The Dead Sea is unique for multiple reasons. To begin with, it is literally the lowest point on earth at approximately 1300 feet below sea level. Additionally,because the Dead Sea has water flowing into it from the Jordan and other tributaries from around the desert mountains and no outlet flows out of it, the minerals and salts that are deposited here stay here. After just a few hours of being around the sea you can taste the salt on your lips and tongue and feel it layered on your skin and clothes. One quick dip in the water will result in a smooth film on your skin that makes you feel as if you've bathed in body lotion. It's not hard to imagine Lot's wife turning into a salt pile not far from here as you get the feeling you might turn into a pillar of salt if you stay too long.
The result of this unique environment is a multi-billion dollar industry as minerals like potash, magnesium, bromine, basalt and many different varieties of skin lotions and medicines are harvested from here. So much is being taken from the Dead Sea, however, that the water is declining several feet each year. To remedy this the Jordanian and Israeli governments are embarking on a joint venture to pipe water from the Red Sea into the Dead so as to raise the level back up. One has to wonder what that might do to the unique qualities of the minerals here however.
The next morning January 5 our group departed early and traveled along the desert highway up into the mountains past the famous crusader castle of Karak toward Petra. Jordan is traversed by three famous and ancient roads that have important biblical significance; the spice road, the via mara and the kings highway. Karak is one of two important crusader castles along the kings highway established in the 13th century by the Latin Kingdom based out of Jerusalem.
The other castle is Showback, near where our church has sponsored a dig of an ancient Edomite village. For those of you who are interested in crusader history, Karak castle was the base of operations for the natorious prince Reginald whose wreckless and senseless murders of Muslim caravans traveling near his castle raised the ire of the Kurdish Sultan Salidin who united the Muslim tribes from Edessa to Mosul to Cairo to cast out the Jerusalem kingdom. The movie "Kingdom of God" was based on the events that took place as a result.
We continued along the desert road onto the kings highway and on to the spectacular ruins of Petra made famous by the original "Indaina Jones" movie. Ancient Petra was the seat of the Nabatean kingdom that existed in Roman times. Our guide explains that the first Arab Christians who came into the church at Pentecost were Nabatean. There are remnants of those first Christians all over the Middle East especially in Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Jordan, all of whom still speak the Aramaic language of Jesus and the disciples that is today known as "Assyrian".
Somewhere in the mountains surrounding Petra it is believed that Moses struck the rock in the wilderness to quench the thirst of the Israelites. As I look at the beautiful blood red rocks here I am reminded of that passage in which God told Moses to strike the rock where His presence dwelt, a direct foreshadowing of the event several hundred years later when Jesus would be lifted up on another rock and take the blow for our sin. He is the one who shed His blood for us and from whom the water of life flows. He is the rock struck.
Our group enjoyed walking through the spectacular beauty and spender of Petra, one of the modern wonders of the world. This is where the Nabateans chiseled breathtakingly beautiful sculptures in the massive sandstone cliffs and later the Romans came and constructed magnificent temples and theaters as well. Petra definitely has the wow factor. The whole time you are in this place you look up all around you and say "wow". There is nothing quite like it in all the world.
One of the really great sites in Petra is the remains of a byzantine era church. After Chrisitanity took over the Roman empire, Petra became a Christian city with beautfiful churches. The mosaics here resemble those found in Madaba. We spent a little over three hours here and concluded our trip with a camel ride out as a way to get the genuine bedhoin experience.
Prayer from Petra: Lord God we are in awe at the beauty of your creation as we look around and see the various colors in these sand stone rocks. But we are more in awe at the wonder of your love that sent you to the cross. You are the Rock Struck, the One who has quinched our thirst and who we come to when we are thristy. Fountains of living water come from your presence. This is a thirsty and dry land that reminds us of how we need you. We pray for the bedhoin people who live all around the Middle East. May the gospel come back into this land and flow out of here to every dry place.
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