Into the desert

We just got back from three days in the desert. At first the desert is quite intimidating: temperatures in the 90's, bright hot sun, rocks and sand. But it actually has its own beauty and is full of life. Even people fill the desert. Abraham spent a fair amount of his life around Beer Sheva.

Water is a scarce and precious commodity in the desert. In Beer Sheva, we walked into a massive water system that held waer diverted from the wadi. The wadi's drain a large area and the water runs off the surface quickly, collecting in a torrent at the bottom of the wadi. In an ingenious way, the ancient people diverted water from the water into their system, and they could use it for months to come. We were able to walk into the water system, walking down the well by taking four long flights of stairs. You may be able to see one of the flights of stairs on the right of the picture. I began to appreciate how water gives life. And how the bible calls the spirit of God "life giving water."