Notes Sessio #3 Saturday, March 8, 2014-4:30pm Walkig i the Footsteps of the Bible Lebao Baptist Church 11250 Crabapple Rd, Roswell, GA lebaobaptist.org (770) 993-3635 Israel s Climate & Hydrology A Lad Desiged to Test Israel s Trust i God as Provider Leviticus 26:3-5 If you walk i My statutes ad keep My commadmets, ad perform them, the I will give you rai i its seaso, the lad shall yield its produce, ad the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. Your threshig shall last till the time of vitage, ad the vitage shall last till the time of sowig; you shall eat your bread to the full, ad dwell i your lad safely. A Lad of Milk ad Hoey Whe God appeared to Moses i the burig bush, He revealed to Moses to deliver Israel from Egypt, sayig, So I have come dow to deliver them out of the had of the Egyptias, ad to brig them up from that lad to a good ad large lad, to a lad flowig with milk ad hoey, to the place of the Caaaites ad the Hittites ad the Amorites ad the Perizzites ad the Hivites ad the Jebusites. (Exodus 3:8) This phrase (used 21x i Scripture) describes the Promised Lad of Israel suggestig the agricultural prosperity of the lad. The lad is ideal for raisig goats ad sheep which would yield a abudace of milk. The lad is also ideal for a eviromet for bees to make a abudace of hoey from the great quatity of flowerig vegetatio i the lad of Israel providig there is ample precipitatio. Note that either is the product of cultivated agricultural farmlad. Cosider the historical cotext: while Egypt (where they had just come up out of) ad Mesopotamia (the lad of their acestor Abraham) the Israelites were cosistetly sustaied with abudat water from the river Nile, Tigris ad Euphrates (makig rai icosequetial). However i this arid eviromet God led them to, Israel s survival depeded dearly upo raifall. There was barely ay groudwater to tap ito. As we have discussed i a previous lesso, God deliberately put them here, promisig to provide rai if they obey ad promisig to withhold it if they disobeyed Him (Lev. 26:3-20 & Deut. 11:10-17). Thus, their very survival was iseparably liked to their faith. Faith (obediece to God) = Water (physical H2O) Water (physical H2O) = Life (plat life/crops/oil, aimal life/food/milk, physical hydratio) THERFORE: Faith (obediece to God) = Life (physical ad spiritual!) Taught by Pastor David Hiz * 262-224-2114* david.hiz@brooksidebc.org
The Climate ad Raifall of Israel Summer - Jue to September - July/Aug. hottest 71-91F. - Hot/dry/stable - Virtually cloudless for moths Precipitatio: 19.4i average Precipitatio icreases as you go orth, west ad higher i elevatio. Witer - October - Jue - Ja. coldest 42-59F - Warm & wet - Istable (violet storms, hail, frost, sow) 60 i/yr - Mt. Hermo 44 i/yr - Upper Galilee 27 i/yr - Nazareth Lower Gal. > 8 i/yr - Beersheba i Negev > 1 i/yr - Elat o the Red Sea The Key Mt. Hermo Upper Gola Waters of Merom Lower Gola Very similar climate to Califoria - Ave. Temp: 65 (40-90 degrees) - Humid alog the west coast - Dry i highlads - Up to 114 degrees i S. Negev. Nazareth ridge Mediterraea Sea Mt. Carmel ddo Val ley Kisho River Mt. Moreh Mt. Gilboa Hills of Ephraim Yarmuk River Jorda River Precipitatio amouts icrease toward the orth ad o their wester flaks, precisely o terrai where farmig is least productive ad irrigatio has egligible value. Mt. Tabor Me gi (Basha) Sea of Galilee Galilee Gilead Mt. Ebal Yarko River Mt. Gerizim Valle y Kidro Brook Mt. Nebo de a W lley Ju i Va ll of Co Ju u de tr a y lley ow ph Fo el ot a hi H lls ) ai Pl e ti is Ph il ish V a Hi Guvr Lac h Mt. Moriah ss Elah Valle y Mt. of Olives e Valle y Gilead ild er Sore k Dead Sea Aijalo Jabbok River Jorda Valley Bejami Plateau Sh e \ Aro River (L Pg. 2 Negev Desert Moab Zered Brook Edom The New Moody Atlas of the Bible, 2009
