For years, people had wondered how the temple got all the water needed to perform the rituals used in the worship of God. One day, Shukron heard a scraping sound when a bulldozer was working near the Pool of Siloam. He stopped the digging and did some exploration. What he eventually found was earth-shattering. As his crew was excavating the entire drainage channel of Jerusalem, they discovered a First Temple Period reservoir capable of holding 8,000 cubic feet of water, enough to provide for all the needs of the priests and pilgrims worshipping at the temple and the everyday needs of the general public in Jerusalem.
Something I have never thought about was the great amount of water needed each day at the temple. Since the temple was at a high point in the city, water would logically be difficult to obtain However, what Shukron discovered was an elaborate system of streams that fed into the reservoir. God provided for the needs of His people - why are we surprised?
These are pictures taken by John last year.
 |
| Schematic diagram of the water system |
 |
| Tight spaces! |
 |
| Excavation of the Pool of Siloam
I learned an interesting factoid today. Most of the million dollar homes on the hill across from Gezer are built on top of ancient tombs. The whole layering phenomenon continues to this day. I can visualise people 2000 years from now discovering homes built way back in the late 1900's on top of even more ancient structures! One man uses the tomb under his house to display his art work. I'm having a bit of trouble wrapping my mind around that!
Since I couldn't really make it through the "hike" under Jerusalem, I am relaxing at Neve Shalom. We will be leaving early morning three days from now - so hard to believe. Tonight it our last dinner at Neve Shalom, which really doesn't break my heart. (Should I be saying that?)
May you see the Lord's blessings in your life today and always.
M.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment