Views Lofty and Low: Israel Trip: Day Four

Day four in Israel includes a tour of the amazing Roman-style city, Beit She'an, a visit to the River Jordan and a body float in the salty Dead Sea. The Volvo bus took off from Galilee at 8 AM. As we headed south, our Renaissance man tour guide, Harrison Cohen, stood at the front of the bus and spoke into a mike. He got us started with a riddle: "What is the Jewish dilemma?" We scratched our heads and he answered, "Free pork."

Denise and the group inside 2nd century AD Roman-style theater in Beit She'an

Harrison summarized Israel's economy: high tech is #1, diamonds #2 and agriculture #3. Our bus passed through the Jezreel Valley (Valley of Armageddon), full of unending lush farmland. We experienced the benefits of Israel's high-tech agriculture; buffet meals included a large variety of fresh produce from these farms.

Red lines bus route. Green lines national borders.

In case you're wondering, Israel is a tiny country, just 290 miles long and 85 miles wide. We traveled as far south as the Dead Sea, so our tour was limited to the upper 2/3 of the country. It was no problem for the bus to cover much of Israel in a single day with plenty of time for stops.

We first stopped at Gideon's Cave and Harod Spring at the base of Mt. Gilboa. As told in the book of Judges, this is where God instructed Gideon to select his tiny army of 300, based on whether men lapped water like dogs or used their hands to drink. God insured Israel’s victory over the Midianites, who numbered in the thousands. The lesson is that God wants us to recognize our weaknesses, so that He can receive proper credit for victories in our lives. Harod Spring is located 20 miles south of Nazareth at the base of Mt. Gilboa. Many of the sites we visited in Israel were “traditional” locations of Biblical events, not necessarily “actual” locations. It's important to note that Harod Spring is considered authentic -- the actual spot mentioned in Judges 7:1-7.

Fresh produce from Israel's farms always in the buffets

Gideon's Cave and Harod Spring

Our next stop was a surprising highlight of the trip: the ancient ruins of Beit She'an. An archaeological wonder, the levels of civilization unearthed in this city span from ancient Egyptian, Canaanite, Philistine, Greek, Roman, 6th century Byzantine, and 7th century Muslim Umayyads. During the Greco-Roman era, the city was called Nyssa Scythopolis. The expansive Roman ruins are amazingly preserved, including a theater, amphitheater, huge bathhouse and a wide central street flanked by massive columns. An earthquake in the 7th century destroyed much of the city, but large sections remained preserved.

Pastor Glazner demonstrates how Gideon's soldiers lapped like dogs

The city is mentioned a few times in the Bible. In 1 Kings 4:12, Solomon assigned an official over Beit She’an. Most notably, Beit She’an is where King Saul and his three sons met a grisly end, when the Philistines fastened their decapitated bodies “to the wall of Beth-shan.” (1Samual 31:8-10). Lesson learned? It’s wise to obey God.

Prickly tree bark near Gideon's Cave

We traveled farther south to a high point overlooking the Plains of Jordan. In the book of Joshua, this was the staging area where Israel camped, soon after crossing the Jordan River. Here, before conquering Jericho, God commanded all of Israel’s soldiers to be circumcised with flint stones gathered from these plains. As the men healed, they were vulnerable to their enemies. The lesson is that God puts us in vulnerable situations so that we must look to Him for deliverance and victory.

Each person in our group collected a flint stone off the ground as a memento. This was okay to do, because rocks and flint are quite plentiful in Israel.

Snazzy flower from same prickly tree

The River Jordan came next. It was a bit scary as our bus traveled several miles along a narrow road to the baptismal site. Scary because of the mine fields that flanked us on each side of the road. The Jordan River is the natural boundary separating Israel from the country of Jordan to the east. The river itself is not too impressive. It is murky and small, the size of a typical stream or large creek.

2nd century Roman-style ruins of Beit She'an

In the days of Moses, west-of-the-Jordan was the Promised Land -- Israel. When Joshua led the Israelites across the river, it marked the end of 40 years of wilderness wanderings and the start of a new era -- taking the Promised Land by force. Later, in the New Testament, John baptized Jesus in the Jordan, marking the start of the Lord’s ministry years.

The main street through ancient Beit She'an

We visited the Qaser El-Yahud baptismal site. Two young, armed soldiers, Nadil and Nadstoc, guarded the site. Curiously, just a few yards away, on the other side of the stream, was another baptismal site in the country of Jordan.

We had fun watching a large group of Russian Orthodox Christians, dressed in white robes, undergo a unique baptismal ritual. In unison, they all dunked in the river. When they surfaced, they cheered loudly. They repeated this a few times more. It was quite entertaining.

Roman mosaic tile in lower layer, Byzantine tile in upper layer

We arrived at the Dead Sea late in the afternoon, but not too late for a salt-water float. We tossed our luggage in our hotel rooms, slipped on swim suits, and trotted down to the sea. The air temperature was only in the 70's, so it took some nerve to enter the water. The number one rule is to not allow your head to get wet. High-saline/mineral water in the eyes is not good. Of course we bobbed like fishing floats. The proper body position is on the back, like a sea otter eating clams. Any inanimate objects projecting from the water were covered with thick layers of salt. Instead of a sandy shore, it was a salty shore.

The top (capital) of a Roman pillar

Public latrine in Beit She'an. Row of seats along right wall.

7,000-seat, 2nd century Roman theater

The Dead Sea's surface and shore are 1401 ft. below sea level -- the lowest elevation on earth. It is one of the saltiest bodies of water on earth, probably in the top 5. It is too salty to support life. The water is very clear. The Dead Sea is the deepest hyper-saline lake on earth -- 1004 ft. deep. It is 31 miles long and 9 miles wide. Its water level is decreasing 3 feet per year.

Israeli soldiers Nadil and Nadstoc guarding baptismal site

Mine fields flank the road to Jordan River

After our swim, our group of chilly sea otters scurried back to our rooms, showered (my legs stung from the minerals), and enjoyed another delicious buffet. A surreal thing happened in the middle of the night. I awoke at the sound of a jet zooming just over the hotel, seemingly just a few feet above. I jumped out of bed and looked out the balcony and heard several more fighter planes pass over. It was hard to see them because of the darkness. Then I looked at the far bank of the Dead Sea (the country of Jordan). It looked like there were fires burning, as if a town had been torched. In reality, it was probably just city lights twinkling. With that, I went back to bed, my imagination swirling.