Qumran and Ein Gedi

Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen – Brothers and Sisters – Family and Friends,

Carl and Vickie from San Antonio here. This was another great day in Israel. First and foremost, I think the group is coming together very well as the Hebrews did coming through the desert where we have been. We are becoming “community” very quickly as the Lord had intended for the Hebrews when He brought them out of Egypt some 3,400 years ago.

First we went to Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were first discovered in 1947. We learned a little bit about the Essenes, how they lived and what brought them there. They wanted to separate themselves from what they thought had become a corrupt priesthood. We might say that there “creed” can be best enunciated in the words of Isaiah 40 but especially in Isa 40:3-5 (“A voice of one calling: ‘In the desert prepare the way for the Lord . . .’”) The Essenes preached a baptism of repentance (Mt 1:4) and called for the “consolation and redemption of Israel.”

This brings to mind some very interesting potential circumstances: Why did the Essenes choose this location at the northern end of the Dead Sea for their colony? Was it just coincidence that they established their colony in the very near vicinity of where the Lord brought the Nation of Israel across the Jordan (Josh 3:1-17) ? Was it just a coincidence that this was in the very near vicinity where Elijah had ascended (2Ki 2:1-8) and were waiting for his return to signal the coming of the Messiah (Mal 4:5, Mal 3:1) ?

Could it have been the Essenes who observed Elijah and Elisha crossing the Jordan (2Ki 2:6-8) ?

When Joseph and Mary presented little Jesus to the priests at the temple, could Simeon and Anna have been Essenes (Lk 2:25-38) ?

Because John the Baptist practiced a baptism of repentance and referred to himself as “a voice of one calling in the desert” (Mt 3:1-3, Jn 1:23), could he have studied with the Essenes ?

From our perch high atop the hills overlooking the Essene settlement of Qumran, we pondered these questions.

There has begun a tradition among many of the GTI Tour groups to offer prayers to the Lord at the top of the hills overlooking Qumran. The tradition is to write on a stone the names of loved ones or friends in need of prayer or possibly a scripture reference to mark the occasion. The stones are added to the pile. Because it is not an insignificant struggle to make the nearly 1,200 foot climb, many of the prayers dealt with personal struggle and the ensuing strength that could be achieved through Faith. The prayers were powerful, very emotional and extremely personal. There was not a dry eye among us.

Our next stop was to the cool and refreshing waters of Ein Gedi – a spring that comes forth from solid rock in the middle of the desert along the banks of the Dead Sea. A hiding place for young David (1Sam 23:29), Ein Gedi also represents the living water that is our Lord Jesus Christ (Jn 7:37-39).

A quick dip in the Dead Sea ended Day 4.

Sincerely, Carl Kusch