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Israel Study Tour with Neighborhood Church
June 18-30, 2016
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It’s good to be the King
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As we began our second day, our guide Ronen, wore a shirt with the phrase, “It’s good to be the King,” plastered across his chest. Little did we know that this would be the lesson learned at our first very site for the day.
It’s about a 20-minute drive from where we were staying, but on the bus we could quickly see our first site for the day: Masada. Rising above the valley containing the Dead Sea sits the ancient fortification, towering above the desert below. After a nice cable car ride to the top of the mountain, we began our trek throughout Masada, and quickly learned how good it was to be King.
Masada, built by Herod the Great, was once a beautiful palace looking out over the Dead Sea. Not only that, but it also was a main hub of trade and export between the surrounding nations, resulting in a huge amount of income for Herod who ruled over Israel (though he only visited the site once). We couldn’t help but wonder the cost, labor, and other factors that went into building such a site; but Herod hardly had to stress about those details, he simply said what he wanted, and it must be done. It’s good to be the King.
Eventually the site became the last strong hold of the Zealots (A branch of Judaism) as they fought off the army of Rome, resulting in the death of every single Zealot in Masada, except for three children and two women. Our guide Ronen shared with us what they must have felt, being confident that they considered themselves to be the last Jews on earth. Yet today, Masada, the most crowded National Park in all of Israel, was filled with hope and amazement that despite such destruction, God has still preserved his people.
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).
Though I could go on and on about the power of such a site, this was only the first part of our morning! We also went on to stop at a Bedouin, Tel Arad, and finally, the Dead Sea.
At the Bedouin we had the opportunity to ride camels, break bed, and share tea with the amazing nomadic inhabitants of the small camp.
At Tel Arad we passed through the ruins of a temple, built outside of Jerusalem (and much smaller in size) that was eventually destroyed during the divided monarch period. We even had the chance to walk into what would have been the Holy of Holies within the temple. It was incredible!
Tel Arad
Like many cities in the Holy Land, Arad was repeatedly settled because of its strategic geographical location. Though situated in an area with little rainfall, Arad was inhabited frequently in ancient times because of its position along the routes coming from the east and southeast.
And finally, we ended our day at the Dead Sea, which was somehow hotter than it was above the water. As you might know already, right when you enter the water…you float! Though ending your day floating in the Dead Sea might be nice, its nowhere near as nice what it was like to be King. We’ve only scratched the surface of Ancient Israel, but with each day we find that what was once black and white text, has suddenly become a mosaic of colors.
Bryan Muirhead
Connections Pastor
Dead Sea
Known in the Bible as the “Salt Sea” or the “Sea of the Arabah,” this inland body of water is appropriately named because its high mineral content allows nothing to live in its waters. Other post-biblical names for the Dead Sea include the “Sea of Sodom,” the “Sea of Lot,” the “Sea of Asphalt” and the “Stinking Sea.” In the Crusader period, it was sometimes called the “Devil’s Sea.” All of these names reflect something of the nature of this lake.
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