_Shiloh.—Jacob’s Well.—Tomb of Joseph.—Shechem.—Samaria.—Gibeah.—Dothan
in the Distance.—Fountain of Gideon.—Shunem.—Shunammite’s Son.—Nain._
The country through which we passed was less stony, and the roads were
more smooth and level. Horses and riders seemed glad for the change and
enjoyed it immensely. Land was under better cultivation, for olive and
fig trees were there, and everywhere were signs of thrift.
When camp was reached a distance of twenty-two miles had been traveled.
The tents were pitched at Shechem, but we took the road which leads to
the old city of Shiloh, where a heap of ruins with broken columns was
seen. Far back in history interesting things are told about Shiloh, for
it was one of the foremost places of the Old World.
The children of Israel set up a tabernacle there. Several of the tribes
had not received their inheritance. At the suggestion of Joshua three men
from each tribe were chosen and sent out to describe the land; and on
their return with the description “Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh
before the Lord: and there Joshua divided the land unto the children of
Israel according to their division.”
The ark of the Lord rested at Shiloh many years. Now the ark of the Lord
was the sacred chest which held the tables of the law, and while it was
there feasts were held annually, and the people worshiped and offered
sacrifice unto the Lord.
Not far from Shiloh lived a man whose name was Elkanah; and yearly both
he and his good wife Hannah went to “worship and sacrifice unto the Lord
of hosts.” Hannah grieved because she had neither sons nor daughters,
and when they went to Shiloh to sacrifice she prayed long and fervently
to the Lord, saying, “I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his
life.”
Well, time rolled on and Hannah’s prayer was answered; the Lord gave a
little son to the faithful woman, and she called him Samuel, “because I
have asked him of the Lord.” The promise made by the mother long before
had not been forgotten, and as soon as the child was old enough Hannah
took little Samuel away to Shiloh and gave him to Eli, the high priest,
saying, “I have lent him to the Lord; and he worshiped the Lord there.”
Children, don’t you think the mother felt lonely going back to her home
without the bright, prattling little fellow? Surely she missed him,
but not a word of complaint was uttered. She said, however, “My heart
rejoiceth in the Lord.” Oh, how she praised the Lord, and her song of
thanksgiving was long. I would like to tell you about Eli, who judged
Israel forty years, and who, through neglect of duty in the raising of
his sons, had to suffer the consequences; but it is time to leave the
ruined city and go on toward our lunching place, which was at “Jacob’s
well.” There were no trees to shelter us from the noonday sun, so those
who had umbrellas made use of them. All Christian people think of Jacob’s
well as being a sacred place, and we could not help but think of the
Bible characters who once stood where we were then resting. Our mind went
back to the time when Jesus was there, sitting upon the rim of the well
and talking to the woman who had come to draw water.
Jesus had been to Jerusalem during the passover season, and while there
had found men who were selling sheep, oxen and doves in the temple. Such
desecration could not be tolerated, so he chased them all out; and after
giving them some good lessons he journeyed on toward Galilee. He was
weary from the long journey, and while his disciples went to the city to
buy something to eat he sat and rested. Even though tired he did not fail
to teach the Samaritan woman some good lessons. There he told her of the
water of eternal life; and there he revealed himself unto her, saying,
“I that speak unto thee am he.” Jesus had a message for the Samaritans,
and the woman carried it to them. At first it was hard to understand what
Jesus meant. She pointed to the mountain which was not faraway and said,
“Our fathers worshiped in this mountain: and ye say, that in Jerusalem is
the place where men ought to worship.” But Jesus showed her plainly what
he desired, and without waiting for the water pot, she went into the city
and told what Jesus had said to her. Many went to see him; they insisted
upon Jesus staying with them, and he was there two days. Before he left
“many more believed because of his own word.”
