Acts 16:11-40
During the time of the apostle Paul the city of Philippi in Macedonia was home to military veterans of a great battle fought nearby as well as to the very first Europeans who responded to Paul’s message of the good news of Jesus Christ. During his second missionary journey Paul traveled to Troas, just across from Macedonia. There Paul received a vision of a man from Macedonia calling to him for help, so Paul and Silas sailed to the town of Neapolis on the Macedonian coast. From there they headed to Philippi, a leading city in the region, by traveling along the Egnatian Way, the primary Roman road throughout Macedonia. On the Sabbath they went outside the city gates to find a place of prayer, likely along the Krenides River about a mile east of the city. There they shared the gospel with some women who were gathered there, including Lydia of Thyatira, who became a believer. She and her household were baptized, and she invited Paul and his companions to stay at her house. Later as Paul was going again to the place of prayer he encountered a female slave who told fortunes as a way to make money for her owners. Paul cast out the spirit from the woman, which angered her owners, because it destroyed their means of making money from her. The men dragged Paul and Silas before the magistrates at the marketplace, who then ordered Paul and Silas to be beaten and thrown into prison. That night while Paul and Silas sang hymns in their cell an earthquake loosed all the prisoners’ chains and opened the prison doors, but Paul and the other prisoners chose not to flee, leading the grateful jailer to become a follower of Jesus Christ. The next day the magistrates released Paul and Silas, who then visited Lydia and the other believers before leaving for Thessalonica further west along the Egnatian Way. Paul likely revisited the believers at Philippi years later on his third missionary journey (Acts 20:1-2), and he wrote his Epistle to the Philippians sometime during one of his later imprisonments.
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Geshur and Maacah
The remote region surrounding the Upper Jordan River was home to two small nations that are frequently overlooked regarding their role in Israelite history: Geshur and Maacah. The land occupied by these two nations fell within the allotted territories of Naphtali and Manasseh, but Israel was never able to drive them out (Joshua 12:5; 13:1-13), and they remained as small, autonomous enclaves within Israel much like the Philistines along the coast. During David’s time, the nation of Maacah (also called Aram-maacah) contributed warriors to the coalition that fought against David after his messengers were humiliated by the Ammonites (2 Samuel 10:6-8; 1 Chronicles 19:6-7). The nation of Geshur, on the other hand, appears to have enjoyed a more peaceful relationship with Israel during David’s time, likely due to David’s marriage to Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur. David’s son Absalom was born to Maacah, so when Absalom killed his half brother Amnon, he fled to Geshur for refuge (2 Samuel 13-14). Sometime later, perhaps during an era of Aramean dominance, Geshur joined Aram to capture all of Bashan (1 Chronicles 2:23). Centuries later, Jesus and his disciples traveled to Panias (which was called Caesarea Philippi by Jesus’ time), and it was there that Peter made his great declaration that Jesus was the Messiah, and Jesus was transfigured before them (Matthew 16:13-17:13; Mark 8:27-9:13).