Pg. 10 Creatig Your Ow Map of Israel Usig the space provided o this page, practice makig a map of Israel with the followig elemets: 3 Waters 1. Mediterraea Sea 2. Sea of Galilee 3. Dead Sea 4. The Waters of Merom 8 Rivers 1. Jorda River 2. Yarmuk River 3. Jabbok River 4. Aro River 5. Zered Brook 6. Kisho River 7. Yarko River 8. Kidro Brook 13 Regios 1. Negev Desert 2. Philistie Plai 3. Shephelah 4. Hill Coutry of Judea 5. Judea Wilderess 6. Bejami Plateau 7. Hills of Ephraim 8. Nazareth Ridge 9. Galilee 10. Upper/Lower Gola 11. Gilead 12. Moab 13. Edom 10 Moutais 1. Mt. Hermo 2. Mt. Carmel 3. Mt. Tabor 4. Mt. Moreh 5. Mt. Gilboa 6. Mt. Ebal 7. Mt. Gerizim 8. Mt. of Olives 9. Mt. Moriah 10. Mt. Nebo 7 Valleys 1. Megiddo Valley 2. Aijalo Valley 3. Sorek Valley 4. Elah Valley 5. Lachish Valley 6. Guvri Valley 7. Jorda Valley Deuteroomy 11:8-17 NKJ "Therefore you shall keep every commadmet which I commad you today, that you may be strog, ad go i ad possess the lad which you cross over to possess, 9 "ad that you may prolog your days i the lad which the LORD swore to give your fathers, to them ad their descedats, `a lad flowig with milk ad hoey.' 10 "For the lad which you go to possess is ot like the lad of Egypt from which you have come, where you sowed your seed ad watered it by foot, as a vegetable garde; 11 "but the lad which you cross over to possess is a lad of hills ad valleys, which driks water from the rai of heave, 12 "a lad for which the LORD your God cares; the eyes of the LORD your God are always o it, from the begiig of the year to the very ed of the year. 13 `Ad it shall be that if you earestly obey My commadmets which I commad you today, to love the LORD your God ad serve Him with all your heart ad with all your soul, 14 `the I will give you the rai for your lad i its seaso, the early rai ad the latter rai, that you may gather i your grai, your ew wie, ad your oil. 15 `Ad I will sed grass i your fields for your livestock, that you may eat ad be filled.' 16 "Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, ad you tur aside ad serve other gods ad worship them, 17 "lest the LORD'S ager be aroused agaist you, ad He shut up the heaves so that there be o rai, ad the lad yield o produce, 8 Flora/Faua of Israel 500 differet birds 100 differet mammals 90 differet reptiles 3000 differet plat types Food crops iclude grais (wheat, barley, maize) ad a wide rage of vegetables ca be grow o the coastal plais. Citrus trees as well as may fig, carob, olive, ad date trees ca be foud i Israel. Today, the few hardwood forests that were ot pillaged i earlier history are exceedigly small. Mediterraea scrubs, tamarisk, ad brushwood cover may slopes. Sice arable lad is premium, pastures for flocks is limited to hill coutry & wilderess. Seasoal grasses suitable oly for grazig survive o plateaus; reed grass grows i swamps; ad aemoes, poppies, ad wildflowers aboud. The soil of Israel is extremely rich, ad with the presece of water produces amazigly rich & abudat vegetatio. The New Moody Atlas of the Bible, 2009 Pg. 3 Obediece: Deut. 28:12; 2 Chr. 7:1314; Job 5:10; 28:25-26; 36:27-28; Ps. 65:9-13; 147:8, 18; Isa. 30:23-25; Ezk. 34:26; Hos. 6:3; Amos 9:6; Zech. 10:1; Mal. 3:10; Mt. 5:45; Acts 14:17; Heb. 6:7 Disobed.: Deut. 28:2224; 1Kg 8:3536; 17:1; 2 Chr. 6:26-27: Job 12:15; Isa. 5:6; Jer. 3:3; 14:1-6; Amos 4:7-8
Pg. 4 Throughout the Old Testamet Israel forsook God ad wet after the false god Baal. There is a good reaso for his appeal: Baal (ba'al) was a aciet Caaaite ad Mesopotamia deity associated with agriculture. He was believed to be the "giver of life" ad makid was depedet upo him for providig what was ecessary to sustai the farms, flocks ad herds. Sexual practices were a itegral part of iducig him to cause fertility of the lad. Did you kow. Israel s O-Goig Affair With Baal He was also called the "so of Dago" (who was i cotrol of the grai), ad "Hadad" the storm god who would provide pletiful rais after hearig his voice (thuder). Baal-gad ("lord of good fortue," Josh 11:17) Baal-hamo ("lord of wealth," Sog 8:11) Baal-hazor ("Baal's village," 2 Sam 13:23) Baal-meo ("lord of the dwellig," Num 32:38) Baal-peor ( lord of the opeig," Deut 4:3) Baal-tamar ("lord of the palm tree," Judg 20:33), ad others. Ba'al-ze'bub was the form of the ame of Baal who was worshiped at the Philistie city of Ekro. Baal, uder this aspect of worship, was viewed as the producer of flies ad therefore able to cotrol this pest so commo i the East. "The goddess peculiarly associated with Baal is Aat, like Ishtar a goddess of love ad war. She complemets Baal, abettig him i his coflict ad vidicatig him whe he succumbs, possibly reflectig the role of wome at the critical seasos of trasitio i popular religio or whe the order of the gods is temporarily i eclipse. Related to such phases is certaily the weepig of the wome i Jerusalem for Tammuz (Ezekiel 8:14) ad possibly the aual lametatio of the maides of Israel, which may be oly secodarily related to the mourig for Jephthah's daughter (Judges 11-39-40)."