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Old Testament

Background of the Old Testament

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Our next chapter in Learning about the Old Testament takes us on a search through the background of the Old Testament.

Background of the Old Testament

The Old Testament was written in the Near East. The lands of Egypt, Palestine and Israel. I was about to say and section of Greece, Crete etc…but realized that was during New Testament times! Good catch eh?

Anyways, because it took place in the Near East means that it took place among a particular cultural setting as well. Understanding the culture and place helps us to put words and situations into context.

Background of the Old Testament

Palestine strategically important

Palestine is the English version of the word ‘Philistia’. This area was situation on the Mediterranean coast in the Near East. It was a strategically good position. It covered the trade routes between Egypt and Assyria. Unlike many of the other countries around it, this was a land the bible tells us that was “flowing with milk and honey”. It had easy access to sea, ample sources of water and more.

This land was originally called Canaan. This was a land that was divided into five geographic areas.

  • rich coastal plain
  • upland area stretching from hills of Galilee south to Judean hills
  • Jordan Valley
  • Hills of Transjordania
  • Negev

Understanding the geography helps us to understand why people moved the way they did and why cities were set up where they were (strategic defense).

Archaeology Helps

Current archaeologists are helping us understand the people of Palestine better. They can’t tell us everything, they give us clues regarding people movements and lifestyle, but there are huge gaps in our understanding.

First off because archaeology can’t excavate all of Palestine! Imagine if it could eh? Everything would be dug up with no place for people to live. Or even if they tried only to dig up the important places… people still live there a lot of the time. Plus archaeology can only provide us with an educated guess. They can’t tell us with complete certainty everything we might want to know.

BUT archaeology often validates (that might not be quite the right word) what the Bible tells us. Showing us the historical accuracy contained within the pages of God’s glory. As Allan Harman tells us “The biblical faith rests on the historical basis of the bible.”

Background of the Old Testament

Destruction Coming

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Micah 1:2-16 is our reading for today. Last time we met we discussed the beginning of Micah. I don’t know that we will get through all 15 verses today, but we’ll how it goes eh?

Hear, you peoples, all of you;
pay attention, O earth, and all that is in it,
and let the Lord God be a witness against you,
the Lord from his holy temple.
3 For behold, the Lord is coming out of his place,
and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth.
4 And the mountains will melt under him,
and the valleys will split open,
like wax before the fire,
like waters poured down a steep place.
5 All this is for the transgression of Jacob
and for the sins of the house of Israel.
What is the transgression of Jacob?
Is it not Samaria?
And what is the high place of Judah?
Is it not Jerusalem?
6 Therefore I will make Samaria a heap in the open country,
a place for planting vineyards,
and I will pour down her stones into the valley
and uncover her foundations.
7 All her carved images shall be beaten to pieces,
all her wages shall be burned with fire,
and all her idols I will lay waste,
for from the fee of a prostitute she gathered them,
and to the fee of a prostitute they shall return.

8 For this I will lament and wail;
I will go stripped and naked;
I will make lamentation like the jackals,
and mourning like the ostriches.
9 For her wound is incurable,
and it has come to Judah;
it has reached to the gate of my people,
to Jerusalem.

10 Tell it not in Gath;
weep not at all;
in Beth-le-aphrah
roll yourselves in the dust.
11 Pass on your way,
inhabitants of Shaphir,
in nakedness and shame;
the inhabitants of Zaanan
do not come out;
the lamentation of Beth-ezel
shall take away from you its standing place.
12 For the inhabitants of Maroth
wait anxiously for good,
because disaster has come down from the Lord
to the gate of Jerusalem.
13 Harness the steeds to the chariots,
inhabitants of Lachish;
it was the beginning of sin
to the daughter of Zion,
for in you were found
the transgressions of Israel.
14 Therefore you shall give parting gifts
to Moresheth-gath;
the houses of Achzib shall be a deceitful thing
to the kings of Israel.
15 I will again bring a conqueror to you,
inhabitants of Mareshah;
the glory of Israel
shall come to Adullam.
16 Make yourselves bald and cut off your hair,
for the children of your delight;
make yourselves as bald as the eagle,
for they shall go from you into exile.

