Hazor, Dan, Caesarea Philippi, Golan Heights

Today we visited sites north of the Sea of Galilee. We began at Hazor, a site overlooking the Hulah Valley. The Israelites came to this large city and defeated the inhabitants and burned the city.

However, Israel did not burn any cities that stood on their mounds, except Hazor alone, which Joshua burned. (Joshua 11:13)

This photo shows the water shaft due in the days of King Ahab of Israel. Gates and walls were for protection, and food and water were a necessity for survival.

We continued north to the Israeli-Lebanese border at Metulla. Afterwards we went to Tel Dan. In order to get to the tel it is necessary to walk through a nature park, much of it along the Dan River, the strongest source of the Jordan River. Here is a photo of a stretch of reconstructed wall near the city gate.

We continued a short distance east to Banias, the biblical Caesarea Philippi, where Jesus made His promise to build the church upon His own deity.

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:13-19)

We made a short stop at Birket Ram, a lake in an extinct crater below Mount Hermon. There was almost no snow on the mountain today. Often a small amount of snow can still be seen by this time of year. We continued to Tiberias through the Golan Heights (biblical Bashan), where one of the cities of refuge was located (Joshus 20:8).

We closed the tour day with a short visit to Mount Arbel for a view of the Sea of Galilee.

The Shabat (Sabbath) has begun in Israel. Jews pour into the hotels for the Shabat to have their meal prepared for them by someone else. We are near a pedestrian street with a number of restaurants. The music is loud, indicating very little in the way of a spiritual significance to the Sabbath. A far cry from the commands of the Torah.