So Heidi has discovered her most favorite place in Israel – the mountains of Gilboa. For myself, I think I still like the Dead Sea more, but this comes in a very close second. As the roads are only wide enough for 1.5 cars, you won’t find any tour buses driving here. You need to pull off the road to pass anyone coming the other way. That said, the hills are spectacular … blanketed with flowers of every possible color. The day was gray and overcast so the pictures didn’t come out too well, but we’ll definitely be back over the next month.

"Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings …" 2 Samuel 1:21 What did you take the expression to mean, "fields of offerings"? Without a doubt, it refers to the spectacular beauty of the flowers that bloom upon them. For His pleasure, they are and were created. One of the flowers which is currently in bloom, the Gilboa Iris, is unique to these mountains alone. It is one of the national icons of Israel – truly spectacular.

The mountain of Gilboa (or mount Gilboa) overlooks the plain of the Jezreel valley. You can almost visualize the scene when the armies of Israel under Saul and his three sons faced off against the incredible numbers of Philistines. "And it came to pass in those days, that the Philistines gathered their armies together for warfare, to fight with Israel. And Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa. And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled … Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa." (1 Sam 28:1,4,5 and 1 Sam 31:1) One of the hills is named after Sha’ul and perhaps is the place where Saul was wounded and fell upon his sword.

On Friday we were able to go to Nazareth, but it was so different from the time when the Lord lived there, that it just didn’t hit any cords. They believe that when the Lord was a boy, there were only 200 people in the village. It is now one of the larger cities in Israel (hundreds of thousands) – largely occupied by christian Arab Israelis. I guess my favorite places are the outdoor hills, mountains and plains that must have been the same 2000 years ago when the Lord looked upon them. 🙂

Even the best laid plans go awry. Friday morning, I thought perhaps we would finish the southern tip of the Dead Sea by going to Masada. Ever since first reading the story of Masada, I have been more than a little eager to visit this place. Driving south along the Dead Sea, I thought we would stop for a moment at En Gedi for a brief rest. If you remember, the last time we stopped, the visit was cut short because of poor Jake and the salty water.

This time we looked inland to a place called David’s spring. The signs advertised a short hike of one hour and I thought it would be good for Jake and Isaac to get out of the car. (I’m not sure why – because Masada is only 15 minutes further.) Hiking anywhere in Israel takes more than an hour. The scenery and the trails are so spectacular, that you can’t help but wonder at the incredible beauty. It was very easy to imagine David and his men taking refuge in the crevice, with the fresh natural waterfalls cascading down the mountain side. It was simply spectacular and a definite must for anyone coming here. It only makes one echo again the words of Solomon. Anyone coming to the Dead Sea? Floating in the sea is fun, but it was more moving to me to visit this place that no doubt was a solace for so many in the old testament. Again, the pictures do not do it justice …

So leaving En Gedi shortly after 1:30, we arrive at Masada at 2:00. Guess what time the last cable car goes up the mountain? Just 2 minutes before we arrived. While I consider myself in good shape, I really didn’t think I could hike the 1300 vertical foot snake path in time to be up and down before dark. That’s not to mention that carrying Jake would make it even harder. That’s right. Thirteen hudred feet. That might put some of these pictures in perspective. It doesn’t look very big in the photos, but I imagine that even the Roman generals must have wondered about taking such a place.

Do you know the story? In the final stages of the Jewish rebellion (around 70 AD), about 1000 Jewish zealots were launching raids on the Romans from this mountain-top fortress. The Roman generals came down and laid seige, eventually building a ramp up the western side, with thousands of tons of stone and earth. The night before they broke through, the Jewish defenders chose to commit suicide, rather than capture at the hands of the Roman legions. According to two women survivors who hid in an underground cistern, the defenders drew lots and killed one another until only one person remained. This one person alone committed suicide. Committing suicide is not allowed under Judaism. Breaking through the gates the following day, the Romans were confronted with the evidence of the Jewish passion.

Saturday brought us back into Jerusalem. This time, we came in through the Damascas gate and toured extensively (aching feet anyone?) in the Muslim quarter, and a little in the Christian quarter. The Moslim quarter is most famous for the Via Dolorosa, but is a cacophany of sights, smells and noise. Friday is the holy day for the Muslims, so they were out in force – bartering, selling and causing general mayhem. The sights, smells, and sounds are overwhelmingly fascinating. I bought my first items from an Arab vendor, and I "think" I got a good deal.

