- Arms and hands. Our Tae Kwon Do teacher told us a story about this missionary who went to some tribes. Sometimes, tribes would have a tribal war against each other, and they one tribe would ask the other tribe "Do you like long sleeves or short sleeves?" If they answered short sleeves, the other tribe would cut off their arms right below their shoulders. If they answered long sleeves, their wrists would be cut off. This missionary and a lot of his tribe were in a house singing to God. He looked around the room and saw lots of people who had said either short sleeves or long sleeves. Then he saw a man who was raising his stubs to heaven, praising God and singing. The missionary thought "If that man, who has no arms, is praising God, surely I can find more things to thank God for."
- Malls. Even though I hardly ever go to the mall, I am thankful that they are available. Here's a creation moment that kind of corresponds with this.
1 Kings 20:34 "And Benhadad said unto him, The cities, which my father took from thy father, I will restore; and thou shalt make streets for thee in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria. Then said Ahab, I will send thee away with this covenant. So he made a covenant with him, and sent him away."
Did King David go to the mall? Malls or shopping areas are hugely popular today. Archaeologists are now asking whether shopping malls originated in the 11th century BC.
Archaeologists have long speculated on the purpose of the buildings they call tripartite pillared buildings. These were long, rectangular buildings that were divided into thirds by two interior rows of pillars. Thirty five of these buildings have been found at 12 sites. Some thought they were storehouses. Others suggested they were stables.
Their size and the thickness of the walls made it clear to archaeologists that these were not private homes. Nor has a used household bowl ever been found in one. But many new, unused vessels – including lamps which have no soot – have been found in them. In addition, evidence of high windows has been found at one site. Based on this and other evidence, one archaeologist has suggested that these buildings were, in fact, marketplaces such as those described in 1 Kings 20:34. They originated in the land that Benhadad ruled.
David could have gone to the mall, for the Philistines had them. But King Ahab appears to have been active in getting malls built in Judah! Perhaps those people three thousand years ago were not so different from us today.
Greek was in common use in Israel in the first century. Greek inscriptions are frequently found in Jewish graves from the period. This is evidence that many Jews knew the Greek language. Some scholars point to some of the terms in Jesus' recorded sayings that have Greek origins; however, their arguments are not universally accepted. 
