Day #4

Jericho was amazing. The oldest city ever found. We toured the ruins. Earlier in the morning I read Joshua 1-5. It was awesome to read the story of what actually took place before getting there. Upon reading the passage, I realize that the Lord called for Joshua to have all the Israelite males circumcised. Talk about debilitating your army right before battle. I can imagine Joshua thinking "uh... Lord? We're about to head into battle... and you want us to do what?" Perhaps the Lord wanted to make it clear that it was He who was leading the people to battle. Apparently, the enormous walls of Jericho miraculously crashing down wasn't enough. 

Jericho was beautiful. An oasis in the midst of a barren desert. You have the dead sea to the south and Wilderness right next to it. This would be a place I'd want to fortify if I were in charge. It was reminiscent of Minas Tirith with the foothills of the wilderness leading up to the hill country. You could see people coming from miles away. There was a monastery etched into the side of the mountain commemorating the temptation of Christ. 

Our trip concluded with a drive to Gezer. There we were able to see an amazing panoramic view from the hill country clear out to the coastal plains. Gezer was a place that was very strategic. Kind of like Osgiliath to continue with the LOTR vibe. To take the hill country, you would have to first take Gezer. Gezer must have been involved with many battles with the Philistines.