Category: Israel

The region of Dan is located in the northernmost part of Israel. The Bible often speaks of the region “from Dan to Beersheba” when speaking of the entire nation of Israel from north to south. 1 Kings 4:25  “And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.”

Dan takes it’s name from Jacob’s fifth born son, born to Rachel’s handmaid Bilhah. Genesis 30:5,6

Joshua 19:47  And the coast of the children of Dan went out too little for them: therefore the children of Dan went up to fight against Leshem, and took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it, and dwelt therein, and called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father.

Dan in the Book of Judges.

Judges chapter 18 records the account of the Tribe of Dan sending out men to spy out the land of Laish. Along the way the spies passed through the land of Ephraim where they lodged in the house of Micah. There they met a Levite of Bethlehem-judah who signed on to be a priest in the house of Micah in exchange for “ten shekels of silver by the year, and a suit of apparel, and thy victuals.” Judges 17:10

The Danite spies sought God’s blessing on their planned takeover of Laish through Micah’s hired personal priest. He told them what they wanted to hear. “Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous. And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before the LORD is your way wherein ye go.” – Judges 18:5,6

The Danite spies departed from Ephraim and continued on to Laish. There they saw a people that would be easy to conquer and a lush and fertile land with an abundance of water.

Returning to their people, the Danite spies gave their report, after which “Six hundred men appointed with weapons of war” set out to conquer the land of Laish. On their journey to Laish, they passed through Ephraim and came to the house of Micah. From the house of Micah they took the graven image (idol) that Micah’s mother had made from 200 shekels of silver, the ephod (a priestly garment) , and his teraphim (family idol, household god). Judges 18:17 They convinced Micah’s personal Levite priest to come with them to Laish. “Go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel?” – Judges 18:19

The Levite priest was more than happy to join the Danites. “And the priest’s heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people. So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and the carriage before them.”

“And they (the Danites) took the things which Micah had made, and the priest which he had, and came unto Laish, unto a people that were at quiet and secure: and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and burnt the city with fire.
28  And there was no deliverer, because it (Laish) was far from Zidon, and they had no business with any man; and it was in the valley that lieth by Bethrehob. And they built a city, and dwelt therein.
29  And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born unto Israel: howbeit the name of the city was Laish at the first.
30  And the children of Dan set up the graven image: and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.
31  And they set them up Micah’s graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.”

“Ten Shekels and a Shirt” sermon preached in 1965 by Paris Reidhead. Sermon text: Judges chapters 17 and 18.

More Idolatry at Dan

1 Kings 12:28,29 “… the king (Jeroboam) took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.  And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.“

Jeroboam’s altar of sacrifice at Dan. Sacrifices were made to a golden calf which was placed on the platform behind the altar of sacrifice.

Canaanite Ruins at Tel Dan

Genesis 14:14-16  “And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan. And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus. And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.”

Travel notes:

We found it convenient to book a couple nights lodging near Chorazin while taking in the sites around the Sea of Galilee and Dan. The drive from the Sea of Galilee to Dan takes about 45 minutes. Caesarea Philippi (Banias) is less than 10 minutes by car from the Dan Nature Reserve. The Druze village of Mas Ada in nearby Golan is a great place to find some amazing cuisine.

Nubian Ibex (Wild Goat)

“And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.
2  Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats.” – 1 Samuel 24:1,2

Yotvata Hai-Bar Nature Reserve

Most of the following photos were taken during a drive through the Yotvata Hai-Bar Nature Reserve located in Southern Israel between Eilat and Timna Park. The animals roam freely within the 12 square km reserve.

Ostrich

“Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks? or wings and feathers unto the ostrich?” – Job 39:13

Wild Ass

“Who hath sent out the wild ass free? or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass?” – Job 39:5

Coney, aka Rock Badger or Hyrax.

Addax, aka antelope or pygarg? – Deut. 14:5

The pygarg is included in a list of animals permitted to eat in Deuteronomy 14:5. This is the only reference to this beautiful creature in the Bible.

Oryx

The oryx is believed by many to be the unicorn spoken of in eight passages in the Bible, including Psalm 29:6 – “He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.”

Our flight to Israel arrived at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport about 9:00 am. In less than an hour we were in our rental car and on our way to Jaffa (Joppa), a 30 minute drive from the airport.

Jaffa

At Jaffa, Jonah “found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.” – Jonah 1:3.

At Jaffa, wood was brought in from Lebanon for use in constructing Solomon’s Temple. – “Solomon determined to build an house for the name of the LORD, and an house for his kingdom.” – 2 Chronicles 2:1 “And we will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as thou shalt need: and we will bring it to thee in floats by sea to Joppa; and thou shalt carry it up to Jerusalem.” – 2 Chronicles 2:16

Again, during the time of Ezra, wood was brought in from Lebanon for use in the temple reconstruction. – “They gave money also unto the masons, and to the carpenters; and meat, and drink, and oil, unto them of Zidon, and to them of Tyre, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia.” – Ezra 3:7

At Jaffa Tabitha was raised from the dead. – Acts 9:36-42

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At Jaffa (Joppa), Peter was praying on Simon’s rooftop when the men sent by Cornelius came for him. Acts chapter 10.

Caesarea

Leaving Jaffa around 11:30 am we passed through Tel Aviv on our way to Caesarea. When we stopped for lunch we heard the hissing sound of air leaking from one of the tires on the rental car. Fortunately there was a tire shop nearby and we weren’t delayed long.

