Biblical Places Spiritual Spaces - Beth Shean

Beth Shean

One of the largest archaeological sites in Israel is located at the junction of the eastern Jezreel Valley with the Jordan River valley.

 

Beth Shean- Entrance, with the Tel in the distance

The site model

The Cardo

The Amphitheater

The Public Latrine

Experiencing the Latrine, 2018

This fertile land with an abundant water supply was occupied continuously for nearly 6000 years. The 80 meter high tell contains 15 superimposed cities. The Egyptian pharoah Thutmose III made his his administrative center in the 15^th Century BC.

Moselle and Thutmose

Even though the land was allotted to the tribe of Manasseh, the iron chariots of the Canaanites prevented any attacks.

²⁷  But Manasseh did not take possession of Beth-shean and its villages, or Taanach and its villages, or the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages; so the Canaanites persisted in living in that land. ²⁸ It came about when Israel became strong, that they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but they did not drive them out completely. Judges 1:27-28

In the 11^th Century BC, the Philistines took control of Beth Shean and the surrounding area. After the defeat of the Israelite army led by King Saul and his son Jonathan at the battle of Mt Gilboa, their bodies were hung on the walls of Beth Shean.

⁸ It came about on the next day when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. ⁹ They cut off his head and stripped off his weapons, and sent them throughout the land of the Philistines, to carry the good news to the house of their idols and to the people. ¹⁰ They put his weapons in the temple of Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. ¹¹ Now when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, ¹²  all the valiant men rose and walked all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh and burned them there. ¹³ They took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days. 1 Samuel 31:8-13

This prompted the lament of David, one of the most famous Hebrew poems.

Then David chanted with this lament over Saul and Jonathan his son, ¹⁸ and he told them to teach the sons of Judah the song of the bow; behold, it is written in the book of Jashar.
¹⁹ “Your beauty, O Israel, is slain on your high places!
How have the mighty fallen!
²⁰ “Tell it not in Gath,
Proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon,
Or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice,
The daughters of the uncircumcised will exult.
²¹ “O mountains of Gilboa,
Let not dew or rain be on you, nor fields of offerings;
For there the shield of the mighty was defiled,
The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.
²² “From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty,
The bow of Jonathan did not turn back,
And the sword of Saul did not return empty.
²³ “Saul and Jonathan, beloved and pleasant in their life,
And in their death they were not parted;
They were swifter than eagles,
They were stronger than lions.
²⁴ “O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
Who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet,
Who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.
²⁵ “How have the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle!
Jonathan is slain on your high places.
²⁶ “I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;
You have been very pleasant to me.
Your love to me was more wonderful
Than the love of women.
²⁷ “How have the mighty fallen,
And the weapons of war perished!” 2 Samuel 1:17-27

Randy and our study group on the top of the Tel, 2006

The city became part of David and Solomon’s kingdom,

Solomon had twelve deputies over all Israel, who provided for the king and his household; each man had to provide for a month in the year. ⁸ These are their names: Ben-hur, in the hill country of Ephraim; ⁹ Ben-deker in Makaz and Shaalbim and Beth-shemesh and Elonbeth-hanan; ¹⁰ Ben-hesed, in Arubboth (Socoh was his and all the land of Hepher); ¹¹ Ben-abinadab, in all the height of Dor (Taphath the daughter of Solomon was his wife); ¹² Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo, and all Beth-shean which is beside Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah as far as the other side of Jokmeam; 1 Kings 4:7-12

 

Randy & Laura discussing the column- someone's life work!

 

Beth Shean emerges next in the 3^rd Century BC as the Greek city of Scythopolis, built on the south side of the tel. The Roman general Pompey made the city part of the Decapolis, a political league of ten cities that were designated as Greco-Roman cities, an area of political and cultural influence on the border of Galilee. The culture of this region contrasted sharply with the Religious Jewish culture of Judah and Galilee in morality, religion, and dietary traditions. Like the city of Caesarea Maritima on the coast, this city was a battleground for the mind and hearts of the Jewish youths.

A major earthquake in 749 AD destroyed the city, and no attempt was made to rebuild. The site remaied vacant until the first excavation in 1921 uncovered some Egyptian relics. In 1983, archeologists from Hebrew University returned and began the major work that uncovered the areas that are seen today.

Mikaela, Laura & Moselle, 2000

Luke records an encounter with Jesus and the Pharisees and Scribes, where they complain that he is sharing means with ‘sinners’. In Biblical culture you only eat with your friends. Jesus was making a statement by spending time with these unreligious people. Jesus tells them a story about three things that were lost and then found, using a ‘distant county’ as a location. In the minds of his audience, ‘distant’ had a cultural meaning along with its geographical significance. Many in the crowd had relatives and friends who had left Jewish cities to experience the Greco-Roman culture of Caesarea and Beth Shean.

Michael & Moselle, 2006

Luke Chapter 15

¹ Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. ² Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

Sinner: hamartōlós; to deviate, miss the mark, sin. Erring from the way or mark.

(I) As adj., erring from the divine law, sinful, wicked, impious.
(A) Generally: a sinful generation; a sinful man, 
(B) Oblivious to the consequences of sin, guilty and exposed to punishment: many became exposed to the punishment of sin;, ungodly persons deserving of punishment.