Micah 1:2-16 Exile Coming

Understanding God’s Word

Hear, you peoples, all of you;
    pay attention, O earth, and all that is in it,
and let the Lord God be a witness against you,
    the Lord from his holy temple.
3 For behold, the Lord is coming out of his place,
    and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth.
4 And the mountains will melt under him,
    and the valleys will split open,
like wax before the fire,
    like waters poured down a steep place.

Micah is clear.  The Lord God himself is coming, the earth needs to prepare.   We clearly see the power of the Lord. The mountains will melt, the valleys will split open… like wax.  Have you ever seen a candle melt?  What is what mountains and valleys will be like candles melting under a hot flame.

5 All this is for the transgression of Jacob
    and for the sins of the house of Israel.

Why?  Sin.. sin is what is bringing God down.  The sin of Jacob and the sins of the house of Israel.  

What is the transgression of Jacob?
    Is it not Samaria?
And what is the high place of Judah?
    Is it not Jerusalem?

The sin?  Jacob’s is Samaria.  Judah’s is the high place of Jerusalem. 

6 Therefore I will make Samaria a heap in the open country,
    a place for planting vineyards,
and I will pour down her stones into the valley
    and uncover her foundations.
7 All her carved images shall be beaten to pieces,
    all her wages shall be burned with fire,
    and all her idols I will lay waste,
for from the fee of a prostitute she gathered them,
    and to the fee of a prostitute they shall return.

And so Samaria will be brought low.  Her carven images and her idols will be broken into pieces…. destroyed.  The image is that of something being unmade … her foundations uncovered, stones brought into the valley, left as a heap in the open country.  Makes me think of the stone piles we used to leave after cleaning the fields. 

8 For this I will lament and wail;
    I will go stripped and naked;
I will make lamentation like the jackals,
    and mourning like the ostriches.
9 For her wound is incurable,
    and it has come to Judah;
it has reached to the gate of my people,
    to Jerusalem.

Can you see it?  Micah laments at what is to happen.   How Samaria will be destroyed. I can almost hear him howling like the jackals do. 

10 Tell it not in Gath;
    weep not at all;
in Beth-le-aphrah
    roll yourselves in the dust.
11 Pass on your way,
    inhabitants of Shaphir,
    in nakedness and shame;
the inhabitants of Zaanan
    do not come out;
the lamentation of Beth-ezel
    shall take away from you its standing place.

12 For the inhabitants of Maroth
    wait anxiously for good,
because disaster has come down from the Lord
    to the gate of Jerusalem.

It’s a hard thing you know?   To see a land destroyed. Micah tells the people, don’t speak of it in Gath.  Those in Beth-le-aphrah… roll in the dust.  People of Shaphir… be ashamed.  Zaanan… stay where you are. And the sadness of the people of Beth-ezel… you won’t be able to stand in the presence of it.  The folk of Maroth wait for good. Not quietly with hope, but with anxiety.

You see… disaster has come.  The Lord has come down hard on Jerusalem.

13 Harness the steeds to the chariots,
    inhabitants of Lachish;
it was the beginning of sin
    to the daughter of Zion,
for in you were found
    the transgressions of Israel.

Sin, sin has been found.  Israel has transgressed.  Lachish… the sin started here.  Here was the beginning of Israel’s wrongdoing. 

14 Therefore you shall give parting gifts
    to Moresheth-gath;
the houses of Achzib shall be a deceitful thing
    to the kings of Israel.
15 I will again bring a conqueror to you,
    inhabitants of Mareshah;
the glory of Israel
    shall come to Adullam.
16 Make yourselves bald and cut off your hair,
    for the children of your delight;
make yourselves as bald as the eagle,
    for they shall go from you into exile.

And so we see, exile is in the works.  They need to give parting gifts to Moresheth-gath, and the house of Achzib will lie to them.  A conqueror is coming. Weep, be sad, show your shame and dismay.  Exile is coming. 

Micah 1:2-16 Exile Coming

Questions

I don’t really understand these lines:

What is the transgression of Jacob?
    Is it not Samaria?
And what is the high place of Judah?
    Is it not Jerusalem?

