Samaria

Today we took a tour around Samaria in upper Israel. The land of the Israel after the nation separated into Judah and Israel; where Assyria conquered and deported the majority of the population and those who remained behind intermarried with other peoples and became rejected by the Jewish people when they returned from Persian captivity. We got the chance to meet with a priest of the Samaritan people. There are only about 600 left according to hill scattered between two cities here in Israel. One on the side of Mount Gerizim, and the other is in Tel Aviv. They still continue to practice animal sacrifice at Passover and believe that they are the true people of promise and God’s chosen.

(The Samaritan alter and sacrifice area)

I learned that during the rule of Alexander the Great over Palestine that he built the Samaritans a temple of their own on top of Mt. Gerizim to rival that of the Jews down in Jerusalem.

(ruins of the temple and Byzantine Church)

They also believe that Mt. Gerizim is the most holy place. It is were Abraham first heard the promises of God, where the Garden of Eden was, the mountain where Joshua brought the nation of Israel and read the blessings of God from, Mt. Moriah where Abraham came to sacrifice his son. Gerizim is the location of all these events according to their beliefs and so it is there and not Jerusalem that is the Holy City of God and is the Mt. Zion talked about in the Bible. They also only hold to the first 5 books of the Bible, the torah, as being the word of God.

We also got to spend time in a Israeli settlement in the west bank area that over looks the valley between Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebal, which is the place where Joshua brought the nation and divided them into two groups and sent one up to the top of Ebal, and the other up to the tops of Gerizim.

(Gerizim over left shoulder Ebal over right)

From the tops of the mountains facing each other they called out the blessings and curses of God upon the people and the land God had brought them too (Deut. 11:29; Jos. 8:33-34). In the valley between these two mountains is where Joshua read the torah to the people and they consented to obey the law of God and affirmed their oaths to Him. It was an amazing view and it was interesting to hear from one of the residents about his views on the West Bank area, the wall Israel is building around the west bank to separate the Palestinians from the Israelis.

Our final stop for the day was at the ancient site of Shiloh. Where the tabernacle was taken and set up once the land was conquered (Jos. 18); where the Arc of the Covenant was at before it was taken by the Philistines after Israel went out to battle them and lost. It is also where Eli, the High Priest and teacher of Samuel, died when he heard that the Arc had been taken and both of his sons had been killed in the battle. It is where the kings came up to and where the sacrifices were made for the nation before the temple was built down in Jerusalem. They have a small replica of what they envisioned the tabernacle to have looked like, as well as all the alters and implements for use in the tabernacle. They have a small replica of the Arc as well.

Near the site where they believe the tabernacle stood they are in the process of excavating two churches with amazing mosaic floors.

There are also remains of a massive oil press and wine press that are believed to have been used to produce the oil and wine for the service inside the tabernacle. We also got to reenact the story of the battle between The Sons of Israel and the Sons of Benjamin for the wicked deed they committed (Judges 20-21).

It was a very long and intriguing day and the country, although still very dry and brown, was spectacular. I wish I was able to stay around till spring when the heavy winter rains have come and replenished the land and everything turns green and brilliant colors from all the wild flowers.