Pools in the Desert

After leaving Qumran, we traveled to En Gedi. In the midst of a dry wasteland, En Gedi is life; it is the only sufficient source of fresh water near the Dead Sea. It is a twisting gorge of cascading waterfalls and numerous pools, fed by a large spring at the top. It's falls are flanked by lush foliage and Acacia trees. People and families from all around were there to swim in the pools and find relief from the scorching heat. At the top of the gorge, I saw the remains of two caves. From the lower cave, now fully open to the sky, David and his mighty men made a treacherous climb up the falls to hide in the upper cave from King Saul and his men. If you read Psalm 104, David uses many verses that describe En Gedi. After standing at this breathtaking site and reading the scriptures about David's struggles, God's love at work in David's life takes on a concrete reality.