Page 92 - Bible Geography and Near East Studies

Southern Israel – continued - Samaria

Connect…

Can you imagine going for a walk and having a stranger walk up and join you? Then, as you walk along
talking with him, you find out that he knows a lot about you. Weird? You enjoy your walk so much that
you decide to go to a restaurant and buy a meal. During the meal, he reveals that He is Jesus Christ and
then disappears! What a surprise Cleopas and the other unnamed man had when they finally realized
they were eating dinner with the crucified Christ, now raised from the dead. This happened as they
journeyed down the road to Emmaus. Today, let’s walk down that road and relive that story….

The Lesson ...

The Jordan River

The Jordan River flows from Mt. Hermon in the far north of Israel,
through the Sea of Galilee, and then to the Dead Sea. In a direct
line, it is only 70 miles from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea,
but in the process of winding its way down through the valley, the
water travels more than 200 miles. Today, dams, water
conservation, and irrigation technology keep the flow of the river
tightly controlled. And so much of the fresh water is used for
irrigation south of the Sea of Galilee; very little fresh water finds
its way into the Dead Sea. Not surprisingly, Jordan doesn’t appear
to be all that impressive to first-time visitors.

In biblical times, the river was much more impressive. With rapids
in the far north and the ability to flood the Plain of Zor in the far south, the Jordan could range in depth
from three to 12 feet. Joshua and the children of Israel crossed the Jordan at its most impressive, during
the spring floods (Joshua 3:15, 4:18). Other biblical events involving the famous river would include
Elijah and Elisha crossing the river on dry ground, Elisha commanding the leprous Naaman to dip seven
times in the river for healing, and of course, the baptism of Jesus. Though it doesn’t look all that
impressive today, the Jordan River is the main, natural fresh-water source for modern-day Israel and
Jordan and the boundary between the two countries.

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