Mount Gilboa, along with the Hill of Moreh form the narrow passage that separates the Jezreel and Harod Valleys just west of Beit She’an. It was on this mountain that Saul and his sons fell to the Philistine army. Tradition claims this is the reason the eastern face of the mountain remains bare even to this day.
We’ll began posting again next week, after the Thanksgiving Holiday.
From the tel of ancient Samaria, one can see the long stretch of mountains and mountain passes that make up the road from the Shechem Valley to the famous trading routes along the coast. Looking west, generations of its inhabitants have marveled at nature’s beauty as they watched the sun set over the Mediterranean beyond the hills.
Within the Negev’s Southern Highlands is the beautiful Zin Valley, also known as the Desert or Wilderness of Zin. The wilderness offered one of the few roads through the mountainous highlands, including the winding Scorpions Ascent (Ascent of Akrabbim) along the Bozrah-to-Gaza Spice Route. As the valley approached the Jordan Valley, it becomes desolately arid with stifling heat.
Jerusalem is a beautiful city. And, when you stand on top of one of its many hills, you can't help but think of all of the history that has occurred within your field of vision.
But, when people ask me to describe Jerusalem to them, I usually just joke and say, "it is confusing". The city has changed so many times over the millennia that it is often difficult to describe to visitors what they are looking at.
Of course, at the center of this confusion is the Temple Mount. A small piece of land that has changed so much that very little of the original hill remains. Over the past couple of weeks, Leen Ritmeyer has written a number of excellent blog posts on the history of the Temple Mount. I encourage all Bible students to read through them. Knowing a little bit more about the city of Jerusalem, and in particular the Temple Mount, will help you understand the Bible stories even more.
So far, he has written posts on the following time periods:
Mount Moriah Jebusite Period Time of Solomon King Hezekiah Ezra and Nehemiah Hellenistic and Hasmonean Periods
I look forward to more posts from Mr. Ritmeyer on this topic.
The sycomore fig (Ficus sycomorus) was a staple fruit common in orchards in Israel (II Chronicles 1:15), and can produce small, fig-shaped fruits throughout the year. They are mentioned several times in the Old Testament, most famously as Amos’s means of living. The broad, heavily branched trunks would also make it easy for a man like Zacchaeus to climb high enough to see over a crowd (Luke 19:1-4).
Access to water was a primary concern in any Israelite city, but particularly so in the arid regions to the south and east. Not only must the people ensure they had ample water to sustain them through the dry months between April and September, but also protect their supply from enemies during the age of siege warfare. Water systems, such as this one at Beersheba, solved both problems. These steps within the city walls lead down to a series of subterranean cisterns, which collected both ground water and overflow from the nearby wadi.
The Mount of Temptation fringes the Judean Wilderness just north of the Dead Sea, where it looms over the site of Jericho (Tel es-Sultan). Because tradition states that, following His baptism, Jesus ascended this mountain to be tempted, a beautiful, gravity-defying monastery has been built on the mountainside. Above this is the fortress some believe to be Ptolemy’s hideaway, Dagon, mentioned by Josephus—though others conjecture this may be a later Crusader structure.
From atop Mount Gilboa, one is afforded a stunning view of the Jezreel Valley as it intersects with the Jordan Valley. At the center of this major junction is the ancient city of Beit She’an (Bethshean), where it guarded the crossing point from Pella in Jordan to the Jezreel—which would then lead on past Megiddo to the trade opportunities of International Trunk Route (sometimes called the Via Maris). This bottleneck of commerce underscores the value of Bethshean, beginning with Egyptians, Israelites, Philistines, and eventually even the empires of Alexander and Rome.
The rock hyrax, or rock badger, is a gopher-sized mammal found in mountainous regions of Israel, such as Ein Gedi and Arbel. Known in the Mosaic laws as being unclean (as they chew the cud, but do not have cloven hoofs), Proverbs praises the small, social creatures as being one of four things which are little on the earth, but exceedingly wise: they are not a mighty people, but they make their home among the rocks.
