Apocrypha and Canon
All apocryphal references are from the New American Bible - St. Joseph Edition from 1970.
The Book of Tobit
http://www.carm.org/lost/tobit.htm (This link is not a St. Joseph Edition)
The book of Tobit is fourteen chapters long and tells the story of Tobit: A rich Israelite man living as one of the captives taken to Nineveh. He suffers severe losses, and eventually is blinded by bird dung. He begs God to let him die, but then remembers a large sum of money he stored away in the country of Media. So he sends his grown son, Tobiah, to get the money. Meanwhile, in Media, a young woman named Sarah is also praying for death, because each time she marries, a demon named Asmodeus kills her husband on the wedding night. God sends the angel Raphael to help both Tobit and Sarah. The disguised Raphael takes the journey with Tobiah, and on the way instructs Tobiah on how to banish the demon so Tobiah could marry Sarah. The plan succeeds. So after all this, and retrieving the money, they all return home to Tobit. There the angel instructs Tobiah on how to cure Tobit's blindness, and afterwards reveals that he really an angel. Everyone lives happily ever after.

In spite of the interesting drama the book tells, there are reasons to be convinced that this is not a God-inspired book:

1 -- Chapter 1:3-18, Tobit goes on to boast about how good he is, all the great things he did for others, and what a virtuous man he is. Yet according to the canon, self-exultation is considered sinful (Proverbs 15:25, 16:19, 21:4).  In contrast, we don't find the God inspired authors of the canonical books speaking so highly about themselves.
2 -- Chapter 1 verse 4-6,9 Tobit takes a dead relative into his home to bury later, and after that falls asleep in his own courtyard. Remember, Tobit is a Jew, and according to Jewish Law, he became ceremonially unclean for touching the dead body and therefore was supposed to reside outside the city for seven days to purify himself (Numbers 5:2-3, 19:7,11, 31:19).  He was also supposed to avoid others for his uncleanness, for anything he'd touch would also be called unclean -- Numbers 19:22.  Yet instead he remained with his family, breaking this Law. To break this Law should have made him an outcast amongst the Jews (Numbers 9:12-13). However, these vital points are entirely missing in this book. Between his willful disregard for the Law, and his above mentioned vanity, Tobit isn't such a godly man after all.
3 -- Tobit is spoken of as being an uncle to a man named Ahiqar (a.k.a. "Ahikar") (Tobit 1:21-22). In reality, this Ahiqar is simply a character from Babylonian folktales -- such a man didn't really exist! More information on this character can be found at: "Ahikar, The Story of." Encyclopædia Britannica from Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service. <http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9004120> [Accessed May 14, 2006]. Therefore, Tobit being a relative to Ahiqar would be akin to saying someone is related to Superman.
4 -- When Tobiah meets the disguised angel Raphael, the angel fibs about his identity, stating he is a man named Azariah, kinsman to Tobiah (Tobit 5:4-5, 13). In other words, this supposed angel of God told a blatant lie. Since Yahweh cannot lie (Numbers 23:19, Titus 1:2, Hebrews 6:18), and hates lies (Proverbs 6:16-17) then it stands to reason that He wouldn't tolerate any of his messengers telling lies.
5 -- Raphael/"Azariah" instructs Tobiah to burn a fish's heart and liver to drive away the demon Asmodeus. (Tobit 6:7-8, 16-18). This is teaching reliance on magical spells, not reliance on the power of Yahweh (Isaiah 12:2). According to the canon, those who cast spells are detestable to Yahweh (Leviticus 19:26, Deuteronomy 18:9,11).
6 -- Raphael also tells Tobiah that it would be a capital crime for Sarah's father to withhold her from him, since he has the legal right to be next in line to her according to the Law of Moses (Tobit 6:13). However, according to the Canon, no death penalty is mentioned for  such a thing.  (Numbers 36:6-8). It is only required that she marry a kinsman, it is not required that she marry the one closest in line. Since Tobiah did have other kinsmen, as mentioned earlier in this book, there would have been no capital crime in refusing her marriage to Tobiah. Again, Raphael spoke falsely.

