Journey to Israel: The Dead Sea & Dinner in Tel Aviv

8/27/16 Another fascinating day that included a presentation from some amazing guests.
Let’s go!

Today we are travelling to “Area C” in the West Bank, but the security is administered by the Israeli government. When we traveled to “Area A” in the West Bank earlier in the trip, the security was administered by the Palestinian Authority and required the police escort. Complex and a little confusing if you ask me, but I think Sis. Raufu sums it up correctly with the following scripture that gives us the right response:

Psalm 122:6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.

Today we left the City of Jerusalem to begin our new journey to see the Dead Sea Scrolls. We actually traveled a similar path to the one described in the parable of the Good Samaritan. Our Guide, Avi, used it as an opportunity to describe the history of the Samaritans as a rejected group after the Jews returned from Babylonian captivity. He really emphasized the point that the Samaritans were considered enemies of the Jews which made the parable during Christ’s time so controversial. As we traveled the highway we saw Bedoin who are Arab Muslim desert dwellers. If you can recall from the parable it states:

Luke 10:30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

So as we continued on our journey, we actually passed the city of Jericho and I wasn’t able to get a picture. Sorry for the operator error (me), but I forgot I packed my camera battery which was now in the bottom of the bus. Jericho was one of the oldest cities, and it had extremely fertile soil due to the three local springs in the area. We then came near an area where John the Baptist was baptizing as the forerunner of Christ. This area is just north of the Dead Sea that is fed directly by the Jordan River. We then came upon the Qumran National Park where the Dead Sea scrolls were found.

After about 10 minutes of climbing beneath the bus to find my unlabeled luggage, I then ran feverishly to our group. Picture time. The Essenes were an all-male religious sect that believed in the imminent return of the Messiah. There are many that believe John the Baptist was a part of the Essenes. In preparation for the return, they had a lifestyle that focused strictly on purity. Their desire for purity impacted every area of their life and there were numerous baths in the area for this very reason. This area used a sophisticated set of channels, aqueducts, and cisterns to store the natural water that would come via flash floods in the area.

Part of their everyday life was to participate in communal activities which included the writing of scrolls from relevant literature during that period of time.

The Dead Sea scrolls are an ancient library from over 2000 years ago. The parchments found in this area by accident (providence in our eyes) include the Old Testament (except Esther), Apocryphal, and other Sectarian documents (Community Rules). This is an important find because the canon (criteria for selecting the books of the Bible) includes the concept of whether a document would be included in the doctrinal text. The fact that the Old Testament had been discovered in this form supports the evidence that God has preserved his word though wars, fires, dangers, snares, etc. His word is eternal.

Here are photos of the cave that had the largest number of fragments discovered.

Now we are on the road to the Dead Sea to swim, (oops I mean float). Our guide pointed out that sea has been receding 3 feet per year, and the road we were actually travelling on was covered about 20 years ago with water from the Dead Sea. The guide also pointed out the huge sink holes that were created by the salt that remained as the water has receded due to human activities.

Before heading to the Dead Sea we made a stop at the Jewish Masada, which means “stronghold”. Before arriving, we passed a popular biblical location of the name En Gedi. This is the same location of the cave that David was hiding in from Saul when he removed a portion of Saul’s robe to demonstrate that he had no desire to kill him. One note, the Gedi actually means spring and some of the photos seem to support this. Wow, this was exciting. The scriptures are coming to life for me.

Now we’ve arrived at the Jewish Masada and it’s pretty spectacular. Herod built the fortress as a stronghold to defend against Cleopatra. Herod’s desire to be Roman (even though he was a Jewish king) is indicative by the strong Roman influences of architectural design. The steam room and spa eventually became a significant hub for business exchanges and networking to gather information. It also has a sophisticated water gathering system. Josephus is the only historian who has recorded information about this event. It ended in the mass suicide of 960 Jews who indicated they would rather die than be slaves to the Romans.

Next, we went to the Dead Sea for lunch and yes the buoyancy of the salt in the water allows you to float easily. I know this because I can swim, but I do not know how to float. I should also warn you the salt content in the water will help you find any nicks. Ouch!  And getting the water in your eyes…ouch! The water was really warm, and I was ready to go since I was hungry. Once I got out and washed off, one of the pastors, Ezra, said, “You’ve got to try this salt and minerals on your feet.” So I had to walk all the way back and rub my feet for exfoliation. For good measure, I did my arms and legs to ensure that this was my last trip in that direction.

Finally, we head upstairs for lunch and it was really good.

We arrive in Tel Aviv for some relaxation before our dinner meeting. I had an opportunity to walk the beach and reflect on more of the activities. I was able to watch the sunset along the Mediterranean Sea before going to dinner and quoted this scripture during meditation along the beach:

Psalm 113:3 From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD’S name is to be praised.

Now we are off to a dinner with Ethiopian Jews who were actually former members of the Knesset (Israeli government). In the mountains of northern Ethiopia existed a vibrant Jewish community. Due to dire circumstances in 1984, they began to flee to Israel. Shimon, Pnina, and Ysiraela are some incredible people, and it was a privilege to break bread with them.

They spoke about their memories while fleeing from Ethiopia. Shimon described his work as the director of an absorption facility helping the Ethiopians transition into the nation of Israel. He mentioned the importance of learning the Jewish language and that he specifically worked to ensure that the communities were prepared to function without him.

Then Pnina presented her story and it was absolutely compelling. She immigrated with her family at the age of 1 and her family was separated in the process. She spoke about the rumors that her mother and sisters had passed away, but a year later they finally arrived in Ethiopia. When she was six-years-old, she found out she was different than her other classmates when the teacher used her as an example to describe the new Ethiopian students that would be joining the classroom. She then shifted her talk to discuss her work in the government. Pnina started a memorial two years ago for the Ethiopian Jews to commemorate their experiences. As a child, she really enjoyed singing but said that she decided to give up her dream to sing so she could use her voice for her people. I hate to see dreams die, and of course I requested that she sing a song to us. She didn’t want me to record it, but that sister can sing and I was so glad to hear her voice. She was the first Ethiopian woman to ever serve on Knesset.

Finally, we heard from Ysiraela who was born in Israel and named because she was her father’s dream of coming to Israel. She’s a television producer for Channel 2 in Israel and described her challenge in her role with many persons who had never interacted with a black woman. She wants to build connections to network for the next generation and spoke about how she actively pursues producing programs to extend opportunities to blacks.

Listening to their stories of struggle, triumph, and passion was awesome. These folks were radically expressive in their speech. They were absolutely fantastic! We were able to connect in physical appearance and through our history. I got to see firsthand how God can manifest His plan in the earth.

Psalm 68:31 Princes shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.