A church was built over the well many years ago, but nothing is to be
seen of it now. An arch which at one time covered it had broken away, and
through the opening a descent of several feet was made, when the mouth of
Jacob’s well was reached. The company desired to taste the water, so by
the help of Arabs who stood by, and with the use of pieces of rope tied
together and fastened to an old can, their wish was gratified and each
one tasted water from the well which had been dug in Bible times.
The time of resting ended, and Jacob’s well was left behind. Our next
stop was to be made at the tomb of Joseph, supposed to be the real burial
place of Jacob’s favorite son. The story of Joseph’s life is extremely
interesting, and I should take great pleasure in telling it to you, but
space forbids. The time came for the good man to die, and the cares and
toils of life ended. His body was embalmed—as was the custom of the
country—and placed in a coffin. “And the bones of Joseph, which the
children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem.”
When the famine was great in the land where Joseph’s father and brethren
dwelt, he was greatly concerned; and when the brethren asked for corn
after their arrival in Egypt it was not withheld from them, even when
Joseph had power to do so. Prosperity had not closed this good man’s
heart against home folks, though he had been shamefully treated by them.
I think a lesson of love may be learned, for hatred was far from his
heart, and in every action love was made manifest.
We rode on from Joseph’s tomb until the valley of Shechem was entered.
There we were between two mountains,—Gerizim, where the blessing of
obedience was pronounced, and Ebal, where cursings upon the rebellious
were made known.
Our camping place was at the foot of the mountains, and while some of
the party with the dragoman made the ascent of Gerizim others went on
to camp. Mr. Heilpin informed us that the ascent of the mountain would
be rather a hard one, so we that were tired preferred going on to camp;
therefore only a few of the company undertook the climb. The tents were
pitched on a piece of level ground beneath the steep ascent of Gerizim,
and only a short distance from the city of Nablus.
In Bible times the city went by the name of Sichem or Shechem. It was the
chief city of the Samaritans for years and years, because of the temple
which was erected on Mount Gerizim. There are still a few Samaritans
in Nablus, and it is said that at certain times of the year they go to
Gerizim and offer sacrifices as did their fathers before them. There is
no temple for them to worship in now, for it was destroyed ever so many
years ago.
Abram knew something about Shechem, too, for it was there that he made
his first stop after leaving Haran; and there he built an altar. Shechem
was also known as a city of refuge in Bible times. You see the Lord told
Joshua to tell the children of Israel to appoint cities of refuge. Any
one who had been unfortunate enough to accidentally kill a man could,
by fleeing thither and getting inside the gates, find safety from his
pursuers. Several cities were appointed for that purpose, and Shechem was
one of the number.
Nablus is quite a large city, and a very dirty one, too. The houses
are built of stone and the streets are very narrow. A great many soap
factories were there, and many heaps of ashes could be seen outside the
city. Lepers are there, and many of them, too,—poor, afflicted creatures.
We were fortunate to escape seeing them, as they did not happen to get
where we were.
Wherever we camped men, women and children of the cities flocked to see
us, and Nablus was no exception to the rule. Curiously they watched every
movement, and no doubt were highly entertained. Sometimes it was quite
annoying to us, yet we were pleased to know insults were never offered.
It was almost dark when the company who had gone up the mountain
returned. Shortly after the call for dinner,—the evening meal,—was given,
and gladly did we all respond. One hour was usually spent at a meal, and
only a short time passed between it and the time of retiring, and we were
always as glad to go to our little beds as to eat a meal.
The next morning at seven o’clock we left Shechem, going toward Samaria.
By this time I was able to ride with ease and comfort, for I had rested
from the extreme fatigue of a few days before. We rode through the
beautiful green valleys and enjoyed it very much. The saddle kept to its
place upon the horse’s back, and riding was a pleasure instead of a dread.
Samaria is a small, dirty village now, and hedges of cactus surround
it. Ruins seem to tell the story of the grandeur of former years, as we
read that “Samaria shall become desolate: for she hath rebelled against
her God.” The city had been built by a king whose name was Omri, who
reigned over Israel twelve years; then he died and was buried in Samaria.
