THE LAW, MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF BIBLICAL PEOPLE GROUPS JoLynn Gower Fall 2018 217-493-6151 jgower@guardingthetruth.org

ABOUT THIS CLASS YOU WILL NEED: Workbook Good Bible translation Concordance keyed to that translation Bible Atlas Bible Dictionary AUDIO – email for link or guardingthetruth.org When worship/or opening prayer starts, the kitchen is closed until prayer time is over; if you leave before prayer time, you are leaving before the meeting is over; LEAVE QUIETLY

LOOKING AT GALILEE Kinsman Redeemer model! Cities of Refuge: Joshua 20:7  So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. 2 Samuel 5:10-12  David became greater and greater, for the LORD God of hosts was with him. Then Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David with cedar trees and carpenters and stonemasons; and they built a house for David. And David realized that the LORD had established him as king over Israel, and that He had exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel. The alliance with Hiram would have consequences for Galilee

ALLIANCE WITH TYRE Hiram provided David with cedar and stones and gold for his house; also to store for the future temple Hiram provided Solomon with the same 1 Kings 5:1-2  Now Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, when he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, for Hiram had always been a friend of David.  1 Kings 5:8-9 So Hiram sent word to Solomon, saying, "I have heard the message which you have sent me; I will do what you desire concerning the cedar and cypress timber. My servants will bring them down from Lebanon to the sea; and I will make them into rafts to go by sea to the place where you direct me, and I will have them broken up there, and you shall carry them away. Then you shall accomplish my desire by giving food to my household."

PROBLEMS WITH ALLIANCE After Solomon, when Israel was divided, Galilee became part of the northern kingdom; twenty cities (villages) had been offered to Hiram, who declined them The northern kingdom had no good kings! After the kingdom split, Judah had two bad kings, then Asa and Jehoshaphat, who were good. Unfortunately, Jehoshaphat’s son, Jehoram, married into the lineage of the northern kingdom: Athalia daughter of Ahab and Jezebel; she named her son Ahaziah after her brother, the son of Ahab and Jezebel Jezebel was from the alliances with Tyre and Sidon Her father was Ethbaal, a priest of Baal, from Sidon

KINGS OF ISRAEL: INFILTRATION Asa son did right Jehoshaphat son did right Jehoram son did evil Ahaziah (AKA Azariah or Jehoahaz) son did evil Athaliah mother did evil Nadab son did evil Baasha none did evil Elah son did evil Zimri captain did evil Omri captain did evil Ahab son did evil Ahaziah son did evil Jehoram(AKA Joram) son of Ahab did evil

STRONG PAGAN INFLUENCE From the time of Ahab and Jezebel (871-852 B.C.) until the northern kingdom fell to Assyria in 722 B.C., there was a strong pagan influence Elijah confronting prophets of Baal and Ashtoreth on Mt. Carmel (lower Galilee) After the northern kingdom of Israel fell to Assyria, the numbers of God worshipers dwindled In 165 B.C., Simon the Maccabee, claims to have rescued them and moved them all to Judea. Later, Aristobulus reclaimed Galilee and annexed it to the Hasmonean kingdom. He required people to adopt the Jewish religion and customs and obey Jewish law

THE TIME OF CHRIST By the time of Jesus, Galilee had many Jewish people The Zealots were headquartered in Galilee; one of Jesus’ disciples was a Zealot By the time of Jesus, those in Galilee were Aramaean, Iturean, Phoenician, and Greek. Their language usage and accent were distinguishable from people in Judea. John 7:49-52  "But this crowd which does not know the Law is accursed."  Nicodemus (he who came to Him before, being one of them) said to them, "Our Law does not judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?" They answered him, "You are not also from Galilee, are you? Search, and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee." (Jonah, Nahum, Hosea, Elijah, Elisha???)

MAJOR CITIES Sepphoris, about 3 miles north of Nazareth Tiberias, built by Herod Antipas, the Tetrarch, in 18 AD Kedesh, a city of refuge Chorzain Bethsaida Capernaum Nazareth Jotapata Cana Nain

AFTER THE TIME OF JESUS Acts 12:20  Now he (Herod Antipas I) was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; and with one accord they came to him, and having won over Blastus the king's chamberlain, they were asking for peace, because their country was fed by the king's country. This happened in the theater at Caesarea After Jerusalem fell, Galilee became the seat of Jewish learning, headquartered in Tiberias The Mishna was committed to writing and the Jerusalem Talmud was composed in Tiberias Several caravan routes trading with Egypt, Syria, and the ships of Phoenicia went through Galilee; this is why Solomon had 2 fortress cities in Galilee: Hazor and Megiddo

PRODUCE OF GALILEE Grapes in the northern regions Pomegranates along Mt. Carmel Olive trees throughout the valleys Wheat (especially around Chorazin, which was famous for its wheat) The average rainfall in CU = 41”

RIVERS, SPRINGS, WELLS, CISTERNS Springs: usually preceded by En Given the infrequent rain in certain months, collecting rainwater was extremely important Well: usually preceeded by Beer or Baar This word was also used for a cistern – sometimes an acre or more Genesis 26:32-33  Now it came about on the same day, that Isaac's servants came in and told him about the well which they had dug, and said to him, "We have found water." So he called it Shibah; therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day. Today, Galilee still remains an agricultural center in Israel