Coastal Plains Trip

Coastal Plains Trip

We had an amazing trip to the Coastal Plains this week! There was so much to see and learn! It was incredible to watch the change in landscape and vegetation as we traveled south through the country. And with Dr. Crotts as our tour guide, we got a commentary on just about every hill, river, spring, village, kibbutz, road, industrial plant, mosque and synagogue . . . he really knows this country and he really likes to talk about it!

And then there was the fun of having the 12 of us, with all the luggage and food, squeezed into the van for hours at a time, made even more challenging after we were all hot and sweaty (there were some interesting smells) from hiking through the sites, and exhausted not just physically, but mentally and emotionally from trying to absorb so much information. Scenes from “Survivor” come to mind – personality conflicts, petty disagreements, nerves stretched thin, backbiting, gossip, misery. We didn't have that.

That is the beauty of the grace of God working in the lives of people. The same grace that saved us is available to instruct and train us in the right way to live. It enables me to let go of the selfishness and pride that is inherent in my human nature and to instead have the patience to deal with difficult situations, having the strength not just to endure, but also to consider and care for others. It was so neat to see a seemingly abstract thing like grace, have such a practical effect on our lives! I give God the glory for it.

Route Summary

Saturday we left the kibbutz at 7 am and traveled southwest past Mt. Tabor and through Afula before turning south and continuing all the way to Be'er Sheva. From there we worked our way Northwest to Yad Mordecai, just a few miles from the Gaza Strip. We also visited Ashquelon and Ashdod before returning east to Yad Hashmona where we were staying.

Leaving at 8am on Sunday we east to Tel-Aviv, where we visited Independence Hall and the Hagana Museum. From there we went a short way south to Old Yafo (Jaffa), before heading back to Yad Hashmona for the night.

Monday was a very full day. We headed southwest again, this time to Lachish. Retracing our path back toward Jerusalem we spend quite a bit of time at Tel Maresha and Bet Guvrin. We drove up to Tel Azeka, overlooking the Elah Valley, before continuing to Tel Bet Shemesh, and back to Yad Hashmona.

Tuesday was spent in Jerusalem. We went first to the City of David and walked through Hezekiah's tunnel. Then we walked up the hill to the Western Wall. From there was drove around the north of the city, past Mount Scopus and the Hebrew University, to the Mt. of Olives. Leaving Jerusalem and going east, we traveled through the West Bank to the Jordan Valley and straight north through Bet Shean to our home at Tel Katzir.

Site Summaries

Tel Sheva

Tel Sheva was a great place to start the trip. It plays an important role throughout the book of Genesis as the area where the Patriarchs lived. Even today, there are a lot of Bedouins living in that part of the country. They've found a well believed to be the one dug by Abraham, and walls of the city from Solomon's time, and a pagan alter that had been torn down and used as part of the wall.

Yad Mordecai

Yad Mordecai is a kibbutz, within sight of the Gaza Strip, where 150 men and women with small arms and insufficient ammunition were able to hold off 2,500 Egyptians with tanks and aircraft for 6 days during their invasion of Israel in 1948. We stopped there to see the battle field and hear the incredible story.

Ashquelon

Ashquelon was one of the five Philistine city-states and has had quite an extensive history. Now a national park, we saw the remains of a Roman Basilica, excavations where they've found hundreds of dog bone, a huge city gate dating to the Canaanite period, and sadly, the old sewer system were the bones of hundreds of newborn babies were discovered.

Ashdod

Like Ashquelon, Ashdod is an ancient Philistine city, that has now been rebuilt as a modern Jewish port, the second largest in the country. We also saw the Soreq river, and applied what we were learning about the geography and history of the region to the various Biblical accounts that took place in the area. This is where the Ark of the Covenant was brought after being captured by the Philistines (I Samuel 5).

Yad Hashmona

Yad Hashmona is a moshav where we stayed. It was started by Finnish believers in 1971 and is well know for its beautiful guest house and Biblical gardens.

Tel Aviv

Most for our time in Tel Aviv was spent in museums. At Independence Hall we learned about the history of the city, and its important role to this day in the political affairs of the nation. Across the street at the famous Hagana Museum we walked through the history of the Israeli Defense Forces and gained a better understanding of the price paid for this country and also the background of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Jaffa

The old city of Jaffa (modern day Yafo) is within sight of Tel Aviv. Here we discussed the book of Jonah, and also the New Testament's account of Peter's stay with Simon the Tanner and his visit to Cornelius.

Lachish

One of the 46 fortified cities of Judah during Rehoboam's time, Lachish is best know for the siege and destruction it suffered at the hand of the Assyrian king Sennacherib, before he attempted to take Jerusalem. Archaeologists have found reliefs on walls in Nineveh depicting the victory of the Assyrians there.

Tel Maresha

Maresha is a fascinating place where there is evidence of an entire underground city. We were able to walk into the huge caves where they raise pigeons and the enormous underground halls and cisterns. Nearby are also the Bell Caves, names for their shape, that are the result of the quarrying of limestone. Not far away are the remains of a Roman city, including a large amphitheater.

Azeka/Elah Valley

The Elah Valley is the setting for one of the best know Bible stories – David and Goliath. From the vantage point of Tel Azeka, we were able to overlook the entire valley. Understanding the terrain and the geographical relation to Gaza and Ekron did so much to help the story come alive as we read through I Samuel 17 together.

Bet Shemesh

Bet Shemesh means “House/Home of the Sun” and it is no wonder. We arrived just before sunset and the view was incredible. This is the area where Samson lived (Zoar being just across the valley), and this ancient city the place where the Ark of the Covenant was kept following its return from the Philistines (I Samuel 6).

Latrun

Latrun is situated along the ridge of the Ayalon Valley, the place of a famous battle between Joshua and the Amorites (Joshua 10) when God caused the sun and moon to stand still. A Taggart Fort built here by the British has been turned into a Memorial for the Israeli Armored Corps. It displays hundreds of tanks, ranging from those captured from invading armies to (almost) the latest Israeli produced Merkava 3.

Jerusaelm

“Next year in Jerusalem . . .” the prayer of every religious Jew. It was exciting to finally see the place that is so prized and cherished. We only spent a few hours there, just enough to wet our appetite.

Hezekiah's Tunnel – We started in the City of David with a trek through Hezekiah's tunnel. An engineering miracle, this tunnel was dug to allow water to travel from the Gihon spring to the pool of Siloam, ensuring a water source for the city in times of siege. We were able to see the shaft that David's men scaled up when they first took the city from the Jebusites, and after the walking through 533 meter the tunnel, saw what has been unearthed of the pool and it's surrounding courtyard.

Western Wall – Just up the hill is the Temple Mount, which we will tour some other time. But we stopped and saw the Western “Wailing” Wall. It is here that the Jewish people believe they can still access the presence of God and here they come to pray. The cracks of the wall of filled with folded papers on which those prayers have been written.

Mt Olives – We drove up the Mount of Olives in order to get a good view of the city and to start recognizing landmarks and it's general layout. It is a beautiful city. It is overwhelming to contemplate all the history of this place, going back as far as Abraham and Melchizedek through each of the ancient empires, to modern history that progresses each day as its fate hangs in the balance.

There is no way to describe everything I saw and learned. It will be my food for thought for many years to come. I am so thankful to God for the privilege of studying His Word here!