Negev, Wadi Zin, Masada, Dead Sea, 06-08 MAR 2010

Earlier this month, we went with Dr. Wright's "Physical Settings" class to the Negev. It was three full days of our own wanderings in the desert!

We got there by first passing through the The Shephelah (the lowland) in south-central Israel. We stood where we could see the areas of Judah, Benjamin & Dan which includes Zorah where Samson was born & buried. Dr. Wright read passages from the book of Judges and talked about the battles that ensued in the valley below us. We envisioned Samson trekking to Timnah to take a Philistine woman as his wife. Judges 14:4 says, "His parents did not know that this was from the LORD, who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines; for at that time they were ruling over Israel." It's all recorded in the Bible, but in the end Samson took his own life and crying out, "Let me die with the Philistines!" And, "thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived." His body was returned to Zorah where he was buried.

We visited the battle site where David slew Goliath, and viewed Gath (Goliath's hometown) at a distance. Then on to the ruins of Lachish. During Old Testament times Lachish served an important protective function in defending Jerusalem and the interior of Judea. The easiest way to get a large attacking army (such as an Assyrian army), up to Jerusalem was to approach from the coast. Lachish was one of several city/forts guarding the canyons that lead up to Jerusalem and greater Judea. In order to lay siege to Jerusalem an invading army would first have to take Lachish, which guarded the mountain pass. During the reign of Hezekiah, King of Judah, the Assyrians, under King Sennacherib, attempted to take Jerusalem, and, in that campaign, succeeded in taking Lachish (see 2 Chronicles 32:9 and Isaiah 36:1-3). Modern excavation of the site has revealed that the Assyrians built a stone and dirt ramp up to the level of the Lachish city wall, thereby allowing the soldiers to charge up the ramp and storm the city. Excavations revealed approximately 1,500 skulls in one of the caves near the site, and hundreds of arrowheads on the ramp and at the top of the city wall, indicating the ferocity of the battle.

We visited the ancient ruins of the Canaanite city of Tel Arad. A "tel" is a hill or mound, and the word is commonly used to reference archaeological sites of ancient cities. Habitatation of Tel Arad by the Israelites began in the 11th century BC, after being abandoned for some 1500 years. A fortress was erected on the site, apparently during the reign of King Solomon in the second half of the 10th century BC. After the destruction of the first temple in the year 586 BC, the Arad fortress continued to serve as a military transit station during the time of the Persian rule. Then the Romans had possession and turned it into a stronghold, but ceased functioning in this capacity sometime during the 2nd century BC. After its capture by the Arabs in the 7th century AD, it served as a wayside inn until its destruction in the 8th century AD. Tel Arad has remained uninhabited ever since. We spent our two nights at a youth hostel in modern Arad, a small lovely community up in the desert. It is mostly a Jewish population.

On Sunday we went to Tel Beer Sheva (Beersheba). This is the land where Abraham would have shepherded. The remains of Tel Beer Sheva attest to its habitation in the fourth millennium BC. After a gap of more than 2,000 years (at the end of the second millenium BC, the Iron Age, also known as the Israelite period) settlement was renewed. It was then continuously occupied for about 500 years, finally as a fortress for the Herodians, then the Romans & finally the Arabs. There is a well at the entrance to the city and some suggest that it is connected to the one mentioned in Genesis 21:27-32 in the story of the alliance of Abraham and Isaac with the Philistines at Beer Sheva. The oath sworn at the well gave the city its name (sheva means "seven" and "oath" in Hebrew).

We visited the burial site of David & Paula Ben Gurion which overlooks the Wadi Zin. He was the leader of the Zionist movement and first prime minister of Israel. After leading Israel to victory in 1948, he oversaw the immigration of vast numbers of Jews from all over the world. Upon retiring from political life in 1970, he moved to Sde Boker, a kibbutz in the Negev, where he lived until his death.

We then went into the Wadi Zin, a ravine on the northern fringes of En Avedat which is a canyon in the Negev Desert. We walked deep in the canyon, finally climbing narrow steps up to the top. It was absolutely beautiful! I'm guessing Moses & the Israelites might disagree with me after being in the area for forty years! We experienced a mild early spring day, compared to the heat of the summer when the temperature can reach over 120 degrees! It would have been a perfect trek, except that two large groups of young people showed up at the same time we did . . . one being young Israeli boys & girls on a field trip, and the other being 120 young Ethopian Jewish boys who immigrated here three years ago and now call Israel "home". They were screaming, blowing trumpets, singing, clapping as we were attempting to single file climb out of the ravine. Suddenly, these young men just started scaling the rock around us! It wouldn't have been a concern except that one rock loosened could have started a dangerous landslide. In the end, we all made it out just fine. I think we got just an inkling of what Moses had to deal with in herding all those people around!