Aphek was already ancient even before it was granted to the tribe of Asher during the period of conquest. Located on a strategic bottleneck of the coastal roads, this was a valuable site which Herod the Great redesigned as a Romanesque city, complete with a theater and cardo, or main North-South street (pictured above). He renamed it Antipatris, after his father, and it was to this city that Claudias Lysias brought Paul to escape the Jewish plot.
Few mountains are more striking on the landscape in Israel than Mt. Tabor, which sits isolated in the Jezreel Valley. It was on this mountain that the Lord sent Barak and Deborah to camp before meeting Sisera at the nearby the Kishon River.
The ancient city of Joppa lies on the coast of the Mediterranean sea, mostly underneath buildings from much later periods, in modern-day Tel Aviv. It served as a seaport for delivering Phoenician cedars to Israel, and was a jumping off point in Jonah’s flight to distant Tarshish. Peter would later receive Cornelius’s emissaries after healing Tabitha in this seaside town.
From the top of Wadi David at Ein Gedi, you can see the coast of the Dead Sea as far as Masada in the center of the faint ridge in the distance (a wadi is a deep ravine, usually with seasonal flash floods). This view is one not often seen, as it is a 45-minute hike up from the waterfalls of Ein Gedi, at the site of the Chalcolithic era temple at Ein Gedi. I Samuel 23:14 states that David had strong holds in the wilderness, and this wadi at Ein Gedi could have sustained many men while also providing an excellent defensive position.
The photo below was shot with a telephoto lens from the same perspective as the above photo, but zoomed in on Masada. If you are familiar with Masada, you will recognize this as it's north face. You can see the Roman siege ramp on the right side. While Masada is best known from Herod the Great's period, sites like it and Ein Gedi could have also served as strongholds for fugitives like David or for his watchmen who needed to maintain a line of sight with other encampments.
I have a couple of important updates that I am really excited about.
First, ever since I started this website, my goal has been to provide information to you that you can use in either your personal Bible study or in teaching others about the Gospel. To that end, Trent and Rebekah Dutton have agreed to help me. I first met Trent and Rebekah in 2012 as we traveled together in Israel on one of Ferrell Jenkins' tours. Soon afterwards, they decided to pursue Masters degrees in Biblical Archaeology. In the summer of 2013, they spent eight weeks participating in a dig at the Philistine city of Ashkelon. From there, they enrolled at Jerusalem University College for a semester before moving to Chicago to finish their coursework at Wheaton College. Last summer, they were able to go back to Ashkelon and continue their work for a second dig season.
While they were in Israel, they took some time to travel throughout the country and photograph it from all angles. Within the next couple of days, they will begin to share some of their pictures with you by posting them to the blog. If you haven't signed up to have the blog automatically emailed to you, I highly encourage you to do that. Our goal is to post a new picture every weekday. But, be patient with us. Sometimes we get busy!
Second, for those of you who have not heard otherwise, I have scheduled my next Bible Study Tour of Israel! It is scheduled for October 12-23, 2015. For Christians, I highly recommend taking a trip to Israel. Many of the Bible stories that we have read our entire lives take on new life and new understanding when you can see the locations in which they took place. This tour is perfect for married couples, parents & children, grandparents & grandchildren, singles, teachers, preachers and students of the Bible. For more information, please check the Exploring Bible Lands website for an itinerary and frequently asked questions. This is a high-quality tour. If you have any interest, please contact me soon so I can help you reserve a space.
So, in summary: 1) Be sure to sign up for the blog to receive the daily pictures, and 2) Seriously consider joining me on my tour next year!
The Biblical Archaeology Society announced today that the Tel Dan Stele (as well as other items from the ancient Near East) are on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City until January 5, 2015. For anyone in the area, this is a great opportunity to see pieces of history.
The article states:
An extraordinary inscription from Israel referencing the Davidic dynasty is currently on display in New York. Written only about 150 years after King David would have reigned, the inscription is dated to c. 830 B.C.E. The inscription hails from Tel Dan in northern Israel and commemorates the conquests of Hazael, king of Aram-Damascus, enemy of the ancient kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Hazael claims to have killed both Jehoram, king of Israel, and Ahaziahu, king of “the House of David”—or Judah. That the nation of Judah is referred to as the “House of David” is significant because it is the only historical evidence of a historical David—a belief that had been hotly debated prior to this discovery—thus substantiating part of the Biblical narrative.
