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Israel Study Tour with North Coast Church
January 18-27, 2016
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Wilderness
We spent the morning exploring Masada. Standing on top of the plateau we were able to see all around the area but most importantly the King's Road, along which all trade would move. It is so easy to over look the significance of these sites when reading through bible because they aren't given strong significance. Though the importance of these places help paint the picture of the culture and history of the people of Israel.
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).
The second site we visited was En Gedi. This was where David fled to with his men while running for his life from Saul. In one of the many caves in this area, David cut a section off of Saul's cloak. We also took a look at some Old Testament prophecy regarding the coming living water from Jerusalem and how that relates to what Jesus claims when he calls himself the living water.
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.
The last site we visited was Qumran. This is where hundreds of scrolls were found containing the oldest copies of the Hebrew bible ever to be discovered. These would later be called the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Finally we arrived at our hotel on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.
Qumran
10 miles south of Jericho, Qumran was on a “dead-end street” and provided a perfect location for the isolationist sect of the Essenes to live.
The site was excavated by Catholic priest Roland deVaux from 1953-56. More recent excavations of the site have taken place under the direction of Hanan Eshel.
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