Israel 2017 Trip Reading List

Books and Articles for Further Reading

Here’s the map parts of the ppt I showed at the info meeting with pictures and maps for the different days on the trip
Barry Beitzel, Moody Atlas of Bible Lands
Check out this 10 page article (including several maps) to help get an orientation to Jerusalem.
Exodus by Leon Uris (Columbus Library has paper copy, kindle and audio book available)
Historical fiction that gives details about the settling of the land and describes Israel in a way that makes you really want to see it. Real easy and fun to read.
Holman Bible Atlas
This one is about 20 pages but it has lots of pictures so it reads much faster than that. I also inserted comments linking it to our itinerary.
Grisanti article in Merrill’s The World and the Word
Short article (4 pages) on whether the Bible records accurate history. And some info about 3 archaeological discoveries (We’ll see the first 2 and will be close to the third)
Barry Beitzel’s intro on the importance of geography from the Moody Bible Atlas
Michener – The Source
This is from a book with stories from different historical periods about life in a fictional town called “Makor” located NW of the Sea of Galilee. I liked this chapter because it described the culture clash between Jewish culture and Greek (Hellenistic) culture. It also has a savage description of a flogging. We’ll see signs of the clash between these two cultures on our trip, and it also explains Jewish tensions during the intertestamental period and into the Gospels and Acts, like the conflict in Acts 6 between the Hebraic and Hellenistic widows and the reluctance to go to the Gentiles (e.g. Acts 10-11).

Scripture to Read

May 28 – Travel from Tel Aviv to Mt Carmel to Galilee
  • Tel Aviv-Yafo
    • Note: Tel Aviv-Yafo = the biblical city of Joppa or Jaffa (Yafo = Jaffa)
    • Joppa was a major port city in the OT
      • Jonah 1:1-3 – Jonah catches a boat at Joppa
      • 2 Chron 2:11-16 – Hiram’s letter to Solomon, promising to float cedar logs down to Joppa for the temple
      • Ezra 3:7 – Like in the days of Solomon, Zerubabbel gets cedar logs floated down to Joppa from Tyre and Sidon
    • Acts 9:32-10:48 – Read about Peter’s journey from Joppa to Caesarea as well as his dealings in Caesarea. We will essentially travel the same route Peter did from Joppa from Caesarea
  • Caesarea
    • Acts 8:35-40 – Philip the evangelist travels up the coast (almost certainly through Jaffa) ends up settling at Caesarea
    • Acts 9:26-30 – Paul escapes death in Jerusalem by catching a boat to Tarsus from Caesarea
    • Acts 12:18-23 – Herod meets his death in Caesarea
    • Acts 18:18-22 – Paul ends his 2nd missionary journey at Caesarea
    • Acts 21:7-15 – Paul ends his 3rd missionary journey at Caesarea
    • Acts 23:23-27:2
      • Paul is sent with a huge military escort from Jerusalem to Caesarea, where he remains in prison for several years before being sent to Rome.
      • All of the action in Acts 24-26 takes place in Caesarea
  • Mt Carmel
    • Don’t get this confused with the town of Carmel, which is south of Jerusalem
    • 1 Kings 18 – Mt Carmel showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal
    • 2 Kings 4:18-37 – Elisha used to spend time here as well
  • Megiddo (aka Armageddon, the “hill of Megiddo”)
    • 2 Chron 35:20-24 – Josiah meets his demise at Megiddo
    • Rev 16:12-21 – The sixth bowl judgment clears the way for a showdown at Armageddon
    • Dan 11:36-45 – Daniel’s account of this final battle

May 29 – Sites along the north shore of the Sea of Galilee

  • Mt of Beatitudes
    • Matt 5:1-12 – The Beatitudes
  • Bethsaida
    • John 1:43-51 – Jesus calls some disciples who are from Bethsaida
    • Luke 9:10-17 – Feeding the 5000 (near Bethsaida)
    • Mark 8:22-26 – A partial healing at Bethsaida
  • Sailing the Sea of Galilee
    • Mark 4:35-41 – Calming the storm
    • John 6:16-25; 59-70 – Sailing (and walking) on the Sea of Galilee
      • Also notice Capernaum (and the synagogue there) as the destination for this journey
  • Tabgha
    • John 21
  • Capernaum
    • Matt 4:12-17 – Jesus moves to Capernaum and begins his ministry there
    • Mark 1:21-2:17 – Early ministry in Capernaum, including the calling of Matthew
    • Luke 7:1-10 – Jesus heals a centurion’s servant in Capernaum
    • Mark 9:33-37 – An argument at Capernaum
    • Luke 10:13-15 – A warning for Bethsaida and Capernaum
    • John 4:46-54 – Jesus heals an official’s son in Capernaum
    • Matthew 17:24-27 – A miracle on the shores of Capernaum
May 30 – Golan heights, Tel Dan, Caesarea Philippi
  • Mark 8:27-9:30
    • Peter’s famous confession at Caesarea Philippi
    • His confession is followed by the transfiguration, which probably took place part way up nearby Mt Hermon
    • The transfiguration is followed by a difficult exorcism
  • Judges 18:27-31 – How the people of Dan ended up in Dan
  • 1 Kings 12:25-33 – Jeroboam builds one of his two golden calves at Dan
  • Joshua 11:1-15 – Joshua narrates his northern campaign in this region (see image)