I have seen this stele a few times at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. I would encourage everyone who can to go by and see it.
During the First Century, the small city of Magdala sat on the west-northwest side of the Sea of Galilee. It was a fishing village with fairly significant industry in fish preservation. As students of the Bible, we associate the city of Magdala as the probable home of Mary Magdalene. Her last name was not "Magdalene", she was a "Magdalene" (an citizen of Magdala).
In the First Century, as northbound travelers along the Via Maris (the "Way of the Sea") made their way through the Arbel Pass, they would arrive at the Sea of Galilee very near Magdala.
When I visited Israel for the first time in 2010, archaeologists were just starting to work on the site of Magdala. When I returned in 2012, the site was open to visitors, but access was extremely limited. You were not allowed to take photographs and most of the most interesting areas could not be seen up close. However, when I returned in June of this year, I was pleased to learn that they have opened up the site extensively and even offer limited tours with their staff.
One of the highlights of a visit to Magdala is the opportunity to see the remains of a First Century synagogue. In the general area, there have been seven synagogues of that time frame found. However, this is the only one on the shores of the Sea of Galilee and this one is very well preserved. Not only can you see the exact size of it, you can see parts of the exterior corridors, the original mosaic floors and some of the original frescos on the walls. It is a tremendous find and very exciting to see.
Being able to visit a site like Magdala gives you better understanding to many verses in the Gospels in which it discusses Jesus going through the cities and villages of Galilee teaching in the synagogues. Did Jesus visit this synagogue in Magdala? Well, the Gospels never record that He did. However, I would suggest to you that it is a good possibility that He did.
A little over a year ago, I posted a picture of the East Gate from the Old City. The picture was taken from the Roman Catholic Church of All Nations, which sits on the traditional location of the Garden of Gethsemane. The point was made that from the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus could have easily seen the "multitude of people" coming to arrest him.
Earlier this week, I was talking with Trent and Rebekah Dutton, who have both spent considerable time in Israel. We were talking about the physical geography of the city of Jerusalem. Rebekah wondered if the priests could see the activity in the Garden of Gethsemane from their home.
It is a good question. During the First Century, the wealthy and influential people who lived in Jerusalem lived on the Western Hill. It is called the "Western Hill" because it sat west of the original City of David across the Tyropoeon Valley. So, if the priests' house was high enough on the hill, it might have a view of the Garden of Gethsemane.
As we were discussing this, I remembered a picture that I took in 2010 from the Church of Saint Peter in Gallicantu. (That picture is at the top of this blog post. If you are reading this post in an email, then you might need to click on the title to view the post from a web page.) That church sits on the traditional location of the house of Annas and Caiaphas, who were both priests in the First Century. The picture is looking northeast in the direction of the Garden of Gethsemane. You can easily see the golden domes of the Russian Orthodox Church of Mary Magdalene. That church sits just up the hill from the traditional location of the Garden of Gethsemane.
Matthew, in his gospel, tells us:
And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people. - Matthew 26:47
Imagine this same view in the middle of the night. It would be completely dark. Undoubtedly, this "great multitude" would have numerous torches to light their way as they left the city, crossed the Kidron Valley and entered the garden. It is possible that the priests, sitting in their house, could have seen the activity in the garden knowing what was going on.
In addition, after they arrested Jesus, the priests could have probably seen the torches of the multitude coming in their direction as they made their way from the garden to the upper city. They knew He was coming.
The last time I was in Israel, our tour group spent three nights on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. As we arrived on the first afternoon, I encouraged the members of our group to get up a little early and watch the sun rise over the Golan Heights. To the best of my knowledge, I believe that every member of our group did this on at least one morning. Watching the sun rise is always a memorable event. However, watching the sun rise over the Sea of Galilee is something that you will never forget. I encourage you to watch this YouTube video and enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPOYwLE40Oc
When I watch this video (or experience the sunrise from Tiberias), I am always reminded of the Bible stories that took place in the early morning on the Sea of Galilee.