Answers and thoughts

Matthew Henry’s commentary addressed those lines. He talked about how Samaria and Jerusalem where the main cities. So if God is coming to discipline his wayward people, then those centres of power and influence would be where he addressed his concerns.

It’s hard right? These verses. Seeing God’s judgment is about to fall of the people. All the sorrow seen. The hardship felt. The anxiety this warning would produce. The punishment will be severe for the offence is against our holy God.

But God warned them. He didn’t have to. There’s no regulation saying before punishment the people must be warned it’s coming. In warning, heartfelt sorrow could be shown and then God could have relented. There are other occasions in the bible when God says “smart’en up” and the people do, and God relents in his anger.

So in the warning, I can see his love.

Approaching the Old Testament

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I just finished going through The Faith-Shaped Life and was looking for another book to study every week. My eye fell upon “Learning out the Old Testament” by Allan Harman. It’s a book that my hubby received while at The Banner of Truth pastor’s conference that he attended yearly. An excellent conference that churches should send their pastor’s too!

Anyways, with 19 chapters it shouldn’t take me as long to get through as the Faith-Shaped life did, hopefully we’ll learn alot together eh?

Approaching the Old Testament

Pivotal Details

Harman starts off this first chapter reminding us some pivotal details

  • The Old Testament is just not an old manuscript. It is the very word of God written down for us.
  • As such we need to approach it obediently with reverence and devotion
  • There are 39 books in the Old Testament that we should be intimately familiar with.
  • It has been translated many times since it was written in Hebrew. Different versions from the original king james serve people in a variety of languages and times.
  • We need to keep in mind the “distinction between translation and interpretation” (p.3) It is an ancient document and care needs to be taken by teachers and preachers to convey it’s message to modern audiences.
  • The Old Testament is part of a unified bible. Together with the New Testament it provides the whole written revelation of God.
  • The New Testament helps us to understand the Old. Giving the end game so to speak. Shows us what the Old Testament was leading up too.
  • The Old Testament gives depth to the New. Understanding the flow of history, helps to understand the framework of the New Testament authors.

I haven’t spoken to everything Harman wrote, after all.. you should go get it yourself. I love how he points out the the more we learn about God, the more we engage in bible study, the more we should want others to know God. Isn’t that the way it should be?

Using scripture to talk about scripture so that in the end, we just want more people to know this magnificent God who put it all together.

The book of Micah

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I was looking through what books of the bible I had studied recently and realized that New Testament books has been more of my focus. Ergo, I thought I would engage with one of the Old Testament books.

Background to Micah

Micah is a smaller book of the Old Testament. It is a book of prophecy written around 722 BC. Bible at a Glance tells us that it is the 33rd book in the bible, written by Micah. It prophesies the birth of Christ in Bethlehem and predicts the fall of Jerusalem.

There is some debate over who compiled the book of Micah. Whether he or a disciple wrote things down, or if a later follower compiled his writings into one manuscript.

Micah’s Time

Micah prophesied during the reigns of the Judean kings Jotham (750–735 B.C.), Ahaz (735–715), and Hezekiah (715–687).  He would have served around the same time as Isaiah and Hosea. You can find a map here that shows what the land and politics would have been like at the time.

The book of Micah opens with this verse:

The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

Micah was from Moresheth. Moresheth, also known as Moreseth-Gath, was a town of the tribe of Judah in ancient Israel. It was located in the Shephelah region. A map showing it’s location can be found here.

His prophesies concern Samaria and Jerusalem.

The book of Micah

The Lord is There

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It’s the last day for our study in Ezekiel, I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have. 

Today’s Passage: Ezekiel 48:30-35.

 

 30 “These shall be the exits of the city: On the north side, which is to be 4,500 cubits by measure, 31 three gates, the gate of Reuben, the gate of Judah, and the gate of Levi, the gates of the city being named after the tribes of Israel. 32 On the east side, which is to be 4,500 cubits, three gates, the gate of Joseph, the gate of Benjamin, and the gate of Dan. 33 On
the south side, which is to be 4,500 cubits by measure, three gates,
the gate of Simeon, the gate of Issachar, and the gate of Zebulun. 34 On the west side, which is to be 4,500 cubits, three gates, the gate of Gad, the gate of Asher, and the gate of Naphtali. 35 The circumference of the city shall be 18,000 cubits. And the name of the city from that time on shall be, The Lord Is There.”

