Rain in the Desert

View from the top of Masada - notice the dark clouds in the background

Rain, in the Bible, is always seen as a blessing. When you walk the paths of this land, you understand why: it's scarce. There is not much rain here, and according to our guide, there is less and less every year these days. Even in Biblical times, rain was restricted to just a few weeks every year. In my five trips to the Holy Land, I can't remember ever having rain once, but today we did. Granted, it didn't last long (just a short, sprinkly shower), but it reminded me of the blessings of God, even as we stood in the desert near the lowest place on Earth.

We began our day early in an attempt to beat not only the crowds but the heat. It was cool in Jerusalem as we left, but as we made our way down to the Dead Sea area, we felt the heat and humidity increase. By 8:00 a.m., when we arrived at Masada, it was already sweltering. Masada is a huge desert fortress, mentioned at various points in the Bible (often called "the fortress") and occupied by King Herod (who built a lavish palace on the top and side). In 70 AD, Masada became a "last outpost" for the Jewish rebels who holed up here for quite some time. When it was obvious that Rome was going to defeat them, they committed suicide rather than become slaves. Masada still stands as a symbol of strength, independence and power. We toured the ruins, from both Herod's time and the time of the rebels, a tour that included a cable car ride to near the top. There is a path to hike to the top (the "snake path"), but to do that you have to start much earlier in the morning, when it's cooler.

While we were on the top of Masada, the rain began sprinkling. It never amounted to much, but every drop of rain, every bit of water matters here in the desert. Every drop of water means life will be sustained a bit longer; that's why rain is a blessing. The next time you want to complain about the rain ruining this plan or that day of yours, think of the desert, where things (and people) literally live or die based on whether rain comes.

Down the road from Masada is the ancient Essene community of Qumran. The Essenes were a group who separated themselves from the Temple and the (as they thought of it) corrupt priesthood in Jerusalem. They went out to the desert to live intentionally and prepare themselves for the coming war between darkness and light. They lived communally, sharing everything, ritually washing twice a day and copying the Scriptures. There are some who think John the Baptist may have lived here for a time, since the place where he baptized is not far away. Qumran was also destroyed in AD 70, but before the community was overrun by Rome, some of its members hid their scrolls and sacred writings in nearby caves, and there they remained hidden until the 1940's. Because of the sealed storage jars and the desert air, the scrolls were preserved—not intact (except for one copy of Isaiah), but better than other scrolls we have. These were the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were finally published in 2001. Among those scrolls we have community rules and guidance, as well as copies of the books of the Bible—copies that are older than others we had up to that time, and which go a great distance to prove the accuracy of the transmission of the text from generation to generation.

After lunch (shawarma!) at Qumran, we went to have some fun in the sun on this, our last day in Israel. Many of us took advantage of the time to swim in the Dead Sea. Due to the high mineral content in the water (produced by evaporation and there being no exit point for the water...there's no place for it to go), even this non-swimmer can float and enjoy the deep places. The sun was hot, the water felt good, and the ice cream after was even better! Some of our folks "mudded up" (the guide promised we would look twenty years younger!), and others only waded, but the time at the Dead Sea was a fun, memorable way to bring this part of our trip to a close.

Tomorrow morning, our group will split in half. Seven of us are going to continue the adventure across the border in Jordan, and the rest will head back to Indiana. This has been a fun group, and we have had a great guide and bus driver taking us around the country. What a blessing it is once again to be here in this promised land. This is my fifth time here—I can almost guarantee it won't be my last. (Some if the group are already asking when I'm coming back—I told them to give me a week or two after getting home, then I'll be ready to talk about that!)

On to Jordan...and Petra!