Luke preaches for the North Terrace Church of Christ, a bilingual congregation in Temple Terrace, Florida. He has excavated in Israel for eight consecutive archaeological seasons in the Elah Valley and at biblical Lachish. Luke and his wife Melanie have five children.
ARCHAEOLOGY
Synopsis: "Masada is famous for its battle between Jewish rebels and the Romans, but there is a biblical connection that illuminates David and several psalms. How can Masada strengthen and comfort Christians today?"
Most visitors to the Bible Lands are familiar with Masada. It is a flat-topped mountain whose summit sits some 1500 feet above the Dead Sea. A narrow, exposed path provides access to the top. Masada is strategically located on the western shore of the Dead Sea by the Lisan peninsula, a natural crossing point to Moab in biblical times.
Masada is famous for a battle between Jewish rebels and the Romans in A.D. 73. The Roman Tenth Legion captured the mountain by constructing a massive earthen ramp up one of the site's steep slopes. According to Josephus, the Jewish defenders killed themselves rather than become slaves to Rome.
Is Masada a biblical site? The Jewish-Roman battle took place forty years after Jesus' crucifixion and is not mentioned in the New Testament. Some Christian travelers consider the site post-biblical and skip it entirely.
Omitting Masada is a shame because David probably knew it well. The term masada occurs in the Hebrew Bible and translates as "fortress" or "stronghold." When we examine the text and the geography, it appears David may have utilized the site.
On one occasion David moved his parents to Moab to protect them from King Saul. "He left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with [the Moabite king] all the time that David was in the stronghold [masada]" (1 Sam. 22:4). Was this stronghold used by David the same Masada we recognize today? David would have passed by the mountain while escorting his parents across the Lisan peninsula into Moab. As a military man he would have noticed its defensive quality. Its excellent visibility and proximity to Moab make it the likely candidate for David's masada in this story.
David later encountered Saul in a cave at nearby En-Gedi. After this incident "Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold [masada]" (1 Sam 24:22). Masada is just a few miles south of En-Gedi, making for a quick journey to its protective summit.
Do we have physical evidence of David at Masada? Excavations have yielded no structures from David's time but archaeologists uncovered pottery from that general period. Someone was clearly spending time there during the era of Israel and Judah's kings.
Masada may give us a glimpse inside David's head. What did he see in his mind's eye when dwelling on God's protection? Did he visualize this massive mountain fortress by the Dead Sea? Consider these psalms, all attributed to David.
"I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress [masada] and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge" (Ps. 18:1-2).
"In you, O LORD, do I take refuge… Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me! For you are my rock and my fortress" (31:1-3).
"Blessed be the LORD, my rock… He is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer" (144:1-2).
Do we visualize God in this way? He is not simply our shield or confidante. God is an unshakeable, unassailable mountain. In our hostile, dangerous world do we see God as a mighty stronghold? Our fortress? Our Masada?