May 31 – Journey south along the Jordan river to Jerusalem
  • Jordan River
    • Gen 13:5-12 – When Lot and Abraham split up, Lot picks the lush Jordan River valley. This is the first mention of the Jordan River
    • Gen 32:6-32 – Jacob’s famous wrestling match on the banks of the Jordan River
    • Joshua 3-4 – Israel crosses the Jordan River to enter the Promised Land
    • 2 Kings 2:6-14 – Elijah and Elisha cross the Jordan, but only one returns.
    • 2 Kings 5:1-14 – Namaan washes in the Jordan River
    • Matt 3 – John the Baptist baptizes many people (including Jesus) at the Jordan River
  • Mount of Olives
    • 2 Kings 11:6-8 – Solomon turns the Mt of Olives into a pantheon of foreign gods (including Molech)
    • 2 Kings 23:1-14 – Josiah cleanses the Mt of Olives
      • Also notice the references to the adjacent Kidron Valley in v. 4, 6 and 12.
      • Also notice the reference to the Valley of Hinnom (or Gehenna) in v. 10, which picks up at the SE corner of the city and stretches around to the South and West of Jerusalem. Gehenna imagery was often used when talking about Hell in the NT.
    • Zech 14 – This mountain features prominently in the end times, and will undergo significant geographical changes
  • Garden of Gethsemane
    • John 18:1; Mark 14:32-50 – Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane Judas betrays him
  • The Palm Sunday Road
    • Luke 19:28-44
  • Israel Museum
    • No Scripture for this, but this is where a number of important archaeological finds are stored, including the complete Isaiah scroll from Qumran, The “House of David” inscription from the Tel Dan Stele (9th c. BC) and the Pilate Stone.
June 1 – Temple mount, Pool of Bethesda, Jewish Quarter, Western Wall, Jerusalem Archaeological Park
  • Temple mount
    • Gen 22:1-14 – Abraham almost sacrifices Isaac on Mt Moriah
    • 1 Chr 21:18-26 – David buys the land for the temple from Ornan the Jebusite
    • 2 Chr 3:1-2 – Solomon begins construction on his temple on Mt Moriah
    • Ezra 3 – Zerubbabel and Jeshua lead the people to begin rebuilding the second temple
    • Ezek 43:1-12 – Ezekiel describes the glory of God filling a future temple
    • John 2:13-22 – Jesus cleanses the temple (the first time). Notice the reference to Herod’s ongoing temple renovation project in 2:20
    • Matt 21:12-17 – Jesus cleanses the temple (a second time)
  • Pool of Bethesda
    • John 5:1-26 – Jesus heals a guy at the Pool of Bethesda
  • Jerusalem Archaeological Park
    • This includes an impressive 3D model of Jerusalem in the time of Christ
    • Also check out their panorama of the temple grounds

June 2 – Free day in Jerusalem

June 3 – Qumran, Masada, Ein Gedi, Dead Sea
  • Qumran – site of the dead sea scrolls discovery
  • Masada – ancient fortress where Jewish resistance made their last stand against the Romans in 73 AD
  • Ein Gedi (“Engedi” in our bibles)
    • 1 Sam 23:29-24:22 – David hides out near Engedi and spares the life of Saul (for the first time)
    • Song of Songs 1:14
  • Dead Sea
    • Ezek 47:6-12 – Millennial Kingdom fishing at Engedi and the Dead Sea

June 4

  • Yad Vashem – Israel’s holocaust museum
  • Hezekiah’s Tunnel – we’ll walk through this to the Pool of Siloam
    • 2 Chr 32:1-8 and 2 Ki 20:20
  • Pool of Siloam
    • John 9:1-7

June 5

  • “Garden Tomb” (aka “Gordon’s Calvary”)
    • Some Protestants think this is where Jesus was buried. Although most scholars reject this identification, it’s still a peaceful picture of what an ancient tomb would have looked like.
  • Beit Shemesh (or “Beth Shemesh”)
    • 1 Sam 6 – First stop for the Ark of the Covenant when it returned to Israel from Philistine control
    • 2 Kings 14:8-14 – Site of a battle between Israel and Judah
  • Elah Valley – Site of David vs. Goliath
    • 1 Sam 17
  • Neot Kudumim
    • A 625 acre nature reserve with hiking trails containing plants, animals and other structures from bible times (e.g. olive and wine presses, threshing floors, cisterns, ritual baths, oil lamps, shelters, shepherding practices, etc)