Sunday continued

We moved further north toward the ancient city of Dan up in the mountains. This part of the country has seen most of the war over the years since 1948. One was specifically, the Yom Kippur war of 1973, was war that was fought against unbelievable odds. The Israeli’s had less than one hundred tanks in the area and held off or destroyed over 500 Soviet tanks being driven by Syrians. The Israeli’s fought without night vision for three solid days without additional food or water. The location of the battle is called the Valley of Tears. We saw a movie about this miraculous event at the kibbutz that served us lunch. A kibbutz is an agricultural cooperative that also branches out to serve as restaurants and other tourist needs. We moved on to Dan and saw the water source for the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River. This was an incredible alpine looking area with cold water from the snow melt of Mount Hermon running through in streams all around us. King David wrote Psalms about his experience in this area when he reflected on his experience near Mount Hermon. Among the verses would be Psalms 42:6, 89:12, and 133:3; and David’s experiences range from depression to celebration. As we traveled higher we were on the Damascus road, the same road where Saul, soon to become the Apostle Paul, had his saving encounter with the risen Lord. As we approached Mount Hermon, the wind picked up and the temperatures dropped. It is believed that here Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James, and John, with Moses and Elijah attending from Heaven. We came to the highest point as we drove past Israeli soldiers and tanks overlooking the country of Syria and a large Syrian city that lay just below their outposts. But, even here, there grape vines, and apple trees woven into the scenery of kibbutz facilities and designated mine fields. But now it is time to go back down below sea level to our hotel in Tiberius. Yes, the Sea of Galilee is also below sea level, just not as far below as the Dead Sea.