Biblical Illustrator

B I B L I C A L

LIVING LIKE PAGANS Abraham’s Travels Trees Native to Israel

volume 39 number 1

fall 2012

PRODUCTION AND MINISTRY TEAM G. DWAYNE McCRARY Team Leader, Ongoing Bible Study G. B. HOWELL, JR. Lead Content Editor TIMOTHY J. LYNCH Production Editor BRENT BRUCE Graphic Designer DAVID APPLE and ALAN RAUGHTON Adult Ministry Specialists

W

ow! How rich do you have to be to have a phone in your car? That’s what I thought when I saw Milburn Drysdale use a phone in the back seat of his chauffeur-driven limousine. Milburn Drysdale—the greedy banker who lived next door to the Clampetts on the 1960s sitcom, The Beverly Hillbillies—had a phone in his car! No wires. No poles. I had never seen such in my life. Now the cell phone is as common as, well, the car.

What do we take for granted that once made the news?

1477—The Dictes and Sayeingis of the Phylosophers was the first book printed in English.

1861—President Abraham Lincoln in Washington D.C. received the first-ever transcontinental telegram in America, sent to him from California’s Chief Justice.

1893—New Zealand gave women the right to vote, the first nation to do so.

1930—The first non-stop flight from Europe to the USA. 1960—The first-ever televised presidential debate featured John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon.

2012—Biblical Illustrator offered an interactive CenterSpread.

It’s available on-line and on Biblical Illustrator Plus CD-ROM. Check it out at www.lifeway.com/biblicalillustrator.

Plus, our Winter 2012-13 issue of Biblical Illustrator Plus will offer several articles to support the upcoming January Bible Study. You’ll want to order yours today. The articles are:

The Women at the Tomb Sp’76 Roman Crucifixion W’90 Jesus’ Royal Entry Sp’98 The Temple in Jesus’ Day W’98-99 Where Jesus Ascended W’98-99 To Betray Another Su’01 The Fall of Jerusalem in a.d. 70 W’04-05 The Mount of Olives W’04-05 Pilate’s Power and Authority Sp’05 The Location of the Village of Emmaus Sp’06 The Reality of Jesus’ Resurrection Sp’07 The Roman Death Penalty Sp’07 Judas Iscariot: The Betrayer F’07 Passover Sp’11 Preparation for a Proper Burial Sp’12 Resurrection in First-Century Jewish Thought Sp’12

Times, they is a-changin’

Send questions/comments to: Content Editor, Biblical Illustrator One LifeWay Plaza Nashville, TN 37234-0175 Or make comments on the Web at www.lifeway.com MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL Bill Craig Director, Adult Ministry Publishing Ken Braddy and Debbie Johnson Managers, Adult Ministry Publishing David Francis Director, Sunday School Faith Whatley Director, Adult Ministry Biblical Illustrator (ISSN 0195-1351, Item 005075109) is published quarterly by LifeWay Christian Resources, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234, Thom S. Rainer, President. © 2012, LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.

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We believe that the Bible has God for its author; salvation for its end; and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter and that all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. The 2000 statement of The Baptist Faith and Message is our doctrinal guideline.

Scripture quotations marked (HCSB) are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NASB) are from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.lockman.org) Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are from the Holy Bible, New International Version, copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.

Scripture quotations marked (NKJV) are from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (RSV) are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyrighted 1946, 1952, © 1971, 1973.

Printed in the United States of America visit www.lifeway.com/biblicalillustrator 1105

T

On a scale of 1-10, this book receives a rating of 8 camels.

The Baker Illustrated Bible Handbook, J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays, Baker Books, 2011. 1152 pages; hardback; ISBN 978-0-8010-1296-9 Book reviews are limited to those the Illustrator staff feels confident to recommend, based on ease of reading, quality of content, and doctrinal viewpoint. Each book is reviewed within the guidelines of The Baptist Faith and Message. The 1 to 10 scale reflects overall quality and usefulness.

YES!

he authors and editors of The Baker Illustrated Bible Handbook have skillfully shown how each part of the Bible is to be understood in the light of God’s overarching purpose. This work represents “up-to-date evangelical biblical scholarship in a format that is colorful, informative, and easy to understand” (see back of the book).

The format provides an overview of the content in each biblical book as a part of a unified whole: What Is the Setting? What Is the Heart?

