I woke up this morning feeling a little bit sad. Today, we loaded up our bus and left Israel – left Jerusalem – left our new friends and family in this Holy Land. With 2/3 of my pilgrimage complete, today began the final chapter of this incredible Journey – retracing this steps of Moses and the Exodus. Our hope had been to travel down to the Abbey of St. Catherine, but due to unrest in the land we are being moved around a bit.
The entire day was spent either on a bus or standing in a line for immigration. We drove back down the hills of Jerusalem to the Dead Sea. We said goodbye to Masada and stopped at a sea side resort village for a break. The wind and waves had died down significantly, so I ran down to the edge and stuck my hand in the mineral enriched waters. After a couple more stops, we made it to the boarder and then on through to Egypt.
We drove most of the afternoon alongside the Red Sea. It’s massive! I’ve seen the dimensions on a map, but I’ve never put the two and two together of just how large this body of water is. It boarders 4 different countries and is in a few spots nearly 7000 feet deep. It has thousands of different kinds of fish and has a unique coloring that gives it it’s unique name.
We drove for what seemed like a small eternity through the desert of Sin. No, it wasn’t named that because of the rebellion of the Israelites – though it certainly is appropriate. The entire Sinai peninsula gets its name from the ancient god Sin (pronounced S-EE-n), the moon god. It’s mountains and rocks and sand – that’s it! If you’ve ever thought of what a mountainous nowhere might look like, you’ve pictured what I drove through today.
About half way through, I had a thought about my surroundings and the ancient Hebrews. At one point, there were towering mountains on either side of me – reaching well over a mile high (sorry Denver) – and I had this epiphany. The Hebrews were here – no wonder they were so cranky! They whined and complained and made life practically miserable for everyone, including God! I used to think they were immature or ungrateful, and I’m sure they were, but honestly, I would have been too! The place is barren. It’s a wasteland.
That got me thinking about where we had been – Israel. After 40 years of wandering in that, the Jordan must have seen larger than life. The lush hills and green valleys must have been like heaven. What was the wilderness for then? Maybe it was to make them hungry and desperate and, above all, let them realize that thankfulness is where a life finds it’s meaning. It’s a good lesson for this guy – tired and cranky from being in a bus too long.
Thank you Abba for all you have given me!
Salaam for now…
jim
Grace and Peace –
Jim
Location:Sharm Al Sharif, Egypt