:22-27) as it’s high and has a view of the sea, and also where he gave the great commission in Matthew 28:16-20.

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After Mount Arbel we went to Capernaum, name from Caphar (Village) of Nahum. Capernaum was a Jewish fishing village on the Roman road, and was the center of Jesus’ ministry after he was rejected in Nazareth. Here the woman with the issue of blood was healed, Jarius’ daughter raised, the 12 chosen, Peter’s mother-in-law healed, Matthew called, and many other things. Today we walked in a synagogue from the 3rd-4th century AD, built over the original synagogue where Jesus would have taught. We saw Peter’s house, the house of Jarius next to the synagogue, and a place for pressing olives. The newer synagogue has columns with inscriptions which seem to represent donors, and contain the family name “Zebedee”.

“and leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, By the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw great light; And to them which sat in the region and shadow of death Light is sprung up.”

Matthew‬ ‭4‬:‭13‬-‭16‬

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Next stop was lunch and a tour at Magdala, from Hebrew Migdal meaning tower. This synagogue and town were discovered in 2009 when construction began on a hotel/resort. Today the hotel is built around the ruins and the ancient synagogue is one of only seven found that date to Jesus’ time. As we know that Jesus taught in Galilee, He probably walked on this synagogue’s floor. Magdala was famous for building boats, it’s tower, (possibly used to store fish to be sold) and the story of Mary Magdalene, whom Jesus healed.

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We visited a series of chapels built to celebrate the care of women in the life of Jesus and the church, including a very special one called “the Chapel of the Encounter” to commemorate the women who was healed by touching Jesus’ garment. We learned that “hem” is a slightly inaccurate translation, in the original language the word means the threads or tassels of his prayer shawl, the idea first appears in Malachi 4:2 with the word “wings”. Simply put, even the very very edge of Jesus’ clothing carries healing for us and He is Always near.

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We finished our day with a tour through a museum that houses a boat found in 1986 that dates to the time of Jesus, and a ride on the Sea of Galilee. There was a lot of interesting information about how they saved the 2,000 year-old boat through a 9 year process and lots of chemicals. On the modern boat, Andrew and our guide both helped us to understand some of the illustrations Jesus used showing us a city on a hill, the proximity of a millstone producer to the lake, and what the other side of the lake meant. It was awe-inspiring to realize that we were on the waters where Jesus once walked and taught.

This morning we left our first hotel and started heading north, following the coast of the Dead Sea.

If you look closely at the right of the picture just above the sea, you can see the mountains of Moab. Andrew reminded us that it was from these mountains that Baalam did not curse the Israelites.

We have seen many fruit trees during our time on the road, including date palms, bananas, citrus, and olives.

Our first main stop today was at Qumran. A group Essenes men (and later some women as well) lived, worked, and studied together. They had many strict rules they kept. And they also copied books from the Old Testament.

After we were finished inside, we headed out to see the actual ruins and caves.

One day, a young Islamic shepherd boy kicked a rock into a cave and heard something break. He was too scared to investigate by himself so he took his brother along to see what they could find. They discovered clay jars and eagerly opened them, hoping for great treasures such as gold. However, much to their disappointment, all they found were parchments, and they actually burnt part of one! Later, a search was made of the surrounding caves and more parchments were found. It is generally assumed that Essenes hid their parchments before the Roman’s conquered the area.

Our next stop was another overlook, and this one also brought more of the Bible to life.

Looking ahead, Andrew pointed out Jericho to the right and Jerusalem to the left. A road in the Wadi goes from one city to the other. This is the road Jesus was referring to in the story of the Good Samaritan. Andrew told us that it is still a dangerous road to travel today.

Looking at the sides of the mountain, Andrew pointed out what David’s mental picture was as he penned the phrase in Psalm 23. “He maketh me lie down in green pastures.” The shepherds knew just where to find the grass that has grown enough to give their sheep what they needed for the day. So our Shepherd does for us – gives us the grace and strength we need just for today, and He knows exactly where to lead us next! This grass grows not because of rain, but because moisture comes in the night breezes from the Mediterranean Sea.

Our last stop for the day was at Bet She’an and Scythopolis.

Above the city set Bet She’an, which the more energetic of our grouped climbed up to. That city was significant because that is where the bodies of Saul and his sons were hung after they died on Mt Gilboa.

During our travels north today, we left the Negev and came to the Jordan River valley, a more fertile part of the Land. We traveled up to Tiberius to our hotel that is on the banks of the Sea of Galilee.

Bro. Willard Hackman led our group in a Lord’s Day morning meditation at a lookout point along the route to Ein Gedi. After drawing our minds to God’s promises to his saints listed in the book of Hebrews, we were encouraged with the thought of us also being included in the promises if we remain faithful to  God.

The barren wilderness stretched around us as far as our eyes could see. Occasionally a few shrubs dotted the hillsides and a few more grew randomly along the dry waterbed. The acacia tree is always green and found near water sources. The Israelites were instructed to construct the Ark of the Covenant from this wood as a reminder of their wondering in the wilderness. It is a type of wood that is unaffected by termites or other pests. No detail in the Scripture is without significance. God cares about the details of our lives just as he did about his children that he guided through this wilderness on their way to the promised land.

It was a lovely morning to spend hiking through the desert and experiencing shade from the bright desert sun under scrubby desert balsam trees, thorny shrubs, bamboo grasses and other native plants that grew from small cracks in the rocks.

