Israel: Day 2

Today was a fun day! After having studied King David, I was really looking forward to spending time in the Jerusalem of David. I was excited to stand overlooking the ancient city and the Hinnom, Central and Kidron Valleys below. As we sat atop the ancient city, we could see all the hills towering over us across the valleys. We stood on top a hill in the middle of a bowl, as though we were nestled in the palm of God’s hand. It was very evident the strategy in selecting this site. Even though the hill was not the tallest around, it was high enough to make it easy to defend while remaining close to a nice water supply.

Gishon Spring, this natural spring lies under the ancient city in the Kidron Valley and houses the amazing Hezekiah’s Tunnel. As we wound our way through the water and dark, I imagined the people of the Old Testament rushing through the tunnel to avoid being seen by approaching enemies. While it was quite refreshing to cool ourselves in the cold spring water, I was reminded of the importance of protecting a water supply. The long, hot walk home (JUC) made me grateful that this was not the convenient water supply for our time and looked forward to a nice shower before dinner.
After such a long, fun morning, I struggled to keep awake for our afternoon lectures. However, I found the archeology/excavation lectures really intriguing. As we learned about the two approaches to excavation, removing large areas and trenching, I realized that I probably lack the patience required for such an endeavor. In the excitement of discovering something, I may miss the important details crucial to understanding the significance of such discoveries. It is unfortunate that many of our previous historical “archeologists” may have suffered from the same lack of patience and many of our questions concerning their discoveries remain perpetually unanswered.

While today did not offer any “mountain top” experiences, I enjoyed the blessings of God’s Promised Land. As we played in Hezekiah’s Tunnel and traversed the Jerusalem of David, the Lord God smiled upon us as would a father watching his children laugh and play. As we lay our heads upon our pillows this night, may our Father grant us rest so that we may continue to draw ourselves to Him through His Son.