Water -The Blessing of Water
Trip Start
Jan 08, 2008
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23
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Trip End
Mar 18, 2008
Jerusalem,
Israel
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Today, as it has always been in Jerusalem, water is a vital resource. The rainfall is very little yearly and comes in Jan & Feb. The rest of the year it is dry. Months will go by in summer when no rain will fall. Because water is so important and falls so infrequently it is important to collect as much of the rainfall as possible. I do not know what the city does today, but in the ancient world they had one way of keeping water-cisterns. Cisterns were huge openings under the ground. They were mostly natural openings with some chissling to round it. Tunnels were also dug to transport water. One of the most famous is called Hezekiah's Tunnel. Around 701 BCE Hezekiah did some work to fortify the city against the coming invasion from the Assyrians. He built up the walls and most important ordered the construction of a tunnel to transport water from the Gihon Spring, ancient Jerusalem's main water source, that was located outside the city walls to the pool of Siloam. Hezekiah reigned during the time of the prophet Isaiah. Recognizing the vulnerability of Jerusalem, King Hezekiah in an ingenious engineering feat had a 600 yard tunnel dug in the shape of the letter "S" to divert the waters of the Gihon Spring into the city (II Kings, 20, 20). At that time, the southeastern walls of the city were further south than where they are today. He also sealed the cave from which the waters of the Gihon sprung forth (II Chronicles 32, 30).
Bethesda Pool
King Hezekiah correctly realized that without a secure water source Jerusalem couldn't withstand a long siege. Conversely, it would be difficult for a conquering army to mount a successful siege on Jerusalem if the main local water source was cut off from the conquering force. Workmen dug from both ends, in a zig-zag course, until they met. A dramatic account of the meeting of the workmen is told by an inscription carved in stone found near the Siloam end of the tunnel. It reads: "The boring through is completed. Now this is the story of the boring through. While the workmen were still lifting pick to pick, each towards his neighbor, and while three cubits remained to be cut through, each heard the voice of the other who called his neighbor, since there was a crevice in the rock on the right side. And on the day of the boring through the stonecutters struck, each to meet his fellow, pick to pick, and there flowed the waters to the pool for a thousand and two hundred cubits, and a hundred cubits was the height of the rock above the heads of the stonecutters." On the other side of the city was the Pool of Bethesda that was used in Jesus' time to provide water for the Temple Mount. This was the same pool that Jesus healed the lame man ( John 2:2-9). This pool was in operation until Herod Agrippa built a larger pool and a wall to prevent the water from flowing to the Temple. On this spot, the Byzantines built a church over the site(now dry). This site is also believed to be the place were Anne.
Hymn sung at St. Anne's
the mother of Mary, was born. Today a church stands at this site called St. Anne's. It has some of the best sound of any church in Jerusalem. The picture that shows the Roman cistern was located under the Antonio Fortress (which was located right next to the Temple Mount). This cistern is an example of the size of the cistern under the Temple Mount and around Jerusalem.
When Jesus used the image, "I am the water of life", He knew the power of that image. Water meant that people could live in a town and that life could exist. Jesus boldly said that the water that is collected will some day run dry, but the water He gives will never run out. Next time you take a drink of water think of the fact that all the water that God created is still on the earth. Water is sacred and is necessary for life. If we take as much effort to bring Jesus into our lives as the ancients did to bring water to the city we will never thirst.
Drink well and deep and refresh yourself in the water of life.
In Christ's Love,
Michael and Jolene
Comments
Hymn
Jolene;
What a blessing to hear your lovely solo! Your travels are enthralling.
As for the picture, I'm guessing Golgatha?
Cindy D.