Bible Reading: From Olive Tree Continued part 2.

“One of five Philistine strongholds located on the Mediterranean coast of Judah’s territory (Josh. 13:3; 15:47). Ashdod housed a temple to the Philistine god Dagon, where the Philistines took the captured Ark of the Covenant during Samuel’s priesthood, though the subsequent damage the ark caused to Dagon’s idol ensured that it did not remain there long (1 Sam. 5:1-8). The city is next mentioned during the reign of Judah’s King Uzziah, who campaigned against the Philistines and breached Ashdod’s walls (2 Chron. 26:6). Amos prophesized against Ashdod (Amos 1:8), and it was later attacked and captured by the Assyrians (Isa. 20:1). The prophets Jeremiah, Zephaniah, and Zechariah alike also had foreboding words for Ashdod (Jer. 25:20, Zeph. 2:4, Zech. 9:6). After the Jewish return from exile in Babylon, the people of Ashdod took part in a plot to undermine the Jews’ temple rebuilding efforts (Neh. 4:7-8) and some of Ashdod’s women wedded Jews who failed to uphold Jewish-only marriage standards (Neh. 13:23-4). In the New Testament Ashdod is mentioned once by the name Azotus when Philip appeared there after his conversation with the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:40). Babylon Prehistoric Mesopotamian city straddling the Euphrates River. It served as the capital of the ancient Babylonian kingdom and is considered one of the wonders of the ancient world (Dan. 4:30). Genesis records that it originally served as a center for the kingdom of Nimrod, a descendant of Noah’s second son Ham (Gen. 10:10). It may also be the site of the Tower of Babel (Gen. 11:2). Babylon is not mentioned again until the Assyrians exiled the Israelites in the 8th century BC and relocated some of Babylon’s citizens to repopulate Israel (2 Kings 17:24). King Hezekiah of the surviving tribe of Judah was chastised by Isaiah for showing off all his wealth to Babylon’s King Marduk-Baladan (2 Kings 20:13, called Merodach-Baladan and Berodach-Baladan in the Bible). As a consequence, Isaiah predicted that Hezekiah’s descendants would be exiled to Babylon (2 Kings 20:17-18; Isa. 39:6), though he also foretold Babylon’s own ruin (Isa. 21:9). Isaiah’s successors Jeremiah and Habakkuk made similar predictions of Judah’s downfall to the Babylonians (Jer. 20:4; Hab. 1:6), but Jeremiah assured that God would bring them back to their homeland (Jer. 29:10). Micah made parallel predictions of the Babylonian exile and of God’s rescue (Mic. 4:10). Just as was predicted, in the 6th century BC King Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem, deporting its inhabitants to Babylon (2 Kings 24:14) and destroying its temple (2 Kings 25:9). The writings of Ezekiel, Daniel, and Psalm 137 take place during the Israelite’s stay in Babylon. After the Persians conquered the Babylonians in the 6th century BC, King Cyrus allowed the Jews to return to their homeland, making true the words of previous prophets (Ezra 1:1). In the New Testament, the Jewish exile to Babylon is used by Matthew to segment Jesus’ genealogy (Matt. 1:12, 17). Both Peter and John likely use the city as a metaphor for the Roman Empire in their writings to signify that though there are forces which oppose God’s chosen people, these forces ultimately do not last (1 Pet. 5:13; Rev. 18:2). Damascus City located north of Israel in modern Syria. In the Old Testament Damascus served as the capital city of the Aramean people, a rival of the Israelites. King David subdued the city during his reign(2 Sam. 8:5-6), but its King Rezon caused a headache for Solomon (1 Kings 11:25). King Jeroboam recaptured Damascus (2 Kings 14:28) but it was later taken by Assyria (2 Kings 16:9). While visiting the Assyrian King in Damascus, King Ahaz was enticed by an altar he saw and made sketches to construct a replacement for the temple in Jerusalem (2 Kings 16:10-12). Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, and Zechariah each prophesized against the city (Isa. 17:1; Jer. 49:23-27; Amos 1:3-5; Zech. 9:1). By New Testament times, Damascus was one of the cities of the “Decapolis” – a loose league of “Greek” cities in Galilee and southwestern Syria. It prospered under Greek, then Roman rule. While on his way to Damascus to deliver letters to synagogues with permission to arrest Christians, Paul encountered the risen Christ (Acts 9:1-9). He continued on to Damascus where he met with Ananias and other disciples (Acts 9:10-19). At around the same time, Damascus was given to the Nabateans under King Aretas IV (2 Cor 11:32). Paul began preaching in Damascus” Sent from Bible Study