What Makes the Book Interesting and Unique? So What? and Our Favorite Verse(s). A broad-stroke exposition of the text is in a section entitled What Is the Message? The maps, illustrations, charts and graphs, photos, articles, art, and artifacts support the evangelical conclusions drawn; yet pastel colors and light small print make some hard to read.

The overall structure includes general articles that acquaint the reader with Scripture, showing biblical inter-connectedness in Part I: God’s Story (and Your Story). These articles show how the material between Genesis 1–11 (the Beginning) and Revelation 19–22

(the End) bridge the gap. This summary study includes each of the Old Testament books (color coded green) and the New Testament books (color coded blue).

Part II: How the Bible Came to Be contains eight articles by experts.

They address subjects like inspiration; the shaping of the Old Testament; the writing and transmitting of the New Testament; the Dead Sea Scrolls; the Greek translation of the Old Testament; and other translations, including English.

Finally, Part III: Digging Deeper into the Bible shares the opinions of evangelical scholars on things like interpreting the parables; interpreting figures of speech; and how to read, interpret, and apply the Bible. These articles (color coded gold) focus on making application of biblical truth to 21st-century issues. They provide a fitting climax to an imperfect, but well done, single volume resource for the study of the Bible. i Don H. Stewart is professor emeritus of New Testament and Greek, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, New Orleans, Louisiana.

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Explore the Bible Simon Peter: His Years of Ministry 39 September 2

by Mark R. Dunn Bithynia and Pontus 43 September 2

by G. Al Wright, Jr. Hope for Persecuted Believers: The Lord Is Good 20 Septermber 16

by Mark A. Rathel Living as Free People 52 September 23

by Bill Patterson Noah as New Testament Imagery 28 October 14

by Randall L. Adkisson Living Like Pagans 6 October 21

by Robert E. Jones The Minister as a Shepherd 66 November 4

by Gary Hardin Simon Peter: Eyewitness to the Majesty 62 November 11

by Dale “Geno� Robinson Jude: The Man and His Letter 36 November 18

by William Warren

70 36

About the Cover Krater from Corinth; about 550 B.C. The image shows Herakles and Hesione attacking a monster. Kraters were common at social gatherings; persons either dipped cups or used long tubes like straws to share an alcoholic drink from the vessel.

ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ GB HOWELL/ MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS/ BOSTON (64/2356)

Highlighted page numbers indicate articles with maps.

Bible Studies for Life 47 The Sermon on the Mount: An Overview

September 2

by Joseph R. Cathey 32 Perfect: A Word Study

September 9

by Michael Priest 57 The Churches’ Use of the Lord’s Prayer

September 16

by Timothy N. Boyd 74 Trees Native to Israel

September 30

by B. Dale Ellenburg 16 Breaking All the Rules: Jesus and the

Samaritan Woman October 7

by Rodney Reeves

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78

10 Abraham’s Travels October 14

by Alan Ray Buescher 70 Miriam: All We Know October 21

by Martha S. Bergen 78 Hellenistic Jews and Native Hebrews

November 11

by Lynn O. Traylor 24 Barnabas: All We Know

November 18

by Roy E. Lucas, Jr.

Special Features 2 BI Lines 3 BI the Book: The Baker Illustrated Bible Handbook

by Don H. Stewart CS CenterSpread: The Early Spread of Christianity

by Gregory T. Pouncey 82 Issues Gone BI

ETB: 1 Peter 4:1-11

L i v i n g

L i k e

Pagans 6 BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR / FALL 2012

By Robert E. Jones

I

FIRE: ISTOCK PHOTO

RHYTHON: ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ BRITISH MUSEUM/ LONDON (31/18/52)

n his first epistle, Simon Peter addressed an age-old challenge for Christians: How do believers live in a world full of sin and not allow an ungodly culture to influence them unduly? After all, knowing that certain practices are wrong does not necessarily mean Christians are immune from the temptation of their supposed pleasures.1 Any believer can succumb to temptation in a weak moment. In addition, Christians can face the real possibility of persecution because of a commitment to live in a Christ-like, non-worldly manner (1 Pet. 3:14). Peter’s exhortation, therefore, carries great importance for believers living in today’s increasingly secular world.

Peter’s Warning The apostle cautioned his readers not to live like the pagans of the day. He was addressing Christians who had lived as pagans before becoming believers as adults. He challenged them to arm themselves with resolve and called them to have a passion for what is good—even in the face of suffering for righteousness.2 Peter wanted his readers to live as God’s people, according to God’s standards, despite society’s pressures to do the opposite. He stressed that believers were to resist re-assimilating themselves back into a non-Christian lifestyle in order to escape persecution.

