This morning, we pulled out of Kibbutz Ginnosar in Tiberias, on the Sea of Galilee. We spent four fantastic days in the Galilee region and today we went up to Jerusalem via the Mediterranean Sea. Before I leave the topic of Galilee, however, let me talk about a few things we learned there–especially on the last day. Our final day at the kibbutz was a Sabbath day. So, the greeting for the day was “Shabot Shalom”, or Sabbath Peace (Have a peaceful Sabbath!). Also, our breakfast that morning was not hot eggs, etc., as it usually is. But it was all food that could be prepared ahead of Sabbath, which began at sundown on Friday (Sabbath runs sundown to sundown). Those were the major things we had to be aware of during Sabbath, while staying at a Jewish establishment.
After leaving Kibbutz Ginnosar, we drove through the Plain of Jezreel or Jezreel Valley, passing Nazareth once again, the on to our first destination of Megiddo. There we visited the excavations of over 20 different civilizations. This was one of King Solomon’s major chariot cities or strongholds. We saw a several thousand year old Canaanite altar. We also saw ruins off Solomon’s palace, along with two sets of stables for the chariot horses. Then, we exited this site through their water tunnel, dug from the inside of the hill to the springs for security. It was approximately 180 steps down … and 80 steps back up on the other side. Our exit took us out the back way so that we ended up outside the fortress walls.
Stone ‘manger’ found at the stables of the Fortress of Megiddo…
After Megiddo (Armageddon), we went for a sort ride in the District of Carmel and ascended Mt. Carmel, where Elijah soundly defeated the prophets of Ba’al. It was a sad day for them … and day of victory for Elijah and the Kingdom of God (check out 1 Kings 18). Here, we had a short time of worship–up on Mt. Carmel–and after reading the scripture talked about King Ahab in the story. This particular day was a day of decision for him. And he was wrong. He thought he could serve both God and Ba’al. But, he couldn’t. Our God is a jealous God and we’re to put no other god before him. Neutrality is great for news reports … or for judge & jury, but not when it comes to our walk with God. We need to choose, just lke Elijah told Ahab he had to. And we chose God…
After a quick falafel lunch, we were off to Caesarea by the Sea, Herod’s enormous sea port and city. Herod had built an aqueduct that ran the length from the springs at Mt. Carmel all the way down to Caesarea. We got to walk through the Roman Theater there, see Herod’s seaside palace complete with fresh water swimming pool, and the hippodrome next door to the palace. Malcolm taught us about Caesarea as a port and told us about how Herod built the seaport, complete with the use of hydraulic cement–something unheard of in the Middle East when it was first built. Herod was indeed GREAT when it came to building! One of the most important aspects of this sight, however, is that this is the place where Paul gave his plea to King Agrippa before going on to Rome as a prisoner. This is a huge event in the history of Christianity … and its surprising that no more attention is given to this event than what is, especially when compared to other equally important events and sites. Just an observation (thanks, Malcolm!),,,
Roman Theater at Caesarea by the Sea, another building project of Herod the Great…
With a quick stop at the ancient seaport of Joppa (modern-day Jaffa), where Jonah would have boarded his famous journey, got in trouble, and ended up in the belly of a whale, we headed up to the Holy City of Jerusalem, checking into our hotel in Jerusalem, the Grand…