“Go Wakabaot Long Datfala Land”
“Go wakabaot long datfala land followim long bilong hem and followim waed bilong hem.”—GENESIS 13:17.
1. Wanem nao interesting samting wea God talem Abraham for duim?
WASWE, iu interest for wakabaot go long olketa difren ples? Samfala laek raedem bicycle for exercise and go lukim difren ples. Olketa narawan laek klaemap long maunten for lukluk long naesfala bush. Planti taem, olketa wakabaot olsem hem for short taem nomoa. Bat tingim feeling bilong Abraham taem God talem hem: “Getap, go wakabaot long land followim long bilong hem and followim waed bilong hem, bikos mi bae givim long iu”!—Genesis 13:17.
2. Bihaen hem lusim Egypt, Abraham go long wea?
2 Tingim samting wea happen long datfala taem. Abraham and waef bilong hem witim samfala narawan stap lelebet taem long Egypt. Genesis chapter 13 storyim hao olketa lusim Egypt and tekem olketa animal bilong olketa go long “Negeb.” Then Abraham “go from ples tu ples go aot from Negeb and go long Bethel.” Wanfala problem kamap midolwan olketa man wea lukaftarem olketa animal bilong hem and olketa wea lukaftarem olketa animal bilong nephew bilong hem Lot. Taem hem klia hao tufala no fit for stap wan ples, Abraham kaen tumas for letem Lot nao chus. Lot chusim “Distrik Bilong Jordan,” valley wea evriting grow gud tumas wea “olsem garden bilong Jehovah,” and gogo, hem stap long taon bilong Sodom. God sei long Abraham: “Luk go ap, plis, and lukluk from ples wea iu stap, long north and south and east and west.” Luk olsem from wanfala hae ples klosap long Bethel, Abraham savve lukim olketa nara part bilong datfala land. Bat bae hem duim moa samting winim wei for lukluk nomoa. God askem hem for “wakabaot long datfala land” for mekem hem savve long olketa ples and lukluk bilong olketa.
3. Why nao hem savve hard for iumi lukim long mind bilong iumi olketa ples wea Abraham kasem?
3 Maet hem lukim evri ples or nomoa bifor hem kasem Hebron, bat hem barava savve gud long datfala Promis Land winim staka long iumi. Tingim olketa ples wea Bible storyim hia—Negeb, Bethel, Distrik bilong Jordan, Sodom, and Hebron. Waswe, iu faendem hard for lukim long mind bilong iu wea nao olketa ples hia stap? Diswan hem hard samting bikos no staka pipol bilong Jehovah kasem olketa ples wea olketa read abaotem long Bible. Nomata olsem, hem gud for iumi interest for savve wea nao olketa ples wea Bible storyim. Why nao olsem?
4, 5. (a) Hao nao Proverbs 18:15 hem join witim wei for savve abaotem and minim olketa ples wea Bible storyim? (b) Zephaniah chapter 2 showimaot iumi needim wanem savve?
4 Word bilong God hem sei: “Heart bilong man wea minim samting hem kasem savve, and ear bilong wise wan laek kasem savve.” (Proverbs 18:15) Planti subject stap for man lane abaotem, bat samting wea barava important nao hem stretfala savve abaotem Jehovah God and olketa samting wea hem duim. Wanem iumi readim long Bible hem barava join witim datfala savve. (2 Timothy 3:16) Bat, iumi mas minim samting wea iumi readim. Bae iu minim samting taem iu luksavve hao olketa difren part bilong datwan hem join tugeta. Diswan hem tru tu saed long olketa ples wea Bible storyim. Olsem example, klosap evriwan long iumi savve wea nao Egypt, bat waswe, iumi minim gud datfala toktok long Bible wea sei Abraham lusim Egypt “go long Negeb,” then long Bethel, then long Hebron? Waswe, iu minim wea nao olketa ples hia and why nao hem go long olketa?
