When we think of the Red Sea, we tend to picture Moses holding up his arms and dividing the waters. This body of water parted like curtains in the opening act of Israel’s history. The parting of the sea set the stage for one of history’s most incredible escapes (Exodus 14:29-31).
But this part of the Red Sea represents only half of its northernmost edges.
The sea has two fingers that point north, divided by the Sinai Peninsula. The more famous finger, the one that parted in the exodus, is the western one—today called the Gulf of Suez.
If the western finger of the Red Sea represented Israel’s beginning as a nation under God, the eastern section, or the Gulf of Aqaba, could embody Israel’s ongoing relationship with the Lord.
And it offers a spiritual lesson for those who will look below the surface.
Moses and the children of Israel passed the eastern section of the Red Sea as they circumvented the land of Edom and headed north to the area east of the Jordan River (Numbers 33:35-36; Deuteronomy 2:8). The port cities of that time were Ezion Geber and Elath—from which we get the modern spelling, Eilat.
Eilat, Israel, sits at the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba, as did the ancient city.
Often closely associated with Ezion Geber, the cities served as key ports for Israel’s trade with Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.
Today, the gulf still plays a crucial role as a port city for Israel, a fact easily seen by the many tankers and cargo ships that frequent Eilat. Israel’s imports and exports to and from Asia and East Africa have their touch point in Eilat.
But Eilat is more than a modern port. Much more!
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(All pics courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)
Since 1949, the State of Israel has transformed Eilat into a beautiful resort city, and it remains the only Israeli town on the Red Sea.
The place literally was built for tourists.
The sea is crystal clear and shallow enough to reward any visitor wearing a mask and snorkel with a marvelous peek at one of the richest ecosystems on earth.
Those who come to Eilat might expect a completely secular experience. After all, except for the few biblical references to Eilat as a port, the place seems utterly devoid of anything spiritual.
But it’s not that way for me.
The times I have been to Eilat cause me to marvel at the contrasts I see there.
Eilat reminds me that there often lies more beneath the surface if we will simply explore.
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