Israel 2017 (Day 6-7)

On Sunday morning we left our hotel and headed south on the east side of Israel with the country of Jordan on our left.

Beit Shean was a pagan city that was wild and full of amusment like Las Vegas, in the United States located under the ruins of the Jewish city in the tel. There the orginal Philistine city is where Saul's head was taken to and nailed to the center wall for display after the war. From there we could see Mount Gilboa , where Saul and Jonathan were killed during the war with the Philistine army. It was just amazing and interesting to walk through the ruins that once was active and standing in Biblical times until an earthquake hit in 749 AD and was abandoned until archaeologists discovered the city in more than 10 feet of dirt.

We continued south to the supposed baptism sight of Jesus in the River of Jordan. As we walked down the steps we noticed guards with machine guns on each side. Since the River divides Israel and Jordan there needs to be some kind of security at the border.

We talked about how in the time of Moses, the water of the Jordan was much higher and it must have been interesting to watch the Israelites cross over into the wilderness as they left Egypt.

We traveled through Palestinian authority in the West Bank through Jericho to see the spot where the walls of Jericho went tumbling down and talked about the civil dispute between the Palestinian authorities and the Israeli government. It was interesting to see that though the foliage of the land is lacking than what is in the other parts of Israel, they grow thousands of date trees.

We also visited Qumran, the sight in which the ancient Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.  It's such a blessing to know that between our two oldest texts, written 1200 years apart no more than 4-5 percent is different. Mostly spelling errors! An interesting fact, is that in Isaiah 6 the Dead Sea text only mentioned two Holys. Not, Holy, Holy, Holy.

We made a couple stops then made it to the King David Hotel on the Dead Sea, had dinner then headed to bed.

Monday morning (Day 7)
Monday morning we woke up to see the beautiful sunrise and headed out to the Dead Sea to check out if you could actually float. It's true. We walked out into the water and it felt very smooth to the skin and we didn't get pruned fingers.

When you slightly lay back you automatically bob and float. It was amazing, when trying to get back to a right position we had a hard time. We  came very close to the Jordan and Israel border and collected a little bit of salt. :) It was totally an experience I will never forget!

After a late breakfast we all got into the Mercedes Benz Bus and traveled to Ein Gedi (Hazazon-Tamar), a waterfall near Qumran where David hid from King Saul. It was just a peaceful place. Psalm 104.

Next we traveled to Masada, a place where a Fortress and Palace was built on a butte which looked out over the Dead Sea. To get to the top we went on a cable car. We discussed the history of the sight and talked about how "Dry Bones Come Alive". Also, how as the world curses Israel, Israel is blessed over and over again throughout history.

We took a path all the way to the bottom and traveled to Kfar Hanokdim and rod camels. That was a very interesting experience, sort of like riding a horse but the horse comes down so it's easier to mount. As Mike Vanlaningham said, "you came to Israel so you can't leave without riding a camel".

The camel ride was followed by traditional Bedouin hospitality, where a Muslim Arab spoke in Hebrew (he spoke the language of the land he lived, though traditional he would speak Arabic) and Erez translated.  The man spoke about the tradition of his people, how they treat their guests as family. He shared coffee and tea with us as they would do with guests hundreds of years ago. He shared that his people were from the line of Ishmeal and how they made their tents. We shared a meal as a tour group hosted by the Arab people, which consisted of vegetables, tahini, meats, rice, desserts, etc. It was very delicious. :) We are thankful for their hospitality. :)

On the way back to our hotel we sang some worship songs together as the bus rolled along.

Tomorrow we head away from the Dead Sea to Jerusalem. :)