Be joyful though you have considered all the facts.
Wendell Berry
from “Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front”
On the western shore of the Dead Sea and the Judean desert lies Israel’s largest oasis. Ein Gedi is a lush natural reserve brimming with green grass, waterfalls, and wild ibex. It’s bordered by dry, barren rock mountains and open roads without greenery. The Dead Sea is a mile away, the lowest point of elevation on Earth, a place completely devoid of life. Ein Gedi lies just around the corner, but no one would suspect that a place with fresh flowing water could exist in the midst of such barren land. Eric and I took a trip to Jerusalem in spring 2023 for a conference where he presented some of his research. After the conference, we had an opportunity to spend a day on a tour of the Dead Sea region. Walking around Ein Gedi was one of the highlights of the whole trip. We followed winding paths through the luxurious greenery on the mountainside. We watched wild ibex graze between the trees. The waterfall begged to be played in and the sound of the rushing water dropping into a foaming pool soothed my soul. As we stood in the shade of the trees near the splashing waterfall, the temperature was 10 degrees cooler. Ein Gedi served as a refuge from the harsh conditions of the wilderness around it. It truly is a magical place where desert meets oasis and any weary traveler could breathe a sigh of relief.
Ein Gedi is soaked in a rich history dating back 5,000 years, but there is one story I would like to focus on. I would like to look at the story of David and Saul. This story takes place in the Bible, specifically in the book of 1 Samuel. Saul was king at the time but David was next in line. As a young boy, David was anointed by God to be the future king of Israel. David had great success as he sought to honor God: he led men to victory in many battles, killed the untouchable Philistine giant, and was best friends with Saul’s son Jonathan. One would think that as the king, Saul would find great pride in having such a man by his side. It was quite the opposite. Saul’s jealousy burned against David and he spent many years trying to kill him. I want to pick up a bit of the story right here.
David has been on the run from Saul for a good bit of time now. As Saul is getting closer, David is being pushed further into the dry wilderness. Saul was closing in on David when he was called back home because the Philistines were on their way to invade his land. When Saul returned home, David went to dwell in the strongholds of Ein Gedi. He knew the danger was not over. When I think of David in this Ein Gedi, I imagine a bone-weary man covered in the dirt of the desert, the blood of his enemies, and the tears of despair trying to find a place of refuge. David needs a place where he can stop running, where he can breathe. Ein Gedi would offer a place where his need for water, food, and rest would be met. Ein Gedi would be a place where David would be honest with God and allow him to renew his faith. Ein Gedi would buy him time to sit with God. David needed refuge from a disaster and God provided it.
David cried, “Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in you I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.”
I stood on the hills of Ein Gedi where this prayer may have been prayed. I looked over the same Dead Sea that David would have looked over where he cried, “My soul is in the midst of the lions.” I wonder how many of us feel the same way today? Are we tired from the struggles of life, feeling spiritually depleted, and one hard moment away from apathy? Are we in need of our own personal Ein Gedi?
The landscape that surrounds us today looks different than the Dead Sea region of David’s time, but it is just as inhospitable. We climb a precarious trail up a mountain of made-up persona. A sea of dead hopes calls out from below. We walk dirt roads for miles where doubt, disbelief, and worry consume our thoughts. We live distracted by the rectangle in our hands. The world around us feels barren. In the same way as David, we find ourselves bone-tired, covered in dirt, a bit bloody, unsure if God still has a plan for us. We are in desperate need of respite from a chase that seems to never end. In the wilderness, our faith is rattled. It sends deep shots of uncertainty into our hearts. It invites raw questions that are often left with no answers. I’m not assuming how David felt in the wilderness of Ein Gedi and I’m certainly not guessing. Despair rings clearly in the psalms that he wrote. Heartache spills over the pages of God’s word. I relate to this despair and heartache; my life has been marked by dark tumultuous days. Perhaps you can relate as well. Like David, there are many days in which we find ourselves desperate for God to come through, for God to show himself faithful. David cried out “Contend, Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me. Take up shield and armor; arise and come to my aid. Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Say to me, ‘I am your salvation.’”
To me, Ein Gedi embodies a position of raw honesty with God. We can admit that life is hard and we are struggling. We don’t have to pretend that we are fine. We don’t even fully know all we need in this place, but God does. Ein Gedi is a place where our heart needs are met before a loving God. We can ask for peace even in the face of difficult circumstances and hard days. In our waiting, we do not need an explanation. We don’t have to make anything happen. We can be like David and stand on the fact that we know the one who contends for us. As the world outside remains the same, we venture in. We ask God to refresh our tired souls. When our faith feels at its weakest, we can ask God to speak his salvation over us again until hope arises. The streams of living water wash the dirt, the blood, and the doubt away. God walked into Ein Gedi and covered David with his wing. I dare to believe that in the shadow of that very wing we can live abundantly, even in the midst of our struggle. May we each find Ein Gedi in our hearts today.
Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 43:18-1