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Israel Study Tour - The Forge (Pine Cove)
February 26 - March 10, 2017
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Hydrate or Die
Shalom shalom. We’re doing it people. Our thighs are sore, but our eyes are eager to see what the Lord has in store for us in this land.
Donned in layers of dry-fit clothing, we started our morning on the Dead Sea. After a quick bus ride to Ein Gedi, we followed Matt into the wilderness (again…), where we eventually found ourselves splashing in streams of living water. Our second destination for the day was Qumran, a site made up of 12 caves that once contained the Dead Sea Scrolls. As I type, the land outside the bus window is transforming from barren rock to fields of lush greenery. Unreal.
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.
A theme for my day has been water. In the desert, water is everything. Its presence, or lack thereof, means the difference between life and death. Except, not all water is equal. For example, the Dead Sea, while fun to float in, isn’t as refreshing as its bright blues suggest. An 8oz glass will kill you. I’m reminded of the things in my life that are similarly deceptive. I cannon ball into idols of approval and comfort and end up confused by the sting of what “should” have satisfied. But, in Christ, we find a better source. Living Water. A fountain flowing from the sanctuary of God. An ever available, all satisfying oasis, offered to us always. As I stood under the rushing falls of spring water, my desire for the once enticing sea of salt all but disappeared from memory. And the force of this fountain freed me to play, to worship, to rest.
We are so appreciate of your prayers during our adventure. Requests for the day include blister free feet, attentive hearts, and most of all that we would be men and women who thirst for nothing but streams of living water.
Until next time,
Bonnie
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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