Masada, En Gedi and the Dead Sea Scrolls (Thursday, June 24)

After our early departure from Arad this morning we began a winding decent down through the Judean Wilderness towards the Dead Sea (or the Salt Sea as it's called in the Bible). The Dead Sea is around 1300 to1400 ft below sea level making it the lowest place on earth. As we came down through the last turns of the steep Wadi system (a "wadi being the deep "v" shaped ravines that the Judean wilderness is riddled with) we could see the silhouette of Masada against the bright blue of the sea behind it. It is an impressive sight. Masada is a huge rock that juts up from and is completely unconnected to the landscape around it. When I say "rock", I'm thinking more along the scale of Morro Rock (for those of you who have been to Morro Bay, CA). I'm not sure if it's taller but it's much bigger around. The sides go almost straight up and it's flat on top with enough room for several large buildings, plenty of open space and even enough room to grow a bit of grain. In the days of David (before it was built on) it was called "The Fortress" and in fact David I'm sure spent some time here when he was hiding out from Saul. Standing there gives new meaning to Psalm 144:2 "My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust…" and Psalm 62:6 "He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defense; I shall not be moved." This is a very defensible place. A place one running from enemies could feel secure. But the history of this place goes on. At one time Herod the Great built a pleasure palace here, the remains of which are still there today. You can walk thru them and see remnants of frescos on the walls of the bath houses and mosaics on the floor. When he died the place passed on to his son who succeeded him and eventually in AD 66, when the Jews revolted against Rome the place was taken by a group of Jews called the Zealots. We don't really know how the Zealots managed it, Josephus simply says they took it by "trickery". However they did it they managed to hold it until after Jerusalem fell in AD 70 and the temple was destroyed. It wasn't until AD 72 or 73 that Rome decided that they had to be dealt with because they kept making raids into the southern parts of Judah! (This was a plucky group!) Rome sent legions of soldiers down to Masada to lay siege to the city but soon realized that the Zealots were so well supplied (there are massive cisterns cut into the cliffs just below the city and remember I told you there was room to grow wheat up on top!) that starving them out (kind of the point of a siege) wasn't going to work anytime soon. So they built a rampart up to the city wall (probably using slave labor possibly including Jews taken captive in the fall of Jerusalem) and a large battering ram that they then pushed up to the city walls. At last when the Zealots could see that there was no hope left they turned to a drastic and horrific plan. Having decided that it was better to die than to fall into the hands of Rome (the Romans would most likely have killed the men and taken the women and children as slaves) each man hugged and kissed his family goodbye and then slit their throats. Then they drew lots to see who would finish killing off the last of the men before setting the city ablaze and falling on their own sword. When the Romans broke through the wall in the morning they found over 900 bodies and a burning city. Only two women and 5 children survived by hiding in the aqueduct system. I'm not really sure what became of them, whether they were found by the Romans or if they got away. Coming down from Masada we took a path called the "Snake Path". It's a winding narrow little path that comes down the almost sheer back side of the rock. It was fun and adventurous but I was glad that in modern days they have widened it a bit and put in railings in places. (Two of my friends, John and Christie, tripped and almost went over edge but for the railings!)


We ate lunch by the side of the Dead Sea. Some people swam but I only got in up to my ankles. (I had a bunch of bug bites and wasn't eager to immerse them all in salt!) I wasn't really impressed with the Dead Sea. My friend Sandra Richter I think put it best when she said it's like swimming in salad dressing. It's thick and tepid and leaves you coated in sticky. Not to mention in gets in to any little cut or crack and sets them burning and itching for the rest of the day. I found cuts on my feet I didn't even know I had!


After lunch we hiked up to En Gedi, another place David and his men went to hide out from Saul. (Think of David cutting off the corner of Saul's robe as he "relieved himself" in a cave.) Imagine walking through the hot dusty dry wilderness (a place I have come to believe only camels can survive) and suddenly, without warning, you come to the edge of a ravine filled with water and trees and birds and LIFE! There is a stream splashing down thru it making water falls and beautiful little pools of cool blue water and the sound of bird song is overwhelming. Experiencing it instantly answers any and all questions of why David would have chosen to hang out here. After swimming in "King David's Pool" and sitting under the water fall, letting the water pound out the tension in my shoulders, I walked up to Sandy and said, "I get it now". We didn't even have a lesson up there. There was nothing that needed to be explained. "The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength." We were renewed.

Our last stop of the day was Qumran, the site where they found the Dead Sea Scrolls. It was an interesting place but with the images of Masada and En Gedi fresh in my mind it just didn't compare. At last it was time to head back to Jerusalem. We all commented on how good it was to be "home" as this place has come to feel like in such a short time. It was especially sweet knowing that we had a day of resting and relaxing ahead of us. I am hoping you too are resting in the Lord and relaxing in His care.