Israel Tour 04 Judean Wilderness

This video is one of several that can provide an overview of Israel and the Bible stories that happened in a particular region. For more videos like this one, search for “Israel Tour.” The Judean Wilderness is surprisingly close to Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, only five miles (8 km) to the east. It is easily seen on a clear day from the elevated areas of Jerusalem and Bethlehem. That means it was a land that David, John the Baptizer, and Jesus knew well. Each year on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), all of Israel watched as a scapegoat was taken into the wilderness, where it would die with the sins of the nation on its head. The land’s rugged terrain and deep ravines are related to rainfall patterns. Normal rain patterns arrive in Israel from the west, with clouds having collected their water from the Mediterranean Sea. As the clouds rise into the Judean Mountains, rain falls on the coastal plain, the foothills, and in the lush mountains leading up to Jerusalem. By the time the clouds pass over the wilderness, there is no water left in them. Along the shoreline of the Dead Sea, communities like Qumran and Ein Gedi receive less than two inches of rain each year. However, rain runoff from the mountains creates great (and dangerous) flash floods that race through the wilderness. Very few people attempt to live in the region, even today. When Jesus was looking for a place to prepare for ministry, it’s little wonder he chose the desolate wilderness. No one would bother him there! The red lines in this video represent the intercontinental highways that connected Africa, Europe, and Asia.