Monday Day 1: (I will send these Holy Land travelogues every 2-3 days, full of mostly pictures - right-click and select 'download pictures' if you'd like to see them; I'm not going to take time to reflect or pontificate much - just observe, until I return)
Qumran:God Preserves His Word:
We began at Qumran, the 1st century AD Jewish community that hid their Bible scrolls as the Romans attacked them. Known as the Dead Sea Scrolls, they were discovered in caves like this one behind us just 70 years ago. Most remarkably, until then the most ancient manuscript we had for the Old Testament was from 900 AD. The Qumran manuscripts of much of the Old Testament, written from 100BC-100AD, validated that our Bible had been transmitted and copied accurately for all those centuries in between and deepened our knowledge of the texts.
Ein Gedi: Refuge in the Desert:
Next was Ein Gedi, in the middle of the wilderness between the Dead Sea and the heights of Judea. Have I mentioned yet it was 107 degrees? We hiked a ways up a ravine that turned into a beautiful, hidden oasis of waterfalls and streams. Ein Gedi is the only flowing water for miles around, and is where David hid from King Saul when he was on the run (I Samuel 23:29, 24). Dr. Laniak tells us everything in the Bible taught about God is not philosophical, it is language that comes directly from people’s lived experience in real places. In this case, I Sam 23 names Ein Gedi as David’s “stronghold” and "refuge" from Saul. David apparently wrote one or two Psalms while camped there, meditatively turning the experience into Psalms 57 & 142, wherein he calls God his “stronghold”…
I Samuel 23:29, 24:1-3 "And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of Engedi. When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.” 2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Wildgoats' Rocks. 3 And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in to relieve himself..." (you can read the rest of the story for yourself!)
Psalm 57:1,2 "To the choirmaster: according to tune of Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David, when he fled from Saul, in the cave. Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge, in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.I cry out to God Most High..."
Masada: Stronghold Against Enemies: We also toured Masada on Day 1 – the site where the last 1,000 Jewish rebels held out against Rome’s might after Jerusalem was destroyed in AD 70. This event is not recounted in the Bible, but its fascinating history and teaches us much about Judaism and messianic expecations around the time of Jesus in Israel.
Dead Sea: We ended the day with a dip in the Dead Sea – the lowest point on earth (1,200 feet below sea level, part of the Great Rift that extends through Africa). Because it has no outlet, its high in salt and mineral content. Which is good for healing and skin care – people come here like going to a spa. But its disgusting for normal ‘swimming.’ If the 'water' gets on your mouth or eyes it will burn terribly.
Tuesday Day 2:
Wadi Rum: We stayed last night in Aqaba, Jordan and began the day in the deserts of Wadi Rum. This is one area near which Moses led the Israelites during their 40 years of wandering in the desert (called Ezion Geber in the Bible), and is similar to Sinai.
It Takes Blood to Atone for Sin: We drove out to an arranged meeting with the members of a Bedouin tribe to spend the day. First, we experienced a death. In front of our eyes they killed the goats that would serve as our afternoon meal. Our guides talked us through this - how the scriptures are clear that all sin requires blood for atonement and eternal life, just as much of our daily life sustenance is accomplished through the shedding of innocent blood. And the Israelites were familiar with the blood sacrifice regularly of animals they had raised and named themselves. However, we urban and suburban westerners are distanced from the gritty reality of what the shedding of blood is actually like (Dr. Laniak said it much prettier and deeper than that). The hand killing of these goats, in the manner the Israelites would have sacrificed them at the temple, was quite sobering. We paused to pray and worship about such mysteries, and so great a salvation that God sacrificed his only Son so that we are healed by his blood.
I know, its not a pleasant picture.
Wandering with Lawrence of Arabia: We took a three hour jeep ride through the desert wilderness in Wadi Rum, known for its rock formations and colorful sands. It was glorious. Desert beauty is a different kind of beauty. We climbed a bit (here's Angie from her perch).
Hiked up a giant red sand dune, and viewed the "Seven Wise Pillars," peaks in the background so named by Lawrence of Arabia who headquartered near here and titled his book the same name (here are some of our group's wise pillars, including Lake Forest'ers Sue and Doug Falcone, Velda and Sam Frowine and Andy Muhich).
We returned to camp and ate the goat feast that had been cooked while we were away, got up and learned some Bedouin dancing, and spent an hour learning about Bedouin life. We then drove to a hotel in Petra, Jordan in preparation for going to the ancient wonder that is Petra tommorrow.
Thank you for being interested in our journey - I hope YOU can make this pilgrimage one day. Perhaps?
We are all grateful for this opportunity. In closing, here is a picture of Moses with his feet in the Red Sea last night! I tried really hard, but could not part the waves. Guess there's no blood relation after all between me and that other Moses.
