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