Samson, David, and Rambo

Yesterday we went on a field trip through the Shephelah, which is the region of lowlands coming down from the hill country in the center of Israel and stretching along the Mediterranean. It was neat, and had a lot of history, particularly around the relations between the Philistines and the Israelites. I guess that would make sense, because parts of the Shephelah were controlled by the Philistines during the times of Saul and David.

I don't have a picture of these particular caves, but we stopped at some chalk caves which are notable because a part of Rambo III was filmed there.

We also went to Gath, though I don't have any good pictures here either. There wasn't a whole lot of good ruins to see, and I wanted to take in the great view and breeze atop the city mound.

On a less important note, there were a few of us who also had a debate about which is better: The Empire Strikes Back or Return of the Jedi. I think I made a good case for The Empire Strikes Back.

Here are some pictures (not of our debate):

This is the Sorek Valley, as seen from Beth-Shemesh. This valley is where Samson had many of his dealings with the Philistines.


















This is the Elah Valley. This is where the battle between David and Goliath took place.














Here is the brook in the Valley of Elah from which David drew his five smooth stones. I had to pick up a couple for good measure.



















Of course we needed a coonskin moment at the Valley of Elah.














We had another coonskin moment later at a Roman ampitheater near Beth-Guvrin. Naturally, we had to fight and have a gladitorial competition.














These are the ruins of the city of Lacish. Lacish was an important city in the southwest of Judah. It served as the main line of defense against Egyptian marauders. It was also one of the last holdouts of Judah during the Babylonian siege in 586 BC. The siege ramp that Babylon built is still evident on one side.