Jesus was attracted to ‘outlaws’ and they were attracted to Him.

³ So He told them this parable, saying, ⁴ “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? ⁵ When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. ⁶ And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ ⁷ I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

The Theme: Something Lost, Something Found, Great Joy with an emphasis on the joy in Heaven when one sinner repents.

⁸ “Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? ⁹ When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!’

¹⁰ In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Something Lost, Something Found, Great Joy in Heaven for any sinners who repents and turn to God.

Earthquake Ruins

¹¹ And He said, “A man had two sons. ¹² The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.’

So he divided his wealth between them.

Wealth: bíos; Life, but not as in zōḗ (G2222), life, in which is meant the element or principle of the spirit and soul. Bíos, from which the word "biography" is derived, refers to duration, means, and manner of life.

¹³ And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living. ¹⁴ Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished. ¹⁵ So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

 ¹⁶ And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him. ¹⁷ But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger!

¹⁸ I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.”’ ²⁰ So he got up and came to his father.

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. ²¹ And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

 ²² But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; ²³ and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; ²⁴ for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.

Something Lost, Something Found, Great Joy at the son’s return.

  ²⁵ “Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶ And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things could be. ²⁷ And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound.’ ²⁸ But he became angry and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him.

 ²⁹ But he answered and said to his father, ‘Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends; ³⁰ but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your  wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’

Something Lost, Something Found, No Joy

³¹ And he said to him, ‘Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. ³² But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.’” Luke 15

Randy describing how they built these floors

Multiple layers of floors

Contextual Points to Consider:

1) When the younger son says to the father “Give me the share of the estate that falls to me,’ that means that ‘Father, I wish you were dead,’ since inheritance only happened upon the death of the father.

2) In an economy of shepherds and farmers, wealth (bios- manner of life) was in livestock and land. To give the younger son his inheritance meant selling animals and land.

3) In First Century Israel, a ‘distant land’ meant a Greco-Roman city culture.

4) For a Jewish boy, feeding pigs was the nadir of existence.

5) Circumstances of life often “bring us to our senses.”

6) Elder Israelites men generally do not run as they would have to pull up their garment and thus display their ‘naked’ legs.

7) The father orders the servants to bring ‘the finest robe’- his robe. Now the son is clothed in a symbol of family authority.

8) Placing a ring on the finger of the son meant that he was now under the protection of the head of the clan. Other clan/family members could not punish the son for dishonoring his father, as they could have and would have had he just appeared home without his father’s protection.

9) The elder son demonstrated great disrespect by refusing to obey his father.

10) Prodigal Definition: adjective

1. Rashly or wastefully extravagant.
2. Giving or given in abundance; lavish or profuse: 

 

The Beth Shean Agora

Questions:

How are the two sons different?

How are they the same?

What is the great sin that Jesus is communicating?

What are the two means by which most people demonstrate a desire to maintain control over their lives?

1) Religious People observe the law, in hopes that God will favor them and bless them (give them the life that they deserve).

2) Rebellious People ignore God and focus their lives on getting what they want.

3) Neither group is interested in a personal relationship with God, just getting the things they want.

4) Both supplant God with their own pride in controlling their lives.

 

Tim Keller -The Prodigal God

“Jesus uses the younger and elder brothers to portray the two basic way people try to find happiness and fulfilment: the way of moral conformity and the way of self-discovery. Each is a way of finding personal significance and worth, of addressing the ills of the world, and of determining right from wrong.

The elder brother in the parable illustrates the way of moral conformity. The Pharisees of Jesus’s day believed that, while the were a people chosen by God, they could only maintain their place in this blessing and receive final salvation through the strict obedience to the Bible. There are innumerable varieties of the paradigm, but the all believe in putting the will of God and the standards of the community ahead of individual fulfillment. In this view, we only attain happiness and a world made right by achieving moral rectitude. We may fail at times of course, but then we wil be judged by how abject and intense our regret is. In this view, even in our failures we must always measure up.

The younger brother in the parable illustrates the way of self-discovery. In ancient patriarchal cultures, some took this route, but there are far more who do so today. This paradigm holds that individuals must be free to pursue their won goals and self-actualization regardless of custom and convention. In this view the world would be a far better place if tradition, prejudice, hierarchical authority, and other barriers to personal freedom were weakened or removed.”

“Here then is Jesus’s radical redefinition of what is wrong with us. Nearly everyone defines sins as breaking a list of rules. Jesus, though, show us that a man who had violated virtually nothing on the list of moral misbehavior can be every bit as spiritually lost as the profligate, immoral person. Why? Because sin is not just breaking the rules, it is putting yourself in the place of God as Savoir, Lord, and Judge just as teach son sought to displace the authority of the father in his own life.“

 

 

Who is the real Prodigal in this story?

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. ²¹ And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

 ²² But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; ²³ and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; ²⁴ for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.

The Father is the extravagant giver. He gives more and more for the love that he has for both his sons.

Paul describes it this way to his friends in Ephesus.

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, ² in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. ³ Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. ⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶ and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; ⁹  not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:1-10

Jesus is the Prodigal God. He gave of Himself so much for us all!

 

Something to think about!