5 Or maet iu readim Zephaniah chapter 2 taem iu duim Bible reading bilong iu. Long there iu readim nem bilong olketa taon, pipol, and olketa difren area. Insaed datfala chapter hem storyim Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, Sodom, Nineveh, Canaan, Moab, Ammon, and Assyria. Waswe, hem isi for iu lukim long mind bilong iu olketa ples hia wea pipol really stap, pipol wea insaed olketa Bible profesi?
6. Why nao samfala Christian tinghae long olketa map? (Lukim box.)
6 Planti pipol wea studyim Word bilong God kasem bigfala help taem olketa lukluk long olketa map bilong olketa ples wea Bible storyim. Olketa no duim diswan from olketa interest long olketa map nomoa, bat from olketa luksavve hao olketa fit for kasem moa savve abaotem Word bilong God taem olketa iusim map. And tu, olketa map savve helpem olketa for minim samting long wei wea moa klia. Diswan mekem olketa luksavve hao samting wea olketa savve finis join witim nara information. Taem iumi lukluk long samfala example, bae hem helpem iu tu for tinghae go moa long Jehovah and kasem moa savve abaotem samting wea Word bilong hem sei hem happen bifor.—Lukim box long page 14.
Hem Important for Savve Haomas Kilometer
7, 8. (a) Wanem nao olketa sapraesing samting wea Samson duim? (b) Wanem information savve helpem iumi barava minim gud datfala sapraesing samting wea Samson duim? (c) Hao nao wei for savve and minim disfala story abaotem Samson helpem iumi?
7 Long Judges 16:2, iu savve read abaotem taem wea Samson stap long Gaza. Distaem datfala nem Gaza hem kamap planti taem long nius, so maet iu garem lelebet idea abaotem wea nao Samson stap taem hem long area bilong olketa Philistine saed long Mediterranean Sea. [11] Judges 16:3 hem sei: “Samson go ahed for leidaon kasem midolnaet and then hem getap and holem olketa door bilong taon gate and tufala post bilong gate and aotem olketa witim tu datfala big timba for satem and putim olketa long shoulder bilong hem and karem olketa go ap antap long maunten wea stap front long Hebron.”
8 For sure, olketa gate and post bilong taon olsem Gaza mas bigfala and hevi fogud for protectim datfala taon. Tingim sapos iu mas karem olketa! Samson karem olketa, bat hem tekem olketa go wea, and wanem kaen gogo nao datwan? Gaza stap barava saedsea. [15] Bat, Hebron long east saed, long ples wea samting olsem 900 meter hae winim sea—barava hae ples for klaem go ap long hem! Iumi no savve barava wea nao “maunten wea stap front long Hebron,” bat datfala taon hem samting olsem 60 kilometer from Gaza—and hem stap long hae ples tu! Taem iumi savve long diswan hem mekem iumi barava sapraes long samting wea Samson duim. And no forgetim hao Samson fit for duim kaen samting olsem bikos “spirit bilong Jehovah stap long hem.” (Judges 14:6, 19; 15:14) Iumi olketa Christian distaem no expectim spirit bilong God for mekem iumi garem spesol strong long physical wei. Nomata olsem, datfala sem strongfala spirit savve helpem iumi minim olketa deep spiritual samting and savve strongim iumi. (1 Corinthians 2:10-16; 13:8; Ephesians 3:16; Colossians 1:9, 10) Tru nao, taem iumi minim disfala story abaotem Samson hem strongim biliv bilong iumi hao spirit bilong God savve helpem iumi.
9, 10. (a) Wanem nao Gideon duim for winim olketa Midianite? (b) Taem iumi savve haomas kilometer stap midolwan olketa ples insaed disfala story, hao nao datwan helpem iumi for minim gud?
