Last weekend a friend and I spent a few days in the north, in the Galilee and Golan region, enjoying the wonderful spring weather and the green, green landscape resulting from this year’s abundant rainfall in Israel.
On our way northwards we stopped off to visit Mt Gilboa in the hope of finding the exquisite Gilboa Iris still in bloom. We were probably about a week too late and only found a couple of shriveling blooms, but we were not disappointed in the abundant profusion of other meadow flowers and the views from the hilltop of the green and fertile Jezreel Valley below.
When I walk in these lovely meadows in the Galilee I feel very close to my Lord, Yeshua (Jesus). The Bible tells us that he was given to rising early to go out to the wilderness to pray (Mark 1:35). I am sure he must have loved these wildflowers as much as I do. He is after all the Creator who made all these beautiful things, and in them I can see His design and love. For example, the picture below is the Judean bugloss. The flowers are pinkish red when they start to bloom but after they have been pollinated they turn blue. This is an adaptation to save the insects from wasting their energy looking for nectar in a flower that has already been pollinated. God thought of everything.
In Spring Mount Gilboa has a spectacular profusion of flowers and their associated insects and other animals. Here are just some of them.
MOUNT GILBOA IN THE BIBLE
Mount Gilboa is the site of King Saul’s death after he disobeyed God, consulted a medium and was mortally wounded by the Philistines.
Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his own town of Ramah. Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land.
The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp at Shunem, while Saul gathered all Israel and set up camp at Gilboa. When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart. He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets. Saul then said to his attendants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her.”
I Samuel 28: 3-7
The medium called up from the dead the prophet Samuel who said,
Samuel said, “Why do you consult me, now that the Lord has departed from you and become your enemy? The Lord has done what he predicted through me. The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors—to David. Because you did not obey the Lord or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the Lord has done this to you today. 1The Lord will deliver both Israel and you into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also give the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.”
I Samuel 28: 16-19
The Philistines defeated the army of Saul and killed his three sons, Jonathan, Abinadab and Malkishua. Saul was mortally wounded and, when his armor bearer was afraid to kill him, Saul took his own sword and fell on it, ending his life (I Samuel 31: 1-6).
When David heard this news he was stricken with grief and took up this lament:
“A gazelle[alies slain on your heights, Israel.
How the mighty have fallen!
“Tell it not in Gath,
proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon,
lest the daughters of the Philistines be glad,
lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice.
“Mountains of Gilboa,
may you have neither dew nor rain,
may no showers fall on your terraced fields
For there the shield of the mighty was despised,
the shield of Saul—no longer rubbed with oil.
“From the blood of the slain,
from the flesh of the mighty,
the bow of Jonathan did not turn back,
the sword of Saul did not return unsatisfied.
Saul and Jonathan—
in life they were loved and admired,
and in death they were not parted.
They were swifter than eagles,
they were stronger than lions.
“Daughters of Israel,
weep for Saul,
who clothed you in scarlet and finery,
who adorned your garments with ornaments of gold.
“How the mighty have fallen in battle!
Jonathan lies slain on your heights.
I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother;
you were very dear to me.
Your love for me was wonderful,
more wonderful than that of women.
“How the mighty have fallen!
The weapons of war have perished!”
2 Samuel 1: 19-27
The lushness of the mountain in spring may belie David’s curse on this mountain, but visit it in summer and all is dry and sere. Apart from the pine forest planted by the Jewish National Fund in recent years, this mountain is unforested and barren, unlike the other mountains in the region, and there are no signs of the once-terraced farmland that David spoke of.
For more information about Mt Gilboa I recommend the following link:
https://biblewalks.com/sites/SaulShoulder.html
For more on our Galilee travels see the post on Nimrod’s Castle (coming soon).
https://biblewalks.com/sites/SaulShoulder.html
All photos on this website can be used for personal or educational use, but any commercial use requires my permission.
Disclaimer: I am not an expert in plant identification in Israel. I have done my best to correctly identify species and apologize for any errors.
Thank you for sharing the beauty of Israel.