1S23-8: Why Visiting The Holy Land Will Transform Your Spiritual Journey

“David stayed in the desert strongholds, remaining in the hills of the Zif Desert. Sha’ul kept trying to find him, but God did not hand him over to him.”-1 Samuel 23:14

Let’s go over a couple of Hebrew words today.

So David hightailed it out of Ke’ilah before Saul and his forces could arrive.

We’re told he “stayed in the desert strongholds, remaining in the hills of the Zif Desert.”

The word for a stronghold in Hebrew is METSAD.

It doesn’t usually mean a “fortress” but it can depending on the context.

A METSAD or METSADAH is usually a high spot in an area where people can watch for enemies or hide.

It can also be a natural barrier that makes it harder for attackers to get in.

These places often had water supplies.

Also, the famous Dead Sea plateau that many visitors climb yearly is called MASADA.

MASADA is just the Roman way to say the Hebrew word METSADA, which means fortress.

I visited the place a couple of years ago and I tell you the place is steamin’ HOT!

Check out the above photo of me standing in the scorching heat when I visited the Holy Land a couple of years ago.

There are certain hours when tourists are prohibited from hiking up to the top because chances are high they could faint from heat exhaustion.

This leads me to my next Hebrew word.

The Hebrew word for “desert” is MIDBAR…

But it can also mean wilderness.

For instance, the Hebrew word for the Book of Numbers in the Tanach is BA MIDBAR, which means “In the Wilderness.”

When talking about Canaan, especially Judah, “the wilderness” means the large Judean Desert called the Negev.

Zif is not another desert but a specific place in the Negev.

Zif was a town about 12 miles southeast of Ke’ilah (around 5 miles south-southeast of Hebron).

So, the Zif desert is the area around the town of Zif.

So what’s the takeaway for today?

The takeaway is simple.

When you get a chance, visit the Holy Land.

When I visited, it changed my life forever because everything I was reading in Scripture came to life.

I visited the strongholds where David hid from Saul.

I went to the “Wailing Wall” which is the remnant of Solomon’s temple.

And I spent a couple of weeks in Jerusalem where Yeshua preached to the crowds and got in scuffles with the Pharisees.

Before all hell breaks looks and Armageddon begins…

Get your ticket to visit Israel today.

And if you can, fly EL AL.

This airline has never been highjacked…not even once.