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As the gospel of Jesus spread across a Gentile world unfamiliar with the teachings and culture of the Jews, the early church faced an interesting challenge %u2013 meeting different cultures in their own context to demonstrate the redeeming power o...
The exodus from Egypt was a metaphor for God's greater redemption story, the restoration of shalom from the chaos of the evil one. His purpose was to invite Israel into a greater story than the one of their bondage, eventually unveiling a plan of ...
When the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt, the Promised Land awaited them, but first God led them into the desert. The time they spent there would not only get them out of Egypt geographically, but would also remove its influence from thei...
When the tabernacle was established among the Israelites, God came and lived among His people. Its design, construction, and function revealed much of His character, which proved to be completely unlike that of any gods the people had ever known. ...
At times, God chose to use the harsh reality of life in the desert near the Promised Land as a practical teaching tool to mold and shape His people. The Essenes went willingly into this wasteland to allow Him to do just that: to teach them His wor...
In the Bible, the desert is an image of great hardship and suffering, signifying the impossibility of survival without access to basic resources. God often led His people through desert places, using the barrenness of the land as opportunities to ...
When the Israelites left Egypt and began their journey with God to the Promised Land, how much did they know of their past history? Some, like Moses' parents, seemed to have retained a knowledge and faith in the God of their fathers, but the Bible...
Jesus left heaven to be born in a filthy shepherd’s stable, as if to say, “I’ll leave heaven to enter the brokenness of your world.” Much of His teaching ministry, though, took place in a very different sort ...
Followers of Jesus believe that the Bible contains the inspired revelation of the Creator of the universe. “Gospel” is the word that’s often used – the good news that God is redeeming a broken world through His So...
The people of the Bible lived in temple-building cultures. Temples provided pagan gods with a place to live, keeping them close to the people who worshiped them. Even Israel did the same – first Solomon, then Nehemiah and Zerubbabel, and eve...
Most of Jesus' ministry was spent in Jewish communities, proclaiming the good news of God's kingdom to the people of Israel. His greater intention, though, was for His Jewish followers to bring this message to the Gentile world around them, a worl...
After meeting Jesus on the Damascus Road, Paul dedicated the rest of his life to sharing the gospel with anyone and everyone. He soon became one of the major leaders in the early church, focusing much of his effort on reaching out to the Gentiles....
Unable to stand their suffering under a cruel Pharaoh any longer, the Israelites cried out to God. He heard them and initiated his plan to deliver his people, not only from their physical bondage but from slavery to Egypt's story. In this lesson, ...
In Deuteronomy, God tells Israel that He led them into the desert in order to train and test them, so that He might know what was in their hearts. He still does this for His people today, leading us through experiences to reveal the depths of our ...
God desired a people who would partner with Him in "making space" to reveal Himself to a broken world. The detailed patterns and plans for the tabernacle not only illustrated the kind of care and devotion He wanted to display to His peop...
John the Baptist focused his life entirely on preparing the Jewish people for the coming of Jesus. His ministry still holds enormous meaning for us today, and there is much we can learn from his understanding of how to prepare for the arrival of M...
The heat and intensity of the sun in the desert can be scorching, often without any guarantee of relief. Yet whenever God led His people there, He promised to provide exactly what they needed to make it through each day. In this lesson, wander the...
In the beginning, God created magnificent beauty and order out of absolute chaos, "tohu vebohu," in Hebrew. When humanity rebelled, the world began a long progression of slipping back into that chaos. Yet God wasn't finished; He decided...
The majority of Jesus’ ministry was done in places like the town of Capernaum, among a people who loved to debate and discuss Torah in the synagogue. They didn’t always agree with each other, but their emphasis was on how to ...
The great king Herod imported marble from Italy to build his glorious city of Caesarea. Many of Herod's cities and buildings were covered with this stone. He built these magnificent structures so people would remember him and honor him as a great ...
A large piece of marble frieze like this one was pulled from the Mediterranean by archaeologists. The beauty of the design is still evident after nearly two millennia. Since Israel has no natural marble, it had to be shipped from elsewhere, often ...
Marriage Customs In ancient Israel, when it was time for a man and woman to marry, both fathers would negotiate the bride price to compensate the bride-to-be's family. After exchanging a glass of wine to conceal the agreement, the couple was form...
During Biblical times, a young man who wanted to marry would accompany his father to the chosen woman's house, where she and her father would be present. They'd negotiate a steep "bride price"%u2014the money or physical items that the wo...
A fortress expanded by Herod the Great to include a palace; on a mountain plateau on the Dead Sea's shore near Idumaea. David wrote, "The Lord is my rock and my fortress" (Ps. 18:2), a possible reference to this flat mountain plateau. Al...
A fortress expanded by Herod the Great to include a palace; on a mountain plateau on the Dead Sea's shore near Idumaea. David wrote, "The Lord is my rock and my fortress" (Ps. 18:2), a possible reference to this flat mountain plateau. Al...
Known in the Bible as the Great Sea, it formed the western border of Israel. Since the Jews were not a seafaring people, the Mediterranean was more of a boundary than an integral part of their lives.
Megiddo stands on the southern edge of the Jezreel Valley and is probably the most famous battlefield in the world. In biblical times, Megiddo was one of three cities that guarded the Via Maris trade route. Standing near a critical mountain pass, ...
The most strategic city in Israel, it guarded a key mountain pass of the international trade route Via Maris. It was one of the cities that Herod fortified. According to Revelation, it represents Armageddon, the final battle between God's people a...
Refers to the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, as well as the surrounding area. The patriarchs came from here. The empires of Assyria, Persia, and Babylon were here.
A Hebrew word meaning "anointed" or "chosen one." The Greek word used in the New Testament for "anointed" is Christ. In the Old Testament, God promised to send a special person called the Messiah. This new king would ...
A number of significant events in the history of the Jewish people, particularly events that relate to God's presence, have been recorded as occurring from the east.- The Children of Israel, with the ark symbolizing God's presence, entered the Pro...
One way to describe the great banquet (also called the wedding feast of the lamb) that will occur when the Messiah comes.
Before 1200 BC, bronze (a combination of copper and tin) was the predominant metal used in the Middle East. With a melting point of 1,100 degrees Celsius, bronze was softer than iron. And although it was a significant step beyond stone and wood, b...
What is a Mezuzah?A small container called a mezuzah is attached to the doorpost of every religious Jewish home. This mezuzah contains a small, rolled up piece of paper with Bible verses inscribed on it (the text of Deut. 4:4-9; 11:13-21). Upon en...
MezuzahAttached to the doorpost of every religious Jewish home is a small container called a mezuzah. Inside the mezuzah is a rolled parchment inscribed with verses from the Bible. A Jewish person entering the house touches the mezuzah and then ki...
A small rectangular box containing scripture affixed to a doorpost. Meant to remind observant Jews to obey the commandments whether at home or "along the road."
(or Michmash) - City north of Jerusalem that guarded one of the approaches from the coastal plain.
Modern term referring to the area of Israel and the countries surrounding it.