Instead, they were to live out their remaining days not “for human desires, but for God’s will” (4:2).3 For Peter this challenge was even more urgent because he saw the end of the age as being close at hand (v. 7).

Two Ways of Living All Christians must choose from two opposing ways of living: either according to “human desires” or on the basis of “God’s will” (v. 2). The first option represents the Gentile pre-Christian lifestyle of Peter’s readers, a way of living dominated by desires that were inconsistent with the nature of the Christian life. Such a manner of living represents a hopeless, self-consuming preoccupation with living apart from God’s will and purposes. This is why Peter challenged his readers to continue living out their lives “in the flesh,”4 without succumbing to the negative, sinful desires of their weak, fallen nature. Peter urged them instead to choose the second option and commit themselves to living in God’s will.

Before converting to Christ, those Simon Peter addressed had spent “enough time” pursuing worldly desires (v. 3). Peter, therefore, urged them to make a clean break from their former pre-conversion lifestyles, which Peter defined as “doing what the pagans choose to do” (v. 3).

Devoting themselves to God’s way of living would require distancing themselves from the practices of pagan society and its institutions; these practices stood in direct conflict to God’s standards for them.

In Peter’s time this would have required believers to resist the social and religious customs that Right: Dated about 400 B.C., a rhyton (drinking vessel) fashioned in the form of Dionysus,

might have pressured them to live in a degraded manner, a danger Christians of every age have faced.

The Pagan Lifestyle The apostle Peter further defined “what the pagans choose to do” (v. 3) by identifying some sins that believers should avoid. The catalogue of vices Peter listed did not merely point out lifestyle excesses that the GrecoRoman world generally would have condemned; it also included actions that probably were a part of everyday life. Family religious celebrations, official meetings of trade guilds, and civic festival days would have been occasions when such activities might have occurred on a regular basis.5 Peter described six actions driven by human passions that were part of pagan society (1 Pet. 4:3). Three actions had sexual overtones; two were related to alcohol consumption. The sixth (and final) term describes a framework in which people commit the other

the Greek god of wine. Peter spoke of pagan behavior, including drunkenness.

. . . by taking a stand against the pagan way of life, Christians actually condemned their former associates.

FALL 2012 / BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR

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ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ BRENT BRUCE (60/8254)

8 BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR / FALL 2012

such as sexual desires of an illicit nature. The word we normally associate with this is “lust.” The promise of epithumia is that a person will feel pleasure when the desire is satisfied and frustration if it is not. The reality, though, is that the exact opposite will likely be true— Below: Machaerus was a fortress Herod the Great built. John the Baptist was imprisoned and, according to Josephus, was beheaded here. Herodias married her father’s half brother (Philip), later divorced him, and married Philip’s brother, Herod Antipas. Herodias grew to resent John the Baptist because he condemned this immoral union. When she had the opportunity, Herodias called for John the Baptist’s head.

ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ BOB SCHATZ (12/8/19)

actions in Peter’s list. Interestingly, this list is similar to some Paul wrote (see Rom. 13:13; Gal. 5:19-21) and others found in some of the texts in Dead Sea Scrolls.6 First in Peter’s list is “unrestrained behavior.” The Greek word Peter used also can mean licentiousness, debauchery, or sensuality. The term characterized the first-century pagan world in a general sense, but it also described outrageous acts that would have offended even the often fickle and relative public sense of decency.

These acts went beyond society’s definition of allowable behavior.

They represented an unashamed, wanton behavior in which people participated when they separate themselves from God. Peter’s second item on his list is “evil desires.” The Greek term epithumia sometimes referred to natural desires such as hunger and longing. More often, however, the word described evil desires or impulses,

when a person seeks fulfillment in an illicit way.

The third, fourth, and fifth items in Peter’s catalogue of vices (“drunkenness, orgies, carousing”) constitute sins of excess, sins that could have been private or even public in nature. Such activities

Right: Ruins of a meat market or “Macellum” at Puteoli, located on the west coast of Italy, south of Rome.

Persons who worshiped various gods often offered meat as a sacrifice to the different idols.

Left: At Pisidian Antioch, an “M” inscribed on the wall along one of the main streets.

The inscription may stand for a house of prostitution.

ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ BRITISH MUSEUM/ LONDON (31/16/31)

ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ BOB SCHATZ (19/38/20)

Above: Mycenaean krater decorated with stags and birds; Greek; about 1300–1200 B.C. Kraters were common at social

gatherings; persons either dipped cups or used long tube-like straws to share an alcoholic drink from the vessel.

might have been part of public festivities with either secular or religious purposes. Taken together the three vices paint a graphic picture of the sexual immorality, heavy drinking, and general disorder characteristic of many secular parties in the towns of Asia Minor during Peter’s day, including the debased nature of many first-century pagan religious practices.

Peter’s final item in his descriptive list, “lawless idolatry,” refers to wrong religious practices associated

with pagan religious cults. These practices involved activities Christians would have found offensive. Some examples might have been eating food that had been sacrificed to idols, offering sacrifices to idols, or practicing a form of ritual prostitution. Peter may have placed idolatry at the end of his list because the five previous sins followed in the wake of idolatrous religious practice.

Furthermore, Peter underscored the reprehensible nature of idolatry by adding the qualifying adjective “lawless,” emphasizing that some forms of pagan worship included practices that even Roman law had identified as illegal. While evil in themselves, such activities were even more evil in a lifestyle that rejected God. By abandoning these pagan social vices, first-century believers surprised and even shocked their pagan neighbors (v. 4). More than shock and surprise was involved, though, for by taking a stand against the pagan way of life, Christians actually condemned their former associates. This naturally led to an attitude of resentment that culminated in slander and blasphemy. In fact, ample evidence exists showing that Christians who refused to participate in ceremonies

and functions involving idolatry and immorality were targets of hatred.

Maintaining One’s Witness As Christians we must live in the world and bear our Christian witness to the world. Yet, a pleasure-loving, affluent society can tempt believers to conform to its standards. Peter made clear that such conforming to pagan or worldly practices is contrary to God’s will for His people. The sins Peter condemned are wrong, not simply because the apostle associated them with idolatry, but because they represent a self-indulgence that does not regard potential consequences for those actions. Practicing such sins would, therefore, in effect, negate the Christian witness a lost world so desperately needs. i 1. Hebrews 11:25 indicates that one can be tempted “to enjoy the short-lived pleasure of sin” (HCSB).

2. See 1 Peter 3:13-14; 4:1.

3. All Scripture quotations are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB).

4. See 1 Peter 4:2. Peter Davids states that the phrase “in the flesh” represents the mode through which evil desires operate in human beings. See Peter H. Davids, The First Epistle of Peter, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1990), 150.

5. Ibid., 151.

6. Ibid.

Robert E. Jones is pastor of Euclid Avenue Baptist Church in Bristol, Virginia.

FALL 2012 / BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR

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BSFL: Genesis 16:1-5

10 BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR / FALL 2012

Abraham’s Travels

By Alan Ray Buescher Interior of a Bedouin tent.

Continuing still today, Bedouin have a long-established tradition of extending hospitality to travelers and visitors.

ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ MIKE RUTHERFORD (59/1111)

A

rc h aeologists care little for wandering nomads—they leave little or no material evidence of their lives for future generations to discover.

So likewise with Abraham, who built no cities or buildings, and left no potsherds, tools, or jewelry in garbage dumps or tombs (at least that anyone has discovered). The concept of Abraham as a nomad or semi-nomad, however, may not survive the test of scriptural scrutiny. Old Testament scholar, D. J. Wiseman, described Abraham’s lifestyle more akin to pastoral nomadism as described in the Mari texts, in which seasonal farming accompanied the herding of flocks and cattle close to town and cities.1 When Abram set out from Ur of the Chaldeans with his father, Terah; his wife, Sarai; and his nephew, Lot; they had chosen Canaan as their final destination (Gen. 11:31). Genesis provides no reason for their settlement

in Haran nor how long they lived there (perhaps 50 years at most— quite an extended stay), nor why they had intended to go to Canaan.

Nevertheless, after Terah died, God called Abram to go to the land that He would show him: their original destination of Canaan.

Abram’s (and his entourage’s) entry into Canaan brought them along the ridge route through the central hill country (12:6-8), farther south to the Negev (v. 9), and then down to Egypt after famine struck (v. 10). Eventually they returned to the Negev and back into the central hill country of Canaan, with Hebron becoming their primary place of residence after a brief excursion further north “by stages” to Bethel (13:3, HCSB; see also v. 18). Eleven years after arriving in Canaan (including the brief time in Egypt), Hagar gave birth to Abram’s first son, Ishmael (16:3,15-16). They remained in Hebron for the next 13 or 14 years FALL 2012 / BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR

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before moving to Gerar in the Negev where Isaac was born (17:1; 20:1; 21:5).

