So I know this is way late in posting these thoughts as they are from a week and half ago, but life got a little busy. But I figured better late than never...
From the Negev report:
(picture to the left is in the bottom of the Wadi Zin, starting our hike out)
As is becoming the norm, today added yet another dimension to my understanding of Israel and the land and culture. Seeing so much desert and dry barrenness made me realize anew how critical rain is to productivity withing the land. Driving towards the tel of Arad this morning and seeing irrigated fields on one side and those left to rainfall on the other certainly cemented in my mind how crucial water is to these people. Within the ancient cities themselves, everything revolves around water and how they can safely get it.
At Arad I was fascinated by two ting in particular. First, I really liked all the reconstruction that had been done. While I have been attempting to reconstruct sites in my imagination up until now, it was a helpful visual to see a lot more of what the site would have looked like. Secondly, the temple there really interested me. I know that what is proscribed and what is described often vary in the Bible, but it never occurred to me that the Israelites might have tried to add a female counterpart to YHWH (in order to carry one the ideas of the gods around them). I always assumed that when they worshipped other gods, YHWH had no part in that. Seeing the larger and the smaller standing stones and incense altars in the holy of holies certainly begged the question as to who exactly the Israelites were worshipping there. It's an interesting idea for me to consider.
Moving on to Beer-Sheva, I very much enjoyed the view from the top of the observatory. Being able to look in all directions and make connections between things marked on my foundations map and things I was seeing was helpful to me. I am not sure why, but for reason it clicked a lot better for me today than it has many times before when we were doing the same thing. From Beer-Sheva and after I saw a lot of very barren land. It certainly gave picture form to the idea of the great and terrible wilderness. Admittedly, I am not sure I would want to be an Israelite out there for fourty years. Everything was just dry and hot and dusty.
One of my favorite parts of the day was hiking out of the Wadi Zin. The views were breathtaking, even if the heights occassionally got to me a bit. It was pretty awesome seeing the heights of the cliffs and the dangers they presented. It makes perfect sense why people would not want to travel in and out of wadis frequently.
Ending the day at the Machtesh Ramon was also pretty cool. It is not every day that one gets to stand and look at the world's largest erosion crater. I was completely in awe of the depth and vastness of the landscape. The drop-offs were impressive. The overall view of the land there just made me realize even more how challenging the southern highlands could be. I cannot really imagine having to cross that land (which is, I am sure, why most go around it). All in all, I certainly gained and appreciation for the ruggedness of the terrain today.
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