- Joh Gray, Near Easter Mythology There were times i Israel s history that God became so displeased with their behavior that He withheld from them both rai ad dew (e.g., 1 Kigs 17:1; Hag. 1:10-11; cf. Ge 27.39; 2 Sam. 1:21; Isa. 26:19; Hos. 14:5; Job 29:19). Normally the Coastal Plai south of Gaza, the cetral Jezreel valley, the heights of Carmel ad the wester Negev all experiece about 250 dew ights aually. Text: Jeremiah 2:1-19 A Illustratio of God s Faithfuless Focus: God rebukes Israel for their ufaithfuless usig vivid geographic refereces to covict them of their si. Aswer the followig questios to the best of your ability: 1. 2:2-3 What are some thigs the Lord looks back o fodly? What is His emotioal toe? Paraphrase His statemet i your ow emotio-lade terms. 2. 2:4-8 The Lord is comparig His faithfuless to their faithlessess by usig a rhetorical sarcastic questio. List the thigs that God cites as His faithfuless ad list their acts of faithlessess He metios. 3. The text does t really aswer this, but do you kow why Israel worshipped Baal? 4. 2:9-13 God uses illustrative laguage as though He is i court ad presetig a argumet agaist Israel. Who does He seem to call to the witess stad? 5. 2:10-11 He calls for the evidece to be gathered. Which directio (from Israel s perspective) are these two geographical places located? What is His poit? 6. 2:13 What are the two evils that have bee doe agaist the Lord? (Hit, oe is illustrated directly followig that statemet, but the other is illustrated i 14-19.) 7. What is the differece betwee the foutai of livig waters ad broke cisters? How does this illustrate His poit? 8. 2:15-18 The youg lios i 2:15 refer to the mascot of a empire who coquered orther Israel i 722B.C. Which empire is this? What other empire does the two cities metioed i 1:16 refer to? (Hit: 2:18) 9. 2:19 What is the relatioship betwee their si ad His statemet that the dread of Me is ot i you? How does that carry over ito our lives ad apply to us? Pg. 9
Pg. 8 Sources of Water - Cisters Those who lived where there was o groud water available used the rai as their source of water, creatig a etwork of chaels that would collect rai water ad divert the it (usig gravity) to a cister dug out of the bedrock ad plastered (to make it impervious to water). Water that would fall durig the raiy seaso would have to be saved up for the dry seaso. This was the most ureliable source of water because if the rais were ot heavy or if the cister developed a crack (earthquakes are a regular occurrece i Israel), the water supply could ru out before the hot summer was over. For those depedig o the cister as their oly supply of water, this could mea death (Jer. 14:34). Cister water was ot very pure. The method of collectig the water (exposed chaels o the hillside) would add dust/dirt to the water as it flowed dow toward the cister. The water sittig for moths would become brackish/ stagat. Eve worse, ofte aimals would fall i, cotamiatig it with their rottig flesh. 2 Judah mours, Ad her gates laguish; They mour for the lad, Ad the cry of Jerusalem has goe up. 3Their obles have set their lads for water; They wet to the cisters ad foud o water. They retured with their vessels empty; They were ashamed ad cofouded Ad covered their heads. 4 Because the groud is parched, For there was o rai i the lad, The plowme were ashamed; They covered their heads. 5 Yes, the deer also gave birth i the field, But left because there was o grass. 