Day 03 - Negev - Galilee: Masada, Ein Gedi, Qumran

Thursday Feb 19 / Day 3 -  Negev to Galilee

“The desert strips away pretense– and that’s good for us!”  –Terry Feix

Masada

We spent a few hours this morning at Masada, an incredible mountain top-fortress overlooking the Dead Sea.  We (thankfully!) rode a gondola up, but below us we could see the steep “snake trail” winding up the cliff face to the 1300 ft plateau upon which Masada was constructed. The views from the top were spectacular!

Although the Hasmoneans first utilized Masada as a fortress, it was Herod the Great who transformed it, building most of the structures we explored today.  Terry taught us about how Herod came to power and became one of the richest–and most brutal– people in the world.

Built by slave labor, Herod commissioned Masada as a fortress, lavish palace, and storage facility for trade.  We walked through the remains of one of 29 massive storerooms that held resources like salt, minerals, and balsam that helped Herod amass his fortune.  Masada also boasted luxuries like a library and Roman-style baths! We saw original frescos and toured the ingenious calidarium, which featured a raised, heated floor and heated walls.  It was truly a tribute to the impressive power and influence of Herod the Great.

Masada is perhaps most famous, though, as the final holdout of rebel fighters during the Jewish revolt against the Romans. Eleazar ben Ya’ir and a group of radicals called the Sacarii defended Masada while the Romans laid siege.  

Ein Gedi

Our next stop took us back to the time of David, when he was on the run from King Saul.  Tucked amid the rugged terrain of the desert, Ein Gedi is an oasis that was once a refuge for David and his mighty men.  It was here, at a cave like the ones we saw, that David cut a corner off the hem of Saul’s robe!

Fun fact: Terry explained that when 1 Samuel 24:3 says that King Saul “relieved himself,” the Hebrew actually says that he “covered his feet.” This was a euphemism for pooping (because when someone wearing a robe squatted down, it covered their feet.)

Terry also challenged us with David’s example of faith. Saul was on the throne (literally and figuratively) and David could have easily killed Saul and made himself king.  But David trusted that since God promised to make him king one day, God Himself would make it happen.  David didn’t just want to do God’s will–he wanted to do things God’s way. 

After our devotional time, we visited one of many spring-fed waterfalls there at Ein Gedi.  A few of us even waded in the water– perhaps in the same pool where David refreshed himself during his time in the wilderness!  The contrast between the cisterns we explored at the Shephelah and this spring of living water was stark.  I couldn’t help thinking of Psalm 63, written by David: 

“You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my soul longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”

These days in the desert, and on the shores of the beautiful-but-Dead Sea have truly helped us appreciate the life-giving, soul-satisfying promise of living water!

Qumran

Our last major stop today was to Qumran, where a Jewish community lived during the late Second Temple Period (many scholars say they were Essenes).  The archeological site there revealed structures for ritual bathing (mikveh) as well as communal living (kitchens, cisterns, a dining room, and even evidence of a date-honey processing factory!)  It was in the caves near Qumran that the Dead Sea Scrolls were found between 1947-1956.  

Terry and Jehuda taught us about the significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls–particularly that these fragments of the Hebrew Scriptures not only pre-date the previous oldest scripts, but are also older than the oldest existing copies of the Quran. 

After leaving Qumran, we traveled north and out of the desert. We traveled through the West Bank to our hotel–tomorrow we will begin our day on yet another shore–this time on the Sea of Galilee!

Quote of the Day:

After a truly delicious lunch, Yehuda asked the group, “How was the falafel?” To which Matt answered, “It was NOT awful!”