In the Intro to OT episode, we talked about the setting of the Promised Land being important. I mentioned that they were always bullied because they had a prime location. If you look at the immediate location that they’re in, it is the middle of some big empires. Egypt is to the Southwest of them, and Babylon and Assyria are to the East and Northeast respectively. Here’s a homemade map I put together for you.
I took this right off of Google Earth and added the little labels myself in Windows Paint (how you doin), so you’re going to have to ignore how 3rd grade it looks. You’ll notice that the Promised Land is very green compared to the surrounding desert. This is important. People did not have cars back then like we do now.
Shocker, right!
They weren’t able to travel straight through a desert of that size in a day like we can. They needed to stop so their camels and horses could drink and rest. They needed to refill their food and water supply. That caused the travel route to cut right through Israel in an arch type shape around the desert. The line I drew isn’t the exact trade route, but it was the best I could do in Paint and it gives you an idea.
The Promised Land was a coveted land. If you control that land, you control the trade routes. Now, what’s interesting to me is if you zoom out even further.
North and South America weren’t really a factor in ancient times ☹
If you look at this map and keep in mind the fact that people avoided deserts when they travel, you see that the promised land is the gateway for the whole world. Smack dab in the middle. Europe to the northwest, Africa to the southwest, and Asia to the north/southeast.
Crazy stuff amirite!
Continue to Ding, Dingers
-Ryan