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Mt. Gilboa....
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Mount Gilboa (from
Hebrew gal and ba`ah, meaning "swollen
heap") is not a single mountain, but a barren ridge (Below) rising to a high
point of 1,700 feet, separating the Harod Valley from the plain of
Jezreel
(also called plain of Esdraelon), about 7 miles west of the
Jordan River. |
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At the foot of Mount Gilboa is Ma'ayan Harod National Park, containing a
cave in which arises the spring of Harod, where the Judge Gideon selected
his 300 warriors to battle the Midianites:
"So Gideon took the men down to
the water. There the Lord told him, 'Separate those who lap the water with
their tongues like a dog from those who kneel down to drink.' Three hundred
men lapped with their hands to their mouths. All the rest got down on their
knees to drink. The Lord said to Gideon, 'With the three hundred men that
lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the
other men go, each to his own place.'" (Judges 7:5-7). |
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As thousands of enemy soldiers--swordsmen, archers, spear
throwers, cavalry, charioteers-- streamed across the plain before him,
Saul was struck with fear for the first time in his military career. Throughout
his reign, he had succesfully challeged the Philistines and their control
over central and southern Palestine. Absorbed by his pursuit of
David, he
had placed himself in an indefensible position. In the past, the
Philistines' superior numbers and heavier equipment were rendered impotent
by Saul's lightening attacks and guerrilla-style warfare. But now he could
see the chariots alone would crush his relatively small force. Moreover, the
Philistines could easily call up reinforcements from their nearby
strongholds of Megiddo and
Beth Shan. Saul's confidence was shattered. He
prayed to God for help, but received no answer. He grew so desperate that he
consulted a medium at nearby Endor. However, this "witch" conjured up the
ghost of the prophet Samuel, who angrily foretold Saul's
death. |
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