The Epic of Eden Lesson 3

The Bible in Real Time ans Space

Richter acknowledges the complex geography in the Old Testament, but she clearly points out its importance. She suggests streamlining all the locations into three main areas: Mesopotamia, Israel, and Egypt, which is a great way to manage what's important and organize it all.

" We are organizing the story of redemption as the biblical writers have, around five major eras. Each of these five eras is associated with one key player (Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and David) organize the plotline of the Old Testament. Three general areas (Mesopotamia, Israel and Egypt, set the stage."

Adam God offers Adam and eve everything a human could desire. He installs these two, made in his image, as the stewards of his perfect world. But as we all know, humanity rejects God's plan, choosing autonomy instead and they are evicted from Eden. Thus Adam's world is birthed with all of its pain and chaos. So too is the story of redemption birthed. For with Adam's choice, God's plan of rescue begins.

Noah

The flood served as a period of history that divided the Adamic Age to the current one. Noah's chosen Shem was the salvation of our fallen race.

Abraham

Abraham is the offspring of Shem and the next step in God's redemptive plan. He is known as "the father of the Jews" because his descendants will become the nation of Israel. This is where we step into datable history. He brought his bêt āb to Canaan (which would later become Israel). His son Jacob took his bêt āb and followed Joseph into Egypt.

Moses

Moses the child of a Hebrew raised with Egyptian royalty. Driven from Egypt because of his loyalty to his own people. Moses leads God's people out of slavery and into a new life. When the sea parts, tens of thousands of the offspring of Abraham step into freedom. At Sinai this group is transformed into a nation and the journey to the Promised Land begins.

David

David was born into an era in which Israel has not yet evolved into a centralized government. This new nation is still governed through its tribal leaders. The people's first choice was Saul the Benjaminite who turns out to be a horrid disappointment. Yahweh removes him and appoints David, with whom the actual dynasty begins.

Space

Some basic geographical information will transform the way we read and understand the Old Testament. Remember, we are going to organize ourselves around three general regions: Mesopotamia (which housed the nations of Assyria and Babylonia), Israel (which is also known as Canaan and Palestine) and Egypt. All of these regions may be found in the Fertile Crescent. What made this region fertile was water. The Tigris and Euphrates rivers toward the east, the Jordan in the center and the Nile in the west transformed desert and stone into farmland and pasturage. This swath of habitable and arable land served as the backdrop to the peoples and narratives of the Old Testament.

Mesopotamia

• means "the land between the rivers"
• east of Fertile Crescent
• writing first developed here in c. 3200 BC
• cradle of civilization
• setting for Noah's flood
• biblical writers apparently understand it as the setting for the Tower of Babel
• Abraham leaves Ur in Mesopotamia to find the promised land

Canaan

• Canaan/Israel/Palestine
• served as the only land bridge between to Mesopotamia and Egypt
• Abraham spent most of his life in Canaan

Egypt

• after several generations Abraham's kin found their way to Egypt
• Joseph and his special coat
• for many years Joseph lived in Egypt as a slave, then prisoner and then a political advisor
• Jacob discovers Joseph is still alive, takes his kin to Egypt and stayed, eventually becoming slaves to Pharaoh.
• Moses leads the people out of Egypt to Mt. Sinai, then Moab
• sets up the reformation of the people of God
• Moses transferred leadership to Joshua and Israel began to make preparations for the conquest of the Promised Land

Canaan Revisited

• successful assault on Jericho (books of Judges and Joshua)
• Israel spent next several hundred years wrestling indigenous people for governing control in the land
• Under King David Israel Israel gains control of all the land promised to Abraham
• Under David's grandson, Rehoboam, fissure between northern and southern tribes develops and country torn apart by civil war
• divided kingdom 931 BC Israel in the north (various kings/dynasties), Judah in the south (Davidic dynasty) 1 and 2 Kings
• to avoid divided monarchy confusion see map below and remember that the temple and David's dynasty continue in the south in Jerusalem.

Mesopotamia Revisited

• northern and southern kingdoms eventually became victims of conquest and exile

• in 722 BC the Mesopotamian superpower, Assyria, captures Samaria (capital of northern kingdom) resulting in the 10 lost tribes of Israel never returning home again. 2 Kings 17
• 130 years later southern kingdom suffers same fate at the hands of Babylonia
• David's kingdom swept off into exile by Nebuchadnezzar II
• the remnant of the faithful in Babylonia did return
• 538 BC Jews released to go home rebuilt the community in and around Jerusalem and temple rebuilt. This is the era of the birth of the modern religion of Judaism

How is your closet coming?" 

The Epic of Eden A Christian Entry into the Old Testament. 2008