"Upper Jordan"

One of the fun things about Yoni our guide was how well he tied where we were and what we were seeing to scripture. As we left Hazor and kept north we entered the ancient tribal area of Dan. As Yoni explained; although originally assigned a small area on the plains of what is now Tel Aviv and Ben Gurion Airport; the people of Dan undertook a large migration north to the area of the Hula Valley and foothills of Mt. Hermon. Among the many reasons for doing so was the severe snake infestation in the coastal plains. These snakes were vipers and very deadly therefore the Danitis were seriously affected by this infestation. In fact this was such an issue that one of the symbols for the tribe of Dan is a viper. The saying “From Dan to Beersheba” described the most northern and southern boundaries of Israel during much of its existence.

Dan is also what gives the Jordan River its name. Jor-Dan mean simply “the Dan descends” and refers to the many springs that flow out of the Mt. Hermon area that combine to make the Jordan River. The Jordan flowed year round in old times and did not “disappoint”. In Job 6:15 it says: “But my brothers are as undependable as intermittent streams”. The Hebrew for intermittent is the same word that means disappointing. The word is “nachel” which in Arabic is “wadi” and thus describes the “draw” that is mostly dry and occasionally floods with water after a rain.

Jeremiah 17:13 says that God is not a “nachel/wadi” or disappointing stream rather He is “…the LORD, the spring of living water”. God is a stream that flows regardless of the rainfall as it were.

Yoni then shared some of his personal testimony about learning the trust God; the Faithful Stream and read from Isaiah 58:11: “The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail”. AMEN!!