"Context Determines Meaning"

My fifteen day journey to the Holy Lands as a part of a travel course with Garrett-Evangelical has changed my outlook on the nature of the Bible and the state of Israel. To see the biblical sites, to interact with the Israelites, to experience a different culture, and to have an experience with God was an awesome and enriching trip. I even experienced riding on a donkey and snow in Jerusalem. Visiting the Holy Lands has given me a new insight on the Bible and about the Holy Lands.

I often hear the phrase "context determines meaning.” Context includes the experiences of a persons or groups personal life: the experiences of success, failure, births, relationships, and so forth that allows persons to, or prevent persons from, experiencing God in their lives.[1] I have been reading the Bible most of my life, whether it was in Sunday School, Bible Study, worship service, or even in seminary. I never understood why the biblical authors consistently referred to mountains, rocks, hills, stones, water, and sheep, until I was able to walk through the biblical sites. It was the context that they were living in that the authors wrote such profound words that have become a roadmap for my life.

I remember one particular day when we were in Tel Hazor, which is an ancient city found in the region of Galilee in Northwestern Israel, about four miles southwest of Lake Huleh and ten miles north of the Sea of Galilee.[2] When you are at Tel Hazor, you have an amazing view of all these different landscapes and mountains. When you are looking at these beautiful mountains, it is mind-blowing and places more meaning to the text. I took a picture pointing above the mountains, because when in Psalm 121:1-2, the psalmist said, “I lift up my eyes to the hills from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth,” I can understand how these mountains and hills could give inspiration to this particular author.

In conclusion, I have to say this has been an awesome opportunity to visit the Holy Lands. What I thought would be just a fifteen day trip turned into a life changing experience. I enjoyed walking through the biblical sites, interacting with the local residents there, and learning firsthand about the war situation in Israel. I would highly recommend to anyone who is hoping to expand their biblical horizons to take a trip to Israel at least once during their lifetime, for it will change ones perspective on so many things. I am not sure when I will return to the Holy Land of Israel, but I plan to return some time in the near future.

[1] Stephen B. Bevans, Models of Contextual Theology, Rev. and expanded ed., Faith and Cultures Series (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 2002), 5.
[2] Charles R. Page, The Land and the Book: An Introduction to the World of the Bible (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1993), 137.

---

Tiggs Washington is a second year Master of Divinity student at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary.