Into the Negev

Today, we left our comfortable spot in city we have come to know over the past week and a half, and headed south. We left the city on one of the old routes through the Sorek Valley. We stopped mid-way through the valley at one of the popular trail heads in the area. We were able to meet up with the Israel Trail, with stretches across the entire country, over three hundred miles. We only hiked the trail for twenty minutes or so until we came upon caves and the remains of ancient houses and springs. We sat there an imagined life here in ancient times; this was the good life in the times of ancient Israel, where every house had its “own vine and fig tree.” As we sat in the shade and looked at the verses in the Bible that talked about vines and prosperity. It was a great experience to sit in peace, looking around the valley, and seeing how God provided for His people.

            We continued down the Sorek Valley into the Shephelah, the foothills in between the coastal plains and the hill country of Judah. Our first stop was at Beth-Shamesh, a hill that overlooked the end of the Sorek Valley. It was in this region that the story of Samson took place. It was so cool to read through the story and from on top of this hill and turn our gaze to different parts of the valley as the location changed. We then headed south to Azeka, a hill in the Elah Valley. It was in this location where the story of David and Goliath took place. Here again we read the Biblical narrative and looked out across the valley and were able to see the different locations where the story took place. Visiting these sites allowed me to see these stories more as historical events, and less and story; being able to see where and how these events took place, brought the story to life. These stories gained a 3-d perspective, and lost the fairy tale aspects.

            We then moved to the important port city of Askalon. Here we meet up with Wheaton professor and archaeologist Dr. Masters, who has been excavating in the city since 1992. Dr. Masters took us around the city, explaining its many layers of history that spanned over three thousand years. We saw mud brick walls incorporated in the sand dune wall, that was originally built by the Canaanites and was used by later civilizations that settled there. We saw an excavated Persian market place that Dr. Masters soon had plans to dig under, in order to find Philistine remains. We also saw a Roman theater; the city of Askalon has a long history of many different civilization. This city was right on the coast, this was my first glimpse of the Mediterranean Sea. It felt like I was back home. Up back a little from the coast was more of a desert climate but as you got close to the beach, the cool breezes hit.  Even a lot of the plants were the same. The water was the so clear and so blue, and MUCH warmer than the water back home in the Pacific. As soon as we were done with the lecture at the site, all of ran to the sea and jumped right in. This was a much needed resting moment after such a long day in the hot, desert sun. We all just swam, relaxed, and played Frisbee. It was amazing. We enjoyed the rest of the afternoon in water and then headed to Beersheba, where will be staying in a hostel for the next two nights. It has been a full day and will be followed by a few more very full days, but they have been good days.