Saying goodbye is rarely easy…so let’s stick with “See you later!” (L’hitra’ot, in Hebrew.) This is moving day from north to south, which means a good deal of time on the bus. For some, it is needed rest after several days of lots of walking!

The weather has been absolutely perfect during our trip, but alas, it is the beginning of rainy season and that is what we woke to. But who can complain?  We’re in the land of Israel…and they need the rain!

Our journey today took us south from the Sea of Galilee all the way down to the southern tip of the Dead Sea. Along the way, we made stops at Ein Gedi, Masada and Ein Bokek.

One thing becomes abundantly clear when you travel from the Galilee region to the Dead Sea area: the scenery is much different. The northern portion of Israel is filled with lush farmland, lots of colorful plants, and many trees. With the exception of occasional oases, Southern Israel is some of the most desolate landscape on earth. Linking the two is the Jordan River Valley. In the north, one might enjoy birdwatching as hundreds of bird species make their way north and south through Israel, the natural land bridge between Europe and Africa. In the Jordan River Valley you might see agricultural areas thriving under specially designed nets that retain humidity, keep bugs away, and keep crops chemically free.

On a geopolitical note, the Jordan River is the border between Israel and Jordan and a fence lines the route on the Israeli side. It is touch sensitive, so touching the fence at any place will summon a unit of IDF soldiers to see what’s going on.

Our first stop today was Ein Gedi, an oasis near the Dead Sea where springs flow from the tall, barren mountain walls. Though the rain had subsided, the national park would not allow us to go all the way down to the springs. We could only see it from above. This is an area prone to flash floods, and with rain upon the plateau above, water can come rushing over the walls of the canyon in deadly torrents. It wasn’t so long ago that several Israelis perished in such a flash flood in this same area.

Nonetheless, we enjoyed the part we could see! We were also reminded of the Biblical narrative of David hiding in a cave at Ein Gedi while fleeing Saul. 1 Samuel 24:1-7 describes an incident in which David had the perfect opportunity to kill Saul, his nemesis. Yet, David refused to stretch out his hand against the Lord’s anointed. What humility (and wisdome) from a man (David) who had actually been anointed king as a young man but still had not taken the throne. He knew better than to force his way into the kingship. What a lesson in waiting upon the Lord!

With rain still abated, we traveled down to Masada where we enjoyed a quick picnic lunch before entering the park. Just as we exited the tram that took us to the top of Masada, the rain came, causing us to scurry from one covered area to another. But as I’ve noted before, we’ve got a fantastic group and I heard not one complaint!

Yoyakim (our guide) provided the narrative of the Jewish rebels (who were holed up in what was once King Herod’s palace compound) and their last stand at Masada before fierce Roman soldiers built a siege ramp and breached the fortress wall. To their great surprise, though, they found the Jewish rebels dead. They would rather have died than to be enslaved to the Romans, so they committed suicide before the Romans entered.

BTW – God’s favor was upon us. The rain stopped after a few minutes and we again enjoyed gorgeous weather atop Masada!

Hey, check back here a bit later to find out details of our afternoon at Ein Bokek and our entry into Jerusalem!