Day 8 – Friday, May 12: Masada, Ein Gedi, Qumran, Wilderness of Judah, Jerusalem
Today was another hot day, with sunny skies and highs in the mid 90s. This is to be expected here this time of year along the Dead Sea on the edge of the Judean Desert. We spent the entire day in the desert before arriving in Jerusalem in the Hill Country of Judah tonight. We read from Psalm 18 as we departed the hotel this morning.
Masada
We drove north about 15 minutes to get to the eastern side of Masada, a palace-fortress built by King Herod in the 30s BC. We all took the cable car to the top. Among the ruins we saw the casemate wall, huge cisterns, the synagogue, the northern palace, storehouses, and the bathhouse. The courageous story of Masada (with 967 using the site as a place of refuge) is both incredible and inspiring! We all took the cable car down and loaded in our bus.
Ein Gedi
From here we drove further north along the western shoreline of the Dead Sea to Ein Gedi. Together we walked into the canyon (Wadi David) where we stopped to read from Song of Songs 1 (mentioning the henna blossoms), 2 Chronicles 20 (mentioning the Ascent of Ziz), and 1 Samuel 24 (the David and Saul “cave encounter”). About half the group walked back to the far water falls while others enjoyed the first falls. Many in the group enjoyed getting wet under the waterfalls! It was a refreshing experience!
Qumran
About a 25 minute drive further north took us to where the most significant discovery in all of Israel were found in 1947, the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran. We arrived here for a late lunch. Some in the group skipped lunch and hiked up to see Cave 6 (one of 12 caves in which fragment of scrolls were found) ant the unique aqueduct tunnel. After lunch, we visited the site itself where we saw many miqvot (plural for mikve, or ritual baths), cisterns, and the scriptorium. In front of Cave 4 (and 5 & 10), we read from Psalm 19 and “151,” an extra psalm found here. We also remembered 2 Timothy 3:16 about God’s inspired Word. Thanks be to God for the preservation of His Word and the joy, instruction, direction, and hope it provides us!
“We spent all day in the Judean Desert, visiting more great sites. While it was warm today, many of us really enjoyed getting wet under there waterfalls at Ein Gedi. To end the day, we walked to the Western Wall. This was an incredible experience!”
NT Jericho/Herod’s Palace, Wadi Qelt
On our way to Jerusalem we made a brief stop to overlook the area of New Testament Jericho and Herod the Great’s winter palace. Herod died here in 4 BC. Next, we drove through the Wadi Qelt/Judean Desert to the Greek Orthodox monastery (called St. George). It is incredibly built right into the edge of the cliff. We heard “the prophet Isaiah” share the opening words of Isaiah 40 with us. Shlomo also sang Psalm 23 in Hebrew.
Jerusalem
Continuing our drive west to the Hill Country of Judah, we arrived in Jerusalem where we checked into our hotel. Following a very good “Shabbat” dinner, many of us walked to the Western Wall. It was crowded with Orthodox Jews. The experience was surreal! We are looking forward to our first full day here in Jerusalem tomorrow.
Day 9 – Saturday, May 13: Mt. of Olives, Garden of Gethsemane, Shepherds’ Fields, Bethlehem, Herodium
