Israel Day 5

The area believed to be where the herd of swine ran over into the water after Jesus freed the maniac of Gadara from the Legion that possessed him.

We saw these signs all over the place. Our guide informed us that after the 6 day war the people put cattle into the fields to detonate the mines. But there are still areas that have mines. Ariay asked us to take the signs seriously...so much for throwing a rock over there to see for sure. Just kidding. Below is a picture of the Gadarian springs and alligator farm. Beyond this is Jordan. The city of Gadara, one of Herod's Decapolis, is now in Jordan.


King Ahab went a walking in royal garments grand he saw a lovely vinyard while gazing o'er the land. He said, "I've got to have it! I always get my way!" But when he could not have it he pouted all the day...theeeee puchy lip will get you if you don't watch out... Can you tell I have children and/or work in children's ministries? I have to admit that this song came into my mind as soon as I looked down at this grove of trees which is in the place that Naboth's Vineyard would have been. The famed vineyard that King Ahab so lusted in 1 Kings 21.

Beit She'an Roman Ruins. This was one of my favorite places to visit in the Galilee region of Israel. The city was another on the crossroads and would have housed thousands of Roman soldiers as they passed through the area. The theater had amazing acoustics as proven by Alton Beal, below, singing Down From His Glory.


The latrine...the little channel at the front would have had loofah's that were used to clean with and then rinsed off in the flowing water and left for the next person. Any wonder why they had the plagues and dysentery?



Harod's Well. This is where the Lord told Gideon that, "The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go. So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink." Judges 7:2-5

Our guide asked us why God made the distinction between those who would lap up the water and those who would bow down. I didn't expect the answer he gave. Ariay believes that God was weeding out those who were idol worshippers, those who would boweth down when drinking water from the well spring would do so because they had bowed down to an idol. God wanted the pure in heart to fight for Him.

A channel taking water from the Dead Sea into the evaporation pools, which used to be a part of the Dead Sea before the water level dropped so much.
The Qumran caves where the Dead Sea scrolls were found. The story behind the discovery of the scrolls is quite remarkable. That winter was one of the wettest on record. Because of all the rain the desert was full of grass, yes, even what you see here. Truly a miracle. A shepherd had taken his sheep grazing all they way to Qumran and while here he found some leather. Taking the leather home to have made into shoes it was discovered that it was parchments.


Qumran ruins.

This road goes to Jordan. Below is a Date grove. They use donkeys to clean up the ground so that there is no fire hazard.