Discussion Questions
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Why do you think geography has been given so little attention by Bible readers?
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So much of Bible study is focused on the spiritual and the people and the consequences that the place is overlooked.
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Sometimes, we take for granted the beauty of God’s creation causing us to pay little attention to it. I love God’s creation and I am always in awe of its beauty and mystery.
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The focus of Biblical studies is usually on the spiritual realm more than the physical. The geography is often considered a physical attribute.
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I think geography has been given so little attention by Bible readers because, for many of us, we live in physical locations far removed from those of the Biblical narrative. A person who lives in any of the locations featured in the Bible today would be struck by the geographical features. She or he would notice them because of her or his strong background knowledge, even with the time difference. The other factor is time. To be removed from the geography of the Biblical narrative by place is one thing, but we are also engaging the accounts over 2000 years after they were penned. There is a lot of distance to travel between the old world and the world we live in today.
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I’ve heard many people describe how their travel to the holy land has made the Bible come alive. I suppose that most believers circumstantially have not had such opportunities. This lesson helps me appreciate more what folks are saying about these travel experiences.
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Give an example from the Bible, other than the ones we have used in this lesson, that demonstrates the biblical authors use geography when communicating the thoughts of God to us.
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Examples from the Bible
Natural Geography: Jesus was in a boat sleeping, when a storm begins to rage on the sea. The passengers were afraid seeing how the winds were blowing causing the boat to toss and turn. The passengers notice that water from the sea was coming into the boat. Heavy down pour of rain. The fishermen in the sea.Human Geography: The travels of Ruth and Naomi. Moving from one location to another location. Customs were strange and different. Collected grains from the fields.
David used a sling shot instead of a bow and arrow. He did not use armor for battle. He did not change his battle strategy. He used what he was familiar to him.
The fishermen threw their nets into the sea.Natural Geography: Solomon’s garden for his wife. When Joshua and Caleb along with ten others visited the land of the giants, they found various kinds of fruits. They found unusual sizes of grapes, figs, and pomegranates. The “Garden of Eden” was a display of beautiful plants, trees with and without blooms. Flowering and non-flowering plants. Trees with fruits.
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The disciples were alone on their boat in the sea of Galilee. Christ walked out to them. Specific place, specific purpose for a learning lesson for the disciples.
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“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
Jeremiah 17:7-8 ESV
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Luke 12:28 And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow: They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these.
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Elijah’s challenge to the Baal and Asherah worshipers on Mount Carmel.
“Now gather to me all of Israel to Mount Carmel…” 1 Kings 18:19
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Give two examples of physical geography, two examples of human geography, and two examples of natural history associated with the place you live.
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I live near Southern Philadelphia. This the exit of the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers into Atlantic ocean via Delaware Bay. This is an area where winds from Northwest and Southeast meet. The weather changes quite rapidly, in winter and in summer. Winter is mild, and summer is humid because of the body of water. Brook trout, Eastern Hemlock, and Mountain Laurel are state fish, tree, and flower. This probably the flat landscape of Philadelphia is not too exciting comparing to the western Appalachian range in the west of Pennsylvania.
The surrounding lands New Jersey, Delaware, West of Philadelphia are rich, and the bay provides the convenient place to dock ships from Europe to the newly discovered continent America, to travel to the inland and to the north. Corns of farmland in the Lancaster county are tall. Food in the bay and Atlantic ocean are abundant.
The original inhabitant here was the Lanape Indians. Later, William Penn the son of Admiral Sir William Penn founded the Province of Philadelphia in 1682. William Penn, a Quaker, helped to plan and develop Philadelphia. He was an advocate and a leader for religious freedom. So Philadelphia became an attraction for many persecuted religious groups from Europe. Along with that the birth of an independent USA was birthed at Philadelphia with the first 13 colonies in 1776.
Because of this advantageous land to form settlements many European Nations have also landed in this area. So Philadelphia and the vicinities are good places for Dutch, Finnish, German, Swedish and Italian cuisines.
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Physical Geography – Mountains, valleys, dry stream beds
Human Geography – Farm land, lots of freeways
Natural History – Deer, even a Lynx in my yard a few weeks ago -
Physical Geography: I live in a place that is a mix of mountainous regions, beaches, and tropical rainforests. The western side is primarily mountainous, with mountains up to 4,000m in height.
Human Geography: Home to 32 different indigenous groups with a unique lifestyle, languages, and food.
Natural History: From the monkeys (Orang Utan) living in the jungle to the parasitic ‘Rotting Corpse Lily,’ my place (Borneo) often ranks among the world’s top regions for ecotourism.