Therefore, the initial sunrise over the Sea of Galilee wasn't impressive, but a few minutes later, the suns rays shined through the clouds to remind us that "The heavens declare the glory of God".Īfter a great breakfast, we headed north of the Sea to the Hula Valley. This morning's sunrise was partly cloudy. Tomorrow will be a walk around the Old City of Jerusalem which is always very interesting. We were able to squeeze some extra time in our schedule to take everyone to the Qumran kibbutz and allow them the opportunity to float in the Dead Sea. Having a smaller group (about 30) has its advantages. We discussed many of these events as well as the architectural finds that have been made here. This site is very special for me because so many Biblical sites took place here. I have known him for about five years and know that he and his family are going through a rough time right now.) The travel company made arrangements for a new driver to meet us within a few minutes. (Side note: While we were visiting this site, we learned that the mother of our driver had passed away. However, the Israelis, Palestinians and Jordanians are all working on this problem. It is only about 20 feet wide and about 2 feet deep. Due to various reasons, the River Jordan is very small through here. The Bible tells us that John the Baptist was baptizing at "Bethany beyond the Jordan", which means that John was baptizing at some location on the other side of the Jordan from where we were located. Our next stop was at the traditional baptismal site of Jesus. We enjoyed learning about the Essenes and their lifestyle in this arid climate. Traveling north up the coast, we found ourselves at Qumran, the site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Even today, water continually flows from the mountains as it makes its way to the Dead Sea. In the middle of the Wilderness of Judea, it was this location that had water. During David's life, he went to En Gedi and after visiting the site, you know why. Our next stop was En Gedi, which included a brief hike up to a waterfall. From a Biblical perspective, it is interesting to see the lifestyle of King Herod and knowing that it was this man's family that was the ruling party in the First Century. This site is one of the top tourist attractions in Israel. We arrived around 9:15 and went to the top. Our goal was to beat the crowds and the heat of the day. After breakfast, we headed toward Masada. Today was spent the entire day around the lowest place on the earth, the Dead Sea. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.” And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land. And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. And there Abram called upon the name of the Lord. And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place where he had made an altar at the first. Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb. When I saw this video, I was reminded the passage in Genesis 13 in which Lot chose to settle in the fertile Jordan Valley when he separated from Abraham. He took the footage for the video using a drone which flew over many of the fields in the area. Recently, I watched a video by Amir Aloni of the Jordan Valley. And, while there are places like the wilderness and the Negeb that are very dry, much of the area is well watered. As I speak to people about the lands of the Bible, I am often met with surprise when I discuss the rich and fertile areas of Israel.
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