Israel Study Tour - The Forge (Pine Cove)

March 15-27, 2015

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Flourishing in the Desert

Shalom from the Salt Sea! Today was a tremendous first day of our tour! We had great weather and learned many valuable lessons about how God wants to use the wilderness to grow us into the faithful people he has called us to be.

Our morning began with a majestic overlook of the Makhtesh. It’s an enormous geological phenomenon that occurs only in Israel. It’s possible that the Nation of Israel may have wandered here after the Exodus. The entire lesson was focused on following as one of the essential elements of faith in our lives. We walked through the Exodus story together (as we hiked through some of the very same wilderness!!!) and considered all that God was doing – not to just get Israel out of Egypt, but Egypt out of Israel.

Makhtesh Ramon

Machtesh Ramon is the most spectacular geological sight in the country. It is a window into the geological formation of the earth. The crater is 24 miles (40 km) long, 5 miles (8 km) wide, and 1600 feet (500 m) deep. The term machtesh is a geological term which means “mortar” as in mortar and pestle. Machtesh Qatan (Small) and Gadol (Large) look like mortar bowls in which grains are pounded with a pestle. This look is true of the big and little craters but not necessarily of Machtesh Ramon which is stretched out and narrow at one end.

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After the Makhtesh we had a long bus ride to the Salt Sea where we had the opportunity to learn the significance of Mesada with not only our head, but also our feet! We hiked to the top of Masada and then listened to our Israeli tour guide, Ronen, tell us the story of what happened there during the Jewish Revolt in the 1st century. We also considered the importance of God describing himself to us as a fortress & what a good picture that is for us in our faith.

Dead Sea

Known in the Bible as the “Salt Sea” or the “Sea of the Arabah,” this inland body of water is appropriately named because its high mineral content allows nothing to live in its waters. Other post-biblical names for the Dead Sea include the “Sea of Sodom,” the “Sea of Lot,” the “Sea of Asphalt” and the “Stinking Sea.” In the Crusader period, it was sometimes called the “Devil’s Sea.” All of these names reflect something of the nature of this lake.

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And, last but not least, we soaked our tired legs (we hiked over 8 miles today!) in the cool waters of the Salt Sea. It was a once in a lifetime experience that was incredible! It is so strange being able to float without having to do anything.

Tomorrow will be another BIG day as we journey north in the Rift Valley and see some of the other important locations along the Salt Sea.

Until then, enjoy the pictures and please continue to pray for us! We are all in good health and our spirits are high! We love and miss you all!

Shalom,
Matt Lantz

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