I was unprepared for Tel Be'er Sheva

Ancient Be'er Sheva isn't too far from the modern city, but their distance spans millennia.

That's the thing about Israel... the ancient and modern are inextricably linked. You can travel a few feet and go back in time 1000 years (or more), and vice versa. It's mind-blowing!

But that's not what left me breathless this time. 

It was a hot, beautiful day in August, yet somehow I was surprised to not be overheating. Probably because it was dry heat. We walked up to tel Be'er Sheva with not long before the park was to close. 

Like I shared last week, I'd always associated Hebron with Abraham, and missed Be’er Sheva altogether in his story- until visiting one of the well museums.

I was unprepared for just how moving it was to stand in amongst the ruins of ancient Be’er Sheva and realize that it all began there. Abraham lived HERE.

But he lived here, dug wells, made a peace treaty, and offered hospitality and I couldn’t wrap my brain around that. Not only him, but Isaac and Rachel lived here, and likely Jacob as well.

This is where it all began.

the map above shows Abraham's route from Ur to Be'er Sheva

As the hot desert wind whipped my hat off my head, I read the account of him and Abimelech, and then remembered another passage I suddenly had to read. I was certain the passage I wanted was Galatians (later I remembered it was Hebrews). But Galatians 3:6-9 is where God led me and it left me speechless.

Verses 7-9: that's me! This is also the early beginnings of my story of faith, even though I am a Gentile.

There, right there, in Be'er Sheva. My roots go down there too.

WOW.

Let that sink in for you too.

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Now, for the tour!

More than just Abrahamic history happened here. The land in view is also where significant events in WWI happened!

Here you can see a continued example of rebuilding on original foundations. There are 2 different time periods represented here!

Unfortunately, I did not get to go into the water system, as the lady running the park wanted to leave before closing and was angry at us. But I found out that it was dug by Jacob... you can bet I'm going back!

An early street!

Storehouses!

My favorite, though, is the ancient residential areas. I couldn't get enough of it, especially with the modern skyscrapers in the distance!

Not pictured (I could see it but my lens wasn’t powerful enough) was the IKEA right on the edge of the city.

Sarah’s favor spot for home decor?

The 1st recorded peace treaty in history

In Genesis 21, the servants of the king of Gerar, Abimelech, took over the wells that Abraham and his servants had dug in the Negev. Abraham told Abimelech about it, and who said he hadn't been aware of it until that moment.

"So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a covenant. Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock apart. And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?” He said, “These seven ewe lambs you will take from my hand, that this[d] may be a witness for me that I dug this well.” Therefore that place was called Beersheba,[e] because there both of them swore an oath. So they made a covenant at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army rose up and returned to the land of the Philistines. Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God." (Genesis 21: 27-33).

Many wells were dug throughout Be'er Sheva in the millennia since. This one here dates back to Roman times. You can see grooves in the walls where ropes slowly wore them in over time. Next to this one, is a young tamarisk tree just like what Abraham planted.

While it is unlikely to find the exact well that Abraham and Abimelech disputed and settled in peace over, that's okay. What's important about this story is not the exact physical location down to the millimeter; it's that this story happened and what it meant. '

This is the first recorded peace treaty in all of history, brokered by the father of Israel.

That's pretty cool!

It's also a 3-day walk to Jerusalem, which is what happened when Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac at Mount Moriah.

Modern day Be'er Sheva is pretty cool. Like ancient times, it is complete desert.

So when I was there last August, I was stunned at how much green I did see! I mean, I was in a desert, and at places, there was grass! There were gardens!

And, so many fountains. This one was my favorite. Can you see why?

It's Moses leading the Israelites through the Red Sea! Below are the Egyptians.

So cool! It looks like those underground springs are still present today, almost 4,000 years after that peace treaty!

I definitely recommend visiting Be'er Sheva if you ever come to Israel! You'll understand why in next week's post.

Searching for Brimstone near Sodom

Well, if there's one thing I didn't think I'd ever do, especially on Christmas Eve Eve, it was searching for brimstone on top of giant mounds of ash below Masada, and then setting them on fire.

It was not unlike searching for Easter eggs, except with a devastatingly sobering impact as the meaning of what we found sunk in.

This is what they look like when burned in the daytime. Can you see the molten swirls of red and orange? It's hard to describe without a video, but it moves like liquid, like lava. It's fumes are putrid; we had to be careful to stand in the opposite direction the wind was blowing. 

This is what it looks like burning in the dark:

I wanted to show you the end of this journey before showing you what the brimstone looks like now, and what the search was like, because that was actually fun. But this—this isn't fun. This is what fell on the 5 Cities of the Plain (notice, it says "plain", not desert) when God destroyed it in Genesis 18-19. Before it was desert, it was a beautiful, verdant plain in the Jordan Valley, so lush that Lot CHOSE to live there when Abraham let him decide. 

After burning just one piece of sulfur, it was clear how everything would be utterly destroyed. It was stunning. (The nighttime images had more than 1 burning at a time). It's literally molten liquid, sulfuric, hotter than regular fire... did I mention putrid?