Caesarea was one of King Herod’s massive building projects including the Temple Mount and Masada. Caesarea has been called “Rome away from Rome.” The Roman centurion Cornelius was stationed at Caesarea when he sent for Peter.

It was at Caesarea that the Apostle Paul was “kept in Herod’s judgement hall” (Acts 23:35 until Ananias the high priest and Tertullus (a Jewish Lawyer) arrived from Jerusalem. Following his trial at Caesarea, Paul was sent to Rome to appeal his charges before Caesar.

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At Caesarea are the remains of a man made harbor, a large hippodrome where chariot races were held, an ancient theater, an aqueduct, and remains of the city walls.

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We departed from Caesarea in mid afternoon headed for the Sea of Galilee. Normally the drive would take about an hour and a half but we lost some time while looking for a viewpoint of the Jezreel Valley from Mount Carmel. We arrived in Capernaum about 4:00 pm, just as it was closing and the last of the tour buses were leaving.

Capernaum

Capernaum to Jerusalem

Leaving Capernaum, we traveled South along the Western shore of the Sea of Galilee, passing the city of Tiberius and continuing South through the Jordan River Valley.

Beit Shean

As we made our way from Capernaum to Jerusalem we made a brief stop at Beit-Shean. It was late in the day and well past visiting hours. We stood outside the fence and gazed at the ruins during the last light of the day. The archeological site at Beit Shean merits at least 3-4 hours. It can be very hot during the Summer and early Fall.

Continuing South through the Jordan River Valley there is a junction just past Jericho. To the South is the Dead Sea and to the West is Jerusalem. We turned onto highway 1 toward Jerusalem and began the ascent from the Dead Sea region, 1300 feet below sea level, to Jerusalem, about 2500 feet above sea level. Somewhere along the way we surely passed the place where the Samaritan came to the aid of a man that was robbed, beaten, and left for dead (Luke 10:25-37).

By the time we arrived in Jerusalem about twelve hours had passed since arriving at the airport in Tel Aviv that morning. After locating our hotel and a place to park the rental car, we set out to find something to eat along the Ben Yehuda walking street, adjacent to Jerusalem’s Old City.

Day 2 – Israel

Jerusalem

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The Dead Sea

After a short nap we discussed our options for the remainder of the day and decided to drive down to the Dead Sea, about a 40 minute drive East of Jerusalem.

Capernaum

“Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; 13  And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:” – Matt. 4:12,13

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Chorazin

“Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.” – Luke 10:13

The Chorazin archeological site is high on the hill above the Northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, about 10 minutes by car from Capernaum.

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Genesis 21:33  And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God.

Beer-Sheba was at the Southern edge of the Promised Land. The Bible makes reference at least eight times to the land from “Dan even to Beersheba” in reference to the Promised Land.

Beer-Sheba, Beersheba, Beersheva, Be’er-sheva……. all refer to the same Israeli city on the Negev Desert in Southern Israel.

The name Beer-Sheba comes from the two Hebrew words, “Be’er” meaning well, as in a water well, and “Sheva” meaning oath or covenant. The name Be’er-sheva means the well of the oath. At Be’er-sheva Abraham made a covenant with King Abimelech regarding the well that he (Abraham) had dug (Gen. 21:22-32)

“Abraham planted a grove (tree) in Be’er-Sheva.” – Gen. 21:33 The word “grove” or tree comes from the Hebrew word êshel meaning tamarisk tree.

The tamarisk tree is also known as a salt cedar. The tree extracts salt from the ground and deposits the salt on its needles. During the coolness of night the salt attracts moisture which evaporates during the heat of the day. The tamarisk tree provides shade and coolness from the intense heat of the desert.

Abraham planted a tamarisk (êshel) tree at Beersheva. Our Jewish interpreter at Abraham’s Well told us that the Hebrew word “êshel” can be used as an acronym for three separate Hebrew words meaning eating, drinking, and sleeping. Perhaps this hints at Abraham’s hospitality as recorded in Genesis chapter 18 when he entertained strangers.

Gen 18:4,5 “Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: 5  And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on:”

Approximately 25 years after God came to Abraham in the Ur of the Chaldees, Abraham was finally in the Promised Land with Issac, the son of promise. At Beersheba Abraham planted a tree and “called on the name of the Lord, the everlasting God.” – Gen. 21:33

In planting the tree at Beersheba Abraham was looking to the future. The tree was not just for him, but for those that would come after him. The tree signified that this place belonged to Abraham. Beersheba was Abraham’s undisputed property.

Tel Be’er Sheva

Tel Be’er Sheva is an archeological site about 2 1/2 miles from the city of Beersheva, the capitol city of Israel’s Negev region. The ruins at Tel Be’er Sheva date back to Bible times.

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The Battle of Beersheva, October 31, 1917. The Australia and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC), led by British General Edmund Allenby, mounted an offense against Ottoman defenses at Beersheva. The ANZAC troops pulled off a mounted infantry charge against the Ottoman defenders at Beersheva with only their bayonets in hand. The Ottomans were defeated by the ANZAC Light Horse Brigade. The strategic water wells at Beersheva were taken intact. Six weeks later, on Dec. 9, 1917, the Ottoman troops surrendered the city of Jerusalem to Allied forces.

Interestingly on the same date, Oct. 31, 1917, the British War Cabinet approved the text for what would become the Balfour Declaration that paved the way for the establishment of the modern state of Israel in 1948.

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