Reality Check
It's been almost a year since going to Israel, Jordan and Egypt. I've obviously not finished posting everything from that trip here, and much is happening currently. So this blog is now going to cover current events (at least the ones that are in my little corner of the universe) in nearly real-time.
If you discover any errors in my descriptions of the sites in Israel and Egypt, please feel free to leave a comment.
From Masada, we traveled a short distance to Engedi, which is written about in the Bible in several places, not the least of which is in the book of 1 Samuel chapter 24. In it, the story is told of how David was hiding from Saul and taking refuge at Engedi. When Saul found out, he pursued him there, and was "relieving himself" in a cave, not knowing that David and his men were hiding in the same cave. You can read the rest of the story yourself, but one of the main points is that David did the right and honorable thing, for which he was proven later before Saul.
There are numerous caves at Engedi, as well as a stream and several pools fed by a spring. It's easy to see it as a place of refuge - it's quite beautiful and refreshing. A few of us hiked up to the "Waterfall of David," named for obvious reasons after King David. On the way we stopped at a pool with a small waterfall and took a quick dip in the water, which kept us cool for the rest of the hike. When we got to the top, Patrick, Mark, Harold, Andrew, Shirley, myself and I don't remember who else of our party took some time to read one of David's Psalms that may well have been written in the very spot. It sends chills up my spine just thinking about it.
We in America have such a short history. 230+ years since the country became independent is but a fraction of the time spanned by the history of Israel. More than 5,000 years of history are recorded in this place, and all I can say is, "you gotta go." It's incredibly inspiring.
After breakfast in our hotel on the Dead Sea (this was May 21, 2008), we packed up and headed up the road to Masada. Now, Masada is not covered in the bible, as its historical significance came into view after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 A.D., which is after most of the bible was written. But it is very significant in the unfolding of history, especially to the nation of Israel. The events which took place there made a permanent mark on the Jewish psyche that lasts to this day. Wikipedia, once again, is a source of some good information on Masada and the events which took place there. There are many other resources on the web, which I will leave the reader to discover independently. 
In recent years, the Israel National Parks Authority has built a modern cable car system that takes tourists up and down the mountain. Previously, the only way up was a long, arduous hike in the hot sun. I was thankful for the cable car, as we were looking at a very full day before us, Masada being only the first stop among several. 
The sense one gets atop Masada can only be described as solemn. The site itself speaks of the mass suicide of the Jewish rebels, the Roman seige evidenced by the huge ramp on the western side, and the Roman encampments visible on the ground around the base of the mountain. As always, though, Mickey did full justice to telling the story and showing us the areas of the city on top of the mountain where these events happened in the first century. Jewish or not, you have to appreciate the hardiness of the Jewish spirit when you see Masada.
