Originally posted by Peggy Consolver in 2017.
It was 2009 when I turned to my husband and said, “If I really write this story [of the Gibeonites of Joshua 9 and 10], maybe I should go there.”
He made it happen, and that statement launched a whole new era in our lives— the biggest adventure of my life began.
Touring Israel with Associates for Biblical Research. The Sea of Galilee in the background
Going to Israel with Associates for Biblical Research to participate in the 2010 dig at Khirbet el-Maqatir opened a whole new world in so many ways.
Climbing the hill to get to the dig site of Khirbet el Maqatir, 2010
The site of Gibeon of Joshua 9 & 10 from a hillside across Aijalon Valley.
On a side trip, our personal Palestinian tour guide and a Palestinian cab driver took us to see Gibeon from across the valley and then to stand on its summit.
The view from the top of Gibeon’s hill. The northern outskirts of Jerusalem are in sight less than 9 miles away.
By going there, I could describe the setting of Gibeon and Aijalon Valley with authority in Shepherd, Potter, Spy—and the Star Namer.
An ancient olive tree on the top of Gibeon.
It was on that dig at Khirbet el Maqatir we met Dr. Gene Merrill and his wife Dr. Janet Merrill. Dr. Gene endorsed my book before publication and an excerpt of his endorsement is on the back cover.
“With ‘the author’s colorful turn of phrase … experience solid learning interwoven with joyful, sanctified ‘filling of the gaps’ that make the ancient text alive…’ Eugene H. Merrill, PhD, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Old Testament Studies, Dallas Theological Seminary” (2015)
Being a friend of ABR opened a whole series of new relationships as well. Dr. Bryant Wood, our Dig Director in 2010,
Dr. Bryant Wood in brown hat, Dig Director, 2010.
Dr. Wood has an amazing bio on the ABR website. I am in awe of his fortitude and dedication defending the Bible, its authority and its reliability as historical record. I am most pleased and humbled that he volunteered to endorse my book this year. (2017)
“Shepherd, Potter, Spy–and the Star Namer tells the story of the Hebrews’ arrival in Canaan from a new point of view. A young Gibeonite shepherd’s eyewitness account captures the tension in the ancient land of Canaan. Accurate descriptions of the terrain give the Bible student new insights into this historical event of the Late Bronze Age. The use of the archaeological artifact known as the Gezer Almanac adds credence to the timeline the author constructs. Bryant G. Wood, PhD, Director of Research, Associates for Biblical Research, Akron PA.”
Dr. Scott Stripling was our square supervisor in 2010.
That’s me “draining the bathtub”—lowering the level of soil bit by bit in my area/locus. That’s Dr. Stripling documenting the finds in the whole 10x10 meter square called Square 20.
Subsequently, he became Dig Director for Khirbet el-Maqatir, which closed out after over twenty years of digging in 2016. Scott is now director of ABR’s new excavations at Shiloh.
ABR’S Week 4 Dig Team at Shiloh, 2017
And we took our whole family, eleven of us: our kids, spouses, and five grandchildren ages 11-17 to dig at ABR’s first season at Shiloh.
That’s us in 2017. But this pic was taken at Jericho on our tour week with ABR.
Have you ever experienced a moment of clarity that changed the course of your life? Share when this happened in your life.
I’d love to hear from you.