A perfect symbol

Today was a very busy day in the desert. We began with a delicious breakfast, followed by a brief morning devotional and prayer. We end the devotional by saying part of "The Sh'ma":

Sh'ma Israel:
Adonai Eloheinu,
Adonai Echad.

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God-The Lord alone!"

Today was a very hot day, with blazing sun and temperatures around 110-112 degrees. As we drove to our first site of the day, we were able to see the actual Dead Sea, whereas prior to today, we had only seen the evaporation pools. Yehuda explained the water level of the Dead Sea drops approximately 3 feet per year. Water from the Sea of Galilee would normally feed The Dead Sea, but it is dammed and diverted for use by Israel. Yehuda provides education daily on the measures Israel is taking to improve the ecology and efficiency of the use of resources. They currently recycle and reuse sewage for irrigation at a rate that far exceeds other areas, with plans to continue increasing the capacity of the desalination plants in order to stop pumping from Galilee, so the dams can be opened and the Dead Sea can have inflow again.

Our first stop was Masada. I honestly had no sense of what this place was about before today. Having learned what I did on this visit, it is easy to see how the depths of appreciation one has for what happened here can be limited from only reading about it or seeing pictures. I encourage you to look into the history of Masada and see for yourselves. It was such a strong fortress, it took the mighty Roman forces 2.5 years to breach and destroy it. The climactic end of this mighty fortress is at once heartbreaking and heroic. When it became clear that the Romans were going to take Masada, the people chose death, rather than a life of slavery. The men all massacred their wives and children. A group of ten then killed the rest of the men. Then lots were cast for one man who killed the remaining nine. As suicide is against Jewish law, the last man sacrificed himself, killing the nine, and falling on his own sword in suicide. Terry provided a great educational session and we learned there were two primary reasons for Masada being built, serving Herod's purposes of military prominence, and financial gain. From this location, he controlled a major trade route and taxed everything you can imagine. The availability of water in the area gave Masada an advantage militarily, because one could see from a day-and-a-half walk away, an approaching army. Terry talked about Herod's political prowess and likened it to the power and privilege of political celebrities and business tycoons of today. Learning about what happened here really impressed upon my heart that my faith is a part of real history, and not some ethereal, mystic thing. The takeaway for me, was in making the connection that these are not just Bible stories that we read and hear about, this is evidence of the world in which Jesus existed. It is not at all unlike the situations we face in this age. Imagine the courage it took for Followers of Christ to go about spreading the gospel. They risked persecution and certainly, at times, their very lives. Imagine where we would be if they had not possessed that courage. It is sobering.

Next stop, Ein Gedi, along the Dead Sea. This is a beautiful national park. As we toured the site, Terry pointed out that David walked there 3,000 years ago, and replenished himself drinking from the spring. It was an incredible feeling to be in that same place. The spring water flowed down in a small waterfall, and it was cool and clear; a perfect symbol of the life-giving and soul-sustaining eternal water we receive by the grace of God through His Son, Jesus Christ. Terry gave a thought provoking lesson at the spring, and encouraged us to ask ourselves, can we be Ein Gedi? We encounter people coming out of the desert in our daily lives, whether struggling through financial hardship, struggling with questioning their faith, betrayal in all its manifestations, depression, fear, lonliness; one's own personal desert can take many forms. We were challenged to seek out ways to be Ein Gedi for people coming out of a desert; to show them the only way to truly quench the thirst.

Our next stop was at Qumran. We had lunch here and watched an informative film in the museum. The people of Qumran were Essenes, a sect who saw themselves as "Children of the Light", more pious and more righteous than any other. The most fascinating thing on this site, which we could only see from a distance, was the cave of the scrolls, where The Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Terry and Yehuda provided wonderful information about the politics of how the scrolls have been dealt with, and I gained a much clearer understanding of the significance of this find, as it further validated The Bible as the divine and perfect Word of God.

We did some shopping at Qumran where they have a large selection of authentic Dead Sea mineral products, then we boarded the bus and drove towards Galilee, where we will be staying at the Ein Gev Kibbutz for the next few days. For much of this drive, we traveled through the West Bank, sharing the road with Palestinian vehicles, and a view of the Israel - Jordan border fence on our right. It was sobering to think of the violence of this area, and I prayed silently for peace and safety and for changing of hearts for the people of the region. We caught a glimpse of Jericho, and saw the end of the Moab Mountains at the beginning of the Gilead Mountains. As we arrived at our hotel, the heat of the day began to sink under the gentle cool of evening, and we gathered for a pleasant dinner with friends and family, where we talked and enjoyed recounting the events of the day.

Thank you for reading.

Terri Knight