Day in the Land

“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked…but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on His law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither...” Ps. 1:1-3

Today’s journey in the land of Israel can be summed up by this wonderful psalm. It vividly depicts a reality from the author that he quite possibly experience firsthand. This reality is the importance of water in a dry and weary land (Ps. 63:1). It is manifested, for example, when living or traveling through the region west of the Dead Sea, especially in an age where water bottles did not exist. This region is often times very dry and hot, and although it is right next to a sea full of water, this water cannot be used to quench the thirst. Therefore coming upon a spring of fresh water helps ensure the survival of lives and cultures. Furthermore, it is the person who intently seeks God who will survive and thrive.

With this is mind; our first stop today was En Gedi. It is an oasis of beautiful flowing waterfalls, green accacia trees, and a variety of animals and insects, including the amazing ibex and rock hyrax. It is located on the western seashore of the Dead (Salt) Sea, the lowest point on the planet (~1,300 feet below sea level). It is 22 miles east of Hebron, which lies at 3,000 feet above sea level, and provides the major source of water for En Gedi. Despite this region receiving only 1.3 inches of waterfall per year, Hebron receives more, and this flows down the mountain hills right towards the city, thus sustaining it with water for life. (This stop almost did not occur. There was a threat of flash floods in the area, but by God’s grace the rain held off).

Our second stop was Qumran, several miles north of En Gedi, and on the NW tip of the Dead Sea. This was quite an interesting place to visit due to its history and the extraordinary find of the famous Dead Sea Scrolls. Braving the strong winds blowing their fine grains in our direction, Jonathan Greer presented some great material about the Scrolls and how they have helped shape our understanding of Scripture and Jewish culture. These scrolls were most likely written by a Jewish separatist group called the Essences between the 3rd century B.C.E. and the 1st century C.E.

The first of over 900 manuscripts were amazingly discovered on accident in 1947 by shepherd boy/s looking for their lost sheep. These manuscripts, all found in the caves on the face of cliffs, where preserved by the dry and arid land. The scrolls were the work of several authors and consisted of around 250 biblical manuscripts, covering 1/3 of the Old Testament. There were fragments of every single book on the Old Testament, except for Esther, and the favorite books of the author’s included Psalms, Deuteronomy and Isaiah. These just so happen to also be the most quotes books by Jesus and the New Testament authors. What makes this even more significant is that they predate almost all biblical writings. In additional to the other non-biblical manuscripts, they paint an incredible picture of Jewish beliefs and culture, including subjects of the Messiah, the new covenant and the Day of the Lord.

The trip to Qumran also included a walk through of the archeological remains (and reconstruction) of the town where the Essenes lived. This town included 7 rituals baths and two large cisterns, providing water for life and ceremonial cleanings.

The last stop of the day was to Beth-shan, quite a ways north along the Israeli/Jordanian border and the Jordan River. This seemed to be a favorite of many in our group, despite the cold rain we ran into. This city was impressive in many ways. It has a very old history, dating back to 10,000 B.C.E., and thus has been inhabited, destroyed and re-inhabited again by several powers, including the Egyptians, the Canaanites, the Philistines, and the Romans. In fact, this also is the place where King Saul and his son were hung after they were killed, and where Saul’s armor was stored after his death.

Beth-shan lies in a very strategic place, right at the intersection of the Harod Valley, leading to the Jezreel Valley (and eventually the Mediterranean Sea), and the Jordan River Valley, leading north to the Sea of Galilee, and south towards the Dead Sea. Here there are many ruins of magnificent buildings, streets and a very impressive theater, seating close to 6,000 people. An earthquake destroyed this city in the 8th century C.E., and much of it was not rebuilt until the last century. Despite the cold weather, wind and rain, Beth-shan provided a fun, interactive journey and many amazing pictures.

Ethan Tews
(GRTS Student)