blood of the animals, and later, in the Torah , Israelites were forbidden to eat a variety of animals(Lev. 11; Deut. 14.4-21).
Scripture expressed wonder at the magnificence of the natural world. Such passages are especially numerous in the prophetic books, the psalms, and Job. They reflect the awe of God 's creation and proclaim the glory of a powerful, creative God who has filled with the world with splendor. The Book of Job particularly emphasized the magnificence and endless abundance that fill the world. Awe was the predominant emotion. As the natural world was a creation of One God , there were no theological problems.
While the poet and philosopher could meditate on the grandeur of nature, ordinary people had to live in daily contact with it. For them, the natural world presented a series of challenges and more often dangers that needed to be faced. Nomadic and agricultural life was a struggle, as indicated by the curse proclaimed upon Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the garden of Eden. As we follow the tales of the patriarchs, and much later, the Israelite settlement of the Promised Land, we see the difficulties for both the nomadic herder and the settled peasant. Tilling the land was difficult; there were“thorns and thistles” and labor fueled by the “sweat of[the] brow”(Gen. 3:18, 19). Brambles and thickets played a major role in the poem of the Book of Judges (9:8); their spread was punishment for unfaithfulness(Deut. 28; Is 30:19-26; Amos 4:9). Wild nature took over during periods of foreign invasion(Deut. 28:49). In addition, drought(Deut. 28:22 ff) and plagues of locusts or other pests(Deut. 28:42) brought their dire consequences. Hunger led to flight, as with Abraham ’s flight to Egypt (Gen. 12:19) or emigration, as with Jacob and his clan leaving for Egypt (Gen. 42). Elimelech was forced to move to Moab during a period of famine(Ruth 1:1). Presumably those who were less mobile starved. None of the patriarchs or the later herders and farmers showed any concern about overgrazing or excessive well digging. The sources of water had to be protected; wells could be polluted, seized, or filled by enemies, but the simple recourse of digging new wells was readily available. In Egypt Joseph devised a system of food storage and distribution for the years of famine(Gen. 41:25ff), but he showed no concern over environmental factors that might have caused the famine.
Outside the settled areas, there were enormous stretches of wilderness, including the Sinai desert , which the Israelites crossed,