9 Nara example wea showimaot hem important for savve haomas kilometer stap midolwan olketa difren ples, hem datfala story abaotem taem wea Gideon winim olketa Midianite. Planti pipol wea readim Bible savve hao Gideon and 300 man bilong hem winim wanfala sekson bilong 135,000 man. Insaed diswan hem olketa Midianite, Amalekite, and samfala narawan wea camp long flat ples bilong Jezreel, klosap long hill bilong Moreh. [18] Olketa man bilong Gideon blowim olketa horn, smasem olketa jar mekem laet shaen, and olketa singaot: “Sword bilong Jehovah and bilong Gideon!” Diswan mekem olketa enemy konfius and fraet and killim dae each other. (Judges 6:33; 7:1-22) Waswe, datwan hem happen kwiktaem nomoa long midolnaet? Readim Judges chapter 7 and 8. Bae iu lukim hao Gideon hem go ahed for attak. Distaem, iumi no savve wea nao samfala ples wea nem bilong olketa stap insaed datfala story, so maet olketa no stap long olketa Bible map. Nomata olsem, from iumi savve long samfala ples insaed datfala story, iumi fit for lukim long map wea nao Gideon duim olketa samting hia.
10 Gideon ronem olketa enemy go pas long Beth-shittah and then south go long Abel-meholah, klosap long Jordan River. (Judges 7:22-25) Bible hem sei: “Gideon kasem Jordan River and katkros long hem. Hem and thri handred man wea go witim hem olketa taed bat go ahed for ronem olketa.” Bihaen olketa katkros long Jordan River, olketa followim olketa enemy south go long Succoth and Penuel, klosap long Jabbok River. Then olketa go ap long olketa hill kasem Jogbehah (klosap long Amman, wea stap long Jordan distaem). Olketa ronem and faetem olketa for samting olsem 80 kilometer. Gideon kasholem and killim dae tufala Midianite king, then hem go bak long taon bilong hem, Ophrah, klosap long ples wea datfala faet hem start. (Judges 8:4-12, 21-27) Hem klia, long datfala faet Gideon no just blowim olketa horn, shaenim laet, and singaot tu-thri minute nomoa. And tingim tu hao datwan strongim go mining bilong disfala toktok abaotem olketa man wea garem faith: “Bae mi no garem inaf taem sapos mi go ahed for story abaotem Gideon [and olketa narawan wea] nomata olketa wik olketa kasem moa paoa, [and] kamap olketa strongfala man long war.” (Hebrews 11:32-34) Olketa Christian tu savve kamap taed long physical wei, bat hem important tumas for iumi go ahed duim will bilong God.—2 Corinthians 4:1, 16; Galatians 6:9.
Tingting Bilong Pipol and Samting Olketa Duim
11. Wanem kaen gogo nao olketa Israelite duim bifor and bihaen olketa kasem Kadesh?
11 Samfala pipol maet iusim olketa map for faendem olketa ples, bat waswe, iu tingse olketa map savve helpem iumi for luksavve long tingting bilong pipol? Olsem example, tingim olketa Israelite wea lusim Maunt Sinai for go long Promis Land. Nomata olketa stop long samfala ples, gogo, olketa kasem Kadesh (wea hem nao, Kadesh-barnea). [9] Deuteronomy 1:2 talem iumi hao disfala gogo hem 11-fala day and samting olsem 270 kilometer. Taem olketa stap long there Moses sendem 12-fala spae go long Promis Land. (Numbers 10:12, 33; 11:34, 35; 12:16; 13:1-3, 25, 26) Olketa spae hia go north thru long datfala Negeb, pasim Beer-sheba, then Hebron, and kasem north saed long Promis Land. (Numbers 13:21-24) From olketa Israelite acceptim nogud report bilong tenfala spae, olketa mas wakabaot long wilderness for 40 year. (Numbers 14:1-34) Wanem nao diswan showimaot abaotem faith bilong olketa and willing fasin bilong olketa for trust long Jehovah?—Deuteronomy 1:19-33; Psalm 78:22, 32-43; Jude 5.
