Life by the Dead Sea - June 26, 2014

The Dead Sea area – extremely hot, dusty, and rocky, except for a few oases of springs and date palms – was our place of study today. We began at Masada, a stronghold and site of one of Herod’s palaces, and the place where the last holdout of the Jewish nation was destroyed by the Romans in 73-74 AD. It is also the site of the Essene community at Qumran, where a Bedouin shepherd stumbled upon one of the most significant archaeological finds, the Dead Sea Scrolls. But, in the middle of this dead, dry place is En Gedi, an oasis of springs and waterfalls which allows lush green trees to thrive and provides shady shelter for the weary.

En Gedi is one the places where David retreated and hid from Saul and where he spared Saul’s life by not killing him when he had the chance. Saul came into the cave where David and his men were hiding. Instead of killing Saul, David cut off a corner of his robe to show Saul that he was not his enemy, bent on his demise, but honored Saul as the Lord’s anointed.

The scriptures use the term stronghold for many of the places in this region and I can now understand why. The steep hills and cliffs which come down from the Hill Country of Judah descend almost three thousand feet to below sea level at the Dead Sea. This rugged area is difficult to traverse and there are many openings formed by the breaking of layers of limestone, creating natural places to hide and observe.

David spent a lot of time here between being anointed king and his actual monarchy, hiding from Saul and learning lessons from God which would guide him as he led God’s people. He needed to have lessons reinforced from his shepherding days: God’s provision of water, food, protection, and safety; seeking the voice of God as guidance and confirmation of his movements; and further developing his battle skills to prepare him for those who would desire to overcome the people of God.

This is a good place to contemplate the blessings of God in the midst of dry times in our lives. Things may look barren but we need to keep our eyes open for the small, hidden oases of refreshing waters. If we do not move from our places of dryness and difficulty, we will never discover what God may have for us a short distance away. We must have the courage and persistence to keep going over the rocky terrain, even when we can’t see what is over the next peak. God provided for David in abundance and he provides for us as well; we just need the eyes to see and the heart to pursue it.