Feb 9 - From Dan to Be'er Sheva...

After a 6:30AM (11:30PM IN time!) wake up call, we all met for a huge spread of Israeli breakfast foods.  There was cereal there for the more faint of heart.  I recall one person in the group walking by as I was contemplating eating some of the fish saying that they would avoid it.  I took her advice, not because I was afraid, but I just couldn't get by the thought of fish (herring that was somehow pickled) for breakfast.  We did enjoy the various breads and cheeses along with the other vegetables that are commonly served as breakfast foods here in Israel.
We took a short drive to Joppa which has been overtaken by the growth of Tel Aviv.  Interestingly enough, Joppa was the original port.  Tel Aviv was not built until 1910.  You will see below in the pictures how narrow the streets of old Joppa were in the time of Jonah and Peter.   There is also a picture of the traditional house of Simon the Tanner.  Joppa is a place of special interest for the gentiles, for it was twice there that the Lord gave orders to preach to the gentiles.  First with Jonah to the Ninevites and then with Peter to give the Gospel to the gentile world.  We also have a picture of Tel Aviv from near the old port of Joppa.
We boarded the bus once again and took a drive down the coast and then inland toward Tel Bet Shemesh.  This is the area in which Samson lived.  As we stood in the location of the town, we could overlook the valley where the Israelites saw the return of the Ark of the Covenant on the ox cart.  The Philistines had gotten their fill of passing it around and being struck with hemorrhoids so they sent it on the cart driven by two heifers to see if it was the Lord that was smiting them.  I think they learned their lesson!
In the pictures you will see Gila, our guide, standing in front of the valley and reading the passage about the heifers bringing the cart to Bet Shemesh.  Also included are pictures of a wild flower that is just coming into bloom, called an anemone.  It is thought that Jesus might have been referring to this wild flower when he spoke of the lilies of the field.
Our next stop going south was the Valley of Elah where David fought Goliath.  Included are pictures of our group reinacting the passage of David's battle with Goliath.  Pastor Berlin was Goliath and Nathan from Georgia was David.We also took some time to look for the type of stones that David used.  They were about half the size of a baseball.
Finally, we ended our journey at Tel Be'er Shevah. Gila is pictured standing where the city gates were located.  Abraham's well is also located there.  They cannot be absolutely certain, but the well in the pictures dates back very closely to Abraham's time.  It wasn't a very large town (300-500), but God did some pretty wonderful things there with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  This would have been the home town of Abraham's family.  Just a side note; the well is 1200 feet deep.  How in the world could they dig that deep?!!!  We saw from the tel a herd of sheep following their shepherd and included the picture.  What an illustration to the Pastors that were present!  We overlooked old Be'er Sheva from an observation tower and then had a short challenge from Pastor Matthews. 
We are staying tonight in modern Be'er Sheva in a very nice hotel.  The final picture is a view of the city.  It is the seventh largest in Israel.
We will send some more tomorrow after we go on safari in the Wilderness of Zin!