The Land of Midian
The heartland of Midian was located immediately east of the Gulf of Aqaba, although the Midianites’ nomadic lifestyle often took them far beyond this region and even into the land of Israel. The Bible mentions the Midianites as early as Joseph’s time (Genesis 37:25-36) and as late as Isaiah’s time (Isaiah 60:6), but they may have existed in some form into the time of the New Testament as well, because the first century writers Josephus and Ptolemy mention places named Madian (likely also called Madiam and Madiana) and Modiana. Genesis notes that the Midianites were descended from Abraham through his wife Keturah (Genesis 25:1-6), but when Abraham’s great-grandson Joseph is sold to Midianite traders while at Dothan in Canaan, it appears that they are also referred to as Ishmaelites, suggesting that there must have been some categorical overlapping of these groups by the Israelites. Later Moses fled to Midian after killing an Egyptian, and he married Zipporah, a daughter of the Midianite priest named Reuel (Exodus 2). Later Reuel (also called Jethro) visited Moses and assisted him while he was with the Israelites at Mount Sinai (Exodus 18). When the Israelites were preparing to enter the Promised Land, however, the Midianites were involved in the plot to bring Balaam to curse to the Israelites (Numbers 22:4-7), and they led the Israelites into idolatry, leading Moses to curse them (Numbers 25). The Israelites later fought against the Midianites and defeated them (Numbers 31). During the time of the Judges, Midianites regularly raided places in Israel such as the Jezreel Valley (Judges 6:1-6), and the Lord raised up Gideon to defeat them. Centuries later Isaiah foretold of a time when the wealth of the nations, including Midian with its young camels, would be brought to Israel (Isaiah 6:1-7). Primarily because of Moses’ interactions with the Midianite Reuel, various mountain peaks within the land of Midian have been offered as possible locations of Mount Sinai, although the Bible specifically notes that Reuel (or Jethro) left Mount Sinai to return to his own land (Exodus 18:27; Numbers 10:30), suggesting that Mount Sinai was not located in Midian.
Assyria Advances on Jerusalem
Isaiah 10:24-34
Like the climax of a nail-biting thriller, Isaiah 10:24-34 traces the movements of an overwhelming force of Assyrians closing in on the city of Jerusalem, but just when all seems lost and the enemy is shaking his fist over the city, the Lord delivers his people. It is not clear if this story is only happening in Isaiah’s imagination or if Isaiah is recounting an actual historical event, such as Sennacherib’s invasion of Judah in 701 B.C. Either way, his point is clear: God’s people should trust in his sure salvation and not fear Assyria’s might. Earlier in the same chapter Isaiah reiterates the Assyrians’ boast of the cities that have already fallen to their power (verses 8-11), including Samaria, so this story must be set after Samaria’s fall in 722 B.C. The Assyrians begin their attack by traveling south along the Central Ridge Route, the primary north-south artery running through the central hill country, and then they turn off at Bethel to cross the pass at Michmash, perhaps to avoid the fortifications at Mizpah (see 1 Kings 15:22). Then they rejoin the main route at Ramah. Isaiah echoes the terror facing each of the towns along the Assyrians’ path, culminating with the Assyrians shaking their fist over Jerusalem from Nob, likely on the summit of the Mount of Olives. Before the enemy can take the city, however, the Lord cuts the Assyrians down and saves his people.
Zerah the Cushite
2 Chronicles 14
The book of 2 Chronicles contains the sole mention of an otherwise unknown battle between King Asa of Judah and Zerah the Cushite around 895 B.C. Prior to his description of the battle, the Chronicler notes that Asa had undertaken a campaign to fortify many of the towns throughout Judah, since the land was at peace and afforded them the means to do so. Apparently these efforts raised concerns among the Cushite peoples who dwelt along the western coast of Arabia (see Genesis 10:6-7), who likely feared that Asa was trying to tighten his control over important international trade routes that passed through southern Judah. The Arabian Cushites were well known for their gold, incense, and precious stones (1 Kings 9:28; 10:10-11; 22:48; 1 Chronicles 29:4; 2 Chronicles 8:18; 9:1-10; Job 22:24; 28:16; Psalm 45:9; Isaiah 13:12; 60:6; Jeremiah 6:20; Ezekiel 27:22), which they transported along the Incense Route and other roads to reach eager markets in the coastal cities of Philistia. So a Cushite named Zerah gathered a massive army and met Asa in battle at the Valley of Zephathah just north of Mareshah (see map of the Shephelah). During the battle the Lord struck down the Cushites, and they fled in the direction of Gerar, which may have been where the Cushites had camped in preparation for battle. Asa’s forces pursued them to Gerar and destroyed them completely, carrying off a great deal of plunder. Asa’s troops then destroyed and looted all the villages surrounding Gerar, which had likely hosted some of Zerah’s troops as well.