12. Faith bilong olketa Israelite hem hao, and why nao iumi shud tingting gud long datwan?
12 For minim diswan, tingim wea nao olketa ples hia. Sapos olketa Israelite showimaot faith and followim advaes bilong Joshua and Caleb, waswe, bae olketa farawe yet for kasem Promis Land? Kadesh hem samting olsem sixtin kilometer from Beer-lahai-roi, wea Isaac and Rebekah stap bifor. For go long Beer-sheba, long south saed bilong Promis Land, hem no kasem 95 kilometer. (Genesis 24:62; 25:11; 2 Samuel 3:10) From olketa lusim Egypt go kasem Maunt Sinai and then olketa gogo 270 kilometer for kasem Kadesh, hem olsem olketa barava kasem spialaen bilong Promis Land. Iumi barava klosap for go insaed long Paradaes earth wea God promisim. Wanem nao iumi savve lanem from diswan? Aposol Paul joinim samting wea kasem olketa Israelite witim disfala kaonsel: “Dastawe iumi mas duim barava best bilong iumi for go insaed long datfala rest, nogud eniwan foldaon long semkaen wei for no obey.”—Hebrews 3:16–4:11.
13, 14. (a) Wanem nao happen wea mekem olketa Gibeonite disaed strong for duim samting? (b) Wanem nao showimaot tingting bilong olketa Gibeonite, and wanem nao iumi shud lanem from diswan?
13 Story long Bible abaotem olketa Gibeonite showimaot olketa garem difren tingting. Olketa trustim hao God bae duim will bilong hem. Bihaen Joshua leadim olketa Israelite akros long Jordan River and insaed datfala land wea God promisim long famili bilong Abraham, hem taem for raosem olketa Canaanite. (Deuteronomy 7:1-3) Datwan minim olketa Gibeonite tu. Olketa Israelite winim Jericho and Ai finis and camp klosap long Gilgal. Olketa Gibeonite les for dae, so olketa sendem samfala man long Joshua long Gilgal. Olketa man hia act olsem olketa kam from ples wea farawe from area bilong olketa Canaanite bikos olketa laek mekem peace agreement witim olketa Hebrew.
14 Olketa man hia sei: “Saed long nem bilong God bilong iufala Jehovah, mifala olketa servant bilong iu kam from wanfala farawe land.” (Joshua 9:3-9) Hem luk olsem kaleko and kaikai bilong olketa pruvim olketa kam from wanfala farawe ples, bat really Gibeon hem samting olsem 30 kilometer nomoa from Gilgal. From Joshua and olketa chief bilong hem bilivim samting olketa talem, olketa mekem peace agreement witim Gibeon and olketa taon wea join witim Gibeon. Waswe, disfala trik bilong olketa Gibeonite hem from olketa no laek dae nomoa? Nomoa, hem showimaot olketa laekem God bilong Israel for hapi long olketa. Jehovah appruvim olketa Gibeonite for kamap “olketa man for hipimap wood and karem wata for datfala sekson and for altar bilong Jehovah,” wea minim olketa karem kam firewood for olketa sakrifaes long altar. (Joshua 9:11-27) Olketa Gibeonite go ahed for showimaot willing fasin for duim eni waka long service bilong Jehovah. Luk olsem samfala long olketa kamap olketa Nethinim wea kam bak from Babylon and serve long temple wea olketa buildim bak. (Ezra 2:1, 2, 43-54; 8:20) Iumi savve followim example bilong olketa taem iumi trae hard for stap long peace witim God and willing for duim eni assignment long service bilong hem.
Tingim Nara Pipol Firstaem
15. Why nao iumi shud interest for savve long lukluk bilong olketa ples wea Christian Greek Scripture story abaotem?
15 Olketa story long Christian Greek Scripture, olsem olketa gogo bilong Jesus and aposol Paul, planti taem storyim olketa difren ples long wea Bible storyim. (Mark 1:38; 7:24, 31; 10:1; Luke 8:1; 13:22; 2 Corinthians 11:25, 26) Long olketa story long daon, trae for tingim olketa gogo hia long mind bilong iu.