Scripture provides no reason for Abraham’s departing Hebron for the Negev. Twenty-five years provides ample time to consider a place home.

Leaving Hebron would have required a good reason. Seeking better pasture for flocks due to climatic changes would qualify as a good reason, especially since famine had once sent Abraham and his family to Egypt; but Scripture’s silence breeds only speculation.

Abraham’s time in the land of promise significantly illustrates his lifestyle: he spent most of those 100 years settled in Hebron or in the Negev (in Gerar and Beersheba), although he apparently lived in tents rather than permanent structures (e.g., see 13:18; 18:1). In the Negev, the area around Beersheba provides the only land available for farming without water irrigation; 12 BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR / FALL 2012

but, agriculture did not rank as the primary means of earning a living.

The numerous ancient remains discovered at sites in the Negev reveal their main function as caravan stations for trade merchants traveling to and from Egypt.2 Perhaps Abraham participated in this trade, which could account partially for his wealth accumulation. He had flocks, cattle, and camels; he also possessed flour for baking (18:6-8) either from farming or via trade with sedentary farmers in nearby settlements. He possessed much silver and gold (13:2), which he earned or inherited from his time spent in Haran.

Additionally, he may have accumulated some wealth in Egypt and Canaan through market transactions. Regardless, Abraham knew how to handle his finances.

Scholars have debated the specific time period in which Abraham

sojourned in the land of Canaan.

God indicated that the Hebrews would endure 400 years of enslavement in Egypt (15:13). More than 110 years elapsed from Abraham’s death at the age of 175 to Joseph’s death at age 110. Jacob was 15 years old when Abraham died (see 25:26). So Joseph did not arrive into this world until after Abraham’s death, after which, however long it took that generation to die (see Ex. 1:6), a new pharaoh enslaved the remaining Hebrews.

Add almost 40 years for the wilderness wanderings under the leadership of Moses, and more than 550 years elapsed from Abraham’s death until his descendants settled in Canaan.

The earliest extra-biblical written record for Israel’s entry into the land of Canaan is on a stone carving known as the Merneptah Stele, which is dated sometime between 1213 and 1203 b.c.3 This inscription

Left: Camels grazing in central Israel.

HAVE GOLD, WILL TRAVEL

ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ BOB SCHATZ/ COURTESY FERRINI AND BIONDI (29/19/7,8)

Below: Ruins of the palace at Mari in modern Syria. Mari was the capital city of the Amorites from about 2000– 1750 B.C. The palace covered over 6 acres and had over 300 rooms. In 1933, archaeologists uncovered at Mari a remarkable find, 15,000-plus texts that detailed everyday life in the city before its fall. Many of the names on the texts are the same as some from the Old Testament, including Abraham, Dan, Gad, Ishmael, Jacob, Levi, Nahor, and Terah.

Genesis 13:1-3 - Fragment and an infrared photo of one of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The text comes from Genesis 13:1-3 and

describes Abram coming from Egypt into the Negev. It reads, “from Egypt...in silver and gold...between Bethel and....”

ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ JAMES MCLEMORE (21/28/15)

ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ MIKE RUTHERFORD (59/1894)

Lower right: Ruins of Beersheba in southern Israel; farmland is in the distance.

ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ BRENT BRUCE (60/8831)

would thus indicate the date for Abraham’s death at approximately 1753 b.c. at the latest, with the date for Abraham’s first entry into Canaan at approximately 1853 b.c. at the latest, and his birth at about 1928 b.c. at the latest. These calculations place Abraham’s lifetime

in the Middle Bronze IIA period (abbreviated MBIIA), or about 2000–1800/1750 b.c. The Merneptah Stele does not indicate, however, the date the Israelites entered the land, but that they had settled in the land by this date. First Kings 6:1 states, “Solomon began to build the temple for the Lord in the four hundred eightieth year after the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt, in

the fourth year of his reign over Israel” (HCSB). Solomon’s reign began about 970 b.c., so this presents a date of about 1446 for the exodus.

Add 510 years (400 years of enslavement and 110 years for Joseph), and Abraham’s death is pushed back to about 1950 b.c., still in MBIIA. Israeli archaeologist Amihai Mazar believes the archaeological discoveries of the Middle Bronze II FALL 2012 / BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR

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ISTOCK PHOTO

14 BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR / FALL 2012

Above: The modern city of Hebron, located in what is now the West Bank.