Although many may consider the above points as picky, the reader must look at it from God's point of view as outlined in the canon: Braggarts, lying, and spell casting are all intolerable to Yahweh. Cleanliness was such a big deal to Yah that the unclean person had to depart from the others for seven days -- showing the high regard God had for this Law, yet this is disregarded in the Book of Tobit. So, looking at it from God's point of view, it seems this book is actually teaching opposition for Yahweh's regulations: It lies about the existence of imaginary people, teaches that  braggarts and lawbreakers will be blessed,  that you can't trust angels to tell you the truth, and that spell casting is acceptable over trusting God to help you. This sounds more like the writings of imperfect men, not the inspired work of the Perfect God.

ARCHAEOLOGY/ HISTORY
The Geography of Eden
According to scripture, Eden wasn't just the Garden that God created, it was actually an entire region: 
     Genesis 2:8 tells us that Yahweh planted a garden in Eden (meaning Eden was a region of its own). Upon completing it, Yahweh created Adam, placing him in Eden's garden to be a caretaker for it (Genesis 2:15). We know this garden was lush with greenery because the Bible states God planted every kind of tree that was good for food in the garden (Genesis 2:9), and telling Adam he could eat from any of the vegetation with the exception of the Tree of Knowledge (Genesis 2:16-17). Think about that: Every kind of food tree would include apples, oranges, walnuts, bananas, cherries, pecans, plums, mangoes, peaches, coconuts, pears, tamarind, cinnamon, etc. , and that's only the trees. When you think of all the other vegetation he was given to eat aside from the trees, even just one plant of each kind would make for a very abundant garden! (tomatoes, squash, peas, beans, corn, rice, peanuts, potatoes, onions, spinach, yams, herbs, etc.)  And it wasn't just Adam eating this food either. Remember, God brought all species of animals into the Garden (Genesis 2:19-20), which would require that there be enough vegetation to feed them as well. This would equate to a very green, very bountiful garden.
     In order for The Garden to be so lush, it would require a plentiful water source. According to Genesis 2:10-14, a river flowed out from the region of Eden to water this garden; this river divided into four branches: The Pishon, Gihon, Hiddekel, and Euphrates rivers. Notice, the bible doesn't name the primary river, only the four branches:
Pishon River: Genesis says this river bordered the land of Havilah. According to Zondervan's Compact Bible Dictionary ("ZCBD") (1993):
Pishon /Pison, first of the four rivers of Eden, flowed around the whole land of Havilah. Conjectures as to its identification are almost as numerous as the rivers of southwestern Asia, and include the Persian Gulf, thought of as a river, and even the Nile.
Gihon River: Genesis tell us that this river encircled the land of Cush/Ethiopia. According to ZCBD (1993):
Gihon: One of the four rivers in Eden (Genesis 2:8-14). Since Eden was probably in the Tigris-Euphrates Valley, it is possible that Gihon was a small stream in that region.
Since nothing more is stated in the scriptures regarding these two above named rivers, it is possible that they were smaller rivers erased by the massive flood in Noah's time.
Hiddekel River: This river flowed towards the east of Assyria. This river is mentioned only one other time in scripture, at Daniel 10:4. The Hiddekel River exists today and is also known as the Tigris River, which runs through the country of Iraq. It flows from Lake Hazar in the Taurus Mountains, through Turkey, and past Baghdad in Iraq,  before merging with the Euphrates and emptying into the Persian Gulf. This is a journey of about 1,800 miles (2,900 km).
Euphrates River: This river is mentioned several times in the bible (Genesis 15:18, Deuteronomy 1:7, Joshua 1:4, Revelation 9:14). The Euphrates River also exists today, starting in Turkey, flowing through Syria and Iraq, toward the Persian Gulf. It runs about 1,700 miles (2,700 km), and runs parallel to the Hiddekel/Tigris River. Although the two rivers begin separated by roughly one hundred miles, they merge in southeastern Iraq and flow together forming the Shatt Al Arab river. The Shatt Al Arab is about 120 miles long (193 km), and flows into the Persian Gulf. The land area between the Euphrates and the Tigris is known as "Mesopotamia" (Greek: "Between the rivers")
     These two major rivers seem to have survived the flood in Noah's time, possibly because they were much bigger and deeper than the first two named rivers.

