Today we begin 1 Samuel Chapter 24.
For the Complete Jewish Bible, click HERE.
For the King James Version, click HERE.
So David moved on with his men to a spot called EN-GEDI or עֵין גֶּדִי.
The Hebrew term “En Gedi” (עֵין גֶּדִי) translates to “spring of the young goat” or “fountain of the kid.”
Today, this area is one of Israel’s most popular tourist spots known for its natural springs and rich biodiversity.
In terms of wildlife, the Nubian Ibex is most famously known here.
In fact, the area houses one of the largest herds of Ibex in all of Israel but is also home to wolves, foxes, bats, and birds of prey, and is teeming with wild flora throughout.
It is located near the Dead Sea and has been an oasis since ancient times.
Speaking of the Dead Sea, here’s an interesting fact you’ve probably never heard before.
Three thousand years ago, the Dead Sea was twice as big as it is now!
And what a lot of folks don’t know is that the Dead Sea, which is about a mile away from En-Gedi today, was much closer during King David’s time.
Many of the famous desert towns mentioned in Scripture, which we can still visit today, were actually built right on the shores of the Dead Sea (sometimes called the Salt Sea in the Bible).
Places like Jericho, Qumran, and En-Gedi were next to that huge salty lake, and its waters even reached the path leading up to the ancient fortress Masada.
The hills around En-Gedi are full of caves, so finding David was going to be really hard for Saul, like finding one grain of sand on a beach or something.
In verse 3, we’re told that Saul gathered 3,000 men to go after David’s 600 men.
Yet it didn’t matter how outnumbered David was…
Saul was still going to face a major challenge trying to find David.
The area was simply too widespread and HUGE.
Small groups of soldiers had to stay in likely hiding spots to make sure David’s men didn’t just leave when they saw the troops coming and returned after the troops left.
So what’s the lesson for today?
Well, today I’ve been focusing a lot on the geography of the situation.
I’ve talked about EN-GEDI and how it’s a place you can visit today in Israel.
In terms of the takeaway, I’d like to propose that Scripture’s detailed descriptions of locations affirm its authenticity.
This is strong evidence the Bible isn’t just filled with a bunch of fairy tales.
You can visit the place where God split the Red Sea and then drowned the entire Egyptian Army…
You can see with your own eyes the city of Jericho where the walls fell after the Israelite army marched around the city seven times…
And some of the places where David fled to escape from Saul are now hot tourist spots in Israel.
Bottom line, Scriptural truth is NOT just spiritual…
It’s also historical and geographical as well.
Ya feel me?
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“All Scripture is God-breathed
and is useful for teaching, rebuking,
correcting and training in righteousness,
so that the servant of God
may be thoroughly equipped
for every good work.”
-2 Timothy 3:16
I was at Ein-Gedi in 2016, and it is as beautiful as you say.
At the Dead Sea, we left the hotel where we were staying, walked across the 4-lane road that now leads to it, and went into a small valley for about 100 yards, and there we saw wild goats on the mountainside, and a small stream (with crystal clear water) leading to a miniature waterfall.
And this is only a 5 minute walk off the main highway!
The Bible has been an established source of historical record for a long time, but no matter how accurate we find it to be, and no matter how much archeological evidence demonstrates it’s accuracy, it will always boil down to choice- we either choose to be faithful, proof notwithstanding, or we choose to doubt.
And not just about the biblbical history, but most importantly, about God and Yeshua (Jesus).
Awesome! There’s nothing more exciting than to visit the actual places we read about in Scripture.