Tel Yokne'am: Where Joshua fought (and won!)

A few weeks ago, I got to visit Tel Yokne'am in the Jezreel Valley. Have you ever heard of it?

It is a hill about 200 ft high and 10 acres around in the Jezreel Valley. It has an incredible view, but what's inside is even more amazing.

Inside Tel Yokne'am are the ruins from almost 4,000 years of civilization-all the way down to the one Joshua led an army against in Joshua 12:22. This hill was one of Manasseh’s tribal cities and a Levite city. And who knows… there could even be more below that layer!

Today, at the top of the tel are Crusader ruins, dating back to around 1000 AD. The remains of an old Byzantine church from the 600s still stand, ready for visitors to explore and enjoy the view.

It fascinates me, the juxtaposition of the old and new here. I was standing on this ancient battleground, looking over the valley of Megiddo, as referenced in Revelation as where armies will gather before marching on Jerusalem (Rev. 16:16), when my eyes caught on a series of lights in the distance: an air base’s runway, directly across the valley… today’s warriors in view of where their ancient heroes fought for victory. The ancient and the modern just steps (and thousands of years) apart; close enough to be captured by a camera. 

This is what I love about studying and experiencing life, culture, and history in Israel!