Exploring the prophet Elisha's hometown

Not far from Beit She'an is another tel. This one isn't built up into a national park; there's honestly not a lot going on with it. It's just there in a field, with beautiful 360 degree views of the Jordan Valley, Mount Gilboa, and Jordan. 

It's also believed to be the hometown of Elisha.

So one particularly warm day in January, I took a metronit to a train to a bus and then walked a lot to explore Elisha's hometown.

It took a lot longer to get there than I thought it would, mostly because one bus never came and then I tried to enter the field in a way that was blocked by barbed wire and had to back track to the road. But finally, I found the right path. 

Then, I climbed up and started to explore. 

First, can we talk about the views?

To the west, to Mount Gilboa

To the east... the mountains in the distance are Jordan (at the time of Elisha, that was still Israel).

Wow! At the top there are also dirt paths like you see above. There are motorcycle and dirt-bike tracks all over them, as well as footprints and pottery shards.

Most of the tel is smooth, but one excavated part remains open:

According to BibleWalks, Rehov was likely settled at the same time as Megiddo, and likely conquered by Egypt at the same time as Megiddo. It's passively mentioned as one of Beit She'an's towns in Judges 1:27. Around the time of David, it was conquered by Israel and eventually was part of the Northern Kingdom.

Excavations in 9 areas revealed that it was a large and prosperous city. Findings of artifacts from other countries prove the residents continued to practice Canaanite/Phoenician and Syrian traditions and customs.

It was eventually destroyed by the Assyrians in the 736 BC invasion. The Assyrians lived there for a while but then moved to Megiddo. It laid in ruins for 1500 years, and then a small Jewish town was built nearby in the Roman Era. In the Middle Ages, an Arab town settled on top.

What's most interesting about this tel are the findings in the opened excavated areas:

Found in the ruins was an apiary dating back to the 10th Century BC, with the remains of dozens of beehives in clay cylinders. This is unique for many reasons:

First, the apiary was very close to a bunch of houses. This means it was likely this was a source of income for the townspeople. 

Second, signs on the property say that when they tested the apiary, the found the bees themselves didn't originate from Israel. This particular group of bees came from Turkey! Apparently, they were less aggressive and more productive than Syrian bees.

So funny! 

It gives new meaning to the phrase "land flowing with milk and honey"!

My favorite part of the day, other than the adventure and the views, was going back from the tel and finding the local springs right beside it. Even though it was January, it was close to 80 degrees that day and I was hot! I waded in and cooled off before heading to the bus stop.

Definitely a great adventure!

Traveling in Elijah's Footsteps: Muhraka and Stella Maris

Ending the year with the trip to Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Jafa was the perfect way to close 2021. And the perfect way to open it was to go to the highest point of Mount Carmel—where Elijah had the showdown with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah!

Though not my first time to this place, it will also not be my last!

Unfortunately, thanks to GoogleMaps, I got turned around a few times. Normally that wouldn't matter, but it was Sunday, January 2, and the monastery closed to visitors at 11:45. I was supposed to arrive at 11:30, but it was 11:42. Thankfully, they still let me in until 12.

This time, I saw a little bit of the beautiful garden on property before going up to the overlook with the 360-degree view of the Jezreel Valley and the hills to the south. Though sunny, it wasn't a completely clear day. Still, the view was breathtaking! And even though the winter rains started in December, the Jezreel Valley is already turning green. I can't wait to go back in a few months and see it in vivid color!

I mean... WOW!

I thought my 'Elijah' adventure was done for the day after that, but then a friend and I went to Stella Maris, which is the look out over the Mediterranean Sea. That was something I never realized before coming here in 2017—the geography of the Land, that Mount Carmel is actually a mountain range, and this area is on the coast. Stella Maris is supposed to be where Elijah stood to see the rain cloud coming from the distance. 

We got there just as the winter sun was beginning to set, and saw a beautiful sunset.

Then, we went to the church said to be built on Elijah's cave where he was fed by ravens sent from God. To be fair, there are other sites claiming to also be built over the cave. So this is just one of them. And the Christmas decorations were still up, which was fun!

(also, I might have giggled at seeing the Coca-Cola in the plastic bag on the altar on the far left).

What a fun way to start of 2022!

The View from Mount Carmel

Mount Carmel, where God sent down fire and consumed the altar of the prophets fo Baal, is actually not 1 mountain. It's a series of mountains surrounding a beautiful valley... a valley where a future battle is still to be fought.

Nearby is Megiddo, one of three identical cities Solomon built.

The valley and mountains of Carmel are lush, green, beautiful, and full of history.

On one end, you can see Mount Gilead, where Gideon won his battle in Judges 6-8 (above), Mount Gilboa where Saul died in 1 Samuel 31, and Mount Tabor, where Deborah won her battle after Jael drove a spoke into the enemy general's head (Judges 4:17-24; 5:24-37).

That time I stood where God sent down fire | Mount Carmel

Our first day in Israel, I was fighting the exhaustion of jet lag when my tour guide said: "Next, we are going to stop at the highest point of Mount Carmel. This is where the showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal happened." (1 Kings 18)

It was the first of many times I was like 😮. It's one of my favorite OT stories. I almost lost my mind. Turning to my friend, I shrieked, "That's OLD TESTAMENT! OLD TESTAMENT!"

The view there was a 360 degree view, looking out over the Valley of Armageddon. Impossible to fully capture with a camera... as well as the feeling of standing in the very place where God sent down fire to consume the altars. Wow wow wow. #israel #apictureadayofIsrael