Gen 15:1 - I am your shield (part 1)

When I read Genesis 15:1 it was like taking a step into a river and getting swept away. There was too much in it and along with other demands on my time I never got round to blogging it. However, after 6 months I am going to have another go. I have had three or four coincidences that have encouraged me to do so and now with an hour or so free on my day off I'm going to try to finish it (not the whole bible just this next blog! - One coincidence one was reading Terry Virgo's blog on the shield of faith. http://blog.terryvirgo.org/the-shield-of-faith/, another was a memory verse I was pointed towards - see forth coming series "Project Samurai Sword" in my general blog.) I may only skim the surface of this verse but there is a lot more of the bible to read and I am sure the themes and truths will reappear further along the path. Anyway here goes:

Abram has just won a great victory and rescued his nephew Lot. He had recognised and given glory to God for these things in his encounter with the priest king Melchizedek while another King lurks menacingly in the background. Perhaps it is reading too much into the King of Sodom's terse comments, but I wonder if they planted a seed of fear in Abraham as in this next verse we find him in need of encouragement and reassurance. At any rate, for some reason God suddenly comforts Abram with the command that crops up time and time again in the Bible "fear not."

Fear is an ever present temptation for God's people. Either fear of what will happen if they obey God or fear of what will happen having obeyed God. Gideon and Moses needed a lot of reassurance to get going and Elijah needed a lot of aftercare when he triumphed over the profits of Baal.  

Here is just a sample of the "fear not" passages:

fear not, for I am with you;

    be not dismayed, for I am your God;

  I will strengthen you, I will help you,

    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 

Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. (ESV) Mat 10:31  

for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. (ESV) 2 Tim 1:7  

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. (ESV) 1 John 4:18  

in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.

    What can man do to me? Psalm 56:11 

(There are loads more great verses and encouragements on fear in Max Lucado's little "fear not promise book".) God does not simply say "fear not". He usually gives good reasons why we should not be afraid. The reason at the root of every encouragement is who God is and where God is. When Jesus came, fully revealing who God was, time and time again he used the phrase "I am…". He was: The way, the truth, the life, the good Shepherd, the vine, the bread of life, the gate. The aspect of God's nature that he reveals to Abraham at this time is that he is to him a shield. He is not just a shield, or everyone's shield, but "your shield". 

It's interesting that he does not say everything is going to be okay ie "no one will attack you or try and hurt you". Rather he says I am your shield. We live in a time of conflict, and we do not need false assurances of peace, rather weapons and armor to engage in the battle.

It occurred to me that with a shield, and even with a fortress, as God later reveals himself to be, to take advantage of these things requires action on our part. You hold a shield and lift it up. You run into a fortress and lock the door. A shield is no good as it lies on the ground and a fortress is no good if you stand outside. As arrows fall on you the shield needs to be used. The benefits of who God is are appropriated in our life as we take hold of them through faith. It's interesting that in Ephesians 6 Paul encourages those in the church to:

"take up the whole armour of God... Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God".

See how active all this is. It's interesting to see how intimately faith is linked to God's shielding and protection of us. I'll let Max Lucado end this long overdue blog entry:

       Fear knocked at the door. Faith answered. There was no one there. MaxLucado

In the next blog I will look briefly at real fear and it's counterfeit. 

Gen 14:20b - Giving it all away (The marvelous, mysterious Melchizedek part 3)

Gen 14:20b Abram gave him a tenth of everything. (ESV)

We gave our parents a gift recently to say thank you for their kindness in looking after us for a few days. We thought a lot about it but came to the conclusion that they had everything they wanted. We still wanted to give them a gift though. It dawned on us that the key thing was not meeting some material need of theirs for a missing kitchen utensil but to communicate something through the giving of a gift. Though over the years they have given us more than we could every repay and the gift in itself would be of little practical help, the giving of it would bless both them and us.

I have been looking at how Abram sees Melchizedek as God's representative and so gives him some of his loot. It's so sad when giving to God is seen as 'helping him out', as if he needs "change for a cup of tea"  when it's really about God sharing with us his joy in giving.

Twice in this passage God is referred to as "God most high, Possessor of heaven and earth" (v19 and 22). He owns everything. If we are in any doubt about God's recourses we can take a look at Psalm 50 and read that "the cattle on a thousand hills" v10 are his. "If I were hungry" God says "I would not tell you for the world is mine, and all that is in it" v12. So we do not give to God because he needs it.

When you love someone, or are grateful to them, it's natural to give them a gift. Of course God has no need for money so even what we give to him he gives to others to use or steward.  Just like we gave a small token present to our parents it's a wonderful privilege to give back to God. He has everything but wants us to enjoy the joy of giving. Giving to God  is a way of acknowledging him as the source of our recourses and thanking him for all he has given us.

