En Gedi, Qumran, Jordan River

Psalm 42 will always take on a new meaning after today. We spent this morning hiking into the En Gedi, which is where David ran and hid from Saul in the wilderness. It is also the sight where David cut off the corner of Saul’s robe. It was striking how in the midst of this immense desert there could be such a beautiful and lush place. The image David uses of a deer panting for the water is power in a place like this. In such a dry place the thirst for water is a consuming thought and to thirst like that for God is such a powerful image in a place where water would be such a precious refreshment. I can only wonder if this is the place David was thinking about when he wrote these words.

From there we went to Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found and learned about the community of people who lived here. This group of people withdrew from society and sought out a lifestyle of simplicity in the wilderness. Their goal was to be “a people committed to the Word of God.” They built their entire lives around the reading, living out, and preservation of God’s Word. One of the striking images from this community is the ritual of Mikvah. This was a ritual cleansing that they would do daily that represented their commitment to cleansing themselves spiritually so they could be wholly devoted to God. What a powerful image of devotion to God.

Our final stop today was the Jordan River. We stood on the bank where many believe the Israelites crossed into the promised land and read the passage about God stopping the water for the Israelites could pass on dry ground. It’s surprising how such a small river could carry such significance. It was also in the Jordan River that John baptized Jesus in preparation for Jesus’ ministry. It was a neat place for us to think about what it means to commit ourselves to pursuing God more fully and what that would look like for each of us. Some of the students decided it would be cool to follow in the footsteps of the Qumran community by doing a Mikvah in the Jordan River as a way to publicly commit to following God more fully in an area of their life. It was moving to see students committing to reading scripture more, loving people more fully, sharing the gospel, and allowing God to direct their lives more fully.

What a truly amazing day. Every time we feel like we have seen so many amazing things here something else continues to amaze and challenge us spiritually.