June 12, Thursday - Lowest Point on Earth

Ibex greating us at the entrance

Today we arrived in Ein Gedi – the area where David fled to when Saul was out to kill him.  It is out in the desert region just next to the Dead Sea.  In order to beat the heat of the day we started out at 6:30 this morning, getting there when it opened at 8.  The hike is in 2 parts.  The first part we walk out to the base of one of the waterfalls (more about them later) and do bible study about David and Saul as well as the waters here.  Then after that, people have the option of returning back to the park entrance or continuing on.  Continuing on means continuing to climb up the steep trail to the top of the ridges (about twice as high as we climb to the falls).  You do need to be fit to do this, but John’s speedy pace makes it all the more challenging.  It also means spending another 2-3 hours in the heat and sun.  Today the decision was made by the park rangers for us.  Because of the predicted heat they closed the trail above the falls and we all ended up returning early.  I have mixed feelings about this since I do know that there were other interesting things along the way, but then I definitely was grateful to not have to endure the heat and the climb.

Caves

But back to the hike we did complete.  All throughout the area is limestone which is prone to forming caves.  Cliff note version: - It was in one of these caves that David was hiding with some of his men when Saul came into that same cave to ‘relieve himself’.  While he was in there David snuck up and cut off the corner tassels of Saul’s robe.  When Saul left the cave David called out to him and showed him the tassel, saying how if he intended to hurt Saul he could have easily done it right then but that as God’s anointed one David respected Saul.  Saul recognized that he was wrong to try to kill David and took his men back to Jerusalem.  It was awesome to sit right in the area where this climax played out reading the account in the bible!  Charged up after reading the story we continued our climb up the ridge.

Looking down the wadi to the dead sea - note how high we are!

The valley area we were in is called a Wadi and sometimes has a spring flowing through it (as in this case) or it may just be a pathway where flood waters flow through in the rainy season.  In any case, it is one of the few places where you will find things growing.  It was a relief to be in the desert, but still have the opportunity for shade under a tree as we walked along. 

Waterfall (duh) - with 2000 yr old water

We arrived at the falls and found the last of the morning shade to sit in while we discussed Jesus as the living water.  The water is spring fed, originating back in the Jerusalem area, percolating down through the limestone, and following cracks in the limestone before reaching the surface again here.  It is cold, clear, and refreshing!  It is also 2000 years old!  That is how long it takes the water to make the slow journey through the rock aquifers before reaching this place.  We talked about how this water may have fallen as rain on Jesus when he was first instructing his disciples and now emerges to refresh us as we sit studying those same words.  We also talked about how we need to be refreshed throughout our lives and Jesus calls us to also take his word as living water to others to help refresh them.

I’ve heard that the link to this blog has been passed along several times now and you may not even know me – but most likely you do know someone on this trip.  There are 32 of us trying to follow John as our rabbi for these 2 weeks as we learn new insights into the word of God.  But you are also with us in very special ways.  Each day we start the day by praying for loved ones back home who might be going through some difficulty.  We also meditate on how you ‘refresh’ us, and pray for those who we may not even know are struggling with faith.  When we get back, we need you to ask us about the trip, challenge us to explain why we came and how it changed us, help us bring the living water from the desert out into our communities.  We are all constantly working to grow in faith and may need help in seeing how to make this come alive for you.  Perhaps we will even inspire some of you to take this same type of trip!

Bryan - All In!

On the way back down to the entrance we passed another smaller waterfall.  John had already fussed at us on this hike for not following his example in how to cross a small stream.  (Part of this trip is to understand what the disciples of Jesus would have done as they followed Him.  A good disciple does what the rabbi does and then later waits to see what the reason for it is.)  So when he jumped into the pool beneath the falls we all followed.  As we sat there in the water (hiking shoes and all) we talked about how as Christians we are often timid and not ‘all in’ when it comes to living our faith.  Despite our initial concern with this impromptu soak, it really did turn out to be a great blessing.  We were cool for the next few hours and our shoes got a well needed rinsing off.  Further demonstrating that when God calls us to do something, we should trust that we in turn will be blessed.

Does this really need a caption?

We left the park shortly after this and drove just across the road to the Dead Sea.  There were no bible stories to discuss here (although the Salt Lake is mentioned in the gospels) but rather just a break in the day.  I did not go in (did that last time) but instead found rocks with salt on them to bring back (no surprise to those who know me).  The Dead Sea sits at the lowest point on earth (not counting ocean bottoms) at 1400 ft below sea level.  This increases the amount of oxygen available but also the heat.  It was 42 Celsius at the ‘beach’.  That is 108 Fahrenheit. So I don’t care how much extra oxygen you have, hiking is still a challenge!

A quick shower for those who floated in the sea and we were back on the bus to the last spot of the day – Qumran.  This is where a group of devout Jewish priests settled after leaving Jerusalem after becoming discouraged by the behavior of the other priests.  They went to the desert to ‘prepare the way for the Lord’.  They were known as the Essenes.  It is believed that John the Baptist was an Essene and may have lived in this community based on the beliefs he taught and the fact he preached in this immediate area.  Their main mark on history is that they spent their time not only studying but writing copies of various books of the old Testament.  Copies found centuries later are knows as the Dead Sea Scrolls and are the earliest copies of these bible books.  We stood in the room where they believe the scribes wrote the various copies, trying to imagine the dedication needed to choose this lifestyle to study the word of God and prepare the world for His coming.  

Salt encrusted rock at the Dead Sea

And another day is done.  With our abbreviated hike, today’s distance was again just over 3 miles, bringing the trip total to 17.25 miles.  Tomorrow we will be heading to Jericho.  If we hike the same route as last time it will not be a terribly long hike, but very hot with no shade, definitely another day where we all look forward to that shower at the end of the day!

Here are some additional pictures from the day:

Large piece of salt from dead sea

These next 2 pictures show the barren landscapes we drove through on the way out to the desert areas.  As soon as you cross over the mountain tops the amount of rainfall drastically is reduced and from a distance it looks like totally barren land.  Remarkably we encounter flocks of sheep grazing on these hills!

Notice the city at the top of the hill and the farmland (with probably olive trees) at the bottom.