Interactive DevotionalAh, the mountain air! Analyze the painting shown here. Check out the details.
The first Europeans to visit Kentucky arrived in the late 17th Century via the Ohio River from the northeast and from the southeast through a natural pass in the Appalachian Mountains. In 1769, frontiersman Daniel Boone, while on the first of several hunting expeditions, discovered the Cumberland Gap through the lower Appalachians. What makes mountains and mountain passes so appealing? |   |
One of his greatest contributions to the fledgling nation was to blaze a trail across the Cumberland Gap and bring pioneering and adventurous families into the wilderness. This allowed for an expansion of the United States into the rural areas of what was then the western frontier.
Israelites preferred to live in the mountains. It is where God led them to inhabit the Promised Land. Why? Maybe it is because chariots didn’t do well in the mountains. They were less likely to be attacked by armies of chariots. Read Acts 17:22-28. We usually focus on God no longer “winking” or overlooking ignorance, but look at verse 26f. God is a boundary around us just as the mountains surround Israel.
Israelites preferred to live in the mountains. It is where God led them to inhabit the Promised Land. Why? Maybe it is because chariots didn’t do well in the mountains. They were less likely to be attacked by armies of chariots. Read Acts 17:22-28. We usually focus on God no longer “winking” or overlooking ignorance, but look at verse 26f. God is a boundary around us just as the mountains surround Israel.
Mountains
Chart some information and take notes on your paper about each of the following:
| Hebron - where Abraham is buried. | Bethlehem - David’s hometown; Jesus is born. |
The terrain testifies to the reliability of the Gospels and the rest of the Bible. Matthew 20:17, for example, tells about going up to Jerusalem. That is to say, that there is a half-mile incline approaching the city. In contrast, Luke 10:30 is the tale of a man going down to Jericho. That trip, in fact, takes a man below sea level. There are places on that road that are barely five feet wide, one side a rock wall and the other side a drop.
| Mount of Olives (right of Jerusalem) | Shechem (between Gerizim and Ebal) |
| Gerizim and Ebal | Gilboa |
The final two mountains that we're looking at now are Mounts Tabor and Herman. The former is said to be the location of Christ's transfiguration. The latter, nearly two miles high, is the source of the Jordan River.
While we're here, what other information can be collected from the mountain cross section illustration above? How about the water features (the Dead Sea, the Sea of Galilee, and Lake Huleh)? Make note of sea level.
While we're here, what other information can be collected from the mountain cross section illustration above? How about the water features (the Dead Sea, the Sea of Galilee, and Lake Huleh)? Make note of sea level.
A Watershed Moment
As you add the mountain range to your hand-made map, consider that water flows two ways from here - west to the Mediterranean Sea and east to the Jordan and ultimately to the Dead Sea. Place those water features on the map as well.
Chart some information and take notes on your paper about each of the following:
There are no major bodies of water on the west side of the Jordan, so Israelites had to rely on springs and wells, rain and dew.
How do these rivers compare to our local rivers (the Missouri River, the Mississippi River, and even Shoal Creek)?
How do these rivers compare to our local rivers (the Missouri River, the Mississippi River, and even Shoal Creek)?
Next, move to the lakes and seas. These bodies of water that play such an important part in Scripture.
Interactive Devotional
Try to inflate the wind bag tube provided by the instructor. How difficult is it? How many breaths does it take?
| Compare and contrast the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. Consider the inlet and outlet attributes of these large bodies. What message do these two have to teach Christians about themselves? What questions should Christians ask ourselves? How does the early church compare to the 21st Century church? Find the connection in this part of the lesson and the video, Mr. Indifferent. Here are some questions to think about if you need some help. | |
- What acts of kindness does the man ignore, then perform in the video?
- What do pockets represent?
- What does the title, Mr. Indifferent, mean?
- How can we become more aware of serving others (our outlets)?
- What does being kind do for a person’s character? A person’s personality? A person’s health?
- Where can you find people to be nice to, tomorrow?
Return to the wind bag tubes. With a little explanation, can you do a better job at inflating yours?
Some More Geography and Cartography
The Jordan is much smaller than three other rivers in the area. It's not important because it's large or its water is especially pure and sweet, but because it flows through the center of Israel.
Let’s draw a map of a larger area to find three larger rivers of importance.
| Two other major rivers are in Mesopotamia. At one time there were four rivers here (now believed to be lost in the Arabian Gulf. Mesopotamia means “between the rivers”. We could make a connection to America's Fort, Fort Ticonderoga. Ticonderoga was named from an Indian word meaning "land between two rivers". If you're interested in some interesting history, check out the video, Champlain: the Lake Between. Label these two rivers on your new map:
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Go with the flow.
This one's on the other side of the map. It's the last one for this class session, but it is undoubtedly the most famous (or should that be infamous?). Now, let's label it: Nile River.
Now we can use this map to trace the rift through the Jordan and African locations. Then, after some final comments, we can finally wrap up this lesson.
