Masada

Our group started the day by driving the Rift Valley. 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. About 30 min later we arrived at the palace fortress of Herod called Masada. Many of our group climbed the 1000+ foot mountain sitting in the desert with an incredible view of the Dead Sea from the top (the rest of the group took a leisurely 3 minute gondola ride to met us at the top). Seven historical stories later, we had gained a glimpse of not only Herod the Great’s brilliance for engineering and economics but also better understood the tension between the Romans and Jews during the first century. Next we departed for our second destination to experience Bedouin hospitality.

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!

On day two we learned more about the politics and economic factors at the time of Jesus’ birth and ministry. Although small in size, Israel functioned as an economic powerhouse during the ministry of Jesus and served as the commerce connection between Africa, Asia and Europe. These factors uniquely contributed to the spread of the gospel following Jesus’ ascension.

We made it to the top of Masada by mid morning and learned more about Jewish history but also received visual perspective of the Judean Desert as we looked at the desert that was once home to the wandering Israelites.

Psalm 63:1 was seen in a new way. “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”

In the afternoon, we sipped tea as we heard biblical perspective on hospitality. We were challenged by the perpetual prioritization of hospitality in scripture and how that is tangibly lived out in the lives of Bedouin communities.

—Jonny Ardavanis