     Knowing the basic geography of where the rivers were, together with the information in the book of Genesis, we get an idea that the region of Eden was located somewhere in Mesopotamia. We have found some online maps of ancient Mesopotamia to help you visualize the region:
http://www.studylight.org/se/maps/browse.cgi?st=1  (map #3)
http://oi.uchicago.edu/OI/PROJ/NIP/PUB93/NSC/NSCFIG1.html

So, although the exact location of the Eden is unknown, we can deduce that it was located in the historical region of Mesopotamia. It was a well watered region full of greenery, the perfect place for God to plant a special garden.

BIBLE TOPIC
Is Tithing a Scriptural Requirement?
According to the Law of Moses given to the Israelites, they were to tithe ten percent of all they produced on a regular basis (Leviticus 27:30-33  Deuteronomy 14:22).
This tithe was necessary for support of the Levite Priests, whose job was to carry out the work of God and spiritually lead the Israelites in true worship. It was the priests' only means of support, since they weren't free to work and provide for themselves (Numbers 18:21). Interestingly though, even the Levites were to offer up ten percent of their own tenth to God (Numbers 18:25-26).

Since the Jewish Law stipulated this tithe to support the religious leaders, many Christians today believe we are still under the requirement to tithe a full ten percent to their places of worship.  However, they forget that the Jewish Law code was abolished by Christ's death: The Law Covenant/ Law of Moses was the old covenant (2 Corinthians 3:14), and Christ is the mediator of the New Covenant through his death, which released us from that Old Covenant (Hebrews 9:15-22). This replacement was foretold at Jeremiah 31:31-33 and confirmed at Hebrews 8:7-13.

Thus, Christ ended the obligation of the Old Covenant for us (Romans 10:4, Galatians 3:24-25), and brought us into a New Covenant inaugurated through his death (Luke 22:20, Hebrews 7:22). The act of Christ bringing in the New Covenant and abolishing the old Jewish Law covenant was, in effect, a change of the priesthood. This is supported at Hebrews 7:11-14 which states (New International Version): If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the law was given to the people), why was there still need for another priest to come—one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? For when there is a change of the priesthood, there must also be a change of the law. He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.
In the interest of saving space, we are providing a link to the October 2005 CommonTruth eNewsletter article that further explains this change in priesthood from the Aaronic/Levitical priesthood of the Old Covenant to the Melchizedek priesthood under the New Covenant:
http://www.commontruth.com/newsletters/CTNOct2005.html#bible

Does this change in priesthood change the law requirement of ten percent tithing? Apparently it does, for as the above scripture in Hebrews states "For when there is a change of the priesthood, there must also be a change of the law." In what ways did the law change? According to the apostle Paul at 2 Corinthians 9:7, we are to give only that which we choose; without the compulsion that the Old Covenant tithe demanded. Nowhere in the New Testament is it compulsory to tithe a full ten percent for the support of the spiritual leaders. Supporting this is the fact that Paul himself chose to live by his own means of income, instead of expecting the congregations to tithe for his needs (Acts 18:1-4, 2 Thessalonians 2:9).

     Of course, this shouldn't be taken to imply that it is alright if you don't give anything at all. We need to keep in mind that, although the ten percent tithe is no longer mandatory due to the change in law, we are still encouraged to give something. Jesus himself encouraged us to "give", without specifying a certain amount (Luke 6:38). The bible is full of admonition to be generous (Matthew 5:42, Luke 6:38, Hebrews 13:16, etc.and especially Romans 12:13) Therefore, we do need to realize the financial situation regarding our spiritual teachers, and even the maintenance of our places of worship, including house congregations. So, be willing to give what you are able, yet do not feel guilty if ten percent is too much of your financial ability. Yahweh is not interested in our "giving 'til it hurts", for he prefers a cheerful giver instead (2 Corinthians 9:7).

