Reading the Bible with GPS

As if seeing where David killed Goliath wasn't enough, that’s not all you can see at Tel Azekah.

There are current excavations for the ancient city mentioned in Joshua 10. I thought I saw an ancient toilet, but turns out t was a stone with a hole cut out to hld a pole. The tel itself is covered in pine trees, which makes this Georgia girl’s heart so happy, especially on a clear, beautiful day in December.

At the base of the tel are fragments of pottery that are free to visitors to take.

And last but not least, on the other side of the tel is a view of Gath, the Philistine city and Goliath’s hometown (it’s the brown hill in the distance), which means you can do fun things like track the Philistines’ and Israelites’ movements on googlemaps, if you’d like.

And, before you ask, of course I did that! The best part of being in Israel is that you can read the Bible with GPS! Doing so has given me extra insight on stories I've heard my whole life. I 100% recommend it—as I do going to Tel Azekah!

This is where David Killed Goliath; need I say more?

One of the first Bible stories you’re taught as a child is David and Goliath: the shepherd-poet-turned-giant-slayer-man-after-God’s-own-heart-and-the-2nd-king-of-Israel against an over 9-foot tall guy from Gath (descendent of the Nephilim?). I've heard this story all of my life. Its picture has made it into many sermons and analogies throughout time. It's so commonplace it gets intermixed with cultural lore and mythologies we hear all of the time.

Except, this story is real.

And nothing prepares you for the moment you see where it happened.

When I realized I could go to the very place where David slew Goliath, I looked forward to it for months. I was such a nerd about it and didn't care. This was a big one!

And, there it then there it was: the Valley of Elah.

1 Samuel 17 describes the scene: 2 hills with a small valley between them. The Israelites camped on the right side of those hills and the Philistines on the left, and the battle happened in the small valley between them.

Can you picture it?

The stream David gathered stones from ran along the valley, following the line of the current highway, before turning to enter the valley itself.

At the top of one of those hills are some ruins, but you need 4-wheel drive to get up there. From Tel Azekah, you can see the valley from above while your tour guide reads the story for you. It’s so real that for a second, you see the slight frame of a 16-year-old boy entering the valley in your mind’s eye.

Epic doesn't begin to describe it.

Israeli influencers Sergio and Rhoda went there in 2021, and I watched the video after visiting myself (I always need to visit before watching or reading about a place!). I loved that they did, because they tested the sound, tried out a sling, and looked for the stream. It's such a good adventure that I wanted to share it here:

If you watch it, let me know what you think!

I'd love to go back to the Valley of Elah one day and do the 4-wheeling tour up to the ruins, maybe run around below and search for the stream. What an incredible place!