Day 03 - Judean Wilderness: Ein Gedi, Qumran, Lower Jordan, Jericho

We started our day in Ein Gedi listening to Pastor Matt describe the scene where David cut off Saul’s Robe while he was “pooping” in a cave. What a way to start your day and consider how one interprets the providence of God! Sitting under the shade of the trees in the desert heat looking at the mountain caves nearby etched in our mind what it might have been like for David and his soldiers. A short hike led us to a beautiful flowing stream that David would have encountered. Listening to David’s words from Psalm 1 and and Jesus' words to the Samaritan women will never be the same. 

We continued our drive along the Dead Sea, and toured the community of the Essenes at Qumran. As we walked through we learned of their dedication to the scriptures and their ritual purity practices. The highlight of the time was seeing the caves where several of the Dead Sea scrolls were recovered. We learned from pastor Matt about the historic significance of these finds that verifies the accuracy of our current translations of the Old Testament. 

Next, Ronen brought new insight into familiar scriptures as we sat by the Jordan River reading through the stories of Joshua, the Israelites, Elijah, and Elisha who all crossed over the Jordan River. Some theorize that John the Baptist, and then Jesus, returned to the same spot in the Jordan to usher in salvation in Jesus. As we listened to groups worship near us and watched some be baptized we were struck by the magnitude of this specific water to our faith.

Our two last stops followed the path of the Israelites to the city of Jericho and the path of Jesus to the mount of temptation. These were two different but pointed reminders of God's faithfulness and determination to rescue His people. It’s hard to put to words the power of  experiencing God’s words in the land they lived.

Heather Johnson