The Ibexes of En Gedi

Our Song For Israel tour was scheduled to depart tomorrow, March 17th, for our annual tour to Israel. Because we have been detained due to Israel closing its doors to tourists at this time, I have decided to compose daily articles of what we discovered on our past visits to Israel. (We are rescheduled for November 4-18, 2020).

On our 2018 tour, we visited En Gedi and saw many ibexes on top of the trees, eating and walking on the branches. We were amazed that the branches held their weight and that they moved around on them so gracefully.

En Gedi is located in the desert area where David hid from Saul in caves. En Gedi means “place of the spring goat,” which is referring to a fresh water spring. There are many fresh water springs in En Gedi and we hiked around finding them. It is a beautiful nature reserve.

We felt connected to David who wrote many of the Psalms as we walked through En Gedi, pondering which cave he may have lived in. David mentioned the ibex. 1 Samuel 23 picks up when King Saul was pursuing David (v. 15) and David went from place to place and ended up “staying in the strongholds of En Gedi" (v. 29). En Gedi is within walking distance of the Dead Sea. David retreated deeper into the desert and established his base in these strongholds. In this oasis, palms and balsam trees were grown. This region where David went into hiding has the natural conditions required for sheep-rearing: pasture-land, a perennial water-supply, and open spaces suitable for sheepfolds. Grass, the sheep’s main food, grows on the limestone of the slopes of the desert of Judah, especially in the shaded valleys. Sometimes, a shepherd might construct a sheepfold at the entrance to a cave; this would serve as shelter from the summer heat or from winter’s bitter storms. The cave would also provide protection from nighttime predators. There were caves all over these mountains, so no one could guess where David might have sought sanctuary.

In 1 Samuel 24, we read that David had a chance to kill King Saul but instead spared his life. Here is the chapter for you to read:

Now when Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, saying, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of En Gedi.” Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Rocks of the Wild Goats (these are the ibex called climbing goats).  He came to the sheepfolds on the way, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the inner recesses of the cave. The men of David said to him, “Behold, this is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold; I am about to give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it seems good to you.’” Then David arose and cut off the edge of Saul’s robe secretly. It came about afterward that David’s conscience bothered him because he had cut off the edge of Saul’s robe. So he said to his men, “Far be it from me because of the Lord that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him since he is the Lord’s anointed.” David persuaded his men with these words and did not allow them to rise up against Saul. And Saul arose, left the cave, and went on his way.

“Now afterward David arose and went out of the cave and called after Saul, saying, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the ground and prostrated himself. David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of men, saying, ‘Behold, David seeks to harm you’? Behold, this day your eyes have seen that the Lord had given you today into my hand in the cave, and some said to kill you, but my eye had pity on you; and I said, ‘I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed.’ Now, my father, see! Indeed, see the edge of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the edge of your robe and did not kill you, know and perceive that there is no evil or rebellion in my hands, and I have not sinned against you, though you are lying in wait for my life to take it. May the Lord judge between you and me, and may the Lord avenge me on you; but my hand shall not be against you. As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Out of the wicked comes forth wickedness’; but my hand shall not be against you. After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom are you pursuing? A dead dog, a single flea? The Lord therefore be judge and decide between you and me; and may He see and plead my cause and deliver me from your hand.”

“When David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” Then Saul lifted up his voice and wept. He said to David, “You are more righteous than I; for you have dealt well with me, while I have dealt wickedly with you. You have declared today that you have done good to me, that the Lord delivered me into your hand and yet you did not kill me. For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away safely? May the Lord therefore reward you with good in return for what you have done to me this day. Now, behold, I know that you will surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand. So now swear to me by the Lord that you will not cut off my descendants after me and that you will not destroy my name from my father’s household.” David swore to Saul. And Saul went to his home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.

It seems that distress often precedes blessing and prepares the way for it. The Lord purges us through suffering, opens us through wounding and creates an empty space within us through massive loss—to receive Him. Many times we see Him take away His blessings from us in order to give us Himself. Let us therefore, as much as possible, “REJOICE” in our sufferings, for we know with absolute assurance that where we have been distressed, we will also be greatly comforted, as has been the case with our Lord Yeshua Himself. He endured the cross, an unimaginable experience of pain “who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)

During this time of quarantine, let’s fix our eyes on Him and the words of His Book, the Bible. Let’s remember Who is in control of all things and rest in His promises.

Our trip to Israel and Greece has been postponed to November 4-18, 2020. We have opened it back up for registrations. Our trip for 2021 will be in April and we will visit Israel and Petra in Jordan. To read more about the tours, click here.

Here are more photos from this region and the Dead Sea. Please visit this website daily for the next two weeks for articles from our previous Israel tours.