Benjamin: the land between

The contrast was unavoidable. Benjamin is chalk full of different springs, tells, and limestone. As we trekked over hills and down valleys, I was struck by the vast differences throughout the land. The trip showed me the importance of this land in Biblical times and today.
The day started in on an outlook just west of New Testament Jericho. We climbed through the Wadi Qilt surrounded by senonian limestone hills. The same wilderness that our ancestors wandered for forty years and the same place that Jesus was tempted; this wilderness was underneath my feet. With Jerusalem behind us and Jericho to the east, we were off to explore the land of Benjamin.
Jericho is an oasis ten miles east of Jerusalem. It has three natural springs that allows for the city to be almost entirely self-sufficient. This made Jericho the perfect place to build an army camp, as Joshua did with his troops. It is the gateway to the east and essential to control if one wanted access to trade routes and Asia. We also looked at the supposed wall that would have surrounded the city. It was interesting to discover that the wall was dated to one thousand years before the time of Joshua. This is cause to much debate over the legitimacy of this Biblical story.
After a long stop, taking pictures and exploring Herod’s temple, we edged our way back to the bus. On our way to Old Testament Jericho, we got the best surprise of all: Dr. Wright was making witty jokes (as always!) and made a comment about Band-Aids. Then, much to our joyous surprise, he pulled out a bag of chocolate chip cookies! With a renewed spirit and full tummies, we headed to our next stop.
We climbed up a steep mountain to reach to other side of the hill. We learned about the importance of wells in the wilderness. The land is only good for shepherds and their flock. We were able to stumble upon a well and learn of important well stories in the Bible. Shepherds still use these wells as they were used in the Bible (except probably not for romantic purposes…). Many of the “greats” in the Bible met their wife at a well. In a land of wilderness, wells can be living water and also a future.
Then we hiked to the top of Navi Samuel, the highest point in Benjamin. We heard of the conquests of Joshua and Asa, and the importance of the central Benjamin plateau: ability to become international. It is so crucial to the survival of Jerusalem—without control over the central Benjamin plateau, Jerusalem would have no access to resources outside their own countryside. We also overlooked Mitzpah, Ramah (hometown of Samuel), and Gibeah (hometown of Saul).
We ended our day watching the sunset over the hills of Gezer. Gezer’s landscape is completely different from the hill country of Judah. Located in the Shephelah, it has ample farming land and green trees. We were all shocked at the stark contrast between Jerusalem and Gezer. Gezer is the western entrance into Benjamin, the most heavily used due to its proximity to the coast. It was the perfect way to end a day through Benjamin