A Journey to Israel – Day 5 – Beth She’an
This post was contributed by Bill & Laura Umberger:
We left the kibbutz early in the morning to make our way to the Dead Sea. The first stop along the way was the Jordan River, at a site set up as an example of where Jesus was baptized (not the actual spot). It was a beautiful area, with trees surrounding the banks on each side of the river. The river itself looked a little like Putah Creek in Davis, but our guide Ezra assured us that it used to flow much stronger in Jesus’ time. Many of us waded into the river, and reflected on our own baptisms. Pastor took time to speak, and we enjoyed a brief time of worship, singing “I’ve been redeemed.”
We got back on the bus and next stopped at Gideon’s spring. This was the spring of Herod mentioned in Judges 7:1 where Gideon camped with his army and separated out the 300 men who would fight the Midianites. Across a plain we could see Mt. Moreh where the enemy was camped. It was amazing to be there and see the landscape. We could clearly picture the battle, imagining the fear of the men to be within sight of the Midianite army.
Next we journeyed on to Beth She’an. This was one of the ancient Roman Decapolis cities, a site with a huge expanse of ruins to see. We saw a bathhouse, a crusader baptismal area and many preserved mosaic floors. There was also a theater that had been abandoned after an earthquake and then preserved by being buried with sand over time. A few people in our group braved the hot sun and walked to the top of the tel above the city to see where Saul and his sons were hung on the city walls of Beth She’an.
This was a particularly hot day (although it seemed like every day was hot!), so after Beth She’an we were grateful to sit in the shade and enjoy a lunch break of falafel or shawarma. After lunch we got back on the bus (yay for air-conditioning!) and headed for the Dead Sea. Along the way we drove through the West Bank and saw the area of Samaria and the city of Jericho from the bus windows. It wasn’t safe to stop in these areas, so we drove straight through. Getting closer to the Dead Sea we saw the mountains of Moab, and shortly after leaving the West Bank we arrived at our fancy resort-like Dead Sea hotel, just in time for a swim before dinner!
Actually, you can’t really swim in the Dead Sea – you float. Due to the salt content of the water we all floated and couldn’t sink, even when we tried. You don’t need to tread water either – we felt like a cork in the water, just bobbing up and down. It was an amazing experience and a lot of fun. To prevent dehydration we only stayed in the water for about 20 minutes, but this was one of the most fun experiences of the whole trip.
At dinner that night we had an amazing array of food, and no one went away hungry. We dined in luxury and had a wonderful evening of fellowship to prepare for another busy, hot day!
Jordan River:
Gideon’s Spring:
Beth She’an:
West Bank:
Dead Sea:
