February 24, 2000. While our Jerusalem Approaches and Hebron trips were the most rigorous so far, our Samaria Trip was the longest. We left the moshav at 8am and didn’t return until 6:30 this evening — a tiring ten and a half hours!

First, we stopped near the ancient cities of Bethel and Ai. Overlooking the hillside, we considered a few different routes Joshua might have taken when he ambushed the city of Ai. There wasn’t a whole lot to see, though, because we don’t know for sure where Bethel or Ai rest today. Different portions of the area have been excavated, revealing ruins dating to the Israelite conquest, but we’re not exactly sure where those cities were.

What other events took place at Bethel? Well, Abram & Lot separated here (Gen. 13), Jacob had his famous dream (Gen. 28), Deborah ruled here (Judges 4), the Israelites stopped here before attacking Benjamin (Judges 20:18ff), Samuel ministered here (1 Sam. 7), Jereboam set up a golden calf here after breaking away from the Southern Kingdom (1 Kings 12:25ff), Elijah and Elisha travelled through here (2 Kings 2), Josiah crushed the altar & high place (2 Kings 23:15f), and the area was resettled after the Babylonian captivity (Neh. 7:32), to name just a few. To be honest, it’s one of the all-time most important areas to understand in the Bible.

Amazingly enough, the day only got better. Tel Shiloh was our next destination, a little further north along the “Road of the Patriarchs” in the hill country. We climbed the small Tel, and were able to estimate within a few feet of where the tabernacle once rested. Here, Samuel served under Eli the priest.

Later on, the Jews cleverly thought they could take the Ark of the Covenant into battle against the Philistines as a “good luck charm.” Needless to say, God was not impressed, and He allowed the Ark to be stolen in battle. Soon after, the city of Shiloh was decimated.

Centuries later, the people of Judah would recall that disgraceful event when the prophet Jeremiah warned, “But go now to My place which was in Shiloh, where I made My name dwell at the first, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel…therefore, I will do to the house which is called by My name, in which you trust, and to the place which I gave you and your fathers, as I did to Shiloh” (Jer 8:12,14). Shortly after this prophecy, God fulfilled His promise. The Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and took the Jews into captivity.

At Shiloh, we also re-enacted the scene from Judges 21, when, at the annual feast, the Israelite women danced around, and each Benjamite man snagged the woman of his choice (don’t worry Natalie, I didn’t take part in this one!).

Shechem, just a short distance north of Shiloh, was our next destination. I was immediately impressed by how beautiful the Samarian region was! The lush, sprawling valleys were a stark contrast to the barren Judean Hill Country we had seen before.

Shechem was the first capital of the Northern Kingdom, established by King Jeroboam. It was a fertile area, with good communication routes both to the east and west. But Jereboam had another motive for choosing this site: it had a rich heritage that would help unite the newly-formed Northern Kingdom.

Abram first stayed here after entering the promised land, Jacob and Joshua both passed through here, and after the captivity, Joshua reconfirmed the Mosaic covenant at the same site (Josh 8:30f).

Standing atop the ancient ruins of Shechem 3500 years later, the forty of us followed Joshua’s example by reading the covenant in Deuteronomy 27 & 28. Splitting into two groups, half of us stood to the north, on the side of Mt. Ebal, to read the curses. The other half of the group stood to the south, along Mt. Gerizim, reading the blessings for obedience.

While at Shechem, we also saw what is believed to be the original Jacob’s well where Jesus received water from the Samaritan woman! (Gen 33 & John 4) No one knows for sure, but, amazingly, it might date to that period of history.

After Shechem, we proceeded to the city of Samaria. Samaria was the third and final capital of the Northern Kingdom, but by New Testament times the name eventually came to describe the entire region. The city itself rests high upon a hill, overlooking valleys on every side.

Even the Mediterranean Sea could be spotted, way off to the west. We looked around the hilltop for a little while, and then, just when I thought I’d enjoyed a full day without hearing the name “Herod the Great,” he showed up again. That malicious monarch, that repulsive ruler, that pathetic potentate, left his handiwork just about everywhere in Israel! Here, we saw the remains of a temple he built to honor Caesar Augustus (which tells you how much Herod really cared about Judaism when He built the temple in Jerusalem!).

Travelling westward by late afternoon, our last stop for the day was Aphek/Antipatris. This city has always been located at the source of the river Yarkon, which flows some ten miles west until it spills into the Mediterranean.

Aphek resides in a vital position, for any invaders travelling northward (eg. Philistines or Egyptians) are forced to converge at this spot. Remember, they didn’t have bridges in antiquity, so any soldiers travelling north along the coastal lowlands had to bend inland to avoid the mighty Yarkon gorge. For centuries, defenders of this territory (such as the Israelites) fortified the base of the River to obstruct unwanted aggressors. Even today, there are remnants of a Turkish fortress that we were able to climb around.