16. Hao nao olketa Christian long Beroea showimaot olketa lovem and tinghae long Paul?
16 Long mek-tu missionary gogo bilong hem (purple laen long map), Paul kasem Philippi, wea distaem hem long Greece. Hem witness long there, stap long prison and then kamap free, and then hem go long Thessalonica. (Acts 16:6–17:1) Taem olketa Jew startim wanfala raoa, olketa brata from Thessalonica encouragem Paul for go long Beroea, samting olsem 65 kilometer from there. Paul garem gudfala ministry long Beroea, bat olketa Jew kam and mekem pipol for againstim hem. So “olketa brata stretawe sendem Paul go long sea,” and “olketa wea go witim Paul tekem hem go olowe long Athens.” (Acts 17:5-15) Luk olsem samfala niu brata willing for wakabaot 40 kilometer go long Aegean Sea, peim pasis long ship, and go samting olsem 500 kilometer. Kaen gogo olsem savve danger, bat olketa brata willing nomoa and from diswan olketa spendem moa taem witim disfala traveling minister bilong God.
17. Taem iumi savve haomas kilometer from Miletus for kasem Ephesus, diswan helpem iumi for minim wanem?
17 Long mek-thri gogo bilong hem (green laen long map), Paul kasem harbor long Miletus. Hem sendem message long Ephesus kongregeson, wea samting olsem 50 kilometer from there, for askem olketa older man for kam long hem. Tingim hao olketa elder hia leavim samting wea olketa duim for kam long Paul. Taem olketa wakabaot for kasem hem, olketa mas barava hapi and go ahed for story tugeta abaotem datwan. Bihaen olketa meetim Paul and herem hem prea, “evriwan long olketa krae fogud, and holem Paul and kissim hem.” Then “olketa leadim hem go long boat” for go long Jerusalem. (Acts 20:14-38) Olketa garem staka samting for storyim and ting raonem taem olketa wakabaot go bak long Ephesus. Waswe, iu tinghae long love and fasin for tinghae wea muvim olketa for wakabaot farawe olsem, mekem olketa stap witim wanfala traveling minister wea savve teachim and encouragem olketa? Waswe, iu luksavve long samting insaed disfala story wea iu savve followim and wea savve affectim tingting bilong iu?
Lane Abaotem Datfala Land and Samting wea Bae Kamap
18. Saed long olketa ples wea Bible storyim, wanem nao iumi shud disaed strong for duim?
18 Olketa example wea iumi storyim finis showim hao hem important for savve long datfala land wea God givim long olketa Israelite and wea barava join witim olketa story insaed long Bible. (And iumi savve kasem moa savve tu taem iumi lane abaotem olketa kantri wea stap raonem datfala land wea Bible storyim.) Taem iumi kasem moa savve abaotem datfala Promis Land, iumi shud no forgetim main samting wea olketa Israelite mas duim for go insaed long datfala land bilong “milk and honey.” Olketa mas fraet long Jehovah and keepim olketa komandment bilong hem.—Deuteronomy 6:1, 2; 27:3.
19. Wanem nao tufala paradaes wea iumi mas evritaem ting abaotem?
19 Iumi tu need for duim part bilong iumi, wea minim for fraet long Jehovah and followim gud olketa wei bilong hem. Taem iumi duim olsem, iumi mekem datfala spiritual paradaes wea stap long evri kongregeson long world for kamap moa big and luk naes go moa. Diswan bae mekem iumi garem moa savve abaotem datfala paradaes and olketa blessing wea kam from hem. And iumi savve samfala moa blessing bae kamap long future. Joshua leadim olketa Israelite akrosim Jordan River go long wanfala land wea evriting grow gud and barava mekem man satisfae. Distaem iumi garem gudfala reason for luk forward and feel sure iumi bae kasem datfala really Paradaes, datfala gud land wea klosap for kam.
Waswe, Iu Remember?
• Why nao iumi shud interest for minim and kasem moa savve abaotem olketa ples wea Bible storyim?
• Wanem interesting samting nao iu lanem from disfala article saed long olketa ples?
• Taem iu lane abaotem lukluk bilong olketa ples wea samting hem happen, wanem nao diswan teachim iu?
