Welcome back fellow sojourners! Our first official tour day (Sunday, October 28) is in the books, and it began well!
After a hardy breakfast we made our way to Shiloh, the place the tabernacle stayed once the Israelites returned to the Promised Land from exile in Egypt and before the Temple was built in Jerusalem. Shiloh was the center of life and the 12 tribes camped around the tabernacle there. The proposed site where the tabernacle may have stood has been excavated and evidence so fare seems to indicate a good chance this was it.
There is a new exhibit at Shiloh: red heifers some believe to be in preparation for sacrifices on the altar once the third temple is built. (Numbers 19:1-10)
Leaving Shiloh, our bus headed toward Mt Gerizim. If you recall the accounts of blessings and curses from Mt Gerizim and Mt Ebal in Deuteronomy 11:26-32 and Joshua 8:30-35, and consider the landscape upon which those events occurred, you realize that God means business when He talks about blessings and curses. Of course, Israel has not always been obedient, thus curses come (such as the hatred shown toward Israel), yet we also see with our own eyes the blessings of God upon the land. We’ll talk about an example later.
Notice in the photo below that the Biblical city of Shechem lies in the valley between the two. Unfortunately, that is modern day Nablus, filled with Palestinian terror cells with the desire to kill Jews. Jacob’s Well, where Jesus met the Samaritan woman (John 4:1-26), and Jacob’s Tomb, after his bones were brought back from Egypt (Genesis 49:29-33), are located in the city of Shechem.
The world knows this area as the West Bank, but it is the Biblical heartland of Israel, known as Samaria (and Judea to the south). News reports lead us to believe the area is very dangerous. That is true of a few specific cities, such as Nablus and Ramallah, but not so much in the West Bank as a whole.
Indeed, Jews and Arabs work and live peacefully side-by-side in most of Samaria (West Bank). In fact, we passed an industrial area where 100’s of Palestinians come everyday to work and provide for their families. It’s amazing, yet not reported on the news.
While in Samaria, we stopped at a Samaritan home with a family restaurant upstairs. Our groups stop here often because it is one of the most enjoyable and delightful meals we have together. Served family-style, we feasted on fresh Mediterranean veggies, hummus, falafels and all sorts of things to stuff into homemade pitas! Full tables and full bellies! And the family that serves us is wonderful. Their children are taught to serve, and 12-year-old Amir earned a good tip!
Then, on to the Samaritan Museum. According to the high priest, whom we met, the Samaritans once numbered over 3 million. Today there are fewer than 1,000, working to maintain their belief system. in brief, they believe they are the “true Jews,” and maintain their own system of sacrifices and Samaritan culture. The current high priest who met with us is #164 in succession from Aaron, Moses’ brother who was the first high priest.
We ended our day at Tura Winery. Though not necessarily a typical stop, we did so primarily to hear the miraculous story of how the winery came to be. Above, I mentioned seeing the blessings of God’s hand and this place is definitely a testimony of the blessings of Gerizim. A Dutch-Jewish family (Vared and Erez Ben-Saadon) moved their family back to Israel in the mid-1990’s and began planting a vineyard in 1997. They planted on a rocky hillside, trusting God to bring a harvest. God had called them there and they were assured God would provide for them. Indeed He did!
In ancient times, Israel was filled with lush vineyards, yet years of conquering catastrophe and chaos left the land seemingly uninhabitable when Jews began returning to the land in the late-1800’s. By the time the Ben-Saadon family bought their plot of land, the soil had gone from uninhabitable to possible. Today, Tura Winery produces some of the very best wine in the world, evidenced by many international awards for “best wine” in many categories. They now raise more grapes than they can produce into wine, so they keep the best and sell the rest off to other wineries, some of whom have also won prestigious awards!
Our group thoroughly enjoyed a time of wine tasting and education on how various wines are made and how to properly drink wine for the best benefit. Very informative and a wonderful testimony of God’s blessings because they followed His direction for them. They also sold a lot of wine today!
It was a long day, but one we will remember…and it is only day 1!
Tomorrow, we stop at ONE FOR ISRAEL’s campus to get an update, then head over to the Sea of Galilee where we will visit Magdala, Capernaum, and Tabgha. Some of my favorite places! Be sure to join us there!
PS: If you are following family or friends on this tour and wish to comment, you may do so below and I will pass your comments along to your loved one! If you would like a short video clip of them at a site, let me know. Perhaps I can get their cooperation! We’re so happy you’ve joined us on the journey and I pray you are blessed!
