354.January 12

Valley of the Armegiddon, Israel

I rose at 7:30 and had breakfast, then slipped downtown to buy some bread for dinner. We loaded the bus by 9:00 for Megiddo and arrived there at Tell Megiddo, or Armegiddon at 10:00. We went to the museum to learn how to look at the site. When we were prepared, we ascended the tell through the north gate. Looking out at the Valley of Death, it is hard to imagine the amount of blood spilt there. I wonder if anymore will be in the same amount as before. I looked off into the Valley of Jezreel and longed for a bow. I have done some target shooting with bows and arrows, and know what it feels like to let a dangerous weapon fly. How did these people feel in war? It was obviously different than our citizens in battles like the Gulf War. The US has not been in a defense situation in my lifetime. I do not know the feeling of protecting my people and myself. This is good for my own life, but how can I understand the peoples need for and acceptance that God was on their side. Now the State is an entire level beyond the people, untouchable, uncontrollable and we probably think of it close to how he people of the land thought of their gods. Only in some ways. For instance, we are afraid of the power of the state. But we feel that it is behind us. We elect the people who should interpret the laws of the state for us. We put ourselves almost completely under their power. (I could say the same for early religion). I would guess that this is a better way to understand their idea of God than by trying to understand how we feel about God. God was their military. Bush is our military.--In God we trust?--We all know that God is not behind us when we can't be behind us.

We headed back out of the Jezreal Valley at 13:30, stopping at Beth-Shean again, this time we saw the Roman ruin, but none of the tell. The ruin was great, and will be even better in a few years after most of it is excavated and placed closer to how it would have been. We were back at the hotel by 16:15, where I wrote and read for the night's class.

1993