Burning Bush Blogs
Equipping Men with Biblical Knowledge and Leadership Skills
Category: Personal Study
Thread: New to the Bible – Geography of Israel
Post Topic: Why God Chose This Spot
Post in Thread: #3
Previous: Milk and Honey and Spies
Scripture: Acts 2:1-13
Key Verses:
Acts 2:9-10
9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”
Note on this series of posts
This post fits within a continuing series meant for readers who are less familiar with Scripture, but anyone can benefit.
Understanding the geography of Israel will aid in comprehending God’s plan as it unfolds throughout the Bible. This series of posts explores that geography by examining aspects of Israel’s natural features as described during biblical events. The posts seek to reveal larger truths specific to the geography while also diving into specific stories.
Today’s story uses the Day of Pentecost to illustrate God’s purpose in choosing the land bridge of Israel to house his chosen people.
Observations
Context
- The Day of Pentecost happened seven weeks after the resurrection of Christ. More specifically, 50 days after Easter Sunday.
- Jesus had already ascended to heaven. His followers were told to wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came upon them.
Notes
- The sound of a violent wind rattled their house, and tongues of fire appeared over their head (tongues of fire? Yes – crazy sounding, but a topic for another blog 😲)
- They began preaching in languages they didn’t know (this is speaking in tongues).
- 15 nationalities or people groups are listed who heard the gospel preached in their own tongue. They came everywhere from Africa to Rome to Asia.
Interpretation
Land Bridge
- Palestine was the center of the known trading world.
- It served as a land bridge to Egypt and thereby Africa to the south
- It served as a land bridge to Mesopotamia and Europe to the north
- To the west, it formed the far edge of the great Mediterranean Sea, providing numerous important trading ports
- Lots of rugged desert and wilderness lay to the east and south. Not very navigable, so major connecting Roman highways ran through Palestine.
- The map below shows only Palestine under Roman rule.
- Note that some of the places mentioned in Acts 2:9-10 are shown.
- Others, like Rome, Libya, and Pamphylia are not visible. These travelers came from great distances.
Speaking in Tongues on Pentecost
- This event marked the kickoff event of the spreading of Christianity to the ends of the earth.
- These were mainly Jews who heard this preaching. Some by birth, some by conversion. Many of them would have been in town for the Pentecost feast.
- But the variety of people groups who heard the Gospel that day illustrate why the Promised Land was the ideal location for God’s plan to unfold.
- All the barriers (except one) to spreading the Gospel had been broken down by the Roman Empire’s system of roads and trade routes.
- The final barrier – language – was overcome by the Holy Spirit and the gift of tongues.
Imagine…
You are a traveler from a distant land with a poor grasp of Arabic and no understanding of Hebrew. You’ve been struggling to communicate with people outside your party. Suddenly, you hear preaching about Jesus Christ spoken perfectly in your native language.
- Are you intrigued? Do you believe, even? Or…
- Do you think maybe the speakers are drunk?
Correlation
- Mark 16:17 – Jesus describes signs that will accompany his followers, including speaking in strange tongues.
- Acts 1:8 – Before ascending to heaven, Jesus tells the disciples that the Holy Spirit will come upon them, and they will preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
Application
Geography Lesson
- Israel was positioned perfectly in the known world for God’s plan to be carried out and for the good news of Jesus to spread throughout the world.
- The Roman system of roads and highways made travel more feasible than any time in history to that point. The fact that Palestine was a main travel route furthered the spread of the gospels. The seaports were important as well.
Generic Applications
- We can trust God’s plan, even if we can’t predict exactly how it’s going to play out.
- What might seem like an obstacle to us might be part of God’s plan to display his power. Language barriers seemed like an obstacle. Instead, it was an opportunity for God to demonstrate his power to the travelers.
Personalize it
- We face obstacles every day. But we can trust in God’s sovereign plan. What obstacles seem insurmountable to me right now that I can leave in God’s hands?
Bible study methodology adapted from Searching the Scriptures with permission from Tyndale House:
Swindoll, Charles, Searching the Scriptures. Tyndale House Publishers, 2016.