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Israel Pastor's FAM Trip
January 2-13, 2019
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Wandering in the desert
Our group started the day by driving to the Negev, and approached a region called Ein Avdat, otherwise known as the Wilderness of Zin. Walking through the Wilderness of Zin, we were given a tiny taste of how the Israelites wandered in the desert. Our guide, Ronin, did a masterful job of explaining the different kinds of deserts in the Middle East, and really changed our perception of some of the topography here in Israel. We passed some broom trees, like the ones mentioned in Job and in 1 Kings 19, and saw a tamarisk tree similar to the one Abraham would have planted in Genesis 21. We began to, “conquer the land”, as Ronin puts it, by taking an amazing hike through the canyon, filled with stunning views, calm springs, and oasis like tranquility. After reading some Scripture together, and experiencing a fairly intense climb to the top, we departed for our second destination to experience Bedouin hospitality.
Wilderness of Zin
The Nahal Zin was the southern border of the land of Canaan that was promised to the Israelites. Numbers 34:3-4 (KJV) “Then your south quarter shall be from the wilderness of Zin along by the coast of Edom, and your south border shall be the outmost coast of the salt sea eastward: And your border shall turn from the south to the ascent of Akrabbim, and pass on to Zin: and the going forth thereof shall be from the south to Kadeshbarnea, and shall go on to Hazaraddar, and pass on to Azmon.”
The Bedouin people were nomads in Abraham’s time and some of the practices are still kept alive today. We stopped by a Bedouin tent, sat down and talked about ancient hospitality while reading through Genesis 18-19. It was a great reminder of what Peter says in 1 Peter 4:9, in “offering hospitality to others without grumbling.” Afterward we got to ride camels, grabbed lunch and drove to the Dead Sea.
Floating in the Dead Sea (or Salt Sea) is an experience like no other. After applying the mud to our faces and bodies to enhance the experience, we all walked in to the water and subsequently spent some time floating around the Dead Sea. It was so relaxing and definitely a cool end to our day!
Written by Zack Talbert
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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