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Israel Study Tour - Wheaton Academy
January 8-17, 2019
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Masada, camel rides in the desert, Tel Arad & the Dead Sea
What better way to begin the morning than looking out over the Dead Sea admiring the creation of God. It was a great time to stop and reflect on how God is already moving in our hearts during our time in Israel.
From there we loaded up on water and got ready for the 1.5 mile hike up the “snake path” up to Masada. It was a tough hike gaining over 2,400 feet in elevation and once we reached the top we found out that that this was the original route to Masada. Masada was a palace built by Herod the Great was breath-taking and a testament to Herod’s ingenuity. He had it built on the edge of the cliffs as a fortress safe-haven in case of emergency, and it housed the third oldest synagogue in the world, where we watched a Jewish scribe copying a portion of the Old Testament scripture.
Masada
The summit of Masada sits 190 feet (59 m) above sea level and about 1,500 feet (470 m) above the level of the Dead Sea. The mountain itself is 1950 feet (610 m) long, 650 feet (200 m) wide, 4,250 feet (1330 m) in circumference, and encompasses 23 acres. The “Snake Path” climbs 900 feet (280 m) in elevation. From the west, the difference in height is 225 feet (70 m).
After hiking down the siege ramp the Romans built to defeat Masada, we drop into the desert to ride camels in the desert and learn about Bedouin culture. It was an awesome opportunity to sit and talk about developing a culture of hospitality.
Next we got to visit Tel Arad which served as a “gate city” along the route to Jerusalem. It would have been a place many people would have stopped and stayed as they traveled through to wilderness to Jerusalem. The interesting thing we saw here was that this city had built a temple in their town. At first this seemed like nothing until we remembered that the only temple in Israel was commanded to be in Jerusalem. When Hezikiah reformed Israel this temple was one that he destroyed as he brought Israel back to God.
We ended today with a chance to kick back relax and float in The Dead Sea.
Tel Arad
Like many cities in the Holy Land, Arad was repeatedly settled because of its strategic geographical location. Though situated in an area with little rainfall, Arad was inhabited frequently in ancient times because of its position along the routes coming from the east and southeast.
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