Therefore, do not let others "guilt" you into giving any more than you are comfortable giving. And alternatively, do not be looking down on those who give less than what you yourself are giving. Our Christian duty is to simply give happily. If each person is content in their contribution, then each is fulfilling their Christian requirements. It is up to our Father to judge whether or not a donation is appropriate, we need to keep the splinters out of our own eyes instead of worrying about the splinters in others'. (Matthew 7:1-5).

BIBLE Version Critique
New American Bible
http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/index.htm
Virtues: The language is easy to read. The spelling of names and places, and the chapter/verse divisions, are consistent with most other bible versions, unlike the Douay-Rheims version. The St. Joseph Edition of the New American Bible also contains extra indices that include a bible dictionary, as well as pictures/maps within the pages of the bible portion itself. There are lots of footnotes throughout the reading. God's personal name (rendered as "Yahweh") can be found in some of the footnotes and in a few verses such as Genesis 22:14, Exodus 17:15, Judges 6:24.
Flaws: This bible version is denominationally oriented: Denominationally oriented versions are flawed because they tend to alienate those who aren't a member of that particular faith. Much like the Douay-Rheims, this is a Catholic based bible version.  This version contains apocryphal writings. Along with that, the several indices included in the St. Joseph's version are built primarily around the Catholic faith. Therefore, this version isn't easily assimilated into non-Catholic congregations.

Encouraging Word
Matthew 10:28-31
And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; but rather be afraid of Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Gehenna). Are not two little sparrows sold for a penny? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's leave (consent) and notice. But even the very hairs of your head are  all numbered. Fear not, then; you are of more value than many sparrows.  -- Amplified Bible
At times when we are facing severe trials, it is easy to think that Yahweh isn't interested in our plights. It is too easy to believe He has "forgotten" us. However, this scripture reminds us that, not only is He interested in what's happening, but that He's so interested He even knows how many hairs are on our heads! This scripture also reminds us that He is so interested in His creation that even a nothing-little-sparrow garners His attention (and thus we ourselves would garner even more attention from Him). Yahweh has promised that He will not forsake those who worship Him (Psalms 118:6, Hebrews 13:5-6). Knowing these things, we can know we aren't being forsaken by Him when we undergo missiles from Satan.

