SHECHEM A Spiritual
Object Lesson
In John 4 , Jesus came to a town in Samaria called Sychar , near the plot Jacob had given to his son Joseph . Jesus sat by Jacob ’ s well there when along came a Samaritan woman to draw water . Jesus broke with cultural convention by talking to a lone “ Samaritan ” woman for Jews and Samaritans did not socialise but this was one of many momentous times at Shechem which is mentioned 60 times in the Old Testament .
In Hebrew Shechem means , shoulder or back probably because it is situated between two mountains , Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim . Shechem saw a lot of traffic in its history and often found itself in major events in the Bible due to its central location and vital crossroads . Today , it is located near the town of Nablus in the West Bank area of Israel .
Shechem is first mentioned in the Bible in Genesis 12:6-7 when Abram arrives in Canaan . If he had climbed up Mount Ebel and scanned the horizon he would have seen the land . “ Abram travelled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh or Terebinth at Shechem ” … “ To your offspring , I will give this land ,”… and Abram built an altar to the Lord .
Idolatry , rape and massacre
ensues in next mention of Shechem when Jacob , Abraham ’ s grandson , “ camped within sight of the city ” Gen 33:18 During Jacob ’ s ( renamed Israel ) stay he dug a well for his many herds ; this well exists today . He built an altar and named it El-elohe-Israel meaning God , the God of Israel after purchasing the land near Shechem . The same place where his son Joseph would later be buried . Joshua 24:32
During Jacob ’ s stay at Shechem , Dinah his daughter was raped by a man named Shechem and that resulted in the revengeful massacre of Shechem ’ s male population by two of Jacob ’ s sons . Gen 33 – 34 On God ’ s instructions the Israelites gave up all their foreign gods and purified themselves . Jacob had not destroyed his family idols as he should have but buried them under a tree near Shechem . Jacob clearly had a personal relationship with God yet he still couldn ’ t eliminate idol worship .
A tale of deception and treachery follows : the story of Joseph Jacob ’ s 17-year-old son , who was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers . Gen 37 His brothers were grazing the family ’ s flocks near Shechem when Jacob sent Joseph to find them . After looking for them at Shechem he found them a short distance north at Dothan . There , the brothers plotted to sell Joseph into slavery . They then lied to explain Joseph ’ s disappearance to their father .
God rescued the Israelites from Egyptian bondage 400 years on and led them through the desert for 40 years . Near the end of this journey , their leader Moses , said that once they entered the promised land at Shechem , ( see Gen 12:7 ) they were to read portions of the Law , while the people were assembled before Mounts Ebal and Gerizim . Dt 11:26 – 30 ; 27:12 , 13 They were to pronounce the blessings of the Mosaic covenant on the nation . With half the people in front of Mount Ebal and the other half in front of Mount Gerizim ; they shouted the curses they would encounter if they disobeyed the law and blessings if they obeyed .
A mixed crowd of both Israelites and native Shemites ( aliens ) heard the words of the law that day . The Bible implies that they co-existed peacefully together at that time . Joshua built an altar to God on Mount Ebal and on the pillar of stones he wrote a copy of the law . Joshua 8:30-35 With Mount Ebal and Gerizim overlooking the Shechem valley a natural amphitheatre , in which the reciting of the Law could have been easily heard , was formed . Despite the mountains ’ heights ( Ebal is 3,083
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