by Pastor Patrick Cho

After breakfast, we made our way over to Tel Beersheba. The name Beersheba is a compound word meaning “well of the oath” or “well of seven.” This is a possible location of Abraham’s covenant with Abimelech (Gen. 21:22-34). Even if it isn’t, and patriarchal Beersheba is located elsewhere, we at least know this is the Beersheba from the days of the divided monarchy (1 Kings 19:1-3).

In Beersheba, archaeologists uncovered a horned altar that was used for sacrifice. There were some problems with the people having this altar. First, it was made of cut stones. God had explicitly commanded his people to make their altar of uncut stones (Exod. 20:25; Deut. 27:5-6; Josh. 8:31). Second, this altar was very far from where the tabernacle would have been. The people of Israel were commanded not to worship wherever they wanted, but only at the place where the Lord chose to make His name dwell (i.e., typically wherever the Tabernacle was; Deut. 12:1-14). Even if the people of Beersheba sought to worship YHWH in sincerity, they were still in violation of His commands. This altar was probably torn down in the days of either Josiah or Hezekiah.

From Beersheba, we went to Tel Arad. There were two parts to this visit. First, we walked around an Early Bronze Age settlement. This city would have been around even 200 years before Abraham. It was a hot and arid area, which is why it seems the entire city was built around a cistern. On one end of the city, there was a double temple. Two ritual basins and altars for sacrifice were found as well as a standing stone, which was usually associated with pagan worship. Some believe the double temple was for their god and his consort (sort of like Baal and Ashtoreth).

At the top of the hill, we entered into the Israelite fortress, which was first settled in the days of David. Archaeologists discovered that the fortress had been inhabited at least six times, which means it was destroyed at least five times. Sadly, this fortress also served as a representation of false worship. A temple was also found at this fortress complete with a holy of holies. There were also two standing stones and two altars of incense. Some believe this temple was dedicated to YHWH and some other god (possibly His consort). Regardless of who was supposed to be worshipped at this temple, it was in violation of God’s command to only worship where He caused His name to dwell (cf. Deut. 12).

After Tel Arad, we travelled through the Wildernesses of Zin and Paran. This is where the Israelites wandered for about forty years because of their disobedience and faithlessness before entering into the Promised Land. We had a couple opportunities to step out of the air-conditioned bus to take in the land. Needless to say, I was thankful not to have been a part of Israel’s wilderness wanderings. It was brutally hot and one could understand why the Israelites complained so often about their living conditions.

Perhaps surprisingly, one of my favorite times of the trip so far was being able to sit in the desert for about half an hour reflecting on Deuteronomy 8. We were right on the border between the Wildernesses of Zin and Paran when Dr. Grisanti instructed us to leave the bus to have a time to reflect on God’s Word. We initially joked around about how miserable this time would be because of the desert heat, but being out in the sun and feeling the heat was actually very helpful for my soul.

I considered the disobedience of Israel and how they so often quickly turned from the Lord. I reflected on my own failures and tendencies to trust in myself or become distracted by the things of the world. This brought me back to the faithfulness of God. As far as I might wander, I am never outside the reach of God. He draws me back and gives me strength and direction to walk in His ways. I am where I am because of His faithfulness to His promises. Being in the desert reminded me of these truths. That’s why, even though we were baking in the sun, that was one of the sweetest times on the trip thus far.

At the end of the day, we finally arrived at the southernmost tip of Israel, in the resort city of Eilat. It was cool driving down because on the opposite side of the Jordan River, we could see the nations of Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Off in the distance towards the southwest, we could faintly see Egypt. This certainly was a place where nations converge. When we arrived, we enjoyed a delicious dinner before heading back to our rooms to get some rest. Tomorrow, we’ll get a chance to take a break in the morning to enjoy some snorkeling at the beach!