Day 8 – Sunday, March 26: Return Into Israel, Timnah, Dead Sea
Today we left Petra around 7:30, only to be met with rain and heavy fog that slowed our drive to the southern border (called the Rabin Border) with Israel. It rained so much that they closed Petra today. We couldn’t even see Petra (e.g. the Seir Mountains) at all from the top as we began our drive (a clear visibility picture was from another trip has been inserted). How blessed we were to enjoy this amazing site yesterday in perfect weather. Today’s weather improved greatly once we got closer to Elat, Israel where we crossed in good fashion. We read from Obadiah 1 as we left the hotel.
Rabin Border
It took us about 2.5 hours to drive from Petra to the Rabin Crossing in Elat, Israel. The border at the Red Sea is named after the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. On the way we passed by Wadi Rum, made famous by Sir Lawrence of Arabia. The border procedures went rather quickly given that 112 of us crossed. Once we were all through the border, we were greeted by our three guides and drivers. We boarded our buses and drove straight to Timnah.
Timnah
Located about 17 miles north of the Elat, in ancient days (13th-12th centuries BC), Timnah (13th-12th century BC), served as a copper mine of the Egyptians. Here at Timnah Park we saw and walked through a full-size replica of the Old Testament Tabernacle. We read from Hebrews 9 how Christ has now fulfilled the requirements by offering Himself as the “once and for all” sacrifice. Within the site of Timnah, we also visited Solomon’s Pillars and saw the Hathor temple from the 14th-12th centuries BC.
“Today we re-crossed back into Israel. While the rain and fog set in over Petra (causing this to close this site today), we had sunny skies in southern Israel. It’s good to be back in the ‘Promised Land’ today!”
Yovata & the Dead Sea
We drove to Yovata about 15 minutes north of Timnah. We enjoyed lunch and especially the ice cream here at this “dairy kibbutz.” Shlomo’s sister lives here. With content stomachs, we drove about two hours north up Rt. 90 to the southern end of the Dead Sea. We checked into our hotel and then enjoyed floating in this unique body of water. Dinner and a free evening at our leisure followed to end the day. Tommorrow we continue northward along the shoreline of the Dead Sea.
Day 9 – Monday, March 27: Masada, Ein Gedi, Qumran, Jericho, Wilderness of Judah
