We began the day with an early start once again. We needed to be on the bus by 6:30 am with our bags packed. We packed some bags to take along and other bags with stuff we would not need we were able to leave at the hotel in a locked room. The earliest we were able to get breakfast was 6 am so it was a quick meal and then on the road.
The reason we wanted to leave so early was so that we would be at Masada by 8 am, hopefully before most of the other tour busses. Our driver did a great job of getting us there on time. As we traveled we noticed what a dry and barren land we were going through. We went east to Jericho and then headed south toward the Dead Sea. As we traveled Nelly lead us in a devotion focused on Psalm 23 with the image of the shepherd.
We arrived at Masada, a fortress built by Herod the Great on a hill with steep sides all the way around. We took a tram to the top and then spent a bit of time walking around the top. Emily talked about the Pharisees, Sadducees, Zealots and Essenes. The Sadducees tended to accept the Hellenistic worldview which held that this world is all there is so make the best of it. There is no life after death. The other three groups opposed the rule of the Romans to various degrees. While Masada doesn’t have any direct biblical connection it does reflect King Herod’s building abilities. Also during the Jewish revolt of AD 70 around 900 Zealots were in Masada. The 9,000 soldiers of Rome had a difficult time getting into the fortress but eventually they did.
After walking around the top of Masada and seeing some of what is left of the beauty and imagining what it might have looked like, many of us took the snake path down, walking about 700 steps down. Some of that was with a railing and some without. Some of it was steps but much of it was simply a foot path with some loose gravel. The trip down definitely called us to use some muscles that we had not used too much in the recent past. However we also had the choice of going down the tram. So it was our choice to experience the walk down or not.
The first couple of days we did a lot of walking around Jerusalem. But since we have been making bus trips our walking has decreased greatly. I assume they do that intentionally to get us familiar with Jerusalem and then work our way out. I also think they do it to help with “jet lag” so that we are really tired the first couple of nights.
After Masada we headed north just a little before En Gedi to swim in the Dead Sea and have lunch. Many of the group felt it was warm enough to take a dip – so we could at least say we were in the Dead Sea. However, the wind was a bit strong (not like NW Iowa) but enough to give us some waves which made getting into the water a little challenging. The salt formed a layer on the rocks on the shoreline that was very sharp and dangerous. One person put it like this when asked about the experience of swimming in the Dead Sea: “I felt like I fought the Sea.” Stan De Weerd found out how sharp that salt can be when he scraped up both arms. Sadly, for him, the Sea won! The Dead Sea is much more salty that the ocean seas and a number of the group found out how difficult it is to see once you get it in your eyes. Most of the folks that went in also discovered what a terrible taste it has. But hey, we were in the Dead Sea!
Following our dip in the Dead Sea we prepared our picnic lunch of peta bread with turkey and cheese, olives, pickles, carrots, hummus, and apples. It was a great idea to have that after our swim so that we could get the salt water taste out of our mouths.
Next we boarded the bus and headed a little further north to the site of En Gev. This is a wadi (dry stream that often floods when it rains) where one can see three different water falls. It is also a stream that continues to run throughout the dry season. As you can imagine, water is extremely important in such a dry area of land. As we looked up the wadi canyon the story of David cutting off the edge of Saul’s garment came to mind. You may remember when King Saul was chasing David and David and his men were hiding in a cave. Saul came in to relieve himself and David rather than killing him simply cut off a piece of the robe. After Saul left David yelled across the canyon to him and Saul recognized the error of his ways. It would have been hard to cross back across the canyon and get to David. Yet it would have been easy to hear each other calling across the canyon. We did take a walk up to a couple of the waterfalls and noticed a number of folks enjoying the fresh water pools at the base of the falls.
Our next site was Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. We took note of the communal living conditions and the dedication of the group to copy and store scripture. That find enabled scholars to compare what we have to a much earlier time. It was reaffirming to discover that there were very few differences. We ended the day by Emily reading from Ezekiel 47 which talks about the water flowing from the Temple under the threshold toward the east (the Temple faces east). The water then flows south and it would follow the Kidron wadi to the Dead Sea. There it will make the water fresh but not change the marshy land (with the salt deposits which were significant in olden days). On both sides of the river there will be green trees growing. Instead of a dead sea there will be swarms of living creatures. Fishermen will stand along the shores from En Gedi to En Eglaim.
What a great picture to imagine, especially now that we have seen what that land looks like. Someone made the comment that they just didn’t imagine the land like this – dry with large hills or cliffs and so much of the land looking like that. And then close by seeing beautiful green areas with trees and cropland. There is a vast variety of “land” in this place.
Finally we traveled north to Jericho where we are planning to spend the night. The rooms are wonderful with both a bathtub and shower, large king-sized beds, a desk, large closet and cushioned chair. We went down for supper around 6 pm. There was a new variety of foods for us to try. Tonight we have the evening free. Tomorrow breakfast is at 6 with the intention of heading north and west toward Beth-Shean, Megiddo, Sephoria and Nazareth. We plan to spend the next three nights in Galilee.
Once again, thanks for remembering us in your prayers.
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