Heading South
This was a longer travel day for us. We relocated from the Galilee in the north to the lowest place on earth: the Dead Sea. We traveled the longest road in Israel (Route 90 stretches from Eilat at the southern tip of Israel to the Lebanese border). We traversed the Jordan River valley the whole way. Here are our stops.
First up: Beit She’an. Strategically located at the southern end of the Jezreel Valley, this was one of the 10 cities of the Decapolis, and the only one located on the west side of the Jordan River. The most famous Biblical event regarding this town was the death of King Saul and his sons on nearby Mt. Gilboa as they fought the Philistines. After cutting off his head, they hung their bodies on the wall of this city. A few days later some faithful men from the eastern side of the river came and took their bodies down and creamated them. They buried them until they were able to have them reinterred in Jerusalem. The later Greco-Roman city of Scythopolis was amazing and is constantly being excavated. It was destroyed in 749 AD by a massive earthquake. See some of our interesting pictures from there below.
Leaving Beit She’an, we traveled west and slightly north to the Harod or Gideon Spring. Here is where God taught Gideon to trust him as he was afraid. He was ready to fight the Midianites and felt unprepared. God had him test his men by how they drank water from this spring. If they knelt down and drank like a dog, they were sent home. If they stayed watchful by drinking from a cupped hand, they were retained. It pared the army down from 22,000 to 300. And yet they won the battle. The water tasted good. We only left two soldiers behind. :-)
A trip to the top of Mt. Gilboa brought us to an overlook of the entire valley. Breathtaking. Nir recited the lament David wrote about the death of Saul and Jonathan, in essence cursing the mountain. Every young Israeli child must learn this lament in school.
Continuing south, we lunched at a Cafe Cafe along the route. Not planned there, but the food was good. We then traveled past Jericho, pointing out the Mt. of Temptation behind it; the baptismal site of Jesus to our left along the river; past En Gedi, and stopped to tour Qumran. This is the location where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found by a young Bedouin Shepherd boy in 1947. The dedication of these essence priests was remarkable. And through them we have copies of at least piece of every book in the Hebrew Bible except Esther and Ezra.
Further south, we passed Masada and came to our hotel on the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth. Along our journey today, Nir explained the political and geographic “West Bank.” He also gave insights into the current and historical conflicts surrounding Israel. Also along our journey we went through two checkpoints as we entered into the PA controlled West Bank in the north and exited back into Israel proper in the south.
Tomorrow we return to En Gedi and Masada for a visit, ending our touring by noon or so to enjoy a half-day of rest and fun in and around the Dead Sea. Here are some pics from today. Don’t miss our panoramic picture from the public toilet in Beit She’an.
First up: Beit She’an. Strategically located at the southern end of the Jezreel Valley, this was one of the 10 cities of the Decapolis, and the only one located on the west side of the Jordan River. The most famous Biblical event regarding this town was the death of King Saul and his sons on nearby Mt. Gilboa as they fought the Philistines. After cutting off his head, they hung their bodies on the wall of this city. A few days later some faithful men from the eastern side of the river came and took their bodies down and creamated them. They buried them until they were able to have them reinterred in Jerusalem. The later Greco-Roman city of Scythopolis was amazing and is constantly being excavated. It was destroyed in 749 AD by a massive earthquake. See some of our interesting pictures from there below.
Leaving Beit She’an, we traveled west and slightly north to the Harod or Gideon Spring. Here is where God taught Gideon to trust him as he was afraid. He was ready to fight the Midianites and felt unprepared. God had him test his men by how they drank water from this spring. If they knelt down and drank like a dog, they were sent home. If they stayed watchful by drinking from a cupped hand, they were retained. It pared the army down from 22,000 to 300. And yet they won the battle. The water tasted good. We only left two soldiers behind. :-)
A trip to the top of Mt. Gilboa brought us to an overlook of the entire valley. Breathtaking. Nir recited the lament David wrote about the death of Saul and Jonathan, in essence cursing the mountain. Every young Israeli child must learn this lament in school.
Continuing south, we lunched at a Cafe Cafe along the route. Not planned there, but the food was good. We then traveled past Jericho, pointing out the Mt. of Temptation behind it; the baptismal site of Jesus to our left along the river; past En Gedi, and stopped to tour Qumran. This is the location where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found by a young Bedouin Shepherd boy in 1947. The dedication of these essence priests was remarkable. And through them we have copies of at least piece of every book in the Hebrew Bible except Esther and Ezra.
Further south, we passed Masada and came to our hotel on the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth. Along our journey today, Nir explained the political and geographic “West Bank.” He also gave insights into the current and historical conflicts surrounding Israel. Also along our journey we went through two checkpoints as we entered into the PA controlled West Bank in the north and exited back into Israel proper in the south.
Tomorrow we return to En Gedi and Masada for a visit, ending our touring by noon or so to enjoy a half-day of rest and fun in and around the Dead Sea. Here are some pics from today. Don’t miss our panoramic picture from the public toilet in Beit She’an.
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