GUEST COLUMNIST
Circumcision of the Heart -- who is it for?
Contributed by:  Resolute
In the book of Romans chapter 2, verses 28 to 29 we read:
“For he is not a Jew who is one on the outside, nor is circumcision that which is on the
outside upon the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one on the inside, and [his] circumcision is that
of the heart by spirit, and not by a written code. The praise of that one comes, not from
men, but from God.”
Was the circumcision of the heart a mere Christian replacement for the fleshly circumcision
that the Jews practiced? Was the circumcision of the heart ever a requirement for the
nation of Israel? In fact, could it be that  Paul was saying here that a Jew might be
circumcised in the flesh but if he was not also circumcised in the heart, he wasn’t a true
Jew?
My first impression on reading Romans 2:28-29 was that this was referring to how a
Christian, whether Jew or Gentile, becomes a spiritual Jew.....by experiencing the
circumcision of the heart by spirit and thus becoming a new creation, part of the “Israel of
God”. And of this there is no question as Paul makes this clear in Galatians 6:15-16:
“For neither is circumcision anything nor is uncircumcision, but a new creation [is
something]. And all those who will walk orderly by this rule of conduct, upon them be peace
and mercy, even upon the Israel of God.”
However, on closer study of the OT scriptures, it would appear that the nation of Israel was not only to practice the circumcision of the flesh but also were commanded to circumcise the foreskin of their hearts. In another place it is said that Jehovah would perform the circumcision for them.
“And YOU must circumcise the foreskin of YOUR hearts and not harden YOUR necks
any longer.” -- Deuteronomy 10:16
“And Jehovah your God will have to circumcise your heart and the heart of your
offspring, that you may love Jehovah your God with all your heart and all your soul for the
sake of your life.” -- Deuteronomy 30:6
In both of the above scriptures the uncircumcised state of the heart is linked to pride
(hard necks) and the inability to love Jehovah with all the heart and soul, with the resultant
loss of life. Pretty serious stuff!
An uncircumcised heart might also lead to resisting the holy spirit as it most certainly did
when most of the first century Jews rejected God’s beloved son. As Stephen pointed out to
the San’hedrin:
“Obstinate men and uncircumcised in hearts and ears, YOU are always resisting the holy
spirit; as YOUR forefathers did, so YOU do. Which one of the prophets did YOUR
forefathers not persecute? Yes, they killed those who made announcement in advance
concerning the coming of the righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers YOU have now
become, YOU who received the Law as transmitted by angels but have not kept it.” -- Acts
7:51-53
Their reaction?
“Well, at hearing these things they felt cut to their hearts and began to gnash their
teeth at him. But he, being full of holy spirit, gazed into heaven and caught sight of God’s
glory and of Jesus standing at God’s right hand, and he said: “Look! I behold the heavens
opened up and the Son of man standing at God’s right hand.” At this they cried out at the
top of the voice and put their hands over their ears and rushed upon him with one accord. And after throwing him outside the city, they began casting stones at him.” -- Acts 7:54-58
Was their feeling “cut to the heart” an evidence that they had just experienced a
circumcision of that organ? Hardly! We just need to look at the result, the stoning of
Stephen, to recognize this fact. In stark contrast, the men who heard Peter’s testimony at
Pentecost took a different course. The scripture bears witness:
“Therefore let all the house of Israel know for a certainty that God made him both
Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom YOU impaled.” -- Acts 2:36
These listeners really did experience a circumcision of their hearts as the next verse shows:
“Now when they heard this they were stabbed to the heart, and they said to Peter and
the rest of the apostles: “Men, brothers, what shall we do?” Peter [said] to them: “Repent,
and let each one of YOU be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for forgiveness of YOUR
sins, and YOU will receive the free gift of the holy spirit.” -- Acts 2:37-38
Verse 41 shows the result:
“Therefore those who embraced his word heartily were baptized, and on that day about
three thousand souls were added.” -- Acts 2:41
If we compare the two expressions from Acts chapters 2 and 7 in Strong’s we can see quite
a difference between the two Greek words. First, we look at the meaning for the word
“stabbed” found at Acts 2:37 where this translation is given:

GREEK
 2660 katanusso {kat-an-oos'-so}
 from 2596 and 3572; TDNT - 3:626,419; v
 AV - prick 1; 1
 1) to prick, pierce
 2) metaph. to pain the mind sharply, agitate it vehemently
    2a) esp. of the emotion of sorrow
On the other hand, the definition for the Greek word for “cut”, the word employed at Acts
7:54,  as found in Strong’s, is:
GREEK
 1282 diaprio {dee-ap-ree'-o}
 from 1223 and the base of 4249;; v
 AV - be cut to the heart 1, be cut 1; 2
 1) to saw asunder or in two, to divide by a saw
 2) to be sawn through mentally, i.e. to be rent with vexation
So, while the English words “cut” and “stabbed” seem to be very similar, the Greek words
have quite a different meaning and move to very dissimilar action.

