Ancient travelers who made their way along the shores of the Dead Sea would no doubt shake their heads when they saw it. How could so much water stand in such a barren place—and none of it be drinkable?
Before the obliteration of Sodom and Gomorrah, the Jordan Valley looked like the “garden of the Lord” (Genesis 13:10). But afterwards, even the many springs that bubbled beside the Dead Sea tasted too salty to swallow. The plentiful waters gave nothing in the way of sustenance.
They only offered a spiritual prompt of the need to take God seriously.
Against this depressing backdrop of death and desperation flows the Ein Gedi.
If you want to find where history took place, just look for the waterholes.
Ein Gedi means, “Spring of the Wild Goat,” and suggests that animals—not just people—depended upon its fresh and plentiful streams (1 Samuel 24:1-2).
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(All pics courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)
But Ein Gedi served as more than a popular pit stop for travelers.
With regional water so scant, the spring hosted numerous settlements throughout history—thousands of years of continuous habitation.
A vibrant blotch of green on an otherwise colorless landscape, Ein Gedi came to symbolize not only beauty, but also that which stands out as unique. David’s son, Solomon, is compared to “a cluster of henna blossoms in the vineyards of Engedi” (Song of Solomon 1:14).
Even today, the Ein Gedi National Park remains a distinctive oasis for flora and fauna—that’s an alliterative reference to “vegetation” and “wildlife.”
The Visitors Center offers maps for several levels of hiking and various lengths of trails. Hikes can last from one hour to seven.
Exaggeration fails to describe the relief that Ein Gedi would have given the weary traveler in antiquity. Even today, the oasis offers refreshment for the locals and the tourists alike.
In this barren region that has struggled to support life since the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Ein Gedi has flowed for thousands of years as a longstanding testimony to God’s grace.
God does the same in our lives, doesn’t He? He offers hope against a depressing backdrop of death and desperation.
Tell me what you think: How has God given hope against hope in your life? To leave a comment, just click here.
Ein Gedi on the Map:
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