Day 9 – Thursday, September 11: Masada, Ein Gedi, Qumran, Jericho, Wilderness of Judah, Jerusalem, Western Wall
Today was “desert day.” We spent all day in the Judean Desert before ending the day in Jerusalem! The weather was sunny and warmer (predictable here this time of year), with highs in the 90s. We read from Psalm 18 as we left the hotel about 7:40 am.
Masada
Our first site of the day was Masada (metzada, in Hebrew). It was only a 15 minute drive north along the western shoreline of the Dead Sea from our hotel. Masada was built in the early 30s BC as a palace-fortress by Herod the Great. We took the cable car to the top and began seeing the ruins from the 1st century. We saw huge cisterns, the western and northern palaces, the Roman Ramp, the synagogue, and the bathhouse. In 70 AD, this was the location where 967 Jews found refuge from the Romans following the destruction of the Temple. The holdout lasted about three years until all by five of these Jews (a few women and children) took their own lives. It is a story of bravery and courage! Because of the heat, there Snake Path was closed. By the way, we had the entire site to ourselves!
Ein Gedi
From here we drove about 20 minutes north of Masada to get to Ein Gedi, one of only a few oasis here in the edge of the Judean Desert. We read from Song of Songs 1, 2 Chronicles 20 (the “Ascent of Ziz”) and 1 Samuel 24 (David hid from Saul here). Most in the group hiked back to the water falls at the end of the canyon. Some even enjoyed getting wet under the water falls! What an incredibly beautiful place! It was amazing to see so much water here in the desert!
Qumran
Continuing north, Qumran was the next site. This archaeological site is the most important one in Israel because of what was discovered here! When we arrived, we walked directly up to the cliff area of the desert to get a glimpse of Cave 6 (one of 12 caves in which fragments of ancient scrolls were discovered) and also to get a good view of the site itself. We also saw the beginning of the aqueduct system that brought rain/flood water into the site.
It was here at Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found! The discovery began in 1947, while the excavation took place through 1956. We walked through the limited ruins where a small community of Essenes lived (or retreated here from Jerusalem, as a new theory suggests). To date, about 930 scrolls and fragments of texts scrolls have been discovered. The scrolls/texts date primarily from the late 3rd century BC – 1st century AD. At the small archaeological site we saw cisterns, ritual baths (mikvot), and the scriptorium. In front of “Cave 4” (where the majority of texts were found), we read from “Psalm 151,” and Psalm 19. We celebrated the perseverance of God’s Word! We were invited to take joy in God’s Word.
“Today was ‘desert day’ as we spent all day in the Judean Desert. All these sites – Masada, Ein Gedi, Qumran, Jericho, and the Wadi Qelt overlook connected us to the Bible. Driving to Jerusalem and walking to the Wall was also exciting!”
Jericho
The the last site of the day was Jericho. Located north of the Dead Sea in the southern end of the Jordan Valley, Jericho (called Tel es-Sultan) was the first Canaanite city other than be taken. We first enjoyed a great lunch at the Temptation Restaurant (where we had muqlaba). Then we climbed to the top of this small tel (9 acres) and looked east across the Jordan to recall a few biblical connections (e.g. Moses, Mt. Nebo, Dt. 34; Joshua crossing the river, Joshua 3; Elijah & Elisha, 2 Kings 2); and Jesus’ baptism (Matthew 3). We then saw an old stone tower that predates even Abraham and a small portion of the city wall on the southern end. Mud-bricks and a burn level could also be seen in a few places. We recalled the Joshua 6 story how the city was defeated (and burned) by the Israelites. Praise God for the historicity of the Bible as it happened just as recorded and confirmed by archaeology!
Leaving the OT site of Jericho, we got a quick look at the NT (Herodian) Jericho. Herod the Great had a winter palace here. He also died here, with his body transported for burial to Herodium just east of Bethlehem.
Wadi Qelt & Jerusalem
On our way to Jerusalem, we made a brief stop overlooking another section of the Judean Desert called Wadi Qelt. Here we heard “Isaiah, the Prophet” share the words, “Prepare the way for the Lord” (from Isaiah 40). This was followed by Shlomo singing Psalm 23 for us in Hebrew. The desolate but beautiful desert was the backdrop for some of the lament psalms written by David.
We then drove the rest of the way to our hotel in Jerusalem. We read Psalm 122 was we made the final ascent. What an initial view of the Old City and Temple Mount as we came out of the tunnel of the Mt. of Olives. We checked into our hotel and enjoyed a great dinner. We also enjoyed an optional walk to the famous Western Wall. It was spectacular to see it at night! We are all looking forward to our last number of days here and around Jerusalem!
Day 10 – Friday, September 12: City of David, Hezekiah’s Tunnel, Siloam Pool, Southern Steps of Temple, Herodium Bethlehem
