It was Hezekiah who blocked the upper outlet of the Gihon spring and channeled the water down to the west side of the City of David. He succeeded in everything he undertook. – 2 Chronicles 32:30

Today's Scripture Reading (June 8, 2026): 2 Chronicles 32

It is the Deh Cho River, though you probably don't recognize it by that name. That is because in 1828, Sir John Franklin encountered the river and suggested that it be called the Mackenzie River. It was the name "Mackenzie" that was put onto maps and government documents. But that name ignored the river's existing name: the Deh Cho River, given by the Dene people who were native to the area. Deh Cho means "The Big River." The Deh Cho River is a massive waterway that runs from "The Great Slave Lake" to the Arctic Ocean in the Northwest Territory of Northern Canada. And the Deh Cho River brings life wherever it goes.

So, it is not surprising that, as the Deh Cho River began to look cloudy and water tests showed an increase in toxicity, a group of Elders met on the banks of the river on September 7, 2006. They wanted to know what was happening to the great river. Their message was that life depended on the river's water. But the message went beyond just what was happening to the Deh Cho River. Water is essential to life – all water and all life. We don't exist without it. This group of Elders developed what they called "The Keepers of the Water Declaration."

Water is a Sacred gift, an essential element that sustains and connects all life. It is not a commodity to be bought or sold. All people share an obligation to cooperate in ensuring that water, in all its forms, is protected and conserved with regard to the needs of all living things today and for the generations yet to come (Keepers of the Water Declaration).

Water is essential to everything that we hold dear.

In ancient times, the people understood this need for water. Towns were built beside rivers and lakes. I suspect that most people can point to the river on which their community is built. Maybe the water is not as majestic as the Deh Cho River, but there is water running close by most human settlements. One of the purposes of an enemy siege was to separate the city from its source of food, but, even more importantly, to isolate the urban environment from its source of water. A city could not survive if its people had no water to drink.

One of the great achievements of Hezekiah was that he took water from the Gihon Spring and allowed it to flow into the west side of Jerusalem, bringing the water of the spring into the City of David. But words don't quite sum up the task that Hezekiah had decided to undertake. Bringing the water from the spring meant cutting through 643 meters of rock, an intimidating task for people in the ancient world. Hezekiah decided to plot the intended passageway and then had workers start at each end and work toward the middle. It had to follow precise measurements or the two tunnels would completely miss each other. It was a significant achievement for an Eighth Century B.C.E. king, and maybe evidence that he really could achieve whatever he put his mind toward. Because we are all Keepers of the Water, and we still need water to survive. 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 46 & 47