25 years ago, I had the privilege of traveling to Israel for a semester through the Master’s College IBEX program. To celebrate the 25th anniversary, I’m sharing highlights from my journal, emails, and photos. Feel free to share your own IBEX memories here as well!

February 19, 2000. Saturday, after Sabbath Service at Jerusalem Assembly, we headed back out for another field trip. This day proved to be the most rigorous so far. We did a lot of hiking, climbing, and looking at rocks.

First we climbed Tel Ziph, overlooking the wilderness where David eluded Saul’s angry pursuit. Then we went a little further south to the towering Tel Maon. Do you recognize this name? Probably not. I didn’t either. But in fact, it was the area where Nabal & Abigail lived.

Nabal was a selfish shepherd, but his wife, Abigail, was a righteous and humble woman who provided David and his men with some much needed supplies during his days as a fugitive. Eventually, Abigail became one of David’s wives (1 Samuel 25).

A good portion of our day was spent in Tel Hebron. Every time you hear the word “Tel,” you can interpret that as “steep climb.” Abraham spent a lot of time in Hebron, and David later reigned from this city for seven years, before moving his capital to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 5:5).

When Abraham’s wife Sarah died, he purchased a plot of land for a tomb near Hebron. Genesis 23:17-20 says, “So the field of Ephron in Machpelah, which was to the east of Mamre, the field with the cave that was in it and all the trees that were in the field, throughout its whole area, was made over to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites, before all who went in at the gate of his city. After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah east of Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. The field and the cave that is in it were made over to Abraham as property for a burying place by the Hittites.”

Today, there is a unique site shared by both Jews & Muslims (since Abraham is revered by both religions). Half the area is synagogue, and the other half is mosque. It rests directly above what is believed to be the ancient cave of Machpelah. And there’s actually a good chance this is the right place!

Mid afternoon, we entered the mosque, taking off our shoes and walking around on soft carpets that covered the floor. Within the mosque were monuments to Isaac and Rebekah, and if it hadn’t been Sabbath, we could’ve also visited the Jewish side, which has monuments to Abraham, Sarah, Leah, and Jacob. These monuments don’t contain the bodies, however; the actual tombs dating to the Middle Bronze Age are located far below.

This part of the West Bank can be politically unstable, and we were told it was a privilege to visit. Half the group continued on a camping trip to the Cave of Adullam as part of their History of Ancient Israel Class. The rest of us headed back to the Moshav, a hot meal, and the comfort of our own beds.

25 years ago, I had the privilege of traveling to Israel for a semester through the Master’s College IBEX program. To celebrate the 25th anniversary, I’m sharing highlights from my journal, emails, and photos. Feel free to share your own IBEX memories here as well!

When giving his Great Commission, Jesus instructed his disciples to be his witnesses “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Ac. 1:8). Jerusalem was ground zero for a movement that would change the world. So much history has happened here, and three of the world’s largest religions – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, all trace their roots to this place.

During my time in IBEX, we had two field trips focusing on entryways to Jerusalem as well as the broader region of Judea. We spent Friday, February 18, 2000, focusing on various approaches to the city of Jerusalem. The capital is best accessed from the north, and attackers invariably strike from this direction (with just a few exceptions). However, traders and pilgrims often made use of the region’s other, less convenient, routes.

We began our day by climbing the “Gillo Tower” southwest of Bethlehem, which gave us a high-altitude survey of the region. Bethlehem is only about 6 miles southwest of Jerusalem, so both cities were in plain sight from the observation tower. Through my binoculars, I could see the Turkish walls of Old City Jerusalem.

Between the tower and the city of Jerusalem was the Raphaim Valley, where the Philistines tried to invade Jerusalem by using an alternate approach to the city (2 Sam 5:17-25). This is one of those few exceptions to the normal northern approach. King David was quick to respond to the imminent attack. He mobilized his forces and was able to surprise attack the Philistines from behind!

Next stop: Solomon’s Pools. These magnificent reservoirs were not built by King Solomon, as you would expect by the name, but were constructed by none other than Herod the Great. The water once traveled via aqueduct to both Herod’s Jerusalem palace and his fortress in the hill country. Now, it’s nothing more than a giant pool with some stagnant rain water at the bottom. It is also quite possible that Solomon had his famous gardens in this lush area of Judea (Ecc. 2:4-7). The size of the pools was astonishing, and the flock of sheep nearby was an added bonus!

We also took an up-close look at a Judean vineyard, and for the first time, I really understood the biblical references about the vine and branches. The soil was incredibly rocky, and the vine was in its winter dormant stage, so there wasn’t any fruit or leaves. How amazing that God uses the common things in life, like farming and shepherding, to make absract spiritual concepts more understandable! In reality, when He created the universe, He fashioned it in a way that would illustrate His divine truth.