HUH!   I never knew that before.  Each tribe had a gate named after it.
Makes me wonder if people would enter the city through the gate named after their tribe or if they entered how ever they wanted to.   I know… it’s just speculation on my part and it probably doesn’t even matter.. just a random wondering in my head.  🙂

Each side is the same.  4,500 cubits with three gates. 

I like how God named the city.   The Lord Is There.  It just seems so appropriate.  God dwelling right there, with his priests, surrounded by the land owned by the Prince, surrounded by his people the Israelites.     The Lord is INDEED there.

Just as he is INDEED there among his people, the ones who call upon his name, who see their need for Christ and believe in him.

The LORD is there! 

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The Land distributed, God dwelling in the midst

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I need to apologize, it’s been so long since I’ve visited with Ezekiel. Life’s been so busy lately I’ve been doing other things rather than work through the last chapter. I’ll finish up Ezekiel this week and then i think I’ll start with Corinthians, or perhaps Romans. What do you think??  

Anyways, today’s passage is from Ezekiel 48:1-29.

 “These are the names of the tribes: Beginning at the northern extreme, beside the way of Hethlon to Lebo-hamath, as far as Hazar-enan (which is on the northern border of Damascus over against Hamath), and extending from the east side to the west, Dan, one portion. 2 Adjoining the territory of Dan, from the east side to the west, Asher, one portion. 3 Adjoining the territory of Asher, from the east side to the west, Naphtali, one portion. 4 Adjoining the territory of Naphtali, from the east side to the west, Manasseh, one portion. 5 Adjoining the territory of Manasseh, from the east side to the west, Ephraim, one portion. 6 Adjoining the territory of Ephraim, from the east side to the west, Reuben, one portion. 7 Adjoining the territory of Reuben, from the east side to the west, Judah, one portion.

http://trackingbibleprophecy.org/speculation.php

8 “Adjoining the territory of Judah, from the east side to the west, shall be the portion which you shall set apart, 25,000 cubits in breadth, and in length equal to one of the tribal portions, from the east side to the west, with the sanctuary in the midst of it. 9 The portion that you shall set apart for the Lord shall be 25,000 cubits in length, and 20,000 in breadth. 10 These
shall be the allotments of the holy portion: the priests shall have an
allotment measuring 25,000 cubits on the northern side, 10,000 cubits in
breadth on the western side, 10,000 in breadth on the eastern side, and
25,000 in length on the southern side, with the sanctuary of the Lord in the midst of it. 11 This shall be for the consecrated priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept my charge, who did not go astray when the people of Israel went astray, as the Levites did. 12 And
it shall belong to them as a special portion from the holy portion of
the land, a most holy place, adjoining the territory of the Levites. 13 And
alongside the territory of the priests, the Levites shall have an
allotment 25,000 cubits in length and 10,000 in breadth. The whole
length shall be 25,000 cubits and the breadth 20,000. 14 They shall not sell or exchange any of it. They shall not alienate this choice portion of the land, for it is holy to the Lord.
15 “The remainder, 5,000 cubits in breadth and 25,000 in length, shall be for common use for the city, for dwellings and for open country. In the midst of it shall be the city, 16 and these shall be its measurements: the north side 4,500 cubits, the south side 4,500, the east side 4,500, and the west side 4,500. 17 And the city shall have open land: on the north 250 cubits, on the south 250, on the east 250, and on the west 250. 18 The
remainder of the length alongside the holy portion shall be 10,000
cubits to the east, and 10,000 to the west, and it shall be alongside
the holy portion. Its produce shall be food for the workers of the city. 19 And the workers of the city, from all the tribes of Israel, shall till it. 20 The whole portion that you shall set apart shall be 25,000 cubits square, that is, the holy portion together with the property of the city.
21 “What
remains on both sides of the holy portion and of the property of the
city shall belong to the prince. Extending from the 25,000 cubits of the
holy portion to the east border, and westward from the 25,000 cubits to
the west border, parallel to the tribal portions, it shall belong to
the prince. The holy portion with the sanctuary of the temple shall be in its midst. 22 It
shall be separate from the property of the Levites and the property of
the city, which are in the midst of that which belongs to the prince.
The portion of the prince shall lie between the territory of Judah and
the territory of Benjamin.
23 “As for the rest of the tribes: from the east side to the west, Benjamin, one portion. 24 Adjoining the territory of Benjamin, from the east side to the west, Simeon, one portion. 25 Adjoining the territory of Simeon, from the east side to the west, Issachar, one portion. 26 Adjoining the territory of Issachar, from the east side to the west, Zebulun, one portion. 27 Adjoining the territory of Zebulun, from the east side to the west, Gad, one portion. 28 And adjoining the territory of Gad to the south, the boundary shall run from Tamar to the waters of Meribah-kadesh, from there along the Brook of Egypt to the Great Sea. 29 This is the land that you shall allot as an inheritance among the tribes of Israel, and these are their portions, declares the Lord God.

