The Caves of En Gedi

The caves of En Gedi (those holes are all caves), where David hid from King Saul. This is where he crept down one night and cut off a piece of the hem of King Saul's cloak.

No one knows exactly which caves he was in (there are a million), but this is the place. He also wrote a few Psalms here, like Psalm 57 and 142.

We even saw the little goats, as mentioned in 1 Samuel 24, as well as a freshwater spring.

En Gedi (and throughout the desert) is home to acacia trees, which have soft wood and are grown in dry riverbeds. These are the trees made to make the Ark of the covenant... and the crown of thorns.

 #apictureadayofIsrael #israel 

Beit She'an

The ancient Roman ruins at the foot of the hill is Decapolis, a city mentioned several times in the New Testament. When Jesus sent the demons from the possessed man into the pigs, the man then went to Decapolis and told people what Jesus had done (Mark 5:20), and also where Jesus healed a deaf and mute man (Mark 7:31).

The mountain beyond it contains the ruins of a Philistine settlement, Beit She'an. When the Israelites lost the battle with them on Mount Gilead (not pictured), King Saul fell on his sword (and his sons also died; 1 Samuel 31). The Philistines decapitated Saul's body, and then took his head, body, and his sons' bodies back to their city to hang them over the walls (on the mountain).

While we walked through the ruins, I kept eyeing the mountain, wanting to climb the steps to the top (right side). Finally the 2 teens on our trip asked the tour guide if they could, and I took off after them - in a skirt and flip flops. The view from the top was totally worth it!  #israel #apictureadayofIsrael #legday

ancient Roman public toilet

When Jesus does math

The hillside where Jesus fed the 5,000. This natural amphitheater slopes down until it reaches the Sea of Galilee. Nearby (this photo was taken on a bus) is a church originally built in AD 28, which claims to have the very rock He sat on under its altar (because in Jewish culture, teachers sat).

I was thinking about it though... we know the crowd was much larger than 5K because only the men were counted. And what an incredible miracle, that He fed them from 5 loaves and 2 fish. BUT... as we drove past, I imagined Him standing there, preaching, and just had to wonder at how a crowd of 15k+ HEARD him teaching, outside, without sound or audio equipment.

I wonder how many miracles happened that day? #israel #apictureadayofIsrael

(Edited on December 10, 2018: Today I found the answer to my question! You can read it here.)

Take me to the river

The Jordan River, where thousands come every year to be baptized.


Jesus was baptized in this river, though it was much farther south (and in Jordan). Along the walls of the entrance and inside the public area is Mark 1:9-11, written in hundreds of languages.



As I watched people in my group be baptized, I also heard groups from all over the world singing, praising, and praying in their own tongue. It was a beautiful picture of what it will be like one day when we all are gathered before the Throne. #israel #apictureadayofIsrael