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601. Looking down the upper Jordan Valley from Mount Hermon
Looking down the upper Jordan Valley from Mount Hermon
Description
From one of the southern foothills of Hermon we look across the upper Jordan plain, and can see the river winding its way toward Lake Merom. On one of these lower hills of the lofty mountain took place that great event in the earthly life of Christ - the Transfiguration - which has forever made this a sacred mountain. One night our Lord climbed these steep mountain walls and was praying, while his three chosen disciples were sleeping. Awakening from their slumber, they saw that a great change had come over their Master's face and form. He had become dazzingly white and ineffably glorious, beaming forth a more than earthly splendor. Beside him stood the prophets of the past, Moses and Elijah; while from the radiant cloud above sounded a voice "This is my beloved Son; hear ye Him." It is fitting that the loftiest height in all the land should be associated with this scene in the life of Jesus Christ.
602. View northeast from Mount Tabor to Mount of Beatitudes and upper Galilee
View northeast from Mount Tabor to Mount of Beatitudes and upper Galilee
Description
We are now near the foot of the Mount of the Beatitudes as it is called. You observe its peculiar form, somewhat like a saddle, with its two summits, and a depression between them. This form has given the mountain its modern name, "The Horns of Hattin". One of those two eminences Jesus climbed alone and remained there all night in prayer; for he had a most important decision to make, the choice of his twelve apostles, the men who were to witness his works and listen to his words; and then to go forth and preach his gospel to the world. When the morning came, he descended near to the plain between the hills, called his twelve chosen ones, and to them and to the multitude which had assembled from every quarter of the land, he gave the Sermon on the Mount, the longest discourse found in the New Testament, setting forth the standards of an ideal humanity.
603. From Bethsaida to Mount of the Beatitudes
From Bethsaida to Mount of the Beatitudes
Description
These two people, one on horseback, the other seated on a rock, are at the ruins of Bethsaida, a city more than once visited by our Lord. Upon this meadow in the foreground Jesus may have fed the five thousand with the five loaves. Before us stretches the northern end of the Sea of Galilee. Can you see just beyond the shore a mountain rent asunder by a deep gorge? Looking through that ravine you will note another mountain whose summit at this distance looks like a plain, the hill sloping down at each end. That farther mountain is Kurn Hattin or "The double horns of Hattin" generally recognized as the spot where Jesus spoke the Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount. If we were nearer we should perceive that what seems to be a plain on the summit of the hill, is a depression. The mount has two peaks, and between them a plain on a lower level. Let us follow the ancient road which runs from the shore through the great gash in the nearer mountain, and walk toward that sacred height from which Jesus uttered his blessings and proclaimed the principles of his Kingdom.
604. Mount Carmel and the Bay of Haifa
Mount Carmel and the Bay of Haifa
Description
Let us now turn westward, cross the great plain of Esdraelon, and view Mount Carmel, the promontory that rises above the Mediterranean Sea. The mountain iteself is not a single peak, but a range running south-easterly from the sea to the Jordan River. Through the plain at its foot flows "That ancient river, the river Kishon" where, in the period of the Judges, the hosts of Sisera were entangled and cut off. We are looking upon the mountain at its northwestern point, where it fronts the sea. The plain just over the shoulder of the mountain is Esdraelon, and the white village by the Mediterranean is Haifa, at present an important port of Palestine, since from it a road with frequent caravans runs from Nazareth to Tiberias and beyond to Damascus.
605. Mount Lebanon
Mount Lebanon
Description
Directly west of Mount Hermon, and separated from it by a deep and wide ravine stands a range which is known as "The Lebanon." These mountains are from 6000 to 8000 feet high, two of the peaks a thousand feet higher. The word Lebanon means "white" and this range is known as the "white mountain" either from the snow remaining in its valleys all summer, or from the white limestone which is the material of the mountain. On its western slope it looks down upon Phoencia, the land of Tyre and Sidon, and beyond, the Mediterranean Sea; on the east it overhangs the gorge called Coele-Syria or "hollow Syria". Up to the snow-line of 6000 feet, the slopes are cultivated in vineyards and fig orchards, surrounding picturesque villages clinging to the rocks.
606. Safed, the city on a hill
Safed, the city on a hill
Description
You remember the words of our Lord to His disciples, in the Sermon on the Mount, "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be held." He may have pointed to this very hill and this very city, now known as Safed in northern Galilee. Although no place having this location is named in the Bible, it is probable that in Christ's day, a city was standing on this hill, for in the New Testament period, this land as densely populated. Safed stands as a landmark, seen in every direction, and well illustrates the words of Jesus regarding the prominence of his disciples in the world.
607. Mount Gerizim from Mount Ebal
Mount Gerizim from Mount Ebal
Description
There is a record in the Gospel of John which gives to these twin mountains an interest deeper than any of the Old Testament events, and, for the sake of that story, we look once more at Mount Gerizim from the base of Mount Ebal. Do you see a village yonder, at the foot of Mount Gerizim? That is the modern Askar, the ancient Sychar. Do you perceive beyond it another small enclosure? Within that wall is Jacob's Well, dug by the ancestor of the Israelites thirty-five hundred years ago, and still giving forth its water. Over yonder road, winding around the mountain, walked Jesus and his disciples one morning; and he sat weary beside the well while his disciples came to this village to obtain food for their breakfast. Waiting by the well he met a woman from the neighboring village, bearing her water-jar upon her shoulder; a woman, bright, quick-witted, and of deep, spiritual insight, although her past had been guilty. He saw her traits of mind and heart, and engaged her in conversation, while above them both loomed the summit of Mount Gerizim. That old well is there today, and every traveler receives a drink from its cool depths.
608. Shechem and Mount Ebal
Shechem and Mount Ebal
Description
We have come now to the exact center of western Palestine, half-way between the River Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea. Here we find the ancient city of Shechem, lying between the twin mountains, Ebal and Gerizim. From the foot of Mount Gerizim, we are looking over the city of Shechem northward to the slopes of Mount Ebel. The story of this place begins with Abraham who pitched his tent and built his altar here, at his first tarrying place in the land of promise before the city was founded; Jacob who came here a century and a half later found a little village established and had a war with its inhabitants. From its central location and its abundant supply of water the city grew and has ever been one of the most important places in the land. Here Rehoboam came to be crowned king, and here took place the revolution that tore the twelve tribes apart into two nations.
609. Shechem and Mount Gerizim
Shechem and Mount Gerizim
Description
In our last view we looked at Mount Ebal from the foot of Mount Gerizim from the slope of Mount Ebal. Again we see the city of Shechem, but from its opposite side, the north. The tower which was in the foreground in our last view is now far in the background on the right and scarcely visible. Shechem is the home of that ancient people, the Samaritans, who reject all the Bible except the five books of Moses, and have lived apart for nearly twenty-five centuries. They look upon Mount Gerizim just as the Jews looked upon Mount Moriah, for upon it stood their temple. You remember the words of the Samaritan woman to Jesus; "We worship in this mountain, but ye say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Let us climb yonder mountain and look at its summit."
610. Mount Gerizim, place of Abraham's offering to Isaac
Mount Gerizim, place of Abraham's offering to Isaac
Description
To this Samaritan reading his Bible, this spot, the summit of Mount Gerizim, is the most sacred place in the world. Here, he believes, Abraham built his altar for the sacrifice of his son Isaac; an event which the Jews claim took place on Mount Moriah at Jerusalem. Here stood the ancient Samaritan temple, and on this mountain is held every year the Samaritan passover, according to the exact ritual in the Book of Exodus, even to sprinkling the blood on the doors, no longer observed by the Jews.
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