Ok, we’ll leave Jerusalem for the day and head down to the Dead Sea area!  Here’s a map again, to help you get your bearings.

The Dead Sea is, indeed, the lowest point on planet Earth.  It’s surface is 1400′ below sea level, and it is 1000′ deep in some places.  It is very rare that you see any sort of water vessel on the Dead Sea because it is one of the world’s saltiest bodies of water (~34% salinity, ~9.5X as salty as the ocean).  It would eat up the hull of a boat very quickly!  (Though research vessels do go out on rare occasion for short periods of time.)  Due to the harsh environment, nothing really lives in the Dead Sea….thus the name!

However, people from all over the world visit the Dead Sea in hopes of finding healing and/or the fountain of youth!  Dead Sea products are a huge sell here!  Why?  Because the minerals in the Dead Sea are so concentrated that the sea mud and other mineral mixtures are great for your skin.  A 15-minute dip in the Dead Sea and you come out with skin as soft as a newborn baby!  So, the name of the game is to “mud up” and feel young!

Another cool thing about the Dead Sea is you CAN’T sink!  Because of the mineral concentration, the viscosity of the water keeps you afloat.   You don’t want to get water in your eyes or mouth, however, as it can be deadly!  See Dead Sea Experience for an “impossible to sink” photo!

I’ve taken you to Masada already, the 1300′ tabletop mesa and scene of the Jews last stand in about 73 AD.  Masada is also very near the Dead Sea.  Visit again if you’d like…the story is fascinating!  (And I’ve put up a couple of better pictures!)

In Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls I scratched the surface of that story…now here’s the rest of the story:  In 1947, a shepherd boy lost a sheep in the area of Qumran.  Afraid to go into caves (where wild animals often lived), a shepherd looking for a lost sheep would throw rocks in to scare out the sheep (or any other animal that might be lurking).  When this particular shepherd boy tossed in rocks, he heard the crash of pottery.  He left and brought back a cousin to bolster his courage and he entered the cave.  There he found scrolls upon which were written Hebrew bible manuscripts and other extra-biblical texts.  You see one of the 12 caves in which scrolls were found on the page linked above.

Many additional scrolls were ultimately found and many of those scrolls scattered around the world.  Some cut them in pieces in order to sell them and make huge profits, some were sold to antique dealers, and some were just dismissed as fake.  However, in His faithfulness, God preserved and returned  many of those scrolls to Israel and they are now protected in faults at the Israel Museum.  Today, there are replicas of those scrolls on display, including the entire book of Isaiah.  (Photos aren’t allowed in the museum, so I can’t show you pictures.)  The entire story is astonishing and I commend it to you!  God is FAITHFUL to preserve His Word!  (See The Dead Sea Scrolls: History and Overview)

Our final destination in the Dead Sea area is Ein Gedi, an oasis in the barren wilderness!  Wildlife gathers here, as there is a source of fresh water.  This little guy is an ibex.  We tend to see plenty of them around Ein Gedi.

Though barren all around, there is a waterfall and a cave with Biblical significance.  Here is that place.

This could be the very cave where the events of 1 Samuel 24 took place!  Recall that Saul was jealous of David and chased him seemingly all over Israel, trying to kill him.  While David hid out in a cave near Ein Gedi (near the sheepfolds, Scripture says), Saul entered the same cave to relieve himself.  (Yes, that’s in Scripture…read it for yourself!)  David had the perfect opportunity to kill Saul and be free from his pursuit.  However, David knew that the Lord God had put Saul in the esteemed position as king, and David would not lay a hand on Saul.  However, he was mischievous enough to cut off the hem of Saul’s garment in order to let Saul know that he could have taken him out!

All that, right here at Ein Gedi!  The Bible indeed comes to life!

We’ll head back to Jerusalem tomorrow, and there are exciting things to share, so stay tuned!  Thanks for stopping by!