June 11, Wednesday - Samson, David, and Goliath

Not as much hiking today but we visited 5 different sites.  Plus we are getting ready now to head to the house of Abu Ali.  He is John’s bus driver when he has a smaller group and the brother of Abid – the driver for this full size bus we are using.  He must really like John to invite 35 people to his house for dinner.  We ate there the last time I was here and this is also no small dinner.  As a result, I don’t expect to get back to the hotel until at least 10PM our time tonight and we have to be down to breakfast by 6 AM and on the road by 6:30 tomorrow.  So, if there are no pictures with this entry yet – that is why.

Watch Tower

On the way out of Bethlehem we passed an area of terraced gardens and several old watch towers.  This is a picture of one of those watch towers.  It would have been used as a temporary home when the harvest was nearly ready so it could be guarded and harvested items stored in it until the harvest was complete.  There are several references to watch towers in the bible.

Timnah from Zorah

So first on the agenda for today was a visit to Zorah.  This is where Samson was born and raised.  Our teachings focused on how he was called to serve God his whole life but the temptations of the world kept drawing him away from God.  Even so, God continued to give him opportunities to live a life of example.  We had some great discussions on how the things in this world might not be what God wants us to embrace, but through our weakness we might give in – especially if we don’t have the support of a faith community.  Later in the day we would contrast how Samson did not have that support from others (they had to recruit men to attend his bachelor party) but David called on God for support and he provided people to help him in his faith. 

From here we traveled to Beth Shemesh which is mentioned in the bible as the place where the Arc of the Covenant was returned to the Israelites by the Philistines (who had captured it 7 months prior).  They returned it after each city which held it was hit with plagues.  It essentially became the hot potato no one wanted.  The interesting thing was that Beth shemesh, while thrilled to have it returned to them, also did not want it there in their city.  Our talks explored the idea that in the presence of something so holy it forces us to examine our own lives which can be uncomfortable.. 

Bottom of the cistern - looking up

walls of cistern - plastered to keep water in

Also at this location we had the chance to go down into a cistern.  This is a man-made cave cut into soft limestone which is then used to collect rainwater during the rainy season to help a community survive the dry season.  The problem is that by the end of the dry season that water is getting pretty nasty especially if animals have dropped into it and drowned.  The alternative was to find a place with fresh moving water.  This is called living water and is how Jesus described himself.  To the people of the times in this area that would have been a powerful description. 

Looking across the Elah Valley

We made a stop next at Azekah.  This was a short but intense hike which thankfully ended in a grove of trees and nice shade.  So many of John’s hikes start at the bottom of a hill (small mountain!) and go up and up.  Finally after the exhausting climb we reach the top where the bible study takes place and then we find that there is a parking lot up there with the bus in it! I doubt John will ever think it is as good to start at the top and hike down, but I can hope.

Azekah is the location for the battle between David and Goliath.  We stood on the hill probably used as the Philistine camp and looked at the hill of the Israelite camp with the valley in between.  We talked about how Saul should have been the one to fight Goliath, but that God had prepared David for this mission.  David had been a shepherd, throwing stones to move the flock in the direction he needed and this simple skill was used to defeat Goliath.  Likewise we may not know how our skills may fit into God’s plan but all of us are capable of great things if we leave ourselves open to the opportunity. 

Riverbed near battle of David and Goliath

Before we left the area we went down to the river bed running along the valley which is where David would have looked for the stones he took to fight Goliath.  It was funny to learn that so many tourists do the same thing that every year the Israeli government brings in fresh loads of stone to put in the river bed.  But I guess it is the thought that counts!

Cave at Adullam

After David kills Goliath he is praised as a hero – even greater than Saul.  Saul becomes jealous and tries to kill David.  David escapes and is thought to have taken refuge in caves near Adullam.  We visited the caves and read Psalm 142 which it is believed David wrote while there.  He called out to God for help and men from around the area came to join up with David.  This is the contrast to Samson who tried to go through life on his own rather than David's search for a community of people to help him.  I know a lot of folks who are good people and consider themselves religious but do not belong to a church they attend regularly because the 'don't get anything out of it'.  It is stories like this in the bible which help point out the necessity of having a community of supporters around us to really help us live our lives to their fullest.

That wrapped up the studies for the day.  We were all tired – mentally and physically.  Distance-wise it was an easier day with just over 3 miles of hiking, bringing the trip total to 14 miles.  Tomorrow we head back out to the desert and one of our more strenuous hikes.

First course of dinner

As a final wrap-up: we have gotten back from dinner at Abu Ali’s house.  We had a wonderful dish that was like a giant casserole with chicken, rice, potatoes, spaghetti, cauliflower, and carrots with spices that included cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, and probably a few others.  It was wonderful!  I had 2 helpings and then they brought out watermelon, then cake, then tea.  I ate until I sneezed and then some (inside joke).  I am going to try to get pictures uploaded tonight still, but we have to get an early start so bed cannot be too far off.