the valley of elah

i was inspired by a good friend to start a second blog. although my first blog will continue to contain many things about my family and dumb things i think about, i will try to focus on theological and biblical insights on this one.

i chose to name this blog the valley of elah for a number of reasons. first, i have always been amazed at david's choice to go to battle against goliath. this battle happened in the valley of elah, a low-lying plain between israel and philistia. why would david choose to battle this man? if the giant so offended God, couldn't God take care of him on his own? why would a shepherd boy be so confident to take this matter into his own hands? one of my big issues is confidence. i think this has to do with identity. but more on this issue in a later post.

second, i found this place to be beautiful. i was able to explore it last may when i visited israel. the wheat was almost ready for harvest. the photo above was taken while i was there. there was a dry creek bed running nearby, where i was able to retrieve my five smooth stones from the same creek as david. setting my feet in this place, it was my first experience of feeling there, in the land where highly significant events occurred.

hopefully, this will be a place where i can process some of my thoughts, and you can give me some insights. i will appreciate any comments.