Two Lakes - Two Different People.

One of the joys of backpacking in the Middle East back in 1993 was that I had the privilege to board an Egged bus at the Jerusalem Bus Terminal for Masada. From which I was able to watch Jerusalem fade into the distance and watch as the bus travelled through the Judean desert down into a valley. We even passed a roadside sign which read in Hebrew, Arab and English, Sea Level. Even then, the bus continued downhill into which the Guinness Book of Records classifies as the lowest point on Earth, a small section of the Great Rift Valley which contains the Dead Sea, or the Yam HaMelakh (Salt Sea in Hebrew) some 395 metres below sea level. The whole valley itself, which begins in the Lebanese area, winding down through the Red Sea, into Africa, to end at Mozambique, 3,703 miles (6,000 km) away from its northern end.

Close to the northern end of the Dead Sea, the road divided. One continued eastwards, towards Allenby Bridge which spans the Jordan River into Jordan itself, to end at its capital city of Amman. The other road, the one our bus was on, swung south to run west of the Dead Sea towards Ein Gedi, and on towards Masada, and then across the arid landscape of the Negev Desert surrounding Beersheba to continue towards Eilat, the last Israeli town before crossing into Egypt.

It was only a couple of days earlier that I boarded the same bus to Ein Gedi, a nature reserve and a nearby resort where a freshwater spring feeds into the Dead Sea via a waterfall, the Shulamit Falls, where, seven years later in the year 2000, my pregnant wife Alex and I bathed in the refreshing pool under the falls. No wonder the fledgeling King David hid here to escape the reigning King Saul, according to 1 Samuel 24. Aware of such a beautiful oasis in the middle of the desert, David certainly knew where to hide!

Back to 1993. This time I was one of the few who remained on the bus as it pulled out of Ein Gedi bus stop to continue south along the west coast of the Yam HaMelakh until the majestic, breathtaking mesa of Masada loomed above us, which was the turnaround point for the bus to return to Jerusalem. After I have alighted, I was alone as I watched a few make their way for the cable-car station to convey them silently to the summit. As for me, the real fun was about to begin: to hike the trail to the summit, up to 400 metres high. Known as the Snake Path, I recall its resemblance to the Grand Canyon's Bright Angel Trail with its switchbacks as the terrific view of the valley with its southern end of the Dead Sea unfolding into view.

Masada from the air.

And I cannot escape history. Directly below me, perched on a natural ledge, was the perfect rectangle of an ancient Roman fortress staring back up at me. Eventually, I made it to the summit, a rhombus-shaped archaeological site, mainly that of a Jewish synagogue, a couple of ceremonial washing baths, a hewn-out cistern, a swimming pool, various other ruins, together with those of Herod's palace, a place of isolated retreat when his chips were down.

In AD 73 when the Romans re-captured Judea, up to 965 Jewish men, women and children sought refuge as the Roman legions were advancing. Rather than submit to Roman slavery, they all agreed to a mass suicide pact. When the Roman army arrived at the summit the next morning, they found 960 dead bodies, with just two women and three children left alive. It was a hollow victory for the Romans.

As I stood, looking out towards the southern end of the Dead Sea, I could not help thinking about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The very air of death hung over the lake, the stillness, the deafening silence as if mourning over the loss of the once active civilisation which once prevailed in that region. And so I thought. According to at least three sources: the map pages of my old KJV Bible, the Lion Handbook of the Bible (1975 edition) and the Rough Guide to Israel and the Palestinian Territories, all three place Sodom and Gomorrah under the briny waters of the Sea, south of the Jordanian peninsula of Al Lisan. But just reading Scripture places Sodom, Gomorrah and Bela (or Zoar) at a very different location.

The whole chapter of Genesis 13 tells how the herdsmen of Lot were quarrelling with Abraham's herdsmen, due to a lack of adequate resources. Abraham then suggests that the two should part, and offered his nephew the first choice in finding a location. We are told that Lot looked across the Jordanian Valley from a high precipice near Bethel and Ai (Vs. 10-13.) He was dazzled by the forests which lined the river, and maybe with a feeling of relief that there is a settlement where, according to Genesis 19, he had made a home, swopping his tent for a house in Sodom itself, while his herdsmen, I guess, either camped some distance out of town or somehow parted for some reason.

Lot's view of the valley (grey line.)

Sodom was apparently the chief of the cities which lined the Canaanite side of the river. Yet, if all the men of that city were able to gather at Lot's house, then the population was very small compared even to our present townships. Indeed, archaeologists have confirmed that the city-states of ancient Canaan were no larger than London's Trafalgar Square! Yet several townships were lining the southern end of the Jordan River, according to this chart:*

This seems to make sense, considering that these townships were in Canaan itself, the land which God has already given to Abraham. Therefore it does look like that because of their more grievous sins, God had to judge those cities before the Israelites moved in to settle. By checking out on Google Maps or Google Earth, at that region between the Dead Sea and Jericho, the land lies desolate, as if vegetation was not able to survive after the catastrophe. However, from Jericho northward, the Jordanian valley continues to be a well-watered strip as described before the judgement.

