It’s hard to believe that it is already week two. We’ve had
a significant turnover in our volunteer workforce. They are coming and going. We
said goodbye to one Friday night, three Saturday night and two more tonight. We
gained one Friday evening and yesterday we gained three veteran volunteers who
returned for another season in the Gezer Water System.
Eli Yannai’s work in the possible dwelling area near the
Canaanite gate and the mouth of the water system is still going strong. The
area has gained an affectionate nickname, “Eli’s house.” Our group is really
enjoying this time with Eli – he is a real pro with a subtle but great sense of
humor. He is always teaching and passing along what he knows. One of my
favorite parts of the dig is pottery reading. Listening to Eli identify sherds
is like a very interesting lecture on ceramic chronology.
We reached several major milestones inside the water system
today. The first three bags of dirt and debris were pulled from the system.
There will be many, many more bags to come, but it was satisfying to get a few
bags to the sifting area today. Dr. Jim Parker and Stan Watts dealt with a
nagging problem – the large chalk “boulders” blocking our next digging area.
Tomorrow will be a “fun” day for the persons tasked with breaking up and bagging
the massive pile of blocks they knocked down. I am anxious to see how many bags
of rock and debris is waiting from their work – I believe it is close to 20
bags of material. Last but not least, we work on safety measures. We have a
great deal of fun on these trips and it can be easy to forget that the work in
the tunnel is very hard and dangerous. After pulling the first few bags and
assessing the ramp for any weak spots, a small crew installed a few safety
measures to help block most things that might slide down the ramp if one of our
bags breaks and then shored up the loose spots on the ramp. We were especially
pleased with the catch fence we install halfway down the tunnel (photos
tomorrow).
Work will speed up tomorrow, so keep us in your prayers.
Pray for safety and strength. We have exciting days ahead of us as we seek to
understand this unique ancient feature. Why is it so big? How did it function?
Was it used for more than a water system? We are still seeking answers.
Star Struck
I forgot to mention an interesting coincidence that happened yesterday. As we arrived at Lachish, Dr. Warner noticed a large group marching down the trail and noted that they must be “serious tourists” because the site is off the beaten path and not very developed. Those who know their Bible and know about the Lachish Letters discovered here love this site. The city plays a prominent role in Assyria’s war against King Hezekiah. The Assyrian siege ramp remains all these years later, reminding of Sennacherib’s power. But Hezekiah prayed to the LORD and Jerusalem was spared.
I forgot to mention an interesting coincidence that happened yesterday. As we arrived at Lachish, Dr. Warner noticed a large group marching down the trail and noted that they must be “serious tourists” because the site is off the beaten path and not very developed. Those who know their Bible and know about the Lachish Letters discovered here love this site. The city plays a prominent role in Assyria’s war against King Hezekiah. The Assyrian siege ramp remains all these years later, reminding of Sennacherib’s power. But Hezekiah prayed to the LORD and Jerusalem was spared.
As the group made it down the tel as we started up, someone
notice the leader. It was Dr. John Walton of Wheaton College, one of the
biggest names in Old Testament studies. Some of us were a little star struck.
Today, Walton brought his group to Gezer for a special tour.
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