LIVING WATERS
For the proclamation of the Gospel and the edification of the Body of Christ
Springs in the Desert
"And the sons of Zibeon were Aha and Anah. This Anah is the one who discovered springs in the desert, when he pastured the asses of Zibeon his father" (Gen. 36:24).
Nothing more is said of this singular personage named Anah, except that he was a descendant of Esau, and that he had a son (Dishon) and a daughter (Aholibamah). The important thing seems to be the fact that he discovered springs in the desert (which was like finding a great treasure) while shepherding his father's asses.
The episode of the donkeys reminds us of another son concerned with serving his father diligently: Saul. Both, similar in this, but different, perhaps, in everything else.
Anah was engaged in a despicable occupation and in an unattractive place. He must not have been the object of anyone's envy; he must have been neither a good suitor (his wife is not even mentioned), nor his father's favorite son (he was probably the youngest). But Anah discovered springs in the desert.
Saul toiled with the asses before he was king, and David defended the flock far from home before he was anointed the greatest king of Israel, the king after God's own heart. This minor office -performed with care- gave them both God's approval for a slightly greater office.
One day, perhaps the laziest day, perhaps the saddest day, perhaps the most routine day of all, Anah uttered an exclamation that broke the tedium for miles around: He had found a spring!
In the midst of the routine of the days, all seemingly equal to each other, there will be something to break the monotony, and to give value to the countless moments of silence and forgetfulness. For God carefully examines the earth of men to attend to the heart of mortals, and to remember that they are dust, and that without Him they are nothing, absolutely nothing.