Geography and Its Impact on the Bible

A Lost Discipline

• Jay Leno�s �Man on the Street�

• A loss in fully understanding our world

• Greatest loss in reading and understanding the Bible

The Importance of Recovery

• Saint Jerome: �The Fifth Gospel�

• Bargil Pixner: �The Geography of Salvation�

• William Thompson: �The Land and the Book�

Reading the Lay of the Land •  Customs •  Culture •  Climate

•  Country

Reading the Lay of the Land

• Maps • Topography: contours and features • Geology • Plant and animal life • Natural resources • Geo-political relationships • Culture

Let�s Review the Lay of the Land

• The Land of the Bible is about the size of Vermont: 200 miles by 90 miles

• Diverse in terms of climate, culture, topography, etc.

• The world in microcosm

Four Regions

•  The Coastal Plain

•  The Central Highlands

•  The Rift Valley

•  The Transjordan or Eastern Plateau

Subdivisions of the Land

•  The Foothills

• Upper and Lower Galilee

•  Jezreel Valley

•  Samaria

•  Judea and the Wilderness

•  The Negev

•  The Sea of Galilee

•  The Jordan River and the Dead Sea

The Coastal Plain

•  Plain of Acco

•  Plain of Dor

•  Plain of Sharon

•  Plain of Philistia

Key Biblical Events • Domination by Philistines and Others

• David and Herod

• Jonah and Joppa

• Paul and Peter at Caesarea Maritima

The Central Highlands

• Upper and Lower Galilee • The Jezreel Valley • Samaria • Judea and the Wilderness • The Negev

Key Biblical Events in the Galilee

• Joshua and the Canaanite Kings (Hazor)

• Tribes of Naphtali and Zebulon

• Jesus and the Disciples

• Nazareth, Cana and Capernaum

The Jezreel Valley What can we say of this region? •  Jezreel means �God sows�

• Most fertile land in the world

• Accessible to the world

•  Battlefield and Breadbasket of the world

Key Biblical Events in the Jezreel Valley

• Megiddo, Jezreel, and Beth Shean

• Gideon and the 300

• Deborah and Barak at Mount Tabor

• King Saul and the Philistines

Key Biblical Events in Judea and the Wilderness

• Abraham sacrifices Isaac •  Kings Saul, David, Solomon and Herod

•  John the Baptist in the Wilderness

•  Jesus and the �Week that Shook the World�

The Rift Valley

What can we say about this region? •  Fault line over some 4,000 miles •  Rainfall varies from north to south •  Jordan River, Sea of Galilee, and Dead Sea •  The Oasis of Jericho •  The Southern Wilderness •  The Arabah

Key Biblical Events

• Moses and Israel wander in the Wilderness

•  Israel crosses into the promised land

•  Joshua �fits the battle of Jericho�

•  Jesus preaches, teaches, heals, and casts out demons

The Transjordan

What can we say about the lay of the land? •  Subdivisions of Bashan, Gilead, Moab, and

Edom •  Canyons created by Yarmuk, Jabbok, Arnon,

and Zered Rivers •  Plateau supports farming, shepherding and

mining •  The King�s Highway

Key Biblical Events in the Transjordan

• Edom refuses Mose�s request

• Reconciliation of Jacob and Esau

• Tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh

• Naomi and Ruth

Lessons from the Land

• By �reading the land,� we read the Bible with greater understanding

• The land is a �fifth gospel�

• Lessons from the Land

The Center of the World

•  Asia

•  Africa

•  Europe

A Land Bridge

•  Land Bridge between three continents: Africa, Asia, and Europe

•  The world�s commerce and armies passed through the land via the International Highway

•  The world�s great powers dominated Israel •  John Currid: �Israel became the punching bag

of antiquity.�

Three Lessons from the Land as a Bridge

1.  Revelation 16:16 – �the final battle� at Har Megiddo (Armageddon)

2.  Isaiah 11 – �the promise of the Messiah�

3.  Matthew 4:13 – �He left his home in Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum� (Podium for the message)

A Land of Milk and Honey

• Exodus 3:8 promise • Metaphor for two ways of life • Land of milk suited best for

shepherding • Land of honey suited best for farming • Israel will have the choice • Israel will have the challenge of other

gods

Characteristics of the Land of Honey

In the land of honey, life is: • Predictable

• Busy

• Relatively easy

Characteristics of the Land of Milk

In the land of milk, life is: • Unpredictable

• Lonely

• Hard

Five Lessons from the Land of Milk and Honey

1.  Tension was common between the people of the two regions (Cain and Abel)

2.  Abraham�s descendants settled in the land of milk yet envied their neighbors� life of ease

3.  Israel forgot God in their pursuit of the life of ease and the baals

4.  Solitude has its rewards 5.  God may not be predictable, but He is

faithful

The Land and Its Water Sources

• Water sources are scarce in this land • Rainfall is seasonal – early and latter • Rivers, springs, wells, and dew • Life is spent in the pursuit of water

Four Lessons from the Land and Water

1.  Deuteronomy 11: 10-11 - water is a metaphor for the provision and goodness of God

2.  Psalm 42: 1-2 - life is spent in the pursuit of God

3.  John 4: 13-14 – Jesus gives �living water�…a cup of cold water

4.  Ezekiel 47 – the day of the Lord will be the day of abundant water

Lessons from the Land about Jesus

• Tek�ton – artisan or craftsman

• Sepphoris or Zippori

• �The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon Him� (Luke 2:40)

Lessons by Jesus from His Environment

• Matthew 16: 13-19 – �who do men say that I am?�

•  Luke 19: 1-10 – �Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must go to your house today.�

• Mark 11:20-23 – �Truly I say, if you have faith you can say to this mountain, be moved…�

Caesarea Philippi

Lessons by Jesus from His Environment

• Matthew 16: 13-19 – �who do men say that I am?�

•  Luke 19: 1-10 – �Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must go to your house today.�

• Mark 11:20-23 – �Truly I say, if you have faith you can say to this mountain, be moved…�

The Herodion

Lessons Lost without the Land

• Mark 6:30-44 and Mark 8:1-10

•  Two miracles of feeding the multitudes

•  This side and �the other side�

• God�s goodness is sufficient for both Jews and Gentiles

My Desire and Prayer for You •  Your immersion in the land will cause you to

read the scriptures with new eyes and sense of urgency

•  For example, the Bible will read like a children�s pop-up book

•  Your journey in this land enables you to see Jesus more clearly, to love him more dearly, and to follow him more nearly

•  Knowing Jesus, you will make Him known

Expression of Gratitude

Todd Bolen: Pictorial Library of Bible Lands

www.bibleplaces.com www.bible-history.com