[God’s] splendor was like the sunrise;
Habakkuk 3:4
rays flashed from his hand,
where his power was hidden.
In my last post, I wrote about the Maktesh Gadol, a later crater-like hole. It is one of three large makhteshim (plural of makhtesh). The largest of these geological giants (which I’ve written about before here and here) is called the Makhtesh Ramon. It’s about 25 miles long, 1-6 miles wide and over 1000 feet deep. On its northern ridge, the town of Mitzpeh Ramon sits, overlooking this awe-inspiring landscape.
We spent the night in this little town on our way south, staying at the local youth hostel. Conveniently situated a short 500 foot walk from the edge of the makhtesh, it gave us the chance to wander out a few times during our short stay.
Early in the morning, we strode to the edge of the makhtesh to watch the sunrise. Unfortunately, the overcast sky prevented the sun from making an early, dramatic appearance on the horizon. Nevertheless, since we were already up early and breakfast wouldn’t be served for over an hour, we got in a chilly hike along the rim. While absorbing the beauty of the far-reaching landscape, we vigilantly kept our eyes open for brief radiant displays by the elusive sun.
Looking over this deep depression, I think of the ancient Israelites. As they wandered through this wilderness, did they see any of the makhteshim? Did they look at the precipice and hope the pillar of cloud would avoid it?