“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.” – Micah 5:2
In today’s Western society, we are more mobile than ever, with extended families living across the country from one another and relying on technology to stay in touch. This aspect of our society can sometimes make it difficult to relate to the Old Testament or a book like Hebrews.
Most of the people who have previously lived on the earth, as well as those alive today outside of Western nations, do not think like we do or view the world through the same lens. This would include those people who originally wrote and read the Old Testament, which Hebrews is commenting on and connecting to Christ. The Cambridge article referenced in the previous devo goes on to explain many differences. (1)
There is a difference between 1) small-scale societies, where people engage in such things as farming, hunting, and fishing while living generation after generation in the same area, or even on the same land, and 2) industrialized societies where people pack together into urban areas, use technology, and are mobile, often moving and severing any ties with a people or a place of ancestry.
Today, those readers of the Bible in small-scale societies likely have an easier time understanding and appreciating Hebrews’ explanation of the Old Testament.
Additionally, since so much of the Old Testament story focuses on a family descended from Abraham living in the Promised Land as their home, those people who have spent generations on a family homestead or living with a deep devotion to their national heritage and borders are more likely to get the most out of Hebrews and the Old Testament.
Tomorrow’s devotional will continue to look at differences in Western and Eastern thinking related to independence and interdependence.
Have you primarily lived in rural or urban areas and has that shaped your thinking of the Bible?
(1) https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20170118-how-east-and-west-think-in-profoundly-different-ways
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