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Lesson OneWhat Is Geography?3 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson TwoWhy Is There Geography in My Bible?3 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson ThreeNow What?3 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson FourHow Can I Grow My Geographical Literacy?3 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson FiveThe Fertile Crescent and the Promised Land3 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson SixKey Geographical Characteristics of the Promised Land3 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson SevenTraveling the Promised Land3 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson EightRoutes in and through the Promised Land3 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson NineWater Realities of the Promised Land3 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson TenWeather of the Promised Land3 Activities1 Assessment
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Course Wrap-UpCourse Completion1 Activity1 Assessment
Participants 269
Discussion Questions
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Why do you think geography has been given so little attention by Bible readers?
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I think there are possibly several reasons why geography has been given little attention.
1. Maybe those that have been teaching them the Bible throughout their life have not put any emphasis on the geography of the Bible. There is usually just an emphasis on spiritual principles.
2. Israel could possibly seem far away to people, and they have nothing to connect the geographical landscape in their minds to, so it is often overlooked.
3. My next point is still kind of connected to point 2. Maybe it is just too hard to think about because there is nothing to connect it to. -
. There are many individuals that do not read the Bible on a regular basis. They will hear the readings from the Bible on Sunday at church during Sunday School and Sunday morning church service. During this time the scripture passage is being read by the Sunday School teacher or the minister. They will use their Bible for Bible Study, but they’re not the one reading. Again, they are being read to. People don’t take the time to look at maps, atlas, or illustrations that would give them an idea about the geography in the Bible. There are so many resources available to the readers and non-readers of the Bible. They are not looking at the whole reading process when reading the Bible.
Then again, those individuals that are teachers, ministers, and leaders in the church should implement various resources that will encourage and motivate members of all ages. -
It is not usually tied to the stories place on most occasions.
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If many are like myself, geography simply is not an interesting topic to them.
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Because though we see it we do not always give it the importance that it deserves, we do not always see how it can greatly help us understand something.
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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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In psalm 65 God reminds us that He answers us through His righteousness expressed in geography.
5 By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas;
6 the one who by his strength established the mountains, being girded with might;
7 who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples,
8 so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.
9 ¶ You visit the earth and water it;fn you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide their grain, for so you have prepared it.
10 You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth.
11 You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with abundance.
12 The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy,
13 the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy. -
In psalm 65 David reminds us that God answers us through His righteousness expressed in geography.
5 By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas;
6 the one who by his strength established the mountains, being girded with might;
7 who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples,
8 so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.
9 ¶ You visit the earth and water it;fn you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide their grain, for so you have prepared it.
10 You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth.
11 You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with abundance.
12 The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy,
13 the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy. -
Isaiah 55:10-11 says,
““For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater,
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”In this passage, Isaiah talks about the weather processes of rain and snow the land experiences and what it causes to happen to the earth, and then compares that to God’s Word.
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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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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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Physical Geography: Gulf of Mexico, Coral Rock and Sand
Human Geography: Fishing, Raised Flower Beds, Compost
Natural History: Manatees, Palm Trees -
Our nation Malaysia has tropical rainforest as its climate (Peninsular West and Borneo East in general). Its mostly rain and sunshine thoughout the year (with April – May being the driest months and December – January being the wettest). In West Malaysia, the Titiwangsa range sits right in the middle of the peninsular and the area in the range itself is where much of our national green reservation is.
Settlement is visible from the foot of the range (on either side), all the way to the two coast. We live on the west side of the range in an areas called the Klang Valley. It is the most populous area in the country and much of its settlement is spread (historically as well), along the Klang River.
Due to the heavy industrialization in this area (and therefore mass urbanization), we have lost much of our natural flora and fauna. The Sunda Pangolin and Fireflies are known creatures but these days they can only be found in the extreme north or extreme south of the Klang Valley. The Pangolin may have been extinct due to hunting activities but the Fireflies are still available and the region where they nest (Kuala Selangor) is a famous tourist spots.
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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.