What a day! Our last day in the desert did not disappoint. We began our day at En Gedi a spring of water in the deep desert. Words do not do justice to the strange beauty of finding a waterfall flowing in the midst of scorching heat and baron rocks. We learned about living water, David and Saul, and trees planted by living streams. More impactful may have been the singing we got to do by the waterfall of En Gedi. It was not our purpose, but other groups were recording us as we sang praises to our God in a place where at least two Psalms were written. After this we made a quick stop at a Jewish synagogue with a beautiful mosaic that was in the ancient city of En Gedi.
Driving North our next stop was Qumran. Home to the most important Biblical find in the history: The Dead Sea Scrolls. We learned about the people who wrote these scrolls and how they related to those around them in their world. Despite the desert storm that had rolled in it was still an impressive site.
(Above is Cave 4 where 200+ scrolls were found)
Following this we took a trip to the Jordan River—where we learned about the three mantles that were passed very near where we were. First, Moses passed the mantel to Joshua, then Elijah passed the mantel to Elisha, finally John passed the mantel to Jesus! When we consider location—we bring a whole new dimension into the reading of our bibles.
After this we drove into the “oldest city in the world” Jericho. We were given excellent hospitality by a group of Palestinian folks and saw the road to Jerusalem which is quite a bit more narrow than one may think. We discussed the good samaritan and the challenge that that was both for the original audience and us today.
Our day finished in the Sea of Galilee where we are so lucky to have mini lake-houses right on the water! We shared an excellent dinner together and some have already hopped in for a swim. Now it’s time for some rest and a big day tomorrow.
Shalom!
Zachary McCartney