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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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The Bible is focused on Israel and the surrounding nations. They are mentioned because they are relevant to that focus. Those not mentioned, for example, China or Australia weren’t relevant at the time.
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From my own experience, I did not pay attention to geography because I did not understand its significance.
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To most readers geography is just a side item or inconsequential reference or an unnecessary detail (a colorful enhancement at best). Most fail to see how it applies and impacts what we are reading in the given narrative. Geography should be considered a character in the story and not just some glanced over information. In my studies, I have found that geography plays a key role in truly understanding many things, especially in the Old Testament.
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When reading the bible, the big idea or purpose is always the most sought information. I would want to know What is happening and Why is it happening. Most of the names are so complex that I must read the story several times before adding meaning to the story through the Who in the bible. The Where and the When gets little attention because we underestimate the creative genius of the story writer overlooking the fact that God knew who would do well to write His book before the writer even start writing. Ecclesiastes is my favorite book of the bible. I am not a big fan of Palms because all of the detail in expressing the geography or scenery. I also like the proverbs it is poetry, but it sticks to stating the facts and providing remedy. In other words, very frank and to the point. this is the reason geography gets little attention from me when reading the bible.
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We have been taught, or conditioned, to only look for WHAT Jesus was saying, not where and when he was saying it. Like most communication, what we say (the words we use) are only about 20% of what is being communicated. Without getting into the “non-verbals,” we should always remember that Jesus used the “geography” around him as the beginning point of his teaching. Take the Samaritan woman. It started with a well and built from there. We (I) should certainly give more attention to the where, as well as the what, when, how and why.
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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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the ark resting on Mt. Ararat; Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel; David hiding in the caves from Saul; Psalm 121 “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help…”
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The ones that jump out to me include Abram and Lot dividing their lands, storms on the Sea of Galilee, the circumstances surrounding the time of day that Jesus found the woman at the well in Samaria, the decision of Jesus to go through Samaria in the first place and the routes available to them with the dangers associated with them, the lukewarm water in Laodicea.
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King David was in the wilderness in strongholds. He used the caves and the valleys to his advantage when he was running from Saul. He was also able to spare Saul’s life, without his knowledge.
1 Samuel 24: 8-11, 17-18.
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Natural History example: Isaiah 1:8 “Daughter Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard, like a hut in a cucumber field, like a city under siege”. Knowing more about these structures and their uses would help us to understand and picture the abandonment for those who have forsaken the Lord.
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I think an excellent example is when Moses was given the 10 commandments.
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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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Two examples of physical geography would be the grasslands and the rolling hills. Two examples of human geography would be the booming suburban sprawl in this area, along with the trails and road systems to support it. Examples of natural history are the behaviors of foxes as they become an increasing problem in the suburban areas of development and the changes to our waterways as the population increase affects it’s use and pollution levels.
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Physical: High mountain, desert
Human: Ranching, Hunting
Natural: Elk, Deer
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Physical Geography: Extremely windy, mostly grassland with rolling hills.
Human Geography: We rely on an aquifer for water because it rarely rains. Sparsely populated because of the lack of water.
Natural History: We have a ton of rattlesnakes. Very few trees.
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Physical Geography: 1. Deserts like Death Valley & 2. Grand Canyon
Human Geography: 1.Rice fields in Asia & 2. Building an Igloo
Natural History: 1. Garden moles & 2. Bears hibernating.
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The Pacific Ocean, the Andes Mountains
Machu Pichu, Coffee Production
Tigrillo, capybara