6 Ad the wild dokeys stood i the desolate heights; They siffed at the wid like jackals; Their eyes failed because there was o grass.". Sources of Water - Sprigs Pg. 5 God uiquely desiged ad chose this Promised Lad for Israel to be situated i a arid climate ad geologically uique eviromet to provide for exceptioal illustratios/lessos: Earthquakes demostrate His wrathful power. Hot Sirocco easter desert wids demostrate His ability to judge/wither. Violet flash wid storms o Lake of Galilee demostratig Jesus authority. Various soils/coditios of ma s heart for the Gospel. Aother key illustratio used by God is that of the sprig i the desert which, especially i cotrast with other sources of water available to the Biblical Israelite (wells ad cisters), illustrates the abudat livig waters foud i a relatioship with God (particularly Christ). Below is a diagram of the geological factors behid the formatio of sprigs i the desert. Coastal plai Foothills Shephelah Cetral Hills While much of the rai that falls o the west side of the Cetral Hill Coutry rushes dow the moutais ad back i to the ocea, large volumes of water also seep ito the porous rock util it hits a impervious layer. At that poit the water moves laterally followig the dowward slope of the udergroud arch. Wherever that layer of rock breaks the surface, the water gushes forth as a sprig. This livig water (i.e. a sprig ) is the purest, freshest, coolest, most depedable water supply i Israel. Judea Wilderess Rift Valley
Pg. 6 Sources of Water - Tueled Water Systems (Well) Cities were fouded ear depedable water sources (e.g. Jerusalem - Giho Sprig). Wells were dug to reach udergroud layers where there was water. Other times cities would rely o a earby sprig where, sometimes the groudwater of the sprig could be tapped before the place it would break to the surface. Oe such famous example of this is Warre s Shaft System (amed after its 1860 s discoverer) i which the ihabitats of Jerusalem cut a shaft i the bedrock to provide safe access to the Giho Sprig (its oly atural water source), without the risk of goig outside the city's fortificatios. This water supply would be especially importat if the city were uder siege. I 701 B.C., whe Assyria s kig Seacherib was comig agaist Jerusalem, Judah s Kig Hezekiah had his me block off the water from the sprigs outside the city, divertig the stream that flowed through the lad ito a tuel he had cut through the bedrock. The tuel was cut usig a 12 ich (0.6 ) gradiet altitude differece betwee each ed of the 1,750 foot tuel, brigig water from the Giho Sprigs i the Kidro Valley located o the east side of the Easter Hill outside the city s walls, through the bedrock of the Easter Hill to the west side, where Hezekiah s city of Jerusalem was protected by the ew Broad Wall (2 Chr. 32:1-5, 30). Etrace to the well at Megiddo Aother way that the Israelites accessed water was with wells. Wells were ofte dug to reach the udergroud layer where there was water. Sice the groud water could vary seasoally, these were t the most depedable source for water. Sources of Water - Wells Pg. 7 Sometimes a straight shaft could be dug, ad other times the depth of groud water required a large pit to be dug, accessible by stairs. A small stoe usually covered the well opeig. A low stoe The site of Abraham s well at Beersheba wall surrouded the well to protect it from blowig sad ad to prevet people ad aimals from fallig i. A carved/plastered trough would ofte be ext to a well to draw water for aimals/flocks. Shepherds ad herdsme geerally provided wells for their flocks, ofte at great expese. A well became a atural ceter for may social gatherigs (Ge. 24:11), a restig place for weary travelers (Joh 4:6), ad the campsite for hugry armies (Judges 7). To stop up a well was cosidered a act of hostility (Ge. 26:15). Tribes frequetly clashed over the right to use a well. Sources of Water - Aqueducts & Irrigatio It was t util the first cetury B.C. that the Nabateas ad Romas built aqueducts, dams ad reservoirs. These methods greatly icreased the productivity of the lad. As for the other evets of Hezekiah s reig, all his achievemets ad how he made the pool ad the tuel by which he brought water ito the city, are they ot writte i the book of the aals of the kigs of Judah? - 2 Kigs 20:20 Due to such a variace of elevatios i the lad of Israel, the Hebrews practiced irrigatio o a much smaller scale tha the Egyptias. They used artificial treches to distribute the water. Irrigated water ourished the large city gardes of Israel. These quadragular plats were subdivided ito smaller squares, bordered by walkways ad stoe-lied troughs that coveyed water to every plat ad tree.