Ein Gedi is Hebrew for “spring of the young goats.” Ein Gedi is a symbol of refreshment. It flows freely from it’s source deep within the earth. God is our Ein Gedi, meaning He is the “Living Water”. We were encouraged to not be a broken cistern with stagnant water but to allow God through the Holy Spirit to enable us to be refreshment to others. When we refresh others, we also become refreshed. We found this refreshment while sitting on the rocks as we sang “As the Deer Panteth” and observed fellow travelers singing along in their native languages. Praising God is universal and we are all in need of Ein Gedi!

Masada, which is Hebrew for stronghold, is located near the western shore of the Dead Sea and can be reached on foot by a snake path or by cable car. It was the site of the Jewish Zealots’ last stand in AD 72. The stone structure included a quarry, a cistern, several storehouses, elaborate bathing pools, grand porches, a synagogue, and plenty of rooms for 967 people. The rooms were lavishly painted and the floors covered with mosaic tiles. He also wanted to provide a 10 year water supply and had narrow trenches built along the sides of the mound so they could collect water runoff when it rained.

Rather than giving in to defeat when they realized that they were being invaded, they killed the women and children then the last 7 men drew names to determine who should be killed next until they thought everyone had died. History says there were 2 women and 3 children hidden in a cistern who survived and wrote the story as we know it today.

Our next activity was a lovely time of floating in the Dead Sea to refresh our hot, weary bodies with it’s many natural minerals and health benefits.

As our souls have been refreshed through visual Biblical teachings, so our bodies have been sustained. We have been served a plethora of delicious fresh vegetables and fruits along with tasty main dishes and dainty desserts.

We started our day with a hike up Tel Be’er Sheva, the site of Abraham’s well and a city dating from the 8th and 9th century BCE.

This is the place where Abraham came when God promised him the land, and instead of coming in to conquer, Abraham dug a well (Be’er) and swore an oath (Sheva) with Abimelech for the use of the water. Genesis 21:31 Beersheba is in the south of Israel, the north end of the Negev (desert, meaning to wipe dry).

Be’er Sheva is the end of the patriarch’s road, beyond it is only desert. The southernmost city in OT Israel, so the phrase “from Dan to Beersheba” means all the land. As we drove through this area we saw lots of Bedouin camps, the tents and camels seem to appear out of nowhere, as you look across the hills there are random dots of tents/shack houses and modern towns.

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From Be’er Sheva we headed further into the Negev, south to Wadi Zin at Ein Avdat. Ein (Springs) Avdat (name of a ancient Nabataean city nearby), is truly streams in the desert. The source of the water is unknown but it is slightly salty. We tasted the needles of one of the trees for a little salt.

I never pictured the wilderness with such high hills, we were in a river valley (wadi) and the sides went very high above us. We all hiked back to a waterfall, then a few returned to the bus and the rest took a longer hike up to the top that included several switchbacks and two ladders to reach the top rim.

Andrew told us the wilderness is the land of God, and there is rabbinic teaching that the farther you go in the wilderness the closer you get to God. God brought his people through the wilderness to enter the land of promise, wilderness in our lives is to teach us something and God is always near,

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After Ein Avdat we stopped for lunch at an area nearby with a gas station, coffee shop and McDonalds, then back towards our hotel to visit Tel Arad.

Tel Arad is an ancient city built ca.3500 BC, and later rebuilt as a Canaanite city. It is the oldest city in the area that shows signs of urbanization; a double wall, city planning, and use of trade. Because of its strategic location near the border and a crossroads it was important to several different civilizations including the Canaanites, who traded with Egypt, the Divided Kingdom of Judah, and the Romans.

There is a temple in Tel Arad set up and oriented East to West, just as the Jerusalem temple though on a much smaller scale. Because the altar is of uncut stone, it’s identified as a temple to YHWH probably buried during Hezekiah’s time (2nd Chronicles 31:1) and so preserved from destruction later. Interestingly, the temple has two altars of incense in the Holy of Holies possibly indicating mixed worship.

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After more hiking around the site, we went back to the bus for a short ride back to the hotel and enjoyed dinner together in the hotel dining room. Some of us went out to explore the small shopping area and community space near the hotel, get some bottled water, and enjoy the lovely weather.

We got into Tel Aviv at about 4:00pm Friday evening. Getting our visas and customs went fairly quickly, Israel no longer stamps passports so we each got a small card to tape into our passport instead. After some freshening and luggage collecting we met our guide Najeeb and bus driver Elias.

We headed to Alon Shevut, a settlement in the West Bank, for Shabbat with a Jewish family. They live in a gated community that was sealed for Shabbat so we left the bus at the entrance and they walked us in. On Shabbat Orthdox Jews don’t use electricity or drive (or ride in) cars, so the streets were empty.

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Shabbat meal starts with a song welcoming in the Sabbath. There was a blessing over the wine (from a cup that survived the Holocaust), a ritual washing before the Hallah bread, and then lots of food including humus with several different toppings, matzo ball soup, chicken, rice, salad, roasted tomatoes, cookies and coffee.

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It was a special evening. They graciously invited us to ask any questions about their beliefs and way of life. We talked about Bible stories familiar to all of us, how to keep faith alive in the modern world, and how Israel is changing and balancing between secular and religious influences.

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After the meal we drove to Hotel Inbar for our first night looking forward to sleep and more adventures.