The Promised Land
When the Israelites finally reached the edge of the Promised Land after wandering 40 years in the barren wilderness, they must have been overwhelmed by Canaan's fertility. To North Americans, it does not look particularly lush; but to desert nomads, it was paradise.These modern-day Bedouins are camped where the wilderness meets farm country, just as the Israelites did centuries ago. At God's command, the Israelite nomads forced the Canaanite farmers out of the Promised Land.
The struggle over water continues today, as desert people try to push onto farmland. To alleviate the conflict, the State of Israel pipes water into the desert to provide for the nomads there.