The next question is why 10% rather than 100% or 7% or 12% or 0%? Is there anything significant about 10%? Was it easier to work out perhaps? Not sure if they had decimal counting system then. Interestingly when Moses wins a battle he does things a bit differently giving a 1 in 500 share from the Israelites that fought to the high priest (Num 31:28) and a 1 in 50 share from the Israelites who stayed at home to the Levites.

In any case, like 3 and 7, 10 is an important biblical number. There were 10 generations recorded before the flood. God sent 10 plagues on the Egyptians and gave Moses 10 commandments. This figure of 10% crops up again in the laws God give to his people on regular giving (Num 18, Lev 27:30-33).

Commentators say that 10 signifies completion in some way. Maybe because we have 10 fingers we have 10 mental slots to put things in. Think of the top 10 music charts or a magazine that advertises "10 tips to healthy eating". If there were 11 we might wonder what the 12th was but having 10 seems to imply there are no more worth knowing about. The list is complete. Maybe in giving 10% away we are in a sense giving all, except that 10% in the law is really only a minimum starting point for giving.  

Jesus loved it when the widow gave everything to God and actually, Abram did give everything away. In a rather terse statement the King of Sodom says "Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself" v22. Abram, however, while making sure that all who are with him have their fair share, refuses to take anything for himself. Having said that God wants us to have what he gives to us, it seems Abram is happy to use God's provision to bless everyone around him while he goes without. His reason is so that the King of Sodom cannot say he has made Abram rich. Perhaps the unfriendly nature of the Kings address (command?) as caused Abram to be wary of being obligated to him. Previously Abram was happy to leave Egypt with armfuls of the Pharaoh's treasure so either he had grown in moral maturity, or he saw difficulty ahead in being associated with this King. Who we accept money and resources from remains a modern day moral dilemma. Would it give the giver the impression that God needed their help? Does the help come with strings attached or some unspoken moral obligation to use the money in a particular way?

So ends this significant little encounter between Abram and Melchizedek. For some reason it took me ages and I expect I have still missed tones. I am not even half way through the first book of the 66 that are in the bible. I must not rush though. I wonder what's around the next corner?

Gen 14:20 - Sharing out the winnings (The marvellous, mysterious Melchizedek part 2)

Gen 14:20 "blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!"

And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. (ESV)

Abram has just rescued his nephew Lot and got rich in the process. When a priest/king called Melchizedek comes out to meet him with bread and wine. This is said to take place in "The valley of Shaveh (that is the king's valley)" v17. It is probably close to Jerusalem (2 Sam 18:18). It could have been the flattish area north of Jerusalem but most people say it's the valley west of the city of David in Jerusalem (Genesis Bruce K Waltke page 233).

Melchizedek blesses Abram and then Abram gives him a tenth of all the spoils. Actually the Hebrew text does not specify whether Abram gave to Mel or Mel to Abram but most take it to be the former, especially in light of Heb 7:6  "But this man (Mel) who does not have his descent from them (the Levi's) received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises (Abram)". (ESV). So then  why did Abram give Melchizedek some of his hard earned treasure?

It's because Melchizedek is acting as in intermediary between Abram and God. This priestly function is seen when he blesses Abram with the words "Blessed be Abram by God most High". Melchizedek is blessing Abram on behalf of God. He also blesses God as the one who has given Abram victory over his enemies. Abram wants to express his thanks and devotion to God for his success so naturally he gives to Melchizedek, seeing him as God's representative.

Of course all this points towards Jesus, who was a priest in the order of Melchizedek. He supremely bridged the gap between God and man, being in nature himself both God and man. Through Jesus a blessing is pronounced on us. In surely one of the best opening lines of any letter ever written Paul's says to the  Ephesian church:  

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, (ESV) " Ephesians 1:3

Something about that reminds me of of Mel's blessing in Gen 14:19-20.

Was Melchizedek actually a pre-incarnate Jesus? Some think so. The letter to the Hebrews gives some strong links: "to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. (ESV) Heb 7:2. "King of righteousness" sounds like a good name for Jesus and if Shalom is Jerusalem (see Ps 76:2) then "King of Jerusalem" also sounds a like a fitting title for him as does "King of peace". These thing's aren't really deal breakers though. Moving on to the next verse, Mel is said to be "without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever" (ESV) Heb 7:3 which does add the mystery somewhat. However it could be that this just means his presthood is not by virtue of his parents, nor limited to a certain period of his life (