The area of the Dead Sea, the 'plain' that is now a desert, is HUGE. There were thousands of people living here, deliriously indulging in every sin and decadence they could. Abraham pleaded with God not to destroy the city if He even found 10 righteous people, and when only Lot's family were identified as righteous, God kept His word.

It's interesting to note that the Great Rift Valley goes from Lebanon to Mozambique. It's a giant crack in the center of the earth, with this valley in Israel right in the middle of it. Because of it, giant earthquakes have destroyed civilizations and killed millions over the years. 

A friend pointed out to me: could the Great Rift Valley actually be a result of God raining down brimstone and fire on the 5 Cities of the Plain in Genesis? Could that destruction actually have pierced the tectonic plates under the earth? Could they have broken under the weight of sin's impact?

Not only that, but this is what Revelation 20:10 says about Satan's future: "and the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and false prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever."

This is what is burning in hell. 

After seeing brimstone burn, I understand how it is liquid-like in its movement and consistency when burning. I've smelled it (accidentally got in the path of the wind for a minute), and it left me gagging. I've seen it swirl and flow as it burned. 

It's not funny or a good time. It's eternal torment for those who do not follow Jesus as Lord. 

It's amazing to me that 4000 years after God utterly destroyed the Cities of the Plain that you can find brimstone lying on top of the ground after a winter rain in the desert. The remains of this devastation still exist today—just this. You don't find any archaeological ruins for any of these cities that you can climb on, photograph, and imagine what life was like in its heyday. 

Not, at least, like you'd expect.

Because in the area are these places where the sand is white, like here right below Masada. 

Actually, it's not sand. It's ash. These ARE the archeological ruins, blown around for millennia, baking in the desert heat.

And, inside of them are brimstone. In the winter after the rain, the top layer of ash flows away and the lower layers emerge. That's the best time to find brimstone, walking in the water paths.

We were there right after rain, and it made the ash hills so fun to run around on (I realize how that sounds). With every step, you'd sink about 1-2 inches into the ash, but it gave you a great grip. For once I wasn't afraid of heights, because falling wasn't going to be possible for more than a few feet—and the ash was soft. 

And then, there it was:

My friend found one to show us, and then we were able to find more. These are small, yellowish balls that are around the size of a quarter to a golf ball (harder to find). You can pick them up with your bare hands, but my palms tingled a bit after, and a friend who wiped her mouth later said it stung. It smelled like Florida water to me (sulfuric). 

There are scientists who say that these are from a volcanic eruption many years ago. I'm not even sure if there is a volcano nearby this area. But even if there is, there are volcanoes all over the world, and in NONE of those locations have brimstone been found over the past 4,000 years (for some of this time, this area was under water. The Dead Sea shrinks several feet a year, so the ground underneath has been revealed more and more over time). I see this as proof of the Biblical account, testifying to Genesis 18-20.

And I'm making an assumption that these dunes are in the exact places of the Cities of the Plains. 

One more thing... as you drive south from the Dead Sea, you'll pass Mount Sodom and this interesting rock:

Do you see the one that kind of stands apart? As you drive by, you can see that is is separated from the rest of the cliff. It's locally called "Lot's wife".

I don't believe that's Lot's wife, as I'm sure a pillar of salt would have disintegrated by now, and it probably was underwater as well. I see it more as a reminder to all who pass by to not take pleasure in the debauchery and decadence of this world, a reminder to keep my eyes only on Jesus and not look back.

The place where everything changed

Tel Dan was an incredible adventure.

First, the 4,000+-year-old Abrahamic gate.

Then, walking into the ancient city, through the next set of gates, and sitting at the spot of the king:

The rocks are so rounded, that they look like something from a theme park, haha.

View from inside the gate:

Once again, a place just outside the gate for the city's idols to stand at the entrance. Visitors and vendors would pay homage on that high place. This would have been before the Israelite time (I think).

Then, you go through newer gates:

The view from inside, looking out:

To the residential area:

this last photo cracks me up a bit (the sign):

Then, to the place that broke my heart:

“After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to the people, ‘It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’ One he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. And this thing became a sin; the people came to worship the one at Bethel and went as far as Dan to worship the other.” 1 Kings 12:28-30

It’s not often you get to ‘witness’ the point where everything changed for a nation. More often than not, these things are more of a “frogs set to a slow boil” situation than a sudden point of no return.

Here, at Tel Dan, is a replica of an altar commissioned by Jeroboam, who had golden calves placed for worship at Beth-el and Dan, all so the people wouldn’t go to worship in Jerusalem (and maybe swear allegiance to Rehoboam). Off to the side of the altar, in these other buildings, implements were found that just like what were used in the temple to carry incense, proving the record of worship here.

It may have been a slow boil up until this point, but right here is where everything changed- forever.

I can't over-emphasize how sobering it is to sit and look at the altar (the metal form is just to give us an idea of what it looked like), and realize that this is whenever everything changed forever for Israel. The weight, and grief, of this place is indescribable.

After visiting Tel Dan, I watched Sergio and Rhoda's video of their visit there, and they said the same thing. I'm pasting it here so you can hear it from the mouth of Israelis.