if you have been following our journey, perhaps you will recall that when we completed our last article we had just arrived in Jerusalem joyously singing Anthem 35 as we viewed the Damascus gate. We were becoming quite a choral group and found that hymn singing both gladdened our hearts and gave us the opportunity to openly express our gratitude to the Lord for the very blessing of our being here. Strangers in the land, yes, but far from strange to one another. I think I can honestly say that the beautiful bond of love and fellowship in Christ had served to bind us together as a happy family of thirty-six.
Riding down the main thoroughfare approaching the New city of Jerusalem (which is to the west of the Old city) we noticed bleachers by the thousands along the side of the road. They had been erected by the Israeli soldiers in anticipation of the 25th anniversary celebration which would take place on May 7th.
Ahead is the Jerusalem Tower Hotel where we would be staying. New Jerusalem is like New York City. The traffic was unbelievable—and Girl Police! One gave Zeke a very hard time about double-parking on the busiest street in the city — right in front of the hotel! Zeke turned on his usual charm and convinced her it would only take a few minutes for us to unload and did we hurry! It had been an exceptionally long trip and we were all tired but delighted.
The hotel was clean, modern and very comfortable. Meals were to be cafeteria style which gave us a chance to pick and choose (a very necessary procedure with Kosher food). Brother and Sister Higham gave us hasty instructions to pack a small bag for our pilgrimage on Monday as we would be spending two nights and three days away before returning to this same hotel.
We awoke to an absolutely beautiful day, had a nice breakfast and boarded our new bus at 7:30 a.m. Zeke introduced us to our new driver, Man, an Israeli who was also a guide. Atan, pronounced A-ton, (and from his size the name seemed quite appropriate) was most friendly and it was easy to see that he was already a friend of Zeke’s.
After our usual inspiring Scripture reading and prayer we proceeded to drive past the Old city. Zeke explained that Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities in the world where people still live. The Old city looked fascinating and we looked forward to returning and the opportunity to explore it. It seemed like a place from a fairy tale with its walls and towers throughout. There are eight gates surrounding the Old city and we hope to see them all: the Damascus gate, Lions gate (or Stephen”s gate), Jaffa gate, New gate, Herod’s gate, Zion gate, Dung gate and the Golden gate.
Passing the Damascus gate once again, we headed out of the city. Ahead was the Kedron Valley, Mount of Olives and Garden of Gethsemane. Proceeding over the hill, we could see Bethany in the Valley with the quaintness and serenity that must have given Christ a feeling of refreshing as He visited with Lazarus, Mary and Martha (John 12).
Strangely enough, we’re only about a five or ten minute drive from the desert of Samaria. It’s not flat like one would expect the desert to be, but quite hilly with grass here and there. An interesting land and rather intriguing. But then, everything around us was this way. It was so thrilling to be surrounded by so much Scriptural history.
We passed shepherds watching over their flocks (some had sheep and goats grazing together) and Zeke told us that the Bedouins that live here (at least 50,000 live in Israel) send messages by way of heaping up stones in a certain manner. We noticed them here and there along the way; kind of a “rocky way” of communicating! Now we’ve passed a camel herd grazing on a hill. My wife has a special liking for camels and she became all excited. And now a most interesting sight our first glimpse of the Bedouin tents. A sort of “lean-to” with a flat top. The Bedouins move from one place to another as the debris piles up beside their tents. There are sheep lying along side the tent in the shade. It seems quite logical to assume that Abraham lived in tents such as these. It became easy for us to go back in time and picture how it must have been. What faith and courage Abraham had to leave all and journey so far in answer to God’s call.
We”re approaching the old Jericho road, a desolate looking area. Zeke tells us that we’ll be going to visit the Mt. of Temptation and we’ll stop along the road to take pictures. The mountain towers above Jericho. Mt. Nebo is far in the distance.
There’s a refuge camp to the east in the valley. It is made up of closely packed homes out of clay which used to house over 40.000 Palestinians before the 1967 war. At that time they fled back into Jordan because they feared the Israelis would harm them. According to Zeke, there are only about 2,000 that have returned due to the fear and hatred instilled in them by the Jordanians.
We passed the Sea Level sign and now we’ll be heading below sea level—down, down, down to the Dead Sea. Our beloved brother, Bob Lloyd, couldn’t resist this opportunity to interject a bit of wit and called for our attention over the microphone. “At this moment,” said he, “you are the lowest people on earth!”
A lovely green oasis lies ahead. There are lots of vegetable and fruit gardens here. It’s quite pretty with palm trees and tropical-looking flowers. Very hot and dry but still pleasant. There is no humidity and one can take much higher temperatures without complaint.
We stopped to see what was left of the ruins at Jericho on the Jordan river. We visited the ruins of the ancient wall and Hisham’s palace. Now as we proceed south, we can look down over the northern tip of the Dead Sea with the hills of Moab towering high into the sky on the eastern side. As the time for our traditional (world-wide it seems) coffee break approached, Atan drove up to a nice restaurant and gift shop which also had an area for changing into bathing suits. Many of us couldn’t wait to get into that water!
It’s hard to imagine so much salt! There was a heavy froth like soap suds all around the edge of the water. As we picked up smooth stones on the beach, we found them covered with a crust of salt. A sign on the patio of the restaurant read “1290 feet below sea level.”
My wife and I walked out toward the bus and there was an Arab with a camel all set for riding. Lois pleaded with me to ask him to let her ride and after I showed him money he was quite willing. Up she went, flies and all, and she perched herself happily in the saddle while I took her picture. It was quite an experience and she loved every minute of it. She hadn’t wanted to ride a “commercial camel” and this one just suited her.
Once more we were on our way and after driving a while Atan pulled to the side of the road. About a quarter of a mile away we could see the Qumran caves. Zeke pointed out the openings where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found by shepherd boys in 1947. Later we will be seeing some of the scrolls when we visit the “Shrine of the Book” in the Israel Museum but that won’t be happening until Wednesday and there’s much to see before then.
Continuing our journey we looked to the right and there were the mountain ranges of Engedi known as the “rocks of the wold goat.” The place of refuge where David hid from Saul and spared Saul’s life in a cave (I Sam. 24).
It became very warm as we approached early afternoon. Atan, our very capable driver, pulled into a nice little parking area with a store where we could rest and purchase a refreshing drink of fruit juice. Those with a will for mountain climbing proceeded up a gorge through a path of heavy foliage (like bamboo) winding back and forth over a brook running down over the ledge and rocks.
We climbed up higher and higher until finally we could see water cascading from the crevis at the very top. From there it made its way down into a pool, clear and cool. Immediately our shoes were off and we enjoyed the refreshing coolness of the water caressing our feet. Look around, had David been here? Did he bathe in the coolness of these waters? Did he quietly pray for strength and protection here? We are here!
As we turned to descend we had a panoramic view across the wide expanse of the Dead Sea. The words of Ezekiel 47:3-12 came to mind — “the waters shall be healed.”
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One