Why Study Biblical Geography? Part II

In my last post, I discussed the first of three reasons why I study Biblical geography. In that post, I mentioned that the first reason was: I study Biblical Geography to better understand God's people. In this post, I'll discuss the next reason. Which is:

Reason #2: I study Biblical Geography to better understand God's Word.

If I were to ask you to tell me the story of 1 Samuel 17, more than likely, you would relate a story to me similar to this: "There was a Philistine giant named Goliath that came out and taunted the Israelite army for 40 days. Finally, a shepherd boy named David agreed to fight Goliath. David, founded by a solid faith in God, took five stones from the brook and approached the giant. He then took out a stone and slung it. The stone struck the giant in the head and he died. It was a glorious victory for Israel."

If you would answer my question like that, you would be like nearly everyone else. However, that is not the way that the Bible tells the story. The Bible describes Goliath beginning in verse 4 and describes David beginning in verse 12. So, what is in the first three verses of that chapter? Well, let us read it.

Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle. And they were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered, and encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in line of battle against the Philistines. And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with a valley between them. - 1 Samuel 17:1-3

This is a story about geography! Yes, there are important lessons to be learned about David and his faith in God. But to fully understand the importance of this battle, you have to understand the geography of the area! If you understand the geography (including the Coastal Plain, the Shephelah and the Hill Country), then the real importance of this battle can be understood! This is why the Bible gives such a high level of detail regarding the geography.

By understanding the geography, it helps you to better understand God's Word.

(NOTE: The picture at the top of this post was taken on my tour last year. They are walking in the brook that runs through the Elah Valley where David pulled his "five smooth stones".)

Podcast #8 - The Oasis of En Gedi

[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/204889336" params="auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%" height="450" iframe="true" /] In 1 Samuel 23, David is being pursued by King Saul in the Wilderness of Judea. Since it is a hot and dry area, David needs to find protection and water. He finds both in the oasis of En Gedi. That is what we will be discussing on this program.

NOTE: If you are viewing this post from an email, then go to our Podcasts page to listen to the audio.

Oasis of En Gedi

Located on the western shore of the Dead Sea, the oasis of En Gedi provides a solitary location of pure, clean water in an otherwise inhospitable place. It is no wonder why David fled where when he was in this area about 3,000 years ago.

Podcast #2 - The Mountains Around Jerusalem

[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/189042930" params="auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%" height="450" iframe="true" /] In Psalm 125, the psalmist draws a beautiful comparison between the mountains of Jerusalem and the love and protection that God provides to His people. But, in order to fully appreciate what the psalmist means, you have to have an complete understanding of the geography of Jerusalem. That is what we will be discussing on this program.

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Podcast Links Jerusalem Post Article concerning 2013 Jerusalem Marathon 2015 Israel Tour

Sheba's Last Stand

About an hour's drive north of the Sea of Galilee, you come to this large tel just south of the border with Lebanon. This tel is Abel Beth Maacah. Joab, commander of David's army, pursued a man by the name of Sheba to this city. When faced with seeing her city destroyed, a wise woman made a deal with Joab. She convinced the inhabitants of the city to give up Joab and toss Sheba's head over the city wall and in return, the city was spared. When you visit Israel, you can drive around most of this tel and understand what a beautiful location it was for a city.

View From Ein Gedi, Next to the Dead Sea, South Toward Masada

From the top of Wadi David at Ein Gedi, you can see the coast of the Dead Sea as far as Masada in the center of the faint ridge in the distance (a wadi is a deep ravine, usually with seasonal flash floods).  This view is one not often seen, as it is a 45-minute hike up from the waterfalls of Ein Gedi, at the site of the Chalcolithic era temple at Ein Gedi.  I Samuel 23:14 states that David had strong holds in the wilderness, and this wadi at Ein Gedi could have sustained many men while also providing an excellent defensive position.

The photo below was shot with a telephoto lens from the same perspective as the above photo, but zoomed in on Masada.  If you are familiar with Masada, you will recognize this as it's north face.  You can see the Roman siege ramp on the right side.  While Masada is best known from Herod the Great's period, sites like it and Ein Gedi could have also served as strongholds for fugitives like David or for his watchmen who needed to maintain a line of sight with other encampments.

