Below I've included a link to a paper I wrote last year for a class I took at Asbury. I'm not really sure why I'm posting this, since it's fairly technical and I can't imagine anyone would be interested in reading it, but I suppose it's just possible that someone will someday find this paper in a Google search for research material and actually use it. The presenting reason I'm posting it, though, is because in my sermon titled "How to Go" I mentioned that in the ancient Near East, a ruler could be judged by the quality of the protection he or she offered on the roads under his or her control. That claim is actually based on research, believe it or not.
The paper in question compares some lines from the Song of Deborah with some claims made by a ruler named Azatiwada in an inscription bragging about how great he was. They're not explicitly connected in any way, of course, but they both make the assumption (or so I argue) that one standard way of judging a ruler's quality and right to brag is how well they take care of their roads. Nothing earth-shattering, I suppose, but it does shed some light on a variety of obscure passages throughout the Bible.
Click here to view this paper.
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