So far, we’ve been considering how circumcision of the heart, or the lack of it, affected the
Jewish nation, especially in their reception of the Christ in the first century. But what about
the non-Jewish Christian? How does this spiritual heart circumcision affect these?
The original “covenant of the circumcision” was the Abrahamic covenant. In the words of Stephen when before the San’hedrin:
“He also gave him a covenant of circumcision; and thus he became the father of Isaac
and circumcised him on the eighth day.” -- Acts 7:8
Paul tells us in Galatians that Abraham had two wives, Hagar and Sarah. These two women stood for two covenants, Hagar--the Law Covenant, which brought forth children for slavery and which stood for the Jerusalem of his day. Sarah, on the other hand, represented the New Covenant, inaugurated by the blood of God’s own son, and pictured the free Heavenly Jerusalem which was the mother of all Christians, not just those of Jewish origin, just as Abraham was the father of all those having faith. (Galatians 4:22-26: Romans 4:11: Matthew 26:28)
The Hagar-like Law Covenant failed to bring forth the children of the promise due to the
lack of circumcision of the heart of the majority of the nation of Israel. Only a remnant of these received Jesus as the promised Christ. Only a few proved themselves worthy of  being baptized into Christ-- the true seed of the promise God made to Abraham.
The Sarah-like New Covenant was foretold in Jeremiah with these words:
“Look! There are days coming,” is the utterance of Jehovah, “and I will conclude with
the house of Israel and with the house of Judah a new covenant;  not one like the covenant
that I concluded with their forefathers in the day of my taking hold of their hand to bring
them forth out of the land of Egypt, ‘which covenant of mine they themselves broke,
although I myself had husbandly ownership of them,’ is the utterance of Jehovah.”  “For this
is the covenant that I shall conclude with the house of Israel after those days,” is the
utterance of Jehovah. “I will put my law within them, and in their heart I shall write it. And I will become their God, and they themselves will become my people.” -- Jeremiah 31:31-33
Jesus alluded to the fact that there would be those among the nations who would join with
the remnant of true Jews as sharers of the New Covenant in the scripture found at John
10:16, where we read:
“And I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; those also I must bring, and they
will listen to my voice, and they will become one flock, one shepherd.”
These “other sheep” from among the nations would, like the faithful Jewish remnant, need
to have the “circumcision of the heart” in order for Jehovah to write his laws within, and in
order for them to be recipients of the holy spirit.
The words of the New Testament bear ample witness to the fact that, starting with
Cornelius and his household, gentile Christians were welcomed into the “Israel of God”
without bearing the marks of fleshly circumcision. What does Paul say about the evidence of
Jehovah’s having written his laws in their hearts?
“For whenever people of the nations that do not have law do by nature the things of the
law, these people, although not having law, are a law to themselves. They are the very ones
who demonstrate the matter of the law to be written in their hearts, while their conscience
is bearing witness with them and, between their own thoughts, they are being accused or
even excused” -- Romans 2:14-15
It would seem from these words of the apostle Paul that all such ones, by bearing the
righteous fruitage of the New Covenant, show themselves as being the recipients of the
circumcision of the heart and the owners of a godly, sensitive conscience, open to the
leading of holy spirit.
So we can ask: "Who is this “circumcision of the heart for”? And the answer God’s word the Bible gives is: everyone who wishes to be pleasing to Jehovah our God....
“....because the minding of the flesh means enmity with God, for it is not under
subjection to the law of God, nor, in fact, can it be. So those who are in harmony with the
flesh cannot please God.” -- Romans 8:7-8
“.....but the minding of the spirit means life and peace.” -- Romans 8:6
May you all have peace!

NEWS BYTES
(WorthyNews) AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch pedophiles are launching a political party to push for a cut in the legal age for sexual relations to 12 from 16 and the legalization of child pornography and sex with animals, sparking widespread outrage.  Read more...
http://www.worthynews.com/news/reuters-myway-com-article-20060530-2006-05-30T170332Z_01_L30338107_RTRIDST_0_ODD-DUTCH-PEDOPHILES-DC-html/

(Aberdeen News) PIERRE - Secretary of State Chris Nelson said Tuesday he won't know for several weeks whether enough valid signatures have been submitted to force a statewide vote in November on South Dakota's new law that would ban nearly all abortions.  Read more...
http://www.aberdeennews.com/mld/aberdeennews/news/14704762.htm?source=rss&channel=aberdeennews_news

