3 Must-See Book Sites in Israel 2020

When I’m excited, I tend to expel this incredibly high-pitched squeal. You may have heard it in your backyard. My husband swears it could shatter glass and begs me to stop—with a great big smile on his face.

Returning to Israel after a 20-year wait makes me squeal! And to celebrate my tenth book while we’re there? Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!

But let’s be clear—the trip is called, Experience THE BOOK Tour, not MY book tour. The twenty-seven pilgrims on this journey (including myself) will experience God’s BOOK in His Land of Promise.

My Books, His Context

It will be an unspeakable privilege to explore the locations of my books within the context of God’s greater Story. When Roy and I traveled to Israel in 2000, he was an associate pastor, and I worked part-time at an optometrist’s office. We went with a dear group of folks from our church, many of whom we’re still in touch with.

And I had no idea I would ever write biblical novels! Would I have paid more attention? Actually, I remember things our guide said as if it was yesterday. I remember the mist on my face at Caesarea Philippi, the snowflakes wetting my hair in Jerusalem, and the salt crystals on my arms after floating in the Dead Sea.

I also remember the wrenching sobs when our plane lifted off, and the Land that had become my home became smaller and smaller behind me. A vow passed my lips–I would return, either on this earth or to the New Jerusalem that would be my eternal home. I’m so thankful I get to see it again with these mortal eyes!

New Adventures!

My vivid memories of Israel’s land and the guide’s descriptions of ancient culture have been invaluable as I’ve researched and written my books—especially those set in Israel itself. When describing Megiddo in Love’s Sacred Song, I visualized its size and layout from the remains we saw in 2000.

Of course, we couldn’t visit all the the fascinating sites in 2000, and there were three in particular we missed that played major roles in my books. So here’s what I’m looking forward to seeing most this time!

Petra, Jordan

The picture at left is one I used while writing Love Amid the Ashes to describe what some commentators believed to be Job’s Land of Uz. Today, we known it as Petra, Jordan.

“In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.” Job 1:1

Though it’s more famously known as the capital of the Nabataean Dynasty, it’s nestled in what scholars agree to be Edomite territory—the descendants of Jacob’s brother Esau. Job (Jobab) is thought to have been Esau’s great-grandson.

“The sons of Esau’s son Reuel: Chiefs Nahath, Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. These were the chiefs descended from Reuel in Edom; they were grandsons of Esau’s wife Basemath…When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah succeeded him as king.” Genesis 36:17, 33

Clear as mud, right? But one of the coolest things I found while researching this book was a map of natural mountain springs provided by NASA satellites! That little piece of info allowed me to imagine how the ancient folks of every generation lived in those majestic, red-hewn cliffs. I can’t wait to see them for myself!

City of David, Jerusalem

In 2000, we noticed a large fenced-off excavation area on the south side of Jerusalem, and our guide explained it was an extremely exciting find—the City of David. Until that moment, I thought “the City of David” was just another name for Jerusalem, but I had so much to learn about this fascinating city-within-the-city. (You can find a full history of the archaeological exploration of the City of David HERE.)

“Solomon had twelve district governors over all Israel, who supplied provisions for the king and the royal household. Each one had to provide supplies for one month in the year.” 1 Kings 4:7

The details I learned about Solomon’s reign helped form the villainous plot for Love’s Sacred Song and shaped my understanding of Israel’s tribal allegiance. What was fenced-off in 2000 has now become a multi-venue attraction that we’ll spend a good portion of a day exploring!

Hezekiah’s/Temple Tunnels

We’d been back from our 2000 trip only a few months when I met someone else who’d recently returned. “Wasn’t Hezekiah’s tunnel fascinating?” he asked. I had no idea Scripture recorded a miraculous tunnel-building that kept Jerusalem alive during Sennacherib’s siege.

“As for the other events of Hezekiah’s reign, all his achievements and how he made the pool and the tunnel by which he brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah?” 2 Kings 20:20

photo credit: tripadvisor.com

I then became a little obsessed with Jerusalem’s tunnels and found more than Hezekiah’s! Zedekiah’s Caves, played a huge role in creating the plot for In the Shadow of Jezebel, the story of Jezebel’s wicked daughter, Queen Athaliah of Judah. In a few days, our group will explore the caves where faithful Yahwists hid from that wicked queen while she murdered the innocent babes of King David’s lineage (2 Kings 11).

We’ll also descend into Hezekiah’s tunnel, of course, to marvel at how God enabled an ancient king to begin on opposite sides of a mountain and somehow meet in the depths of the earth—to channel the Gihon spring’s life-giving water into Jerusalem during Assyria’s siege (2 Chron 32:30).

Experience It With Us!

I’m so grateful my marketing assistant, Amanda Geaney, will accompany us on this exciting journey. She’ll snap pictures and record videos along the way to share with all of you! We’ll upload to my social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube), so make sure your notifications are on, and you’ve subscribed to get all new posts!

See you in Israel!

Today’s Questions:

• If you’ve BEEN TO ISRAEL, what were the things you found most fascinating?
• If you HAVEN’T BEEN TO ISRAEL YET, what are things you’d most like to see if you go someday?

Tweet-Able:

• LIKE & Subscribe to @MesuAndrews on FB, IG, Twitter, and YouTube to follow #ExperienceTheBOOKTour, March 6-19! #IsaiahsLegacy #LiveUnchained #Israel2020