New National Park Possible

The area of the Shephelah is very interesting. It is mentioned a number of times in the Old Testament and is often called the "Judean Foothills". It is a series of lowlands with hills and valleys that stretches 10-15 miles wide between the Coastal Plain and the Central Mountain Range. During the time of the conquest, this land was allotted to the tribe of Judah. By the time of the United Kingdom, this land had become a buffer area between the mountains (where the Israelites lived) and the plains (where the Philistines lived). One of the east-to-west running valleys in the Shephelah is the Valley of Elah, which was the sight of the epic battle between David and Goliath.

Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle. And they were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered, and encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in line of battle against the Philistines. And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with a valley between them. - 1 Samuel 17:1-3

Recently, there has been some discussion about expanding some neighborhoods from the town of Beit Shemesh southward, possibly impacting the area around the Valley of Elah. I have been trying to follow this story closely in that I was not in favor of destroying the landscape around this site. Recently, there has been some wonderful excavations taking place at Khirbet Qeiyafa, which overlooks the valley. These excavations might have also been affected.

Luckily, it appears that a hold has been put in place on the neighborhood construction. In addition, they are considering protecting the area by making it a national park. (NOTE: You might have to use Google Translate to translate the web site from Hebrew to English.)

UPDATE: The article is now in English!

The picture at the top of this post is from Google Maps and is looking east down the Valley of Elah. From this perspective, the army of Israel would have been on the left ridge with the Philistines on the right. David slew Goliath in the valley near the stream bed. (NOTE: If you are reading this post from an email, you might to click on the title and go to the web page to see the picture.)

Psalm 63

King David was a great writer.  We are blessed in that we have a number of his writings in the form of psalms.  David often found himself away from the major cities which allowed him time to meditate on God and what He had done for him. In many Bibles, subtitles are ascribed to many of the psalms. While one could offer arguments about the validity of the subtitles, more often than not, they are accepted (by tradition) as being authentic. Psalm 63 is one of the psalms that has a subtitle. It reads, "A Psalm of David when he was in the Wilderness of Judah". Reading that, you are forced to wonder what the Wilderness of Judah is like.

The Wilderness of Judah lies to the west of the Jordan River and Dead Sea and climbs into the central mountain range. It is very arid, and in some locations only a few inches of rain fall each year. I took the attached picture a little over a week ago as we were traveling down the western edge of the Dead Sea. While you often see small shrubs, it has very sparse vegetation.

Now, let's look back at Psalm 63. As you read through it, try to keep in mind the picture and notice the obvious references to the environment in which he was in.

PSALM 63

O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me. But those who seek my life, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth. They shall fall by the sword; they shall be a portion for jackals. But the king shall rejoice in God; everyone who swears by Him shall glory; But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.

Once again, understanding the lands of the Bible help you to understand the writings in the Bible.

Gihon Spring and En Rogel

Knowing the geography of some of the Biblical locations allows you to understand and enjoy the stories even more. Such is the case with the locations of the Gihon Spring and En Rogel. Both of these locations were involved in David's appointment of Solomon as the next king of Israel. This story can be read in 1 Kings 1. As David was getting old, one of his sons, Adonijah took it upon himself to appoint himself as the successor to David. Adonijah rounded up a number of officials and threw a feast at En Rogel. When Nathan the prophet heard about it, he and Bathsheba approached David and told him what was happening. David immediately arranged for Solomon to be appointed king in a ceremony at the Gihon Spring.

By reading the Biblical account, it is not immediately obvious how close these two locations are. Depending on exactly where Adonijah was, they were probably around a half a mile apart. Clearly, they were close enough so that you could hear the loud noises from either location.

(NOTE: The picture above is a picture that I took in 2010 of the approximate location of En Rogel near the intersections of the Kidron and Hinnom valleys. The picture was taken from upon the southern end of the City of David.)

Currently, Luke Chandler is in Israel participating in an excavation of Khirbet Qeiyafa near the Valley of Elah. On a day off, he traveled to Jerusalem and posted a video showing these two locations and their relationship to this story in greater detail.