Streams and Songs in the Desert

Posted byrandy@letters-to-rachel.memorialPosted inKnow Your PlaceTags:, , , , , ,

Dearest Rachel –

We’re warned not allowed to eat, drink, smoke or feed the animals as we make our way into the En Gedi nature preserve. I wonder about smoking the animals for eating, but Daniel nudges me like you would for a crack like that – which I probably deserve.

I thought that En Gedi was a popular honeymoon spot for Israeli couples (which would have bothered me to encounter, to be honest), but the nature preserve is quite crowded, especially with groups of kids who I assume are out here on field trips or the like.

It so happens that the word for ‘ibex’ (the mascot of the Israeli parks authority) in Hebrew is ‘yael’ of all things. Yael jokingly calls them ‘my sisters’
With that in mind, upon seeing this sign, I thank Yael for keeping her ‘sisters’ from dropping anything on us. Although I can’t help remarking how I didn’t know that she was that much into the Rolling Stones. This time around, Daniel isn’t in earshot to nudge me (although in fairness, the crowds are loud enough – and our group is spread out far enough – that we can’t necessarily hear each other converse) Still, I wonder if you and I would have arrived at the same conclusion upon seeing this sign; these are the sort of jokes with you and I – and nobody else – would’ve come up with.
Yael points out this tree, known as the ‘spina Christi.’ It has sharp thorns and it can be found all over En Gedi (and really, all of Israel, for that matter). It’s believed that the branches may have been formed into the ‘crown’ pressed onto Jesus’ head by the Roman soldiers. I grabbed a branch, and I can vouch for its sharpness.
The caves of En Gedi shown here were used as burial sites, meant to conceal bodies – and, more to the point, the treasures buried with the deceased – from being robbed and ransacked. Considering how little was found by archaeologists in recent year, it’s apparent that this strategy was not particularly effective.

To be honest, when Yael first asks us what these caves were used for, Daniel guesses bathrooms (based on the cat-and-mouse game played between David and Saul, and the incident that happened when Saul did just that in a cave David and his men were hiding in), to which she responds, “What is it with you and bathrooms? Oh wait, that’s me.” To be honest, that exchange would probably have been even more appropriate had it been with you, back in the day – and you know full why. But, to be fair, Yael does spend a lot of time discussing bathhouses and latrines, mostly because the history of a civilization really does hinge on their hygiene. More on that later, in another letter.

We go up countless stairs to get to this position above the first waterfall.
Even the kids on holiday (or maybe it’s a field trip?) who pass by us look a little exhausted as they do so – but not so much that they don’t hold their hands out for money as I try to pass by them.
Some of the others try to cross over the stream at this point; I don’t have the right shoes for this, and I’m not about to go barefoot on those stones. Daniel, on the other hand, can wear his boots, and he’s just fine. In fact, he says the water gives them a good rinsing.

This place really is an oasis in the desert, which is a concept we have difficulty grasping apart from literature. Living by the Great Lakes as we do, we don’t always appreciate how necessary, important and rare water can be, especially for those living in biblical times and places. Here, within shouting distance of the otherwise useless Dead Sea, are springs of clean, fresh running water; enough for David and the few hundred men loyal to him (as well as for the animals they might have been able to kill and eat as they were hiding out in such a place).

Although, with that in mind, it seems odd that Saul would have so much trouble finding David. Israel is a small place, relatively speaking, and places where hundreds of warriors could hole up in might well be few and far between. If you rule out certain surrounding areas, you’d think he could have zeroed in on such a place as this. But let’s set that aside – and everything else, as Paul, Denim and Jordan call up a few of David’s psalms

Be ·merciful [gracious] to me, God; be ·merciful [gracious] to me
    because I ·come to you for protection [L seek refuge].
Let me ·hide [be protected; L seek refuge] under the shadow of your wings [Ruth 2:12; Matt. 23:37]
    until the ·trouble [destruction] has passed.

Psalm 57:1, Expanded Bible

(Just as David was merciful to Saul, perhaps?)

You prepare a ·meal [L table] for me
    in ·front [the presence] of my enemies.
You ·pour oil of blessing on my head [anoint my head with oil; C oil was a means of refreshment in a hot, dry environment];
    you ·fill my cup to overflowing [L make my cup overflow; C a cup of blessing].

Psalm 23:5, Expanded Bible

David was certainly dealing with enemies at this point.

As a deer ·thirsts [longs; T pants] for streams of water,
    so ·I [T my soul] ·thirst [L longs] for you, God.

Psalm 42:1, Expanded Bible

To think, this is the place that inspired David to write so many of those words of praise to God; even in the midst of being pursued by an army set out to kill him.

***

But again, our time is running short; we need to get going, as we have places to be, and certain times to be there. Still, there’s time for a few more photos:

On our way out of the nature preserve, some of the others point out a pair of hyraxes. They may look like rodents, but their closest cousins in the animal kingdom are actually elephants, believe it or not. We’re rushing to get out of here, so I don’t have a lot of time to take pictures, but I managed to get this one, at any rate.
And one last pic before boarding the bus – yet another little joke that we might have been able to share. Some other bus has a logo that looks like the Eye of Sauron. I know it’s just the Dead Sea superimposed on a sun, but you can see it, can’t you?

I’ll talk to you later, honey. Until then, keep an eye on me.

Published by randy@letters-to-rachel.memorial

I am Rachel's husband. Was. I'm still trying to deal with it. I probably always will be.

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