The wilderness and living water

What an incredible day it has been! Welcome back, everyone. Our team experienced and learned a lot today, and we’re excited to tell you all about it.

We awoke at our hotel right on the banks of the Dead Sea and it was absolutely breathtaking. The sun rising over the water was something none of us will forget. Since it was Shabbat today, we got the distinct pleasure to witness how the Jewish people observe their day of rest. Even our breakfast was markedly different, yet still delicious. Watching these traditions in a practical way has been a great highlight to all of our touring.

After breakfast, we drove down to the shore of the Dead Sea where Pastor Chris led us in the devotion for the day. He reminded us of what we had learned the previous day about living water and how that applies to us right now as Christians. He talked about The Silver Chair, a book written by CS Lewis. In the book, a young girl named Jill enters Narnia and becomes extremely thirsty. She sees a body of water and wants to drink, but she also sees the lion named Aslan, and becomes afraid to drink. For any of you who are familiar with the Narnia series, Aslan the lion is a picture of Christ. Aslan encourages the girl to drink, but because she is afraid of him, she’s determined to find another body of water to drink from. Aslan replies, “there is no other stream.” Jesus is our source, him and him alone. Pastor Chris then reminded us of the difference between the Sea of Galilee to the north and the Dead Sea to the south. The sea of Galilee is teaming with life—birds and fish of all kinds—because it is water that is constantly flowing into the Jordan River. There’s movement of the water so it is fresh—alive. The Dead Sea however, has no outlet. Whatever minerals and other deposits in the water end up being stuck there because there’s nowhere for the water to go. It sits stagnant—dead. Pastor Chris compared this to our lives. Is there a flow to what we give and receive? Are we generous with the people around us or do we hoard what we are given? We are given the Living Water because of Christ. He is generous with us, so he calls us to be generous with others.  The bodies of water around us serve as a reminder of that.

Our first stop of the day was to the wilderness just north of our hotel. It’s striking how different the terrain is in Israel, even just within a few miles. We got off the bus and walked for fifteen minutes to a seemingly barren spot in the wilderness to hear Ralph teach. The wind was blowing, it was cold and dry, and we had to walk very quickly over rocky and uneven terrain to get where we were going. It didn’t take long for us to decide we didn’t particularly like this walk. It was uncomfortable and cold. I’ll summarize what Ralph said to us the moment we caught up. “The Israelites did this for forty years. You did it for fifteen minutes.” All of us instantly understood. We were in that moment, a little more aware of why the Israelites complained when God led them into the wilderness. God called his people to be in the wilderness all those years because they weren’t ready to be in the promised land. Sometimes God leads us into the wilderness of life because he wants to shape us into who we must be. He knows what our future looks like. He knows what will be required of us. Trust him even in those times. He knows what he’s doing. The Israelites needed to understand how to be dependent on God for their survival. We need that same understanding in our own lives. He always gives us what we need for the moment, and that’s enough. He is enough.

Our second stop was at the Caves of Qumran, which is where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947. Yehuda guided us through the site where a conservative sect of Jews lived. This sect is now known as the sect of the Dead Sea. We learned about their way of life and how they came to copy and store the Scriptures in the caves above them. Even now, there are still more discoveries waiting for us in the caves of Qumran and surrounding areas. The book of Isaiah that was found, when it is rolled out in its entirety, is twenty-two feet long. Multiple copies of other books of the Bible were also found. This is a very important discovery for both Jews and Christians because the only other copies of the Bible that were available before the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered dated back to the 11th century. It is proof that the Bible is in fact as ancient, and accurate, as it claims to be.

After Qumran, we took a drive north to the spot where Jesus was baptized. Ralph taught us that Jesus’ baptism was only one of the several historically significant things that happened in this exact spot. It is also where Joshua led the children of Israel into the promised land, along with the Ark of the Covenant. It is also where Elijah parted the water and was taken into heaven. There is rich spiritual significance to this site and it was evident to us as we sat and listened to teaching and Scripture. The connection Pastor Ralph made for us was the connection between Elijah and John the Baptist. In the book of Malachi, it is prophesied that Elijah would return, preparing the way of the Lord. Jesus mentions that John the Baptist would be that person. Both Elijah and John spent their ministries calling people back to God. According to Matthew 11:13-14, all prophesy up to that time pointed to the moment John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the Jordan.

Next, we took a bus ride through the West Bank, all the way north to a place along the Jordan River called Yardinet. Many of our team members decided to get baptized. Married couples, friends, and even multiple family members got baptized today and it was special for all of us. There were so many people desiring to be baptized that, once we got started, others from outside our group asked if our pastors would baptize them as well! It was a joyful time for all of us, and Pastor Ralph and Pastor Joe were happy to do it. When we first started, it was raining and very cold, but halfway through the baptisms the rain stopped, and a huge full rainbow appeared in the sky to our north. It was absolutely beautiful—a reminder of God’s faithfulness to us. 

As of now, we are back in our hotel right off the coast of the Sea of Galilee. We ask for your prayers as we continue with our trip. We ask for continued safety as we travel, and for the health of our team members. Thank you for sticking with us, praying for us, and reading our updates. We greatly appreciate it.

God Bless and goodnight!