Warriors in Israel 2018: Day 5: Qumran, Masada, Ein Gedi, Dead Sea and Jericho

Day 5: We started our day with the lush beauty of Galilee and traveled to the Judean desert. It is beautiful in a different way than the land in the north.

We can begin to see the dry mountains as we travel south.

It is beautiful.

There are so many rocks in Israel.

All the land needs is a little water and it springs forth life. There are so many minerals in the soil.

We got to ride camels as we took a short bathroom and snack break on our way to the Dead Sea. What a fun (albeit a bit sticky experience)!! Sarah on the camel.

Annie!

Hannah makes a good looking bedouin!

Annie

Go Lexi!

Jaide giving the camel a spin.

Lexi

Jaide

Mrs. Starnes as a bedouin in the desert!

Mrs. Starnes petting the sweet camel who gave us a "camel in the desert" experience. :)

Qumran

This is the sight of the archeological discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947. A young shepherd boy threw a rock into a cave and heard a crack. He went inside to explore and discovered a clay jar containing a scroll. He took it home where his Bedouin family thought it would bring money in the market. It passed hands many times before its true value was discovered by scholars. Eventually, all the caves were searched and 9 jars containing scrolls were uncovered. A portion of every book of the Old Testament (excluding Esther) was found. The longest scroll, at 22 feet, was the entire book of Isaiah.

We started by watching a short video about the Essenes who lived at this site and recorded scripture and placed them in caves in the first century. They thought the end of time was eminent.

The scrolls where made of sheep or goat skin and were hidden in clay jars in the high caves surrounding the Essene village.

Ruins of the Essene Village. They believed ritual baths were needed for purity both in the morning and evening. Only men lived in this community.

This is a picture of Cave 4. The caves are much higher off the ground than you might expect.

Such sweet girls!

The desert is so beautiful.

A picture of the Dead Sea from the road as we drove to Masada.

Masada

This is the fortress that Herod the Great built as a safe place in case he was usurped in Jerusalem. This fortress is located high on a plateau over 1400 feet above the shore of the Dead Sea in the desert and is totally self sustaining.

The fortress of Masada was overtaken by Jewish zealots fleeing Jerusalem in 66 A.D. They controlled the fortress and prospered there until 73 A.D. The Romans could not breach the fortress until they decided to build a ramp to reach the walls. When the Jews saw that the Romans were going to breach the walls the next day, they decided the kill their families, and draw lots to commit suicide. The burned everything of value except the food. They wanted the Romans to know that they did not starve but would rather die than be slaves in the Roman Empire.

Listening as Fares gives us our history lesson.

Looking over the walls to the Roman ramp below.

Interestingly these slots were for pigeons who were used to carry messages to Jerusalem and other parts of Israel. Who would have thought?

BEAUTIFUL!

Views of the Dead Sea from Masada.

We took a cable car up to the top of the plateau.

Ein Gedi
From the dry dessert of Masada, we journey to the beautiful springs of Ein Gedi. As we rode on the bus, Mrs. Starnes read Psalm 22 and Psalm 144 which were both written by David in this area as he hid from King Saul. It was within the caves above the Ein Gedi oasis that David cut a piece of Saul's robe to prove that he did not intend to harm his king (1 Samuel 23:29-24:22).

A little rabbit like animal that is native to the desert.

The lower falls.

Dead Sea

The Dead Sea is about 50 miles long and about 10 miles wide. The shores of the sea are the lowest place on Earth. The salt content of the sea is between 28-35%. The salt content of the Atlantic Ocean is 3.5%. There is no significant life in the Dead Sea except tourists. :) It's so salty that you bob effortlessly in the buoyant waters. It was fun to look for salt crystals in the mud.

The water was so refreshing.

Mrs. Starnes floating.

Even Cricket could float! (See can't swim)

The mud is supposed to be really good for your skin.

Davenport!!!!!

So much fun!

The salt crystals that were found in the mud. By the end of our time at the sea, we had a gallon bag full of them!

Our girls

Jericho
Jericho is famous for being the first city captured by the Israelites in the Promised Land through the Lord's command to march around the city. The Lord caused the walls to fall when they blew their trumpets and gave a loud shout on the seventh day (Joshua 6). We saw a sycamore tree like the one Zacchaeus would have climbed to get a glimpse of Jesus as he passed through this city (Luke 19:1-10). We spent most of our time in Jericho shopping for Phoenician glass and other souvenirs typical of Israel. The dry mountain wilderness where Jesus was tempted after his baptism is visible from this city (Matthew 4:1-11).

Cricket passes up a chance for a camel ride in Jericho.

Our group is standing in front of the Mount of Temptation.

Hashimi Hotel in Jerusalem
When we arrived in Jerusalem, we walked through the Damascus gate to get to our hotel in the old city. Everyone loved staying within these ancient city walls. Outside the walls, the city is similar to other modern cities in Israel. Within the walls, however, the city takes on a truly Biblical feel. We walked down narrow stone streets filled with family markets bulging into the street to get to our hotel. Our hotel itself is beautiful with a dining area in the basement that feels like you are eating in an inn from another time.