The southern portion of Mt. Zion, south of the Temple Mount, is the City of David. It is surrounded by valleys for good defense and at its base is a fresh water spring. At one time this was the resting place for the Ark of the Covenant.
Today there is a massive archaeological dig taking place to uncover the city. Some believe they have uncovered part of David’s palace.
King Hezekiah reigned from 715 to 687 B.C., at the time of the prophet Isaiah. The Gihon Spring was old Jerusalem’s main water source. To protect the water source for Jerusalem, Hezekiah had a huge tunnel built to run water away from enemies (II Kings 20:20).
Not much room in here! Takes 30 minutes to walk the length
Where does the tunnel end? The Pool of Siloam… this is where Jesus told the blind man to wash mud from his eyes. It was also a place of cleansing and purification before going to the Temple. This was only discovered as recently as 2004. Only part of the pool exists today – it was destroyed by Roman conquerors during the invasion of 70 A.D.
Bethlehem is in an area of Israel that is under Palestinian responsibility for civil affairs, internal security and public order. Since there is no IDF presence here, there can be no security for Israelis guaranteed, so Israeli citizens are not permitted in these areas. American citizens are, however, so this is our experience in Palestinian Bethlehem. On the way, we stopped at a beautiful open-air restaurant for a delicious Middle-Eastern lunch.
Remember the Christmas tune “The First Noel”? These are the fields where the shepherd’s were the night of Jesus’ birth (Luke 2). This is also where David raised his sheep. There is a beautiful chapel there now as a memorial.
There is a cave in the side of the mountain that was created for the sheep to seek shade from the sweltering heat and sun. The cave has been turned into a make-shift “stable” with a few scenes decorated with birth night memorabilia.
The actual site of Jesus’ birth is under a church in Bethlehem, the Church of the Nativity. The decorations within it are very ornate – a combination of Orthodox-based appreciations to the Holy site. The line to the actual site of his birth was two hours long; unfortunately we were not able to make that. I hope to have a video up on this site soon that will show what is actually looks like.
Other areas of the church include an altar on the wall opposite Jesus’ birth location and a dedication to all of the boys that were killed by Herod in his attempt to kill Jesus (Matthew 2:16-18).
On the way back to Jerusalem that evening we had the privilege of stopping or a quick picture by the U. S. Embassy there!
With Shabbat starting at sundown, we had the privilege of ending the day back at the Western Wall to experience Shabbat there. It doesn’t last long since everyone returns home for a formal feast and celebration, but to witness this at the Holiest place in Jerusalem was an amazing experience. Pictures could not be taken on this evening, but to watch the prayers, celebration and singing was something I will treasure – it truly shows how much they love and worship God.