Page 54 - Advanced Bible Geography ebook
P. 54
Caesarea by the Sea: Rome’s Capital in I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-5JndTvWyE
Culture, history, and the land
If you’re going to accurately apply Scripture to those who are listening to you today, you’ve got to do
your homework. Whether you’re dealing with one of the psalms, a teaching from Jesus or a letter from
Paul, try to visualize the scene in its original setting. You’ll spend the rest of your life learning the
complex historical setting of the Bible. You’ll likewise need years to understand the cultural nuances
between all the different people groups. The land of the Bible can also help us understand the biblical
environment. The wilderness wanderings took place in an unbelievably difficult environment. David
wrote the 23rd Psalm after years of searching for grass for his sheep in the desert. Jesus offered a
woman in sunbaked Sychor “living water,” a phrase she used for cold water coming from a waterfall! At
that moment, she was miles from the nearest waterfall. Jesus was using the land to teach her a life-
changing truth: If you want “living water,” get to know me!
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