On this day of traveling, we will encounter more beautiful landscape, with a rich history stretching long before Israelite presence in the land. The “Negeb” (“South” in Hebrew) was Israel’s southern frontier in biblical history: inhabitants of the Negeb lived in a zone that was prone to tribal incursions (e.g., the Amalekites against David at Ziklag, I Sam. 30) and pressures from Edom, their neighbor to the east. The region was also quite strategic: whoever controlled the eastern Negeb controlled the lucrative trade routes and access to the treasures of Arabia (spices) and Africa (ivory).
In the western Negeb, trade was conducted directly with one of the Ancient Near East’s superpowers and Israel’s neighbor: Egypt. From times long preceding the biblical period, Egyptians were particularly fond of olive oil and wine from Canaan. The Negeb sites functioned as important trading posts for the hubs on the coastline (Ashkelon, among others). Scholars have a catchy name for this type of trade network: “Port Power.” Our modern equivalent --not a perfect one, of course-- would be the FedEx hub in Memphis, Tennessee or how Singapore functions as hub for the East Asian sea trade.
Arad
Arad is one of the most fascinating settlements on the southern border of Israel. From the Early Bronze Age city (mid-second millennium BC) to the settlement on the acropolis during the time of the Israelite monarchy in the OT, Arad provides extraordinary windows into life in ancient Palestine/Israel. To get a feel for the significance of Arad, I am including as part of this post the link to an article I wrote a few years ago for The Dictionary of the Old Testament: Historical Books (InterVarsity Press, 2005; see "Arad," pp. 39–41).
The Wadi Rum
The Wadi Rum represents another stunning ecological environment we will be privileged to visit. As we survey the area, we won’t have to stretch our imagination too far to visualize the Israelite wanderings through the wilderness (Num. 20-21). Nowadays, Bedouin tribes of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan remind us that the pastoral-nomadic lifestyle remains as authentic as it was in ages past.
This permanent “camping trip” is not unlike our own spiritual sojourning on this earth, as we emulate the faith of Abraham (Heb. 11: 8-16). Paul, the tentmaker, certainly connected the dots with Abraham’s vocation. We, too, long for a city not built with human hands (2 Cor. 5:1)!
Petra
As we celebrate the Lord’s Day in Jordan, we also happen to spend our time at one of
the true great archaeological sites in the world (think Machu Picchu in Peru).
Petra is the most visited tourist attraction in Jordan and one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. There is simply nothing quite like it. Petra features preeminently in several movies (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and everyone’s favorite: The Mummy Returns). A lesser-known appearance is in Tintin (a favorite childhood comic book) and also recently put to film.
The scope of this archaeological wonder is so great, we will devote the whole day to it. Take a look at the Wikipedia entry and peruse the pictures for a sense of the magnitude and the beauty of the site. Most of the material culture at Petra relates to the Roman-Nabatean phases. The UNESCO webpage on Petra is a highly recommended read for us, with many stunning photographs of Petra’s monumental architecture (including the famous rock-hewn tombs of Nabatean kings). It also provides a good synopsis of the history of the Nabateans at Petra (AOT pp. 418-21).
