Today we were in the Biblical Negev (southern region). We started the day at Beersheba. At this site we were able to see what an altar would have looked like. We also walked through an ancient cistern which would have held water collected in the rainy season for use in the summer months. Also, it would have helped a city outlast a siege. We are quickly learning that ancient civilizations did not pick a site to settle for the topography (as many cities were uneven/sloped or the view, but the availability of water.
Next we went to Arad where we saw a well that could very well (no pun intended) have been dug out by Abraham. It was excavated down to sixty feet or so, but they estimate that it goes all the way down to 150 feet. We also got to hike through the River of Zin which is a huge canyon. We hiked up the canyon (which my friend Tommy and I estimated to be 700 feet) all the way to the top. What a rewarding hike it was to get to the top and look down at the beautiful scenery! (We also got to see a few Ibex--which is similar to a goat--running around on the tiniest ledges of cliffs.) This hike along with a stop along a roadside really helped us realize how difficult it was for the Israelites in the wilderness. I (Michael) always assumed the wilderness was something like a forest, but we found out very quickly that the wilderness spoken of in the Bible (in the context of the Israelites in the wilderness) was really a desert! We had a tough time making our 1 hour hike. It is hard to imagine living there for 40 years! It was much easier after today to visualize the excitement that the Israelites would have had when the LORD told them they would be entering a land of springs, rivers, fruit, honey, etc.
As a side note, when we were climbing up the canyon previously mentioned, Michael's new friend Tommy and he got in a little race to see who could get ahead of one another. One would jet off the path, climb a few rocks and get back on the path in front of the other. Then, the one who was behind would do the same. At one point Michael kind of gave up on the idea of beating Tommy until someone pointed out that Tommy would not quit until he had won in accordance with showing off his German superiority. So, Michael decided it was time to finally put an end to it, and he climbed up a somewhat dangerous part (that was probably a 60 degree incline to cut in front of Tommy taking the win for the Americans. Tommy was quite ashamed and went home weeping. (Well, not really, but he's going to be reading this, so we might as well point out that Americans are far superior to their German counterparts.)
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