The prominent structure in the center marks the cave of the patriarchs in which Abraham, Sarah, Rebecca,

Isaac, Jacob, and Leah are buried.

Right: In southern Israel, the northern Negev Desert where it meets the central plains. The Judean hills rise in the background.

This Amorite population continued to migrate east into Babylon during MBIIB-C (ca.

1800/1750–1550 b.c.), spreading its culture throughout the northern portion of the Fertile Crescent.

During this time, foreign rulers known as the Hyksos came to power in Egypt. These outsiders were none other than Canaanites.

Thus a West-Semitic/Amorite/ Canaanite culture extended from Egypt, northward along the coastal plain of the promised land, across the Jezreel valley, and north along the Fertile Crescent to Babylon.

This Canaanite influence that began in MBIIA, likely could have made a Semitic language the common language of the day for international trade purposes, and could explain how Abraham communicated with

ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ KEN TOUCHTON (2/3/11)

period provide similarities with the patriarchal record in the Bible that cannot be ignored. The Canaanite culture became established primarily along the northern coastal plain and eastward through the valleys of Jezreel and Beth-shean during MBIIA. The Canaanites built large fortified cities that had huge manmade earth ramparts, suggesting strong organization, either public or private. These Canaanites likely came from the coastal plain around Tyre and also from Aram (modern Syria). Egyptian documents from Byblos as well as documents from Mari during MBIIA contain West Semitic (Amorite) names among the population of Aram and Canaan.

One of the Mari texts contains the earliest record of the designation “Canaanite” as one of the population groups of the area. Furthermore, West Semitic or Amorite names correspond closely to Canaanite names.4 Significantly, customs during the Middle Bronze Ages continued for hundreds of years if not longer, making chronological dating of events that much more difficult.5

the Egyptians and Abimelech in the Negev. Akkadian, a Semitic language, became the universal language of scribes, priests, and the legal community throughout the ancient Near East by MBIIB-C and likely

HOLMAN BIBLE PUBLISHERS

began its dominance in MBIIA, especially since the cultural transition between MBIIA and MBIIB-C proceeded gradually with no clear distinction between the two.6 Abraham lived in the Negev for perhaps 37 years (from the birth of Isaac to Sarah’s death at age 127 in Hebron; see Gen. 23:1). Abraham spent the remaining 38 years of his life in Hebron; there Ishmael and Isaac buried him with Sarah in the cave he had purchased from the Hittites for Sarah’s burial. Twentyfive years in Hebron, 37 years in the Negev, and then 38 years back in Hebron: Abraham did not travel much. Southern Canaan had become home, and yet, he never truly possessed the land. In the Negev, he “lived as a foreigner in the land of the Philistines for many days” (21:34, HCSB). Abimelech respected Abraham, and they lived peacefully as neighbors despite a couple of misunderstandings. In

Hebron, the Hittites also respected Abraham greatly, yet Abraham considered himself “a resident alien,” owning only one piece of property: a burial cave.

Genesis provides a simple explanation of why Abraham went to Canaan: he believed and obeyed God. God did not promise to give the land solely to Abraham (15:7) but to his descendents as well (12:7; 15:18). Perhaps for this reason Abraham considered himself no more than a sojourner; God’s covenant contained no severability clause concerning Abraham’s descendents and the land. Abraham simply did not live long enough to see his seed possess the land (Heb. 11:13).

Abraham lived in Canaan in anticipation of God’s future fulfillment of his promise concerning Abraham’s descendents. Abraham had no message about God to deliver to a foreign people. He had no

goal to establish a nation. He simply inhabited the land by faith in spite of famine, in spite of nearly allowing Pharaoh and Abimelech to tamper with the mother of his descendent of the promise, and in spite of living as a man without a country most of his life. External and internal factors did not thwart God’s plan. As Psalm 37:3 instructs, Abraham simply trusted God and lived accordingly. i 1. D. J. Wiseman, “Abraham Reassessed” in Essays of the Patriarchal Narratives [Essays], ed. A. R. Millard and D. J. Wiseman (Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 1983), 145.

2. A. Reifenberg, The Struggle between the Desert and the Sown: Rise and Fall of Agriculture in the Levant (Jerusalem: Publishing Department of the Jewish Agency, 1955), 19.

