Day 8: David and Goliath

Day 8: David and Goliath
Monday - March 2, 2026 

Total miles traveled to date: 8704

Steps taken today: 9037

Steps taken to date: 54,187

Details: Tel Aviv to Valley of Elah to Bat Yam

Total Miles Driven Today: 62 

Coffee Friend

This morning began as the last few have - with bomb alarms.  My new least favorite way to wake up.  After stumbling downstairs to the bomb shelter, I was at least glad to get a cup of coffee.  Following the alarms, I retreated to my room for a much needed shower, then back down for more coffee.  We met briefly to discuss our day and Joe asked each of us individually if we wanted to go home.  

We all agreed - we came here for a purpose.  We all agreed we wanted to stay.  So instead, we strolled back down to our parking lot, and headed off to explore. The city was a little eerie - in mornings past, the traffic is so loud and heavy, we can barely talk and we certainly must be careful of our own self-preservation when we cross streets, but today we almost had the streets to ourselves. 

We drove to the Elah Valley national park.  This is the fort where Saul was camped up when Goliath came along and picked a fight. 

 1 Samuel 17:1 Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war at Socoh in Judah, and they camped between Socoh and Azekah in Ephes-dammim. 2 Saul and the men of Israel assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah, arraying themselves for battle against the Philistines. 

Interesting roads you have here.

 Our little caravan of cars trekked carefully up a fairly poorly maintained dirt road - I felt like I was back in Oregon off-roading!!  Eventually we met a gate, and we got out and walked.  I just want to point on this sign that some member of the public, probably an Arab, scratched the word "Capital" off of the sign in all of the languages.  They would like to erase Israel's heritage.

We traversed up a very steep dirt path and there was the first gate of the "Fort of Two Gates."  We stopped to listen to a lecture by Joe, and there we found ourselves outside for the first time during a missile threat.  Understand, we were out away from the cities, and the Iranians and Hezbollah are both firing not at strategic targets, as Israel and her allies are doing, but these murderers attack civilian centers deliberately. We were in no serious danger since they are not interested in bombing stones, but we camped up in the fort rocks regardless.  The picture of that - modern day people being protected from modern day attacks among the rocks of the ancient fort gives me gooseflesh.  All these years later, Saul is still protecting the children of Israel.  Hallelu-Yah!  

Sheltering in the ancient shelter

 

For the first time I was able to witness the "Iron Dome" in action.  I'm sorry I have no pictures!  It all happened rather quickly, and though I took a few photos, it looks like plain blue sky.   We could see flashes and small explosions.  The loss of life would be tremendous without YHVH's hand of protection over it - the Iron Dome.  I am exceedingly grateful.  We also saw a couple of jets, but we were too far away to identify them.  Unfortunately, an apartment building in Beer Sheeba was hit, and many were injured.

We continued up our trek to the fort - finding along the way a mostly intact set of stairs.  I felt very cool walking up and down stone steps hewn by an ancient Israeli.  I have a lot more photos, but let's be honest - rock walls look like rock walls.

We made it to the gate looking over the valley, and that is where we we read 1 Samuel 17, and talked about what we saw there.  An unknown visitor came to join our scripture reading, and to listen to Joe talk about the scene before us and how YHVH rescued his people through the young future King David.  As Joe was teaching, along came a stranger from Japan, and he listened to us read the word and then listened as Joe explained what we were seeing.  This has happened a few times - where our services and our teachings were heard by others.  Praise Yah for drawing the chosen to us!

From this spot, you can clearly see the valley where the Goliath would have stood - bellowing up at King Saul, the terrified Israeli's, and young David.  You can stand at the gate to the fort and see where there once was a gravel road clearly coming up into the gate, and you can see standing walls where the soldiers would have lived, worked, and trained.   

 Welcome, Visitor!!

 The view you see below is the exact view that King David and Saul would have seen!!

The Valley of Elah!!

 We made our way back to the cars, and headed back down the mountain.  

We turned around and went to the creek bed where David would have picked up his stones and, well....we picked up stones!!  From the very creek where King David himself once stood, we stood and picked up rocks.  We were further down the creek, not wanting to hike all the way back up there, but it was no less interesting and exciting for that.  

1 Samuel 17:40 He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine. 

 1 Samuel 17:45 David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 Today the LORD will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! 47 And everyone assembled here will know that the YHVH rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the YHVH's battle, and he will give you to us!”

 To finish the day, we ate at another great restaurant!!  We are trying to support local businesses here, so we had a delicious bunch of food.  We went to a beach town called Bat Yam and I had an amazing eggplant dish and a delicious chardonnay. Of course, we had an alarm while we were there.  It's amazing how almost casual we have become about finding a bomb shelter.  We came back and finished our meal.  

 Physically, we have been greatly blessed by YHVH during our time here.  We have eaten good food, enjoyed one another tremendously, and visited some of the best sites.  I have not felt afraid.  I have not worried about a flight home, and how that will happen.  I have not worried about my life.  I worry that my family worries, but I can't help that and if our places were reversed, I would worry about them, too.

Tomorrow, we are going to Megiddo!  AKA Armageddon!! We'll be back here to perform the foot-washing ceremony tomorrow. 

 

Picture by Anita