Welcome to Day 2361 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – The Ancient’s Guide to the Galaxy - I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible

Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2361 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2361 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the first lesson in a new segment called Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not to Bore Me with the Bible written by Bible scholar and professor Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God’s redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it’s also a book that seems strange to us. While God’s Word was written for us, it wasn’t written to us. Today, our lesson is The Ancient’s Guide to the Galaxy. God chose a specific time, place, and culture to inspire people to produce what we read in the Old Testament: the ancient Mediterranean and the ancient Near East of the second and first millennia BC. Understanding the worldview of this culture can lead to a more faithful understanding of Scripture on our part, especially when it comes to understanding how the Israelites viewed God and the universe. Let’s first examine how they understood Old Testament Cosmology. “Cosmology” refers to how we understand the universe’s structure. The biblical writers’ conception of how God structured the heavens and earth represents a particular cosmology. The Israelites believed in a universe that was common among the ancient civilizations of the biblical world. It encompassed three parts: a heavenly realm, an earthly realm for humans, and an underworld for the dead. These three tiers are reflected in the Ten Commandments: “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth,” Exod. 20:4. Second, let’s examine how they understood The Heavens. We find an Israelite understanding of the heavens in Genesis 1:6-8, which describes it as an expanse, with waters above and below: “And God said, ‘Let there be an expanse (raqia) in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.’... And it was so. And God called the expanse (raqia) Heaven or sky.” The Heaven or sky thought to be a solid firmament, separated the waters above from the waters below: “When he established the heavens, I [Wisdom] was there; when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep,” Prov. 8:27-28. The firmament dome surrounded the earth, with its edge meeting at the horizon—“the boundary between light and darkness” (Job 26:10). It was supported by “pillars” or “foundations,” thought to be the tops of mountains, whose peaks appeared to touch the sky. The heavens had doors and windows through which rain or the waters above could flow upon the earth from their storehouses (Gen 7:11: 8:2: Psa 78:23: 33:7). God was thought to dwell above the firmament, the sky, as described in Job 22:14,“Thick clouds veil him, so that he does not see, and he walks on the vault of heaven.” Third, let’s examine how they understood The Earth. The earth sat upon the watery deep. The “waters below” speak not only to waters that people use, but also to the more bottomless abyss. Thus, the earth was surrounded by the seas (Gen 1:9-10), having arisen out of the water (2 Pet 3:5). The earth was thought to be held fast by pillars or sunken foundations (1 Sam 2:8: Job 38:4-6: Psa 104:5). Fourth, let’s examine how they understood The Underworld. It was thought that the realm of the dead was located under the earth. The most frequent term for this place was sheol  Prov 9:18: Psa 6:4-5: 18:4-5). The word for “earth” (erets) is also used—the graves dug by humans represented gateways to the Underworld. In Job, the realm of the dead is described in watery terms: “The dead tremble under the waters and their inhabitants. Sheol is naked before God, and Abaddon has no covering,” Job 26:5-6. Jonah’s description is perhaps the most vivid. Though in the belly of the great fish, Jonah says he is in the Underworld: the watery deep “at the roots of the mountains,” a “pit” that had “bars” that closed forever (Jonah 2:5-6). Becoming familiar with the ancient Near Eastern worldview can help us interpret the Old Testament. By understanding the Israelites’ concept of cosmology, we have a better idea of their perceptions of God. The lessons that will make up Theology Thursday on the Wisdom-Trek Podcast for the next couple of years will satisfy the statement, “I Dare You Not to Bore Me with the Bible.” I trust you’ll enjoy them—and, of course, not be bored. Reflect… If you found this podcast insightful, subscribe and leave us a review, then encourage your friends and family to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and, most importantly, I am your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal. As we take this trek together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you next time for more wisdom from God’s Word!