Page 69 - Bible Geography and Near East Studies

A Survey of Israel

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Traveling to Israel is a special privilege. I have done it three times. It is an amazing experience to see all
the places described in the Bible stories. A few years ago, I went to the Valley of Elah. That is where
David fought Goliath. It was just an onion field and not really marked in any way. So, we drove down
into the field and stood in the little dry riverbed where David picked up five smooth stones: one for
Goliath and four more for his brothers. I could visualize the armies stationed on the high ground on
both sides of the valley. It is about two football fields wide. I could imagine David running toward
Goliath as both armies looked on. It just brings those Biblical events to life to be able to see them in
person. Today, we will begin a tour of Israel from the south to the north with pictures of many of the
places. Try to imagine you are there.

The Lesson ...

Southern Israel

The Bible is filled with references to cities,
towns, villages, mountains, bodies of water, and
other locations in Israel.

Jesus spent most of his ministry in Galilee but
traveled several times to Jerusalem. He also
spent time in the Judean Wilderness, Samaria, in
the region of the Decapolis (primarily in
modern-day Jordan), and in the far north at
Caesarea Philippi and the region of Tyre.

That leaves a lot of Israel that Jesus did not visit,
including Caesarea by the coast of the
Mediterranean.
That city was four times larger than Jerusalem.
According to the Book of Acts, Caesarea was
visited by Philip (Acts 8:40), Peter (Acts 10), and by Paul and his companions on multiple occasions.
Paul’s time in prison started in Caesarea also.

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, along with a host of other people we know from the Old Testament, spent
time in the Negev Desert and the southernmost part of Judea. Samuel, Saul, David (and Goliath),
Solomon, and every king of Judah knew of the foothills between Gaza and Jerusalem. And practically
everyone in the Bible knew firsthand how difficult it was to walk the rocky road between Jerusalem and
Jericho. That road was so well known; Jesus used it as the setting for the parable of the Good Samaritan.

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