So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. - Luke 5:1-6
After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We are going with you also.” They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?” They answered Him, “No.” And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish. - John 21:1-6
I grew up studying my Bible and learning that are contained in it. I knew that the Sea of Galilee was a body of water, I knew that Jerusalem was in the hills and I knew that Joppa had a port. But, it wasn't until my wife and I traveled to Israel in 2010 that I finally understood how geographically accurate the Bible really is. It gave me a fresh perspective to go back and relearn all of those Bible stories again.
A couple of days ago, Mr. Gary Byers wrote a very interesting piece about archaeology and traveling to the Bible lands. While I may have some doctrinal differences with Mr. Byers, I do agree with many of the things he said in this article. In one section, he says:
...in 2005, I took my first trip to Israel...as I visited the places where Jesus walked, the Old Testament cities and Jerusalem, it was the lay of the land and the ruins that made an impression on me. It was real to me in a new way. Travel like this creates a framework for study of the Bible. Archaeology exposes ancient ruins and provides clues to the way people lived so we can better understand the cultures and people mentioned in the text. Gaining a contextual framework for Bible study through archaeology and travel has given me a greater love for the Bible. Armed with a better mental picture of the biblical world, the pages of the Bible spring to life as I read. The message is the same -- it is God's true Word -- but I am able to approach this message with a fresh attitude.
Is it a requirement to travel to Israel to be a believer of God and a Christian? No. Does travel to Israel (and other lands of the Bible) help you understand the Bible stories? Absolutely. I enjoyed leading a tour of Israel last June and am looking forward to making plans for my next tour. If you are interested in going with me, just let me know. I'd love to talk with you about it.
In 1 Samuel 12, Samuel speaks to the people of Israel about some of the decisions that they have made, primarily concerning the fact that they had requested a king (when God was already their king). However, he states that if the people and their king will obey the Lord, then all will be well. However, if they don’t, then “the hand of the Lord will be against you and your king”.
Then, Samuel performs a sign. He asks God for thunder and rain. And, the Lord provides it.
"Now therefore stand still and see this great thing that the Lord will do before your eyes. Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call upon the Lord, that he may send thunder and rain. And you shall know and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking for yourselves a king.” So Samuel called upon the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day, and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel. - 1 Samuel 12:16-18
Why did the people “greatly fear” them? Well, you have to know a little bit about the geography and climatology of the land to understand.
Location of the Sign
The people were assembled at Gilgal. (NOTE: I realize that there are a couple of different locations attributed to Gilgal. And, I realize that “a gilgal” could have been something that was built. But, I believe that in this passage we are talking about an actual location). Gilgal was location approximately 4-5 kilometers away from Jericho in the base of the Jordan Rift Valley.
As winds come off of the Mediterranean Sea, they reach the Central Mountain Range and rise. As the air rises, it cools and water droplets condense and eventually fall as rain. Therefore, the Central Mountain Range (including the cities of Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Samaria, etc) get about 26 inches of rain per year. However, as the winds top of the Central Mountain Range, they descend into the Jordan Rift Valley. In doing so, the air warms and the water dries up. Consequently, the city of Jericho (which is located about 10-12 miles from Jerusalem) only gets 4-6 inches of rain per year.
So, why were the people afraid? Because they realized that God made it rain in a place that doesn’t get that much rain.
But, I think that there is another reason.
Time of the Sign
Did you catch that extra piece of information that Samuel stated in his speech? He said that it was the time of the wheat harvest. What does that mean?
Well, the little rain that does fall in the Jordan Rift Valley falls between the months of October and April. The wheat harvest is in May (and may go into June). The people knew that God had made it rain at a time of year in which it never rains.
When the people saw that the rain fell in a place that rarely gets rain and at a time in which it never gets rain, they knew that this was a sign from God. And consequently, they were greatly afraid.
By better understanding the lands of the Bible, you can better understand the stories in the Bible.
Recently, I presented a lesson on this topic at Capshaw church of Christ. You are welcome to listen to it and let me know if you have any questions.
(NOTE: The picture at the top of the post is from Trent and Rebekah Dutton. You can see all of their pictures at http://www.simplebiblehistory.com. The picture is taken from the Central Mountain Range looking east across the Jordan Rift Valley toward the Trans-Jordan Plateau.)
