Much of Israel is a parched, barren desert. But there are parts that are lush and fecund, producing tons of fruit, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and shady trees. What makes finding these green patches so remarkable is how suddenly they appear. One minute you are driving through a landscape so dry and dusty it looks like a planet from the Dune movies. And without notice, you turn a corner and see an oasis of lush vegetation and enchanting waterfalls.
Psalm 63:1 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
The road to Jericho, for example, is as desolate as you can imagine, but as you descend toward the city, you can quickly see why it has for millennia been called the City of Palms.
The most popular oasis to visit is Ein Gedi and the “Waterfall of David.” This is the “Engedi” region that David and his men would have thanked God for, while they were on the run from Saul in that arid area (1 Sam 23). It is the place that Solomon immortalized in his Song (SoS 1:14).
Tour groups will often visit Masada, Qumran, the Dead Sea, and Ein Gedi on the same day. The contrast is striking.
When I arrived, I could not help but imagine a ragged band of sun-blanched fugitives, hiking in the dusty gravel of Masada and Qumran, only to round the bend and see the welcoming, shady invitation to the much-needed respite and relief of the cool, flowing water of Engedi’s springs and waterfalls.
“As a deer pants for the flowing water, so my soul longs for you, O God,” (Ps 42:1)
