Lebanon, Carmel and Sharon:
life ‘grounded’ in the gift of land



εὐαγγελίζω (euaggelizo)
“to announce the Good News of victory in battle”

The desert and the parched land will exult;
the steppe will rejoice and bloom.
They will bloom with abundant flowers,
and rejoice with joyful song.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to them,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the LORD,
the splendor of our God.


θεωρέω (theoreo)
(“to perceive, discover, ponder a deeper meaning”)

Are you ready for a lesson in biblical geography? While the Bible is not a geography book, a vast array of episodes and events are tied intimately to particular locales throughout the region known as the Holy Land, Israel, Palestine, Jordan and others as well. Throughout the centuries, many scholars (for example, the Benedictine Archeologist Fr Bargil Pixner referred to the Holy Land as the ‘Fifth Gospel in his writings) have noted the significance of geography woven in and throughout the Sacred Text as it conveys God the Father’s message of salvation (see Dei Verbum, especially chapter 3,  and Catechism of the Catholic Church especially paragraphs 101-141).

A few lands are mentioned in this Sunday’s opening proclamation from the Prophet Isaiah: Lebanon, Carmel, Sharon along with the wilderness. The lands of Lebanon, Carmel and Sharon exist in sharp contrast to the barrenness, aridity and sterility of the wilderness. Isaiah binds familiar Old Testament actions of God’s Self-revelation such as glory (Hebrew, kavod) and splendor (Hebrew, hadar) to Lebanon, Carmel and Sharon. Each land from a geographic perspective, therefore offers some insight into both the glory and splendor of God.

Lebanon

The Semitic root of Lebanon is akin to “white” and most probably refers to the snow-capped mountains of this land. From these mountains during the spring thaw, water flows into the land along with approximately 50 inches of rain per year making Lebanon somewhat unique in the Ancient Near Eastern world when it comes to water access. As referenced in a number of passages of the Hebrew Scriptures (e.g. Psalm 72), Lebanon - situated north of the region of Galilee - is home to the aromatic cedars and also the Beqa' valley, an exceptionally fertile land making agrarian life a common occupation. The land also boasted a beauty that Isaiah viewed as a fitting metaphor for the beauty of Divine life. In addition, because this valley is situated between impressive mountain ranges, this region enables trade to move more efficiently without having to detour.

Mount Carmel

The famed mountain that was the site of the clash between Elijah and the prophets of Baal, Carmel conveys images of a garden, vineyard or orchard in Hebrew. Similar to many descriptions of Lebanon, the land of Mount Carmel is quite fertile and receives a fair amount of rain each year, though not as much as Lebanon. Throughout the Old Testament, Mount Carmel stands as an image of beauty and majesty reflecting the oneness of the God of Israel and challenging the Israelites to respond by living a life of radical monotheism.

Plain of Sharon

Slightly south of Mount Carmel lies the plain of Sharon. Part of this area was known in the biblical era for its grazing land that fed a good deal of animals. Other parts of the plain were subject to droughts which in turn came an imagery of desolation. Because of its location and terrain, Sharon was an important region for trade routes, especially as travels went eastward away from the coastal areas.

For the Israelites, land was God’s gift to provide and sustain life as well as growth. Most guaranteed safe water came from the land. Food grew from the land and also provided grazing for herds. Land provided a means to anchor shelter. In receiving land as gift, all hoped for land that was wide, broad and spacious because the wider the land, the broader the land, the more spacious the land a family would have great access to water, food and shelter/protection. People of the biblical era knew that land meant life and meant life in an urgent way. Water, food, shelter/protection were the minimal necessities for physical living and no one toyed with these realities. The gift of spacious, wide land that yielded water, food, shelter/protection was expressed by the Hebrew word ysh (yesha), which in time came to be translated into English as “salvation.” For Isaiah, the deeply known and lived singlemindedness of securing sufficient water, food, shelter/protection from the gift of wide, broad and spacious land was a powerful image of the vital and necessary relationship with the one God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.