Masada, Qumran, Floating In The Dead Sea, The Mountain Of Life vs The Mountain Of Death

Masada--Fortress built by Herod The Great. After the Temple was destroyed in A.D. 70, this was the location of the "last stand" of some of the Zealots. They holed themselves up in this location, basically a mountain surrounded by walls overlooking the Dead Sea, and the Romans lay seige to the place. They ended up committing mass suicide before the Romans could capture the fortress.

Jen's mom, Susan, standing behind a model of Masada. On the front of the model is Herod's palace there. On top of the mountain is the fortress itself. Behind her are some of the original walls of Masada.

Qumran--Location where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found--a powerful reminder that God could and has preserved his Word. The scrolls proved that the Old Testament that we have today is the same as the Old Testament that they had before the days of Christ.

Here's a shot of one of the caves in which the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.

The Dead Sea--This was just a fun little side trip to the lowest spot on earth. The Dead Sea has so much salt and mineral content that it is incredibly buoyant. You can't really swim in it, but a human body floats on it almost as much as if wearing a life jacket.

Today's most significant moment spiritually for me came from Tony's comments about Masada, contrasting it to the Mount Of Beatitudes which we had visited. The Mount Of Beatitudes was a mountain of life, where Jesus spoke words of hope, instruction, love, and life. And many there heeded his words. The mountain at Masada was a mountain of death, because those hidden there thought that by hiding there, they would force God's hand and he would send the Messiah that *THEY* were awaiting. They had missed the real Messiah 40 or so years earlier because they had shaped him into to the image they wanted him to be. When God "failed" to deliver, they committed suicide in their despair.

How often do I walk down a similar path as the Zealots on Masada: shape God into the image I want him to be, and when he doesn't "deliver" based on that image, allow myself to sink into disappointment with him. May I "have ears to hear" and heed the words of Christ, such as spoken on the other mountain, instead.

--Ben