How important is undershepherding? Without it, my understanding of God’s Word would not be where it is today. My sister began to undershepherd me in my teenage years, when I was convinced that I belonged to the one and only true religion. I had grown up going to church every Sunday, had taken religion classes… Continue Reading
In early Old Testament times, a place of great importance in a city was its city gates. The Mosaic law recognized the city gates as the place of justice—the place for judicial proceedings. Deuteronomy 16:18: Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, throughout thy… Continue Reading
The making of pottery is one of the most important and necessary trades of the Bible lands. It is also one of the oldest. In Bible times the making of pottery was regarded as an inferior craft, but it met a universal need. Clay jars and pots were used for carrying water from the well… Continue Reading
The wedding ceremony of the East was much different than those of the West today. The Judeans were a people who enjoyed festivals and elaborate celebrations. So a wedding was a good time to have a celebration. In Jesus Christ Our Promised Seed, by Dr. Victor Paul Wierwille, we learn that in the Eastern culture… Continue Reading
In the Bible there are many references to the Eastern lamp and the significance of its light. The lamp in Bible times was a main source of light for the Easterner, and in the home it was kept burning continually. Understanding manners and customs regarding the Eastern lamp helps the Scriptures become clearer to us.… Continue Reading
In God’s Word we find illustrations referring to the olive tree, which would have communicated clearly to the believers in Bible times. Understanding some of the literal aspects of the olive tree of the East helps our Western minds grasp the meaning of the scriptures relating to the olive tree and its resources. The olive… Continue Reading
The term used for “farmer” in the Bible is “husbandman.” A husbandman is a plowman, a man of the soil, a tiller of the ground. In All the Trades and Occupations of the Bible, Herbert Lockyer writes that Jesus Christ’s frequent allusions to farmers, fields, and their products indicate how familiar he was with the… Continue Reading
Caves are numerous in the Bible lands. They were used in ages past as dwellings, hiding places, and burial places. Modern-day excavations have proved that cave dwellers existed south of Beersheba several hundred years before Christ. They would often take their primitive tools and make the natural caves larger and more comfortable for the family.… Continue Reading
During Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry, he often taught in synagogues, where Judeans who had an interest in God and the things of God regularly gathered. John 18:20: Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews [Judeans] always resort; and in secret… Continue Reading
In the Eastern lands, a signet was an object of great meaning and importance. Every household had a signet or seal, which was engraved with distinctive markings. A person in authority used the signet or seal to make an impression in wax or clay upon letters, documents, and other objects to be sealed. The signet… Continue Reading