After the vineyard, we headed to the Judean Wilderness southeast of Bethlehem. Here, near the city of Tekoa, once lived a little shepherd boy named Amos. When Amos grew older, he was called by God to prophecy against the wickedness of the northern kingdom, Israel, prior to its destruction. It was in a peaceful area of the country. Not far south of the road was the impressive Wadi Arugot, rivaling even the Wadi Qilt in size and grandeur. Overlooking the gorgeous backdrop, we all sat quietly and listened to a short devotional prepared by one of the students, Andy. He shared about the life and ministry of Amos, and gave a brief summary of the book itself. Certainly, the men of biblical times lived a much simpler life, with more time to meditate and pray to their great God. How we crowd these areas out in our lives today!

Following lunch, we visited the remains of the Herodian fortress in the Judean Hill Country, named after…you guessed it: Herod the Great. It was undoubtedly a splendid sight in its time; an impressive stronghold that would strike fear in the heart of Herod’s enemies. Herod was the epitome of a man driven by wealth and power, yet his life sadly resulted in misery, dissatisfaction, and paranoia.

We visited Bethlehem for a short while, but I wasn’t able to make it through the long line to see the famous “silver star” of David, commemorating the birthplace of our Lord. It’s a bogus site anyway; no one can know for sure where He was born, so I didn’t feel like I was missing much. We do know something about the location, however, that contradicts popular belief.

When our modern versions state that there was no room for Joseph & Mary in the “inn,” it should actually be translated “guest house.” It’s quite possible that the couple had been staying at the guest house for some time already. And there’s a wide variety of reasons why the owners of the home wouldn’t want Mary to give birth inside the house (e.g. he was thought to be an illegitimate child, the delivery would be messy with other guests in the house, etc.), but at any rate, Jesus was predestined to be born elsewhere.

One place I did find interesting was a small grotto attached to the church where Jerome translated the Bible into Latin. Todd Bolen explains, “While in Bethlehem, Jerome wrote a new translation of the OT and NT (the Vulgate), which remained the authoritative version of the Bible for Catholics until the 20th century. He lived in a cave adjacent to the place of Jesus’ birth under the church (from 385-420).  One of the caves in the church is called ‘Jerome’s study.'”

We ended the day travelling north past Jerusalem to the city of Gibeah. This city lies in Benjamin and was the first capital of Israel under King Saul’s leadership. Because we had already studied the Benjamin region in depth on a previous trip, we didn’t spend much time here. Tomorrow, I will share about the second day of our trip further into Judea, and a chance to visit Hebron — a place most tourists don’t get to see.

25 years ago, I had the privilege of traveling to Israel for a semester through the Master’s College IBEX program. To celebrate the 25th anniversary, I’m sharing highlights from my journal, emails, and photos. Feel free to share your own IBEX memories here as well!

28 years ago, Natalie and I started dating, and we’ve never looked back. We met during WOW week at The Masters College, and hit it off right away. It was easy to spend hours talking, walking, studying, and attending church and chapel together.

We dated even that fall semester of our freshman year, but a friend suggested we slow down emotionally and make sure this was God‘s will for our lives and we agreed that would be wise. Those months apart were difficult.

On Friday, February 14, 1997 and into the early hours of February 15, we had a long talk in Dixon lounge and agreed to get back together again and continue dating. We chose as a theme verse for our relationship 1 Timothy 4:12. “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but show yourself an example to those who believe in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity.”

We’ve tried to live by that verse over the years, and God has been so kind. Happy Valentine’s Day Natalie and thanks for loving me unconditionally!

February 12, 2000. Well, we are back at Jerusalem Assembly for church once again; another week has passed by. The sanctuary is so full today that there are a half dozen of us guys standing out in the hallway. I’ll probably creep in and sit in the aisle once Pastor Menno actually begins preaching.

I have never witnessed such a multi-cultural service. The songs are sung in Hebrew, but a total of three languages are printed on the transparency: Hebrew, as well as Russian, and English transliteration. This means that we English-speakers are able to sing along with the rest of the people, but we usually don’t have any idea what we’re singing. Of course, once in a while, we’ll sing a hesed, Adonai, Hallelujah, or Yeshua. At least we understand these few words!

Bible reading is first done by the pastor in Hebrew, then read by another man in English, and yet a third man in Russian. The sermon itself is preached in about half Hebrew and half English, and a translator speaks Russian to about three rows of people on the front left side of the sanctuary. In addition to all these linguistic/ethnic groups, there are quite a few Asian people who attend here!

It makes for a complicated and quite often distracting service, but it’s a joy to see so many distinct cultures unite together to praise Christ Jesus. Nevertheless, I long to be back at Placerita with the woman I love and the church family that I’ve spent so much time with.

25 years ago, I had the privilege of traveling to Israel for a semester through the Master’s College IBEX program. To celebrate the 25th anniversary, I’m sharing highlights from my journal, emails, and photos. Feel free to share your own IBEX memories here as well!