(Christian Week) MONCTON, NB—New Brunswick schoolchildren are once again allowed to receive Bibles from the Gideons. In a new education policy announced in April, religious materials may be distributed with prior permission from the Department of Education and from the parents or guardian of each child. Read more....
http://www.christianweek.org/stories/vol20/no05/story2.html

(AgapePress)  Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) is continuing to pursue its lawsuit against the Montgomery County Public School System in Maryland. The legal action was filed after the school district refused to send students home with flyers promoting the Christian group's Good News Bible Clubs.  Read more...
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/5/302006c.asp

PEOPLE OF THE BIBLE
Comparison of human society
Many people consider the bible to be long outdated, thinking modern day mankind has nothing in common with the people who lived during bible times. What they don't realize is that modern day humans have everything in common with the people from the bible days.  Some examples to show the "common-ness" between then and now:

Agriculture: Genesis 2:15, 9:20, 2 Timothy 2:6,
Cashiers/Merchants: Genesis 37:28, Nehemiah 13:20, Matthew 21:12,
Cohabitation/Marriage: Matthew 24:38, John 4:18
Divorce / Separation: Deuteronomy 24:1, 1 Corinthians 7:10-15
Educational Institutions: Esther 1:13, John 7:15, Acts 22:3,
Fishermen: Matthew 4:21, Luke 5:2,
Government Officials: Matthew 27, Acts 25:1
Lawyers/ Judges: Matthew 5:25, Matthew 22:35, Titus 3:13
Livestock keepers: Genesis 4:20,
Metal workers: Genesis 4:22, 1 Samuel 13:19-20
Military strength: Joshua 22:12, 1 Samuel 17:20
Money Minting: Mark 12:41
Musicians: Genesis 4:21, Daniel 3:7
Physicians: Colossians 4:14
Places of Worship: 1 Samuel 1:9, Matthew 4:23,  Acts 15:41
Polygamy: Genesis 4:23, 1 Kings 11:3
Prisons:  Genesis 39:20, Matthew 14:3, Acts 5:23,
Prostitutes: Leviticus 21:7, Joshua 2:1
Religious Variety: Esther 3:4, Acts 11:26, Acts 14:12-13,
Sewage / Toilets: 1 Kings 18:27, Matthew 15:17
Social Workers: Acts 4:35, Acts 6:1-3
Spiritual Leaders: Luke 2:46, Acts 13:1,
Tax Officials: 2 Kings 23:35, Matthew 9:9
Vehicles: Genesis 50:9, 1 Chronicles 13:7,

Though this isn't a complete list,  it is clear that there is nothing about living in bible days that was essentially different from living now. The only difference between then is now is technology. Therefore, the people living then had the same general life experiences that we have living today.  Because our situations haven't changed by much, and God gave instruction according to those "old" situations that we now experience still, then His instructions would continue to be useful today.

VOCABULARY ENRICHMENT
Bitumen:
A mineral pitch widely scattered over the earth, and one of the best waterproofing substances known. It was used with slime (or perhaps as "slime and pitch") to cover the ark of bulrushes (Exodus 2:3), and to waterproof Noah's ark (Genesis 6:14), for mortar in the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:3), and as a curse upon Edom (Isaiah 34:9). There were great deposits near the Dead Sea, and at different places in Mesopotamia.

Source: Zondervan's Compact Bible Dictionary, 1993

WEBSITE OF THE MONTH
Beliefs Central
http://www.biblehistory.com/BeliefsPage.html

This is an interesting little gem, for it gives a side-by-side comparisons of eleven different denominations: Adventists, Baptists, Church of God, Episcopal, Jehovah's Witness, Lutheran, Methodist, Mormon, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, and Jewish. Beliefs regarding Jesus, Salvation, Day of Worship, Bible, Life Standards, Afterlife, Hell and Baptism are compared. Although each topic isn't into great detail, there is plenty of information given to help the reader understand something about the different denominations.