[Box/Piksa long page 14]
“See the Good Land”
Long olketa convention long 2003 and 2004, Olketa Jehovah’s Witness hapi for kasem datfala brochure “See the Good Land.” Disfala niu pablikeson, wea olketa wakem long samting olsem 80 languis, hem fulap witim olketa kala map and chart wea showim olketa difren ples wea Bible storyim, main wan nao datfala Promis Land.
Article wea join witim disfala box hem talem page namba long blak raeting bilong samfala map, olsem disfala namba: [15]. Sapos iu garem disfala niu brochure, iusim lelebet taem for savve long olketa difren part bilong hem wea savve helpem iu for minim and kasem moa savve abaotem Word bilong God.
(1) Planti map garem samting olketa kolem legend or box wea garem olketa saen for helpem iumi minim olketa mark wea stap long each map [18]. (2) Klosap evri map garem ruler for showim haomas mile and kilometer for helpem iu minim hao farawe nao olketa difren ples [26]. (3) For helpem iu minim datfala map, planti taem wanfala arrow showim wea nao north [19]. (4) Planti long olketa map garem olketa difren kala for showim olketa hae ples and low ples [12]. (5) Saed long olketa map hem olketa leta/namba for helpem iu faendem olketa taon or nem [23]. (6) Long datfala index wea garem tufala page hem nem bilong olketa ples [34-5], namba bilong page hem stap long blak raeting, and planti taem hem join witim leta/namba, olsem E2. Bihaen iu iusim olketa samting hia tu-thri taem, bae iu sapraes hao olketa savve barava helpem iu for kasem moa savve and wei for minim samting.
[Chart/Map long page 16, 17]
CHART BILONG OLKETA AREA
(For formatted text, lukim pablikeson)
A. Saed Long Great Sea
B. Olketa Flat Ples West Long Jordan
1. Flat Ples Bilong Asher
2. Saedsea Area Bilong Dor
3. Land Bilong Sharon
4. Flat Ples Bilong Philistia
5. Central East-West Valley
a. Flat Ples Bilong Megiddo
b. Low Ples Bilong Jezreel
C. Olketa Maunten West Long Jordan
1. Olketa Hill Bilong Galilee
2. Olketa Hill Bilong Carmel
3. Olketa Hill Bilong Samaria
4. Shephelah (olketa low hill)
5. Hill Area Bilong Judah
6. Wilderness Bilong Judah
7. Negeb
8. Wilderness Bilong Paran
D. Arabah (Rift Valley)
1. Hula Basin
2. Area Bilong Sea Bilong Galilee
3. Jordan Valley
4. Salt Sea (Dead Sea)
5. Arabah (south saed long Salt Sea)
E. Olketa Maunten/Flat Hae Ples East Long Jordan
1. Bashan
2. Gilead
3. Ammon and Moab
4. Top Long Olketa Maunten Bilong Edom
F. Olketa Maunten Bilong Lebanon
[Map]
Mt. Hermon
Moreh
Abel-meholah
Succoth
Jogbehah
Bethel
Gilgal
Gibeon
Jerusalem
Hebron
Gaza
Beer-sheba
Sodom?
Kadesh
[Map/Piksa long page 15]
(For full formatted text, lukim pablikeson)
CANAAN
Megiddo
GILEAD
Dothan
Shechem
Bethel (Luz)
Ai
Jerusalem (Salem)
Bethlehem (Ephrath)
Mamre
Hebron (Machpelah)
Gerar
Beer-sheba
Sodom?
NEGEB
Rehoboth?
[Mountains]
Moriah
[Bodies of water]
Salt Sea
[River]
Jordan
[Piksa]
Abraham wakabaot evriwea long datfala land
[Map long page 18]
(For full formatted text, lukim pablikeson)
Troas
SAMOTHRACE
Neapolis
Philippi
Amphipolis
Thessalonica
Beroea
Athens
Corinth
Ephesus
Miletus
RHODES