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Israel Pastor's FAM Trip
January 2-13, 2018
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Masada - A Day Late, But Well Worth It!
There’s an old saying that goes, “we make our plans and God laughs.” We find that expressed Biblically in Proverbs 16:9 which says, “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”
So the “plan” yesterday was to visit Masada, but the weather prevented us from that. As we gathered last night before dinner, we prayed that the Lord would make a way for us to make that a reality for today, and the Lord answered that prayer! We spent an amazing few hours at Masada this morning, learning the history and impact of that incredible site. And, along with our other visits at other locations, we came to understand in a fuller way why this site is so meaningful.
Several of our group made the 45-minute hike to the top, while others made their way via the gondola (count me among the latter). At the top, our guide, Ronen, walked us through the history and significance of this place.
Masada is a place full of history, as it became a stronghold to Israel’s southern and eastern borders. Its significance cannot be overestimated. It was fascinating to learn of Herod’s use of this place (THREE palaces, Herod, really?!) and then the more familiar story of its being overtaken by the Romans in AD 74. Rather than suffer a defeat by the Roman armies that had laid siege, they chose their own deaths over slavery. Approximately 1,000 Jews died there.
That heartbeat to not be ruled, but to be free continues to beat in the heart of Israelis today. As our group gathered around the massive Israeli flag before making our way down, we were moved by the passion for this place, these people, and this LAND.
One of my “takeaways” was to embrace the freedom that is found in Christ and to not in any way “settle” for a life enslaved to the ways of our enemies: the word, the flesh, and the devil. We are a redeemed people, saved from the penalty AND the power of sin.
1 Corinthians 15:57 says, “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
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).
From Masada, (because of road closures related to the aforementioned weather issues) we took the LONG way around to Qumran to visit the site of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. What an amazing reminder of the reliability of our Scriptures as these hundreds of scrolls dating back to the first century verified the text of the Bible!
2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God”
We made a quick stop in Jericho for some dessert (cannaffe, yay!), and then we hit the road for Galilee, where we are eager to spend the next couple days!
Thank you for following our adventure, and please continue to pray for us!
Pastor Greg Mansur
Adventure Church of Yuba City
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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