3. Amihai Mazar, Archaeology of the Land of the Bible, 10,000–568 B.C.E. (New York: Doubleday, 1990), 234.

4. Ibid., 174-89.

5. M. J. Selman, “Comparative Customs and the Patriarchal Age” in Essays, 134.

6. Mazar, 191-93, 224.

Alan Ray Buescher is a freelance writer living in Nashville, Tennessee.

FALL 2012 / BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR

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Breaking All the Rules

By Rodney Reeves o wonder Jesus constantly got in trouble with the rules-keepers—He believed people were more important than rules. Jesus’ behavior

inflamed the hatred of the Pharisees, who were known for keeping all the rules—not only the Law of God but also the commandments of men.

Additionally, when Jesus set aside social convictions for the sake of the kingdom, even His disciples were occasionally puzzled over His unconventional behavior (John 4:27). Like any culture, society dictated certain things a person should and should not do. These social convictions were informed by religious beliefs, ethnic history, community expectations, and family obligations. Anyone who ignored these unspoken rules was considered arrogant and dangerous. This was especially true in Jesus’ day, where a person’s social group defined his or her identity. Compliance was the norm; individuality was not tolerated. So, Jews were expected to behave like Jews. Men were to behave like men. To do otherwise was to invite the judgment of your people.

Jesus seemed to break all the rules when He made a simple request of a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well (vv. 5-42). Who would have thought that “Give me a drink” would be such a provocative request? In fact, 16 BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR / FALL 2012

John felt it necessary to explain to his readers who were obviously unfamiliar with the local customs that “Jews have no dealings with Samaritans” (v. 9). Indeed, Jesus was obviously doing more than simply trying to quench His thirst when He asked the Samaritan woman for water. He was defying the stereotypes that divided people—then and now—believing that our common need of a Savior would unite all people, whether Jews or Samaritans, male or female, righteous or sinners.

The Jews and the Samaritans hated each other because they both claimed to be the true children of Abraham. We know the Judeans were descendants of the Southern Kingdom, consisting of two tribes: Judah and Benjamin (1 Kings 12:20-24). But, we do not know the ancestral identity of the Samaritans.

Some scholars think they descended from the Northern Kingdom, after the Assyrians conquered and colonized the Israelites (2 Kings 17:24-41).

These were the people who lived in Samaria and were called “Cutheans” (named after a city just north of Babylon), the progeny of intermarriage between Israelites and Assyrians, whose descendants may have been among those who confronted Ezra and Nehemiah (Neh. 4:1-4).1 Other scholars believe the Samaritans were

ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ Courtesy of Jerry Vardaman (7/26/10)

VILLAGE: IMB PHOTO/ Jerry Vardaman Collection (29/2/11)

Jesus and the Samaritan Woman

FISH AND WAVE BACKGROUND: ISTOCK PHOTO

BSFL: John 4:1-42

Village women carrying water pots.

Left: Obverse and reverse of a Samaritan coin that mentions Sanballat.

One of the

Elephantine Papyri from Egypt states that Sanballat was governor of Samaria; the date would have been at the end of the 5th cent. B.C.

descendants of priests who defected from Jerusalem some time after the campaigns of Ezra and Nehemiah but before the Hasmonean dynasty (a Jewish kingdom that combined the priesthood and the monarchy). These protestors withdrew to Shechem of Samaria, eventually built a temple on Mount Gerizim (which the Samaritans claimed to be the original location of the tabernacle), preserved their own version of the Law of Moses (the Samaritan Pentateuch), and claimed to be the true children of God. In 128 b.c., a Hasmonean king, John Hyrcanus, destroyed the temple of these “Shechemites,” who in turn retaliated by attacking a group of Jewish pilgrims traveling through Samaria. These so-called Samaritans were also accused of purposely defiling the

Jewish temple.2 Regardless of their origin (whether descendants of the Northern Kingdom or malcontents who abandoned Jerusalem during the Hellenistic period), the Samaritans were mortal enemies of the Jewish people.

Jesus did more than ignore centuries of ethnic hostilities when He asked the Samaritan woman for a drink of water. To be sure, Jesus’ request startled the woman (John 4:9). Her surprise, though, had as much to do with the gender issues of the day as the troubled history between Jews and Samaritans. Men and women seldom engaged in public conversation—even husbands and wives conversed mainly in their own houses. The reason a man would approach an unknown woman in public typically would be to initiate an improper relationship. That was potentially the way the Samaritan woman interpreted FALL 2012 / BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR

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He Did That on Purpose!