I have to admit, as I read through this list I’ve been wondering… what do I pull out of this passage that will point me to Christ and his amazing work in my life?   I see names and numbers and quite frankly kinda all runs together.

It’s great to see how God ensured that each family line within Israel got the land it should have.   It seems like the larger families got more land than the smaller ones which makes sense right?

Do you also see how God put himself physically into the midst of them.  He didn’t give himself and the priests a portion off to one side or the other, but a portion right in the middle. 

This makes me think of Christ, and how we are his people and he dwells within us.  He doesn’t pick a small corner and say HEY here’s where I will stay, but rather he dwells IN US.   Makes himself an integral part of who we are. Ergo affecting change within us.   God’s people having God’s Priests dwell right in their midst.  It’s a good thing that eh?

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All are treated the Same, sharing the inheritance.

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Keep Living a Life of Faith was the theme of yesterday’s passage.  Today we learn from Ezekiel 47:13-23.

13 Thus says the Lord God: “This is the boundary by which you shall divide the land for inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel. Joseph shall have two portions. 14 And you shall divide equally what I swore to give to your fathers. This land shall fall to you as your inheritance.
15 “This shall be the boundary of the land: On the north side, from the Great Sea by way of Hethlon to Lebo-hamath, and on to Zedad, 16 Berothah, Sibraim (which lies on the border between Damascus and Hamath), as far as Hazer-hatticon, which is on the border of Hauran. 17 So the boundary shall run from the sea to Hazar-enan, which is on the northern border of Damascus, with the border of Hamath to the north. This shall be the north side.
18 “On the east side, the boundary shall run between Hauran and Damascus; along the Jordan between Gilead and the land of Israel; to the eastern sea and as far as Tamar. This shall be the east side.
19 “On the south side, it shall run from Tamar as far as the waters of Meribah-kadesh, from there along the Brook of Egypt to the Great Sea. This shall be the south side.
20 “On the west side, the Great Sea shall be the boundary to a point opposite Lebo-hamath. This shall be the west side.
21 “So you shall divide this land among you according to the tribes of Israel. 22 You shall allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the sojourners who reside among you and have had children among you. They
shall be to you as native-born children of Israel. With you they shall
be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. 23 In whatever tribe the sojourner resides, there you shall assign him his inheritance, declares the Lord God.

The land is to be divided.  The portion for Joseph to be doubled. 12 sections of land as per the 12 tribes of Israel. The travellers who live among them are to be counted among the inheritees.   They are to be treated no differently among the tribes than any native born individual.

Hmmm… What can I take from this?
God does not differentiate  between people who grew up in the church, the natural born offspring you could say and those who came into the church from the outside.   To him.. they are all his children.  All his children share in the inheritance of the Lord.    No one gets anything more than another.  All share equally as those “naturally born”. 

Pretty cool that eh?   Best to not forget it.

 

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©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/