Israel day 3 and 4

Our instructor Doug Bookman describing the details of the archeological dig at Jericho. In Joshua 5 and 6 Israel has just come from wandering in the desert for 40 years and now finally get to come into the promised land. They miraculously cross the Jordan river (about 10 miles in the distance) and go to Jericho, the first walled city of the land of Caanan. They march around it for 7 days and at the end of the 7th day the priests blow their trumpets and all the walls fall outward which does not happen usually when an invading army comes as they beat the walls in.

Jericho is the earth's oldest city with archeological remains. It is also the lowest city on earth being almost 1000 feet BELOW sea level.

This is cave 4 at the Qumran compound where the Essenes lived. They were a separatist sect that moved away from civilization to focus on purity. When they heard the Romans were coming to take over the land around 70 AD they hid all of their writings in various caves. They stayed there for almost 2000 years undisturbed until in 1946 a shepherd boy looking for his sheep found them. They contain some of the greatest information about 100-200 BC culture and some of the most important biblical copies in history. They contain every book in the Bible except for Esther and give assurance that the Old Testament we have is a faithful copy of the original writings.

Myself standing at En Gedi where David and his men hid from Saul when he was being chased in Ps. 18 and 31. This is also the place where Solomon's bride compares her husband with the pleasantness of the lush vegetation that grows in the area in Song of Solomon 1.

This is an ibex standing in a tree, eating. They are a nimble wild goat, deer-like animal which are often near En Gedi. David uses this animal thirsting in the desert for a drink from the pools of water to Davids desire for God in Psalm 42. May this always be true of us. Without our relationship with God we would be dead because it is so dear to us.