Once out of the wadi, we drove to a lookout over the wilderness. In one photo, notice I'm sitting on the edge of a precipice. It doesn't look all that impressive until you look at the next photo where I have on my blue jacket and have walked a distance away . . . with the cliffline in the background! What was I thinking?!?!?!?!?!

Monday we drove to Masada. Just like Petra, it gave me chills. It is majestic like Petra, but the history is what gets you. This stronghold overlooking the Dead Sea was the site on which Herod the Great erected some of his most daring buildings, including a three tiered palace on the cliffline. Masada is also the scene of one of the most dramatic episodes in human history, when 960 Zealot defenders preferred to kill themselves rather than surrender to the Romans three years after the destruction of the second temple by Titus in 70 AD. The only source of its history is the contemporary account by Josephus. The account of the siege of Masada was related to Josephus by two women who survived the suicide by hiding inside a cistern along with five children, and repeated Eleazar ben Ya'ir's exhortations to his followers, prior to the mass suicide, verbatim to the Romans. Because Judaism strongly discourages suicide, Josephus reported that the defenders killed their families and drew lots to kill each other in turn, down to the last man who would be the only one to actually take his own life. Josephus records a dramatic speech in which Eleazar ordered his men to destroy everything except the foodstuffs to show that the defenders retained the ability to live, and so chose their own death over slavery. There is considerable debate among historians today as to the accuracy of Josephus account. Whether fact or fiction, Masada is absolutely magnificent in appearance! My experience was magnified as we climbed up to the top alongside the siege ramp built by the Romans. As we reached the top, we encountered a celebration of shofars, drums, wild singing, clapping & dancing . . . it a was a bar mitzvah! The large group went from site to site atop Masada, carrying the Torah with them. Along the way, the honored carrier would kiss it. I never saw the young honoree, a lad soon to be a man. He was surrounded by too many happy guests! Dr. Wright said that even Jews from the US will charter planes to bring guests to Masada for their young boy's 13 yr old hallmark celebration. Another interesting note for the day was wherever there was a crowd of people, there were plain clothed men carrying rifles over their shoulders. I was told that it is necessary for protection and mandatory for school outings.

After descending Masada (several of us opted for the easy cable car down), we drove to the Dead Sea for a swim (bob). One of our guys remarked, "It was kinda like swimming in jello." You can't help but float, but it was cool & refreshing. Some of the kids swam around a bend where there are pools of mud mineral deposits. They coated themselves and then swam back to the clear water to wash off. This is the stuff they bottle up and sell for large amounts of money in the cosmetic/spa industries. Nat & I preferred to just float for a while. I kept my head above water because the salt content was just too strong and I didn't want to get it in my eyes. I tasted salt for a long while after swimming, as it came in through my pores. And even after showering twice, I still felt a little sting if I rubbed my eyes with my fingers.

After grilled hot dogs on the "beach" (thanks to Dr. Wright & our bus driver), we drove just across the road and down a bit to En Gedi, specifically the Wadi David. Talk about a contrast! This oasis in the desert is lush with greenery & multiple waterfalls into pools of clear, cool water. The name Wadi David comes from the tradition that it was in this area that David hid from Saul in caves. One close encounter is recorded in I Samuel 24 where David spares Saul's life. One of our students had a close encounter of his own while attempting to climb up a waterfall. Halfway up, he realized the remainder of the climb was extremely slippery with moss. As he maneuvered, I prayed. He managed to inch his way back down (with the help of another student in the shallow pool below) and finally just jumped. I was so glad to get my hands on that boy! I gave him a big hug . . . and got really, really wet . . .

Last stop before heading back to JUC in time for dinner was Qumran. It is best known as the settlement nearest to the hiding place of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the caves of the sheer desert cliffs. The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of about 900 documents, including texts from the Hebrew Bible discovered between 1947 and 1956 in eleven caves by a young Bedouin shepherd. The most complete document is the scroll of Isaiah.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_sea_scrolls

I cannot adequately relay how impressive these field studies are with Dr. Wright. I can only attempt to journal a few thoughts to give a sense of what an opportunity we have been given! I know it will be helpful to label photos, and I will as soon as I figure out how! Just start with the first photo at the beginning and work down toward the text . . . . . . . . .

Next weekend, we will journey to the Sea of Galilee for another three days . . . oh my . . .

Shalom y'all