Backgrounds of the Bible

MEMORY VERSE: “It is a light thing that thou shouldest be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to lighten the Gentiles, that thou mayest be My salvation unto the end of the earth.” —Isaiah 49:6

JOHN 4:3-10, 19-26

ANCIENT Palestine, the Promised Land, is the geographical background of the Bible, while the writers of its various books, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, were descendants of Abraham, with the possible exception of Job, who by some scholars is thought to have been a Gentile. God’s promises to Abraham, enlarged on by the prophets, by Jesus, and the apostles, constitute the doctrinal themes of the Bible.

Within Palestine in Jesus’ day was a group of people known as Samaritans. The entire northern part of the country which was governed by the ten-tribe kingdom of Israel became known as Samaria. When the ten-tribe kingdom was destroyed, and the Israelites were taken captive to Assyria, “the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaiin, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel.”—II Kings 17:24

The Samaritans of Jesus’ day were descendants of these mixed peoples, including some who were the result of the intermingling of unfaithful Jews with them. In Nehemiah’s time a temple had been built for the Samaritans on Mount Gerizim. But this temple had been destroyed before Jesus’ day, yet the Samaritans of that time revered it, claiming that it had been far superior to the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. For this and other reasons the Jews and Samaritans held much animosity toward one another, which explains why the woman of Samaria expressed surprise that Jesus should ask her for a drink of water.

Jesus took the occasion to witness to the woman concerning his messiahship, and of his ability to provide living water, concerning which he said, “Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him, a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”—John 4:13,14

Jesus revealed to the woman that he knew about her family affairs—that she had had five husbands, and was now living with a man who was not her husband. To this she replied, “I perceive that thou art a prophet.” (vs. 19) Since she realized that she was conversing with a prophet the woman raised a question which doubtless had been a subject of controversy between Jews and Samaritans for a long time.

She said, “Our fathers worshipped in this mountain [Gerizim]; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” To this Jesus replied, “Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.” He explained further that the Father desired the people to worship him in spirit and in truth, and that the place of worship was not important.

Jerusalem was the capital of the Promised Land, and the kings of Judah ruled from Mount Zion in Jerusalem. The Jewish temple was in Jerusalem. Thus Jerusalem was the center of their religious worship and of their government. In God’s arrangements this was intended as an illustration of the kingdom of the Messiah in its total rulership over mankind, which is described in Revelation 21 as a “new Jerusalem” which comes down from heaven. This new Jerusalem will be invisible to human eyes, but it will be all-powerful, and those who obey its laws will live forever.—Rev. 21:1-4

The great servant referred to in our memory verse is Jesus, the Messiah. He is the One who gives light to Israel and also to the Gentiles. (Isa. 60:1,3; Luke 2:32; John 1:9) It is through Jesus, the true Light of the world, that salvation will yet be made available to all the families of the earth.—Gen. 12:3

During the present Gospel Age a special salvation, involving exaltation to glory and honor and immortality, is offered upon the basis of faith to all the truly consecrated followers of Jesus. (Heb. 3:1) These will be associated with Jesus in the future work of blessing all the families of the earth. The present is their day of salvation, but the world’s day of salvation is future.

QUESTIONS

What is the geographical background of the Bible?

What is its cultural background?

Who were the Samaritans?

Who is the Light of the world?

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