Lead:

For most of Israel’s and Judah’s history they had six neighbors. Who were those nations, and what should we remember?

Intro:

Neighbors of Israel
Israel did not live out the exciting events of the OT in a vacuum. The stage of history in the ancient Near East was crowded with many national groups. During most of Israel’s and Judah’s history, their borders connected with those of six different nations.(1)

And today on the For The Hope program we are going to begin picking them off one by one…well, not picking them off like your favorite spy movie, but sharing just a few details so that we understand some of the sociopolitical context in which the Israelites were immersed.

That said, today in Acts we begin with an episode of the signs and wonders we heard Peter preach about yesterday. Pay attention to how he uses it.

Sponsor:

Would you kindly give a shout out somewhere? Like maybe telling someone about the weekly Sunday newsletter that has extras in it? Thanks for spreading the Word.

New covenant:

Passage: Acts 3
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 26
Words: ~606

Wisdom:

Passage: Psalm 37
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 49
Words: ~656

Old covenant:

Passage: Judges 15-16
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 51
Words: ~1390

Commentary:

Phoenicia
Living just north of Israel along the Mediterranean coast, the Semitic Amorites who populated the shoreline were famous merchants and seafarers who established colonies in north Africa, Spain, Asia Minor, and various Mediterranean islands. Israel usually maintained peaceful relations with this country, especially under David and Ahab. But they also fought wars against it. Phoenicia’s two major city-states were Sidon and Tyre. Sidon was destroyed in 677 B.C. by the Assyrian king Sennacherib; in 571 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king, captured Tyre.
Aram/Syria
Located northeast of Israel, this collection of Semitic city-states—especially Damascus, Zobah, and Hamath—is mentioned frequently in Scripture as an aggressive enemy of Israel and Judah. The Bible records that Saul, David, Solomon, Baasha, Ahab, Joram, Joash, Jehoahaz, and Jehoash all fought battles against Aram. The Arameans’ greatest cultural contribution to the world was their alphabet, on which the “square” Hebrew script is based.
Ammon
Situated east of Israel, this Semitic nation traced its roots to Abraham’s nephew Lot. Rabbah Ammon (modern Amman, Jordan) served as their capital. Their chief god was Milcom. Israel’s relations with Ammon were stormy and included conflicts dating from the period of the judges to the final years of the kingdom of Judah. During David’s reign, Ammon was conquered, though soon after Solomon’s reign it declared independence. During the sixth century B.C. it was overrun first by Arab invaders, then by the Persians.
Moab
Located east of the Dead Sea, Moab, another Semitic nation, traced its origin to Lot. The chief Moabite god was Chemosh. David’s great-grandmother Ruth was a Moabite, but both he and later Israelite kings fought many bloody battles with Moab. A famous archaeological find, the Mesha stele (about 850 B.C.), describes the Moabite king Mesha’s war of liberation from Israel, probably during Jehoram’s reign. Like Judah, Moab was conquered by Nebuchadnezzar about 587 B.C. and later was dominated by the Persians.
Edom
A Semitic nation southeast of the Dead Sea, Edom traced its roots to Jacob’s brother, Esau. Prosperity in this mountainous nation was primarily due to caravan tolls and mining. During the exodus, Edom refused Israel permission to pass through its territory. Though Moses commanded the Israelites not to hate the Edomites, hostilities existed between the two peoples from that time onward. Israel dominated Edom throughout most of the biblical period.
Philistia
Israel’s only non-Semitic neighbor, the Philistines came from Caphtor (possibly Crete or some other Aegean land) to settle on the Mediterranean shores west of Judah. Their chief god was Dagon, an agricultural deity. With their superior metal weapons and technology, the comparatively wealthy and sophisticated Philistines were Israel’s greatest threat to national security during the early years of the monarchy. They killed Israel’s first king (Saul) in battle. David dealt them major defeats, though they presented great problems for Israel over the years.

Love you!

-Roger

ForTheHope is a daily audio Bible + apologetics podcast and blog. We’ve got a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.

Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org.

Sources and resources:

(1) David S. Dockery, ed., Holman Bible Handbook (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 1992), 216.

#1069: Acts 3 | Judges 15-16 | Israel's neighbors: Philistia | Psalm 37