By John A. Beck. Baker Books. 2013.
Pastors and teachers can never have enough resources to illuminate the Scripture for themselves and to enliven sermons and lessons for their hearers. John Beck’s Everyday Life in Bible Times represents one more solid help that Bible students or teachers will want to add to their libraries.
Beck notes in his preface that the millennia long gap between our world and the biblical world can dampen and distort the message God intended for us to hear. What were normal and everyday activities for biblical characters can seem odd and confusing to us. His purpose in writing this guide is “to restore clarity and vitality to those portions of God’s Word that speak of the activities and social stations of the past” (p. 7). For the 100 topics he addresses, he has succeeded.
Everyday Life in Bible Times does an excellent job of marrying clear informative writing with interesting insightful photos. Many guides available today offer one or the other. Some are essentially photo books with little information, much more suited for a coffee table than a study desk. Others contain incredible verbal detail, but lack visual interest. This work represents a helpful and needed middle ground.
The book is arranged in topical format with two to three page articles on each subject. It also includes a Scripture index in the back that notes every passage cited in the articles. Articles also have footnotes directing the reader to sources for further study or to important clarifying points. The articles typically begin by explaining the background of the object or practice. Then Beck briefly discusses the significance of the object or practice in the key biblical texts where it is utilized. I found the two-part arrangement helpful for sermon and lesson development. The background discussion helps you better understand more concretely how biblical people lived. This section provides excellent support material for sermons. The text discussion not only enhances the understanding of the culture, but it also directs your thinking to important texts related to the one you’re studying.
One example of the insight available is the discussion of vineyard establishment. Beck details the steps required to begin a vineyard in ancient times. You can feel the perspiration rolling down your face as he describes the months of first hauling thousands of stones to build the terraces and then carting tons of soil to fill the rows. You appreciate the patience as the vinedresser cultivates and waits for four years or more before harvesting any grapes. This background illuminates the image of the Lord as cultivating and pruning His own children in John 15. It also highlights the gall King Ahab demonstrated when he stole Naboth’s vineyard and the foolishness the king exhibited when he destroyed generations of cultivation to plant a vegetable garden (1 Kings 21). These kinds of details enliven sermons and lessons.
A book of this nature has some inherent limitations. By covering only one hundred topics, many that might be useful are missing. For instance, the discussions of betrothal and divorce are fascinating and beneficial. However, I did not find an article devoted to the wedding ceremony itself. Some information was included in the bridegroom article, but I wanted more. Also, a two to three page article cannot definitively address most topics. If you are looking for extended treatments, you will need to locate a book on that particular subject. There are many books focused on single topics such as warfare, farming and building. Often, Beck includes such resources in the endnotes.
Like a great vacation leaves you happy, but wishing for two more days, I do have some wishes. I looked for a cross-reference index of topics. The book has a Table of Contents and a Scripture Index. However, if readers wanted to read about springs, they would have to know to look under “water.” An index of subtopics discussed within articles would help readers find hidden gems that might be missed.
A second wish I have is an electronic copy that would allow a teacher or preacher to incorporate the photos into presentation software such as PowerPoint. A system such as the one utilized by Logos Research Systems, where a right click on a photo opens a box with an option to send the photo to PowerPoint, would be extremely useful. To be able to quickly move images from study stage to presentation stage would be welcomed by a multitude who teach the Scriptures.
Overall, I highly recommend Everyday Life in Bible Times to anyone who wants personally to enter the lives of biblical characters or who wants to bring the truths spoken through those lives to their listeners.