Omri was a very bad man and his wickedness was worse than that of the
kings who had ruled before him. He had a son whose name was Ahab, and
for twenty-two years he ruled Israel. Having had a bad example set him
by his father, and being no doubt wicked by nature, it was not hard for
Ahab to go on in wickedness; so he “reared an altar for Baal in the house
of Baal, which was in Samaria.” You see the city was the seat of idol
worship, and a good place to do mission work; so Philip undertook the
task and preached Christ to them, and the people “all gave heed, from the
least to the greatest.”
There was not time for a lengthy stay at Samaria, so we journeyed on.
Olive groves, fig orchards and almond trees were seen over the valley and
the hillside, with here and there barley fields.
Noon drew near, and we stopped at a place supposed to be Gibeah, and
there we ate lunch, in a fine old olive grove whose trees were a
protection for us; and for two hours we rested, sheltered from the hot
sun.
We left Gibeah, and rode on into a broad valley. A mountain was seen far
away to the north, and they called it Mount Hermon. With the aid of our
field glass snow was seen upon it, and an Australian lady of the party
seemed glad to know there was a possibility of getting where snow really
was, for, said she, “I never saw snow in my life.”
Dothan was in the distance, too, and you know that is the place where
Joseph went to seek his brethren, and where they sold him to the company
of Ishmaelites. Everywhere you look the eye falls upon places which are
familiar to the Bible reader. There in view were the mountains of Gilboa
where Saul and Jonathan were slain, and there, too, was Mount Carmel, the
home of the prophet.
We descended a steep, rocky road into a valley again, and passed a
Bedouin camp on the way. Only a short time passed when we were made to
rejoice at the sight of our tents, the only home we had. A twenty-eight
mile ride in one day was a tiresome piece of work, and when we rode into
camp and saw the tents it was truly a beautiful sight.
Early the next morning we were up and ready for a day’s ride to
Nazareth,—another hard day in the saddle. At the close of the day we
found our tents pitched at Jenin. From there we rode on to the fountain
of Gideon, which we found to be a nice, large fountain of pure, clear
water coming out of a cave in the side of the mountain. One time the Lord
told Gideon to take his army to that fountain and there he would try them
for him. At first there were many thousand men; but the Lord said that
only those who lapped water with their tongue, as a dog does, should go
with Gideon. The men never knew they were to be tried that way; so they
were sent down to the fountain, and some of them lapped the water, while
others bowed down on their knees and drank. Those who lapped the water
Gideon took and with them fought the Midianites, and Israel was saved by
Gideon with only three hundred men.
We rode on directly to Jezreel. There Ahab had his home many years ago.
No doubt in sight of where we were was the vineyard of Naboth which Ahab
coveted.
Not very far from Jezreel is Sulem, the ancient Shunem of Bible times.
It may have been a fine city then, but now it is a small village with a
few huts inside of a cactus hedge. We rested and ate our noonday meal in
the village. The touching story of the Shunammite woman came to our mind
while there. We wondered where the house of the great woman with whom
Elisha was constrained to eat bread was located. Elisha was a prophet who
passed through the city often, and whenever it was convenient he rested
at the house, and the woman and her husband felt themselves honored when
called upon to entertain him. They knew he was a holy man, so decided to
make a room for him on the wall, fitting it up with bed, table, stool and
candlestick,—all of the conveniences,—so that when Elisha came around
it would be found ready. Those people had a son whom they dearly loved.
One time the boy went to his father in the field—just as little boys in
this country sometimes do—and shortly after he was heard to say, “My
head, my head.” A lad carried him to his mother and “he sat on her knees
till noon, and then died.” She placed the lifeless body of her little
boy upon the bed of Elisha, then closed the door, called her husband
and said, “Send me, I pray thee, one of the young men, and one of the
asses, that I may run to the man of God and come again.” The husband was
surprised to know she wanted to go to see the man of God then, never
thinking, I suppose, that the beloved son had died. “It shall be well,”
was all she had time to say, and then, in a great hurry, she and the
servant departed.