The Yam HaMelakh is constantly fed by the Jordan River, yet has no outlet to the nearest sea. Over thousands of years, the rate of flow of the river was in balance with the rate of evaporation, keeping its level reasonably steady. But lately, in the last couple of decades, the area south of Al Lisan peninsula is almost dried out, leaving a marshy area which, according to Google Maps, is made into salt pans where salt and other minerals can be harvested and processed. However, there were no signs of the ruins of Sodom and Gomorrah ever found there.

The River Jordan is aqua dolce, as its source the smaller Sea of Tiberias, or the Hebrew Kinneret, which I had the privilege to visit as far back as 1976 (when I also visited the Dead Sea for the first time ever) but did not visit the Sea of Galilee in 1993, but I did visit again in 1994 and once more with Alex in the year 2000.

Being freshwater, the Sea of Galilee is rich with life, with St. Peter's Fish being most abundant. Although sharing the same valley system, the contrast between it and the Dead Sea couldn't be more different.

I have swum in this lake several times in 1976, 1994 and with Alex in 2000. A lido enclosed by floating plastic bottles roped to each other through the handles kept us from swimming too far out and getting in the way of the boats which ply the lake, both for tourists and yes, for fishing too. The nets used are the same as in Jesus' day. The only difference is the presence of modern outboard motors. As far as I know, I could just as well dive in the Sea of Galilee and suffer no ill effects. Likewise, if I had a cut or a graze. But floating in the Dead Sea, if the oily water accidentally gets into the eyes, then the burning sensation is quite intense, as was the case of a cut or graze, causing localised but intense pain.

It is these two lakes which, to me, symbolise two different kinds of people. The Sea of Tiberias is fed by the Upper Jordan, which as its headstreams at the mountains of Syria. But it also has an outlet, the Jordan River. This, in a way, is a symbol of a generous person, one who does good to others. It could be likened to a Christian saint. A true saint is benevolent, or loving towards others and therefore gives to the needs of others. This is the Jordan River flowing out of the Galilean lake. As a result, the lake is teeming with life. Fish is abundant and provides man with good nutrition whilst still happy to make the lake its own home, which has done so for millennia.

But the Dead Sea has no outlet. Therefore, it has no life. Nothing can survive in it. It's even hostile to bathers. As already said, it can sting the eyes and intensify the pain should one have a graze. The oily waters of Yam HaMelakh also have a nasty taste, and if swallowed, one can become ill, causing him to vomit, if not suffering a worse illness. All this is a symbol of an unsaved sinner who is particularly selfish. As the Dead Sea has no outlet, so a selfish person does not give generously to those in need, and his heart is shut to any feeling of compassion. And while a selfish and wicked person continues to keep his heart waterproof, he is still willing to receive the goodness of God and from others, symbolised by the aqua dolce of the Jordan River.

The Jordan River system of the Middle East is extremely unique. There is no other system like it anywhere in the world. I don't believe that such a unique system is merely coincidental. Being in the midst of the land chosen by God to give to his people Israel, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Jordan River system is unique, and so is the Cave of Machpelah, found in Hebron and marked by a fortress built by Herod the Great. The cave is a burial site of Abraham and his wife Sarah, of Isaac and his wife Rebekah, and Jacob with his wife Leah. These three couples are the founders of the nation Israel. No other country anywhere in the world has a burial site housing the nation's founders.

Fortress over the Cave of Machpelah, Hebron. Visited 1976.

Furthermore, the initials of each individual, together with one of God's titles, make up the name Israel, which is easily demonstrated (the Hebrew for Israel is Yisrael:

Yacob,
Isaac,
Sarah,
Rebekah,
Abraham,
Elohim,
Leah.

All of them, except Elohim, is buried in the Cave of Machpelah. Since poor Leah was least loved by her husband Jacob (he preferred Rachel, his second wife), her initial is also part of God's own title, Elohim, thus receiving greater favour. It's such a wonderful sign of God's compassionate love. To add to this, seven initials are making up the name. Seven is God's own number, according to Revelation, which is greater than man's number, which happens to be the number of bodies buried at Machpelah.

The future of the Dead Sea is also a fascinating symbol of its redemption. In Ezekiel 47:1-12, a river is described as flowing from the Temple in Jerusalem to the Dead Sea, freshening the water and becoming home to a wide diversity of fishes, which will also provide nutrition for mankind. This will happen in the future, after the return of the risen Jesus. The risen and crowned Jesus Christ of Nazareth will sit on the throne of the Temple, where the Ark of the Covenant used to be. Therefore I assume that for the first time in its history, the elongated lake will have an outlet. As the water freshens, it does look as if fish from the Sea of Galilee will flow down the river to make its new home in what was once the Dead Sea. 

The Jordan River system tells a good story of the history of man's fall and redemption.

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*Journal of Creation 31 (2) 2017.