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Israel Study Tour - Calvary Church

April 25 - May 6, 2014

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Thirst

 

After 2 days in the southeast of Israel, it was time to continue our journey.  We headed north along the west coast of the Dead Sea, and made our first stop at Masada.

Masada is a stronghold from ancient times, used even by David (1 Samuel 22:4 and 22:24).  Masada is most know, though, as the last stand of the Jewish people as they fought against Roman rule in the 70s AD.

Situated on a cliff that stands 1,300 feet tall, it took the Romans over 2 years to conquer this last Jewish stronghold.  A small group of us climbed the Snake Path, a challenging hike to get to the top of the cliff.  The rest of the group met us at the top via a tram ride, and we were able to walk through history and see the remains of an incredible archaeological site.

Rather than be captured by the Romans and be enslaved, the few hundred remaining inhabitants of Masada chose death.  The night before the Romans broke through, the men of Masada killed the women and children.  Then, 10 men killed the remaining troops.  They drew lots, and one man was chosen to kill his remaining comrades, and fall on his own sword.

After a hot and dusty tour of Masada, our group was eager to cool off and we found a cool and refreshing site waiting for us at Ein Gedi.  This oasis was just a few miles north of Masada as we continued to travel along the Dead Sea.  It is a series of waterfalls and pools making their way down the cliffs, and you can see caves built into the cliffs.

Masada

The summit of Masada sits 190 feet (59 m) above sea level and about 1,500 feet (470 m) above the level of the Dead Sea. The mountain itself is 1950 feet (610 m) long, 650 feet (200 m) wide, 4,250 feet (1330 m) in circumference, and encompasses 23 acres. The “Snake Path” climbs 900 feet (280 m) in elevation. From the west, the difference in height is 225 feet (70 m).

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In 1 Samuel 24, Saul pursues David into the wilderness of Engedi where David is hiding in a cave.  While our group was there, we definitely werent hiding in caves.  Instead we hiked up to see the different waterfalls and swam in the pools.  Its a beautiful location, and believed to be the inspiration for Psalm 42:

“As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.  When shall I come and appear before God?”

Ein Gedi

En Gedi is the largest oasis along the western shore of the Dead Sea. The springs here have allowed nearly continuous inhabitation of the site since the Chalcolithic period. The area was allotted to the tribe of Judah, and was famous in the time of Solomon (Josh 15:62). Today the Israeli kibbutz of En Gedi sits along the southern bank of the Nahal Arugot.

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After cooling off at Ein Gedi, we headed north again to Qumran.  This was the site of a Jewish sect that separated off from the rest of Judaism and lived in a community along the northwest coast of the Dead Sea.  Qumran is most well known as the community where the Dead Sea scrolls were found.  From the ancient ruins, we could see caves in the cliffs above where several scrolls were found.

The Dead Sea scrolls were one of the most significant biblical archaeological finds of the last century.  These scrolls, from the 1st and 2nd centuries BC, provided copies of the Old Testament manuscripts that were 1000 years older than the existing copies at the time. Yet even with the millenium of difference, scholars were able to compare the copies of scrolls and conclude that there were minimal differences.  This find validated the historical reliability of Scripture even more.

Furthermore, the finding of a book like Isaiah from before the time of Christ, with so many prophecies about the Messiah, further validates that the prophecies about Christ were made before He ever walked this earth and point us to the miracle of the Messiah:  that one man was able to so perfectly fulfill all of the prophecies of the Old Testament is truly something only God could do!

After Qumran, our time near the Dead Sea had come to an end and we journeyed north along the Jordan River and finally arrived at the Sea of Galilee just in time to catch the sunset.

Its been an incredible trip so far, and we still have so much left to see and do!

Shalom,

Laura

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