The prophet was found, and the sorrowful story related. What a journey
the woman had in the burning sun,—for she went clear to Mount Carmel,—but
a mother’s love is enduring and unselfish. She thought only of the dear
one, and having him brought to life again. At first the prophet thought
to send Gehazi with his staff, but the woman would not hear to such a
thing and refused to leave until Elisha “arose and followed her.” All
three of them went to the desolate home, and when the prophet was alone
with the dead child he prayed to the Lord and put his mouth to the mouth
of the child, and his hands upon the hands of the little one and warmed
him up in that way. By and by the little boy sneezed, yes, seven times;
then his eyes opened. The woman was called. “Then she went in and fell
at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and took up her son, and
went out.” What a lesson of trust there is in this Bible story; and the
Lord may be trusted these days just as well as then, if we only feel like
doing so.
Our luncheon was eaten under lemon trees, but I believe there was not one
bit of grass anywhere around us. There were crowds of children who came
out from the village to see us, and I wondered whether the Shunammite’s
son looked anything like those children. Their actions were very rude,
and quite annoying to us, for almost continually they called out,
“Backsheesh, backsheesh,” and no matter how much backsheesh was given
them they could not be persuaded to leave.
Backsheesh means a gift, and the inhabitants of that country expect all
travelers to give them something. We had nothing but money for them, and
each piece received had to be taken home, have a hole punched in it, and
then strung on a string; after which they were tied around the forehead
and worn as ornaments. Every time the head moved the coins jingled. Boys
and girls were dressed alike, so it was hard to say who wore the money.
Some women were washing clothes at a fountain near the edge of the
village, and I am sure you never saw any one wash as strangely as they.
I do not know whether they used soap; anyway, the water did not indicate
it. A garment was dipped in the water and made soaking wet. Then it was
placed upon a large stone which was hollowed out a little. A small stone
was held in the right hand, and with it the garment was pounded again and
again. I saw nothing white in the wash, and indeed the colored pieces
looked as though an extra rubbing was needed, even after they had been
pounded and rolled again and again.
Shunem was rather cleaner looking than most of the villages passed
through, and yet there was room for improvement, for great piles of
manure and filth were seen on the main streets, which looked as though
they had been there for ages. Children were perched upon the filth,
sitting there as comfortably as could be imagined. Vermin were thick,
causing much uneasiness to both tourist and Arab. A woman decided to make
money by showing a plump baby which she carried upon her arm. Meekly she
said, “Backsheesh for baba;” and we responded to the request, giving a
few coins, then turning away from her. In a short time after a half-grown
girl presented herself before us with the same plump baby, and with the
same request. No doubt the woman thought showing her baby was paying
business; therefore placed the child in the hands of others to help along
the enterprise. Finally the time came for us to leave Shunem, and real
glad we were to get away.
Nain comes next in our line of travel, and possibly you remember it as
being the place to which Jesus and many of his disciples went. As they
neared the gate of the city a dead man was carried out. He was the only
son of a widow, and no doubt her only support. The Lord was sorry for the
bereaved mother and said, “Weep not.” Jesus touched the bier and told the
young man to arise. “And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak; and
he delivered him to his mother.” The city of Nain was once prosperous,
but now only a few miserable houses are to be seen.
It was getting on toward sundown as we rode up a steep hill, and when
the top was reached the city of Nazareth was in full view. Every one
of the party seemed anxious to reach camp, and the horses were urged
to a faster pace. During the day some of the party had unpleasant
experiences. A German lady who rode well was thrown from her horse, and
striking a stone, bruised her face. Another lady was riding along rather
unconcerned, when her horse decided to rest himself. Forthwith he got
down in a great mud puddle, while the lady was still seated upon his
back. Indeed, scarcely a day passed but some one of the party had a fall;
but I am glad to say that husband and I kept upon the horses’ backs, and
our horses kept upon their feet all the way. So we never had a fall.
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