“B

ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ BOB SCHATZ (9/24/11)

y deliberately sitting on the well without a bucket, Jesus

placed himself strategically to be in need of whomever appeared with the necessary equipment. The woman approached. On seeing her, Jesus was expected to courteously withdraw to a distance of at least twenty feet, indicating that it was both safe and culturally appropriate for her to approach the well. Only then could she move to the well, unroll her small leather bucket, lower it into the water, fill her jar and be on her way. Jesus did not move as she approached.” i

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Above: Overview of Shechem with Mount Ebal in the background.

Shechem, which translates as “shoulders” in Hebrew, is located between two mountains, Mounts Ebal and Gerizim.

Shechem and Sychar were both part of the same ancient settlement; the word “Sychar” was likely a derivation of the word “Shechem.” Jacob made his home here; his well is located at Sychar.

Right: CrusaderEra church built at the site of Jacob’s well in Shechem.

Kenneth Bailey, Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2008), 202.

ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ KEN TOUCHTON (81/12)

Jesus’ request. To her way of thinking, a strange man traveling alone was probably looking for some company.

Besides, the fact that the woman was drawing water by herself in the middle of the day would have signaled to any man that she was a rule breaker, marginalized by the other women. Domestic chores were done together; a troubled woman would have been ostracized by the rest of the wives. So, when Jesus said, “Go, call your husband,” the woman would have taken the comment as an inquiry into her availability. Indeed, when she responded, “I have no husband,” she was signaling her willingness to take the next step in this potentially salacious encounter (vv. 16,17, NASB). She had no idea, though, whom she was addressing. She would soon discover that she had never met a man like Jesus.

After Jesus revealed to the Samaritan woman that He knew the details of her troubled past, she realized this was no ordinary man (v. 19). At this point the implications of Jesus’ behavior must have come into clearer focus for her. “He’s a Jew; I’m a Samaritan. He’s a man; I’m a woman. He’s a prophet; I’m a sinner. Why in the world would he ask me for a drink?” In their day, a holy man would never risk defilement by drinking from an unclean bucket—a vessel that belonged to an unclean, immoral, Samaritan woman. By His willingness to drink from her bucket, Jesus was essentially saying that she was a clean vessel too. That must have become evermore apparent when He treated her questions with respect. In most cases, a man would say to a curious woman, “This is not your concern,” because

only men studied the Scriptures. Jesus, however, seemed to relish their theological conversation, answering her questions in a way that invited more curiosity. His response to her question about the location of the true temple of God probably confused her (v. 20). A Jewish man should have said, “Jerusalem. Certainly not on Mount Gerizim.” But when Jesus replied, “neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father” (v. 21, NASB), His words simply confirmed His

Ruins of the Samaritan temple on Mount Gerizim.

After the exile, the Samaritans built their temple on Mount Gerizim; shown are the ruins of that temple.

John Hyrcanus, the Hasmonean

king, destroyed the temple in 128 B.C. Thus the woman at the well could point to the ruins and say to Jesus, “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, yet you Jews say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem” (John 4:20, HCSB).

Right: Interior of the Church of Jacob’s Well in Shechem.

behavior. Jesus treated this immoral, Samaritan woman as if she were just as important to God as a Jewish holy man. Indeed, a temple that once divided Jew and Gentile, male and female, clean and unclean would no longer define sacred space in the messianic age. Jesus, the new temple of God, had come to her mountain. He

MATSON PHOTO/ LIBRARY OF CONGRESS/ WASHINGTON, D.C.

ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/ BOB SCHATZ (9/23/18)

made clear to her that the time had come for all people, whether Jew or Samaritan, man or woman, clean or unclean, to worship the one, living, true God. That was why Jesus shared the secret of His identity with her. And that was why she ran into her town bragging about the man she met at Jacob’s well. She drank deeply from the well of living water. She discovered the God whom all people are to worship. She found the Messiah who explained everything. And, just as Jesus predicted, from her sprang up living water, bringing life to some Samaritans who came to believe that Jesus, a Jewish man, is the “Savior of the world” (v. 42).

Why did this happen? Because Jesus knows that, regardless of who we are on the outside and despite the rules that separate us, deep down we are all the same.

We are individuals who need a Savior. i 1. Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 9.14.3.

2. An example of desecration of the temple occurred a few years before Jesus was born. The Samaritans purportedly scattered corpses throughout the temple the night before Passover. Ibid., 18.2.2.

Rodney Reeves is dean of The Courts Redford College of Theology and Church Vocations of Southwest Baptist University, Bolivar, Missouri.

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