More sobering than this however, was our visit to the Garden Tomb, sometimes called Gordon’s Calvary. The thought that this was where my Saviour might have been crucified, buried and risen is …

I felt almost wrong taking pictures, but I took a few. You can see from the hillside, why this was considered a good candidate for the "place of a skull". The tomb found nearby in the garden, is thought by many to be the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. Of the two locations where bodies should have been laid within, one has been used and the other has not. The size of the tomb proves that this was created for a very wealthy man, and the stone that once rolled in front of the opening was probably 6 to 7 tonnes – a large stone. Everything matches. Still, there is much debate about Calvary as this location and tomb were not identified until the 1800’s, while the Church of the Holy Sepulcher has been identified from around 300 AD. Does it matter? Both are empty.

It was interesting to note that they had bread and wine available at the garden tomb for people who wished to remember the Lord in His death. It was not a church – simply made available for those who wished to remember Him. The silence and peace of the garden were wonderful.

So it was into the West Bank this weekend. Fasten your seat belts and don’t leave the main roads was the motto of the day …

I have to say that the scenery driving down towards the Dead Sea was my favorite so far. I was really disappointed in the photos I took, because they didn’t come close to doing justice to the magnitude of the mountains. Consider that the Dead Sea is more than 400m below sea level, and the towering peaks only hundreds of meters to the west are anywhere from 100 to 400 m above sea level. That’s a difference of 800m …Unfortunately, the pictures made it seem so normal. These are the times when I really wish I had a better camera.

The highlight of the day (for me) was going to Qumram, where the dead sea scrolls were found. While the ruins were impressive, the towering hills and the caves in the background where even more so. You can see the caves in the background of the pictures, but they’re really small. In fact, the pictures make the cliffs and crags seem a few feet high, when they were hundreds and hundreds of feet high.

The only challenge with having two small boys is that the hiking trail into the Qumram canyon looked impossibly inviting, but off-limits given the sling and danger. When a sign says that ropes, gear and special climbing equipment is recommended, I’m thinking that a little boy in a baby carrier doesn’t count.

Driving south out of the West Bank brought us to En Gedi – an oasis and the only source of fresh water on the dead sea. Solomon had it right. This place is truly beautiful. "My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi." Song of Solomon 1:14 This was one of the places of refuge that David hid with his men when chased by Saul. "Wherefore Saul returned from pursuing after David … and David went up from thence, and dwelt in strong holds at Engedi." 1 Sam 23:29

It was also a place of learning for me – don’t take your young son into the Dead Sea. While the water was warm and inviting, it’s not for everyone … Jake was wanting very badly to get into the "otter odder" and so into his bathing suit and into the water. I guess my skin is a little tougher than his. About a minute after getting into the water calamity ensued. I wasn’t thinking about the sensitivity of his little skin – especially given his problems with eczema. Much crying and many outdoor fresh water showers later, things calmed down a little bit, but that kept us from spending more time relaxing. This is definitely a repeat visit for us.

Swimming was everything I expected. As other pictures suggest, it was fully possible to lie in the water and read a newspaper without getting it wet. Next time I’ll bring one to show you … Lying on your stomach, you could cross your legs up behind you in the air. In fact, it was pretty hard to swim because your legs didn’t want to stay under the water and you couldn’t generate any thrust. In the picture of Jake and I where he is standing on my hands, I’m actually in over my head … but you would think I was standing.

Driving back towards Herzliya, I decided to drive west through Jerusalem. I have two words for the Bedouin in the hills of Judea coming into Jerusalem – abject poverty. Asking about them at work, it sounds like they choose to live this way. The nomadic nature of their life dictates that they prefer to live in tents and work in the hills, than settling into a home. It was an eye-opener.

Saturday we decided to head north again up to the Sea of Galilee specifically to see Capernaum and Tabgha. "And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast." Matt 4:13 I have to say that my expectations were pretty low. Usually these types of places are built up into churches ruined with religious sacrilege. I was more than a little surprised that the town of Capernaum was very well excavated and didn’t have the massive and ostentious churches that one associates with other places like this in Israel. There was a Catholic church over what is supposed to be the home of Peter, but it was small and tastefully done. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures. It had a glass floor I was completely up on stilts with a glass floor to look down into the home – I guess to represent the time that the invalid was lowered down through the roof?

Only a short walk away is Tabgha – the place of seven springs. These springs produce warmer waters in the Sea of Galilee and attract all the fish. As in the day of Peter and Andrew, this attracts the fishermen too. It wasn’t hard to picture Simon Peter and Andrew casting their nets into the water here and the Lord walking along the shoreline. Imagining that this was the place of so much of the ministry of our Lord is incredible … 🙂