Why
Did God Choose the Middle East for Jesus – Part Two
In Part Two
of this post under the same title, we will look further at (1) this geographic area called the Middle
East from a Biblical perspective; and (2) some of the traits of mankind
that might have influenced our Lord Jesus’ decisions regarding His Pre-Incarnation
and Incarnation there.
Re: (1) the Middle East Region:
When we look
at today’s global map, we should note that the current view is not precisely how
the Earth appeared immediately after the Creation in Genesis Chapter One.
(See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boundaries_between_the_continents?shem=rimspwouoe,,rimspwouoe,
But before venturing into that potentially lengthy discussion, let’s try
to examine the description of the area in which the LORD God placed His new
creation Man.
Genesis Chapter Two
provided the following information to guide us.
“8 And
the Lord God
planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man
whom he had formed.(Verse 8) Then we
learned that the site chosen by the LORD provided a perfect environment to meet
man’s every need. : 9 And
out of the ground made the Lord God
to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree
of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and
evil. (Verse 9)
To guide our geographic orientation, the Scripture gave details of
specific landmarks to enable the readers to focus on the Middle East
Region of the globe: 10 And
a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted,
and became into four heads. [Note
that the name of the river whose source was in the Garden of Eden is not
given…the reason is provided at the end of Chapter Three. However, that
river of origin had sufficient power / energy to spawn the four rivers whose
names are provided in the next verse. An
extensive discussion of this topic can be found at: https://www.kjvbible.org/rivers_of_the_garden_of_eden.html ]
11 The
name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land
of Havilah, where
there is gold; [This
land of “Havilah” is possibly a land West of the Russian Region of Ural.
See: https://www.biblestudy.org/meaning-names/havilah.html; and (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ural_(Russian_administrative_region) ] …
13 And
the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth
the whole land of Ethiopia. [The Scripture identifies Gihon
as a place near Jerusalem. (1 Kings 1: 33,38, 45; 2 Chronicles 32: 30;
33: 14)]
14 And
the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward
the east of Assyria. [Our Strong’s
Concordance Reference Hebrew Dictionary
# 2313 cites “Hiddekel” to be “a name for the Tigris (River)”
] And the fourth river is Euphrates. (Highlights added)
Collectively the names of these rivers and their respective
landmarks should leave no doubt that God specifically chose the Middle
East to place our Lord Jesus. A further look at the geography of this
area gives some additional insight. Note that the paths of the flow of these rivers
brings to mind the migration patterns of the families of Shem, Ham and Japeth,
the three sons of Noah. Their migration occurred after the LORD had scattered
them from the Tower of Babel. (Genesis Chapter Ten) (See Part One
of this post for more context.)
When Christians and others look at the map of the Middle East, they
become aware of a special “omega-shaped” formation called the “Fertile
Crescent”. In the region that was
known as “Mesopotamia”, it is a border of water-fed land that is most
hospitable for vegetative growth that covers the Northern borders of the
Arabian Desert. (See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesopotamia ; https://www.gotquestions.org/Mesopotamia-in-the-Bible.html ; and https://www.britannica.com/place/Fertile-Crescent )
It is quite understandable that the Fertile Crescent was
included when the LORD gave Deed to the “Promised Land” to Abraham (Genesis
15); and Isaac (Genesis 26: 3-4) and Jacob / Israel (Genesis 28:
13-15; 35: 9-12) for His “Favored People Israel”. (https://biblehub.com/topical/t/the_land_given_to_the_fathers.htm )
Further, it is this Middle East Region where the Lord Jesus will
establish His future Kingdom on the Earth following His Second Coming. (Acts
1: 1-12; Revelation 21: 1-3, 22: 1-5; Ezekiel Chapters 47 and 48)
Re: (2) traits of mankind that might
have influenced our Lord Jesus’ decisions regarding His Pre-Incarnation and
Incarnation in the Middle East:
As noted
earlier, we can not know what is in the mind of God. But perhaps we can learn something of
relevance by looking at the “foreknowledge” of God (as discussed in Part One of
this post); and the “path” that our Lord Jesus followed during His time on the
Earth.
For some
additional context, consider that the Lord understood the power of the Enemy who
had convinced as many as one third of the angels in Heaven to follow him in his
attempt to overthrow God. (Isaiah 14: 12-15; Ezekiel 28: 11-19; Luke 10: 17-18;
Revelation 12: 3-5, 7-10). Man
would be susceptible to at least that same extent. The “sin-nature” that was
infused in Adam in the Garden of Eden would persist in mankind. As Nimrod was
able to dominate other men during his time at the Tower of Babel, so
would others throughout man’s history. (See
Part One of this post.) Further throughout history, the majority of mankind would
accept that domination up to and including in today’s world.
In His
foreknowledge, the Lord knew that even His own Chosen People Israel (Genesis 12: 1-3; Exodus 19: 1-8) would
be looking for their Messiah and King to appear in the mode / pattern
that had been established over the many centuries under the influence of the
Enemy prior to His Preincarnation and Incarnation. (1 Samuel Chapter Eight). Note the reaction / hostility of Israel’s Chief
Religious Sect, the Pharisees, throughout the Lord Jesus’ Earthly Ministry,
even bringing about His suffering, Crucifixion and death. Even so, God knew that the pattern of the
Enemy was to destroy mankind. (Remember Genesis Chapter Six !! ) Our Lord Jesus came to establish a new pattern
of belief and mindset in the hearts and souls of man. (Matthew Chapters 5
through 7: The “Sermon on the Mount”; John 20: 30-31)
God also
foreknew that it would require a combined effort between God the Son (Jesus
Christ) and the Holy Spirit to redeem and save as many of mankind who
would allow them. Remember also that the inherent spirit of man had been ‘contaminated”
since the Garden of Eden. (Genesis Chapter Three) It would take the action of the Holy Spirit
to remove that “contamination” and regenerate man’s spirit to the acceptance of
eternal salvation through the sacrifices
made by our Lord Jesus. (Romans Chapter Eight, Romans 10: 9-13, 1
Corinthians 15: 1-4)
As Christians
and others remember from the story of “Christmas”, Jesus did not arrive on this
Earth with the “trappings”, pomp and regalia that men had expected of a King /
Messiah”. He also did not arrive in one
of the major cities or trade centers of the Middle East where
disproportionately the “rich and famous” would appear. Only God knew how, when
and where He would come to save mankind. That was the Middle East. (Matthew Chapter Two. See also: (https://www.britannica.com/topic/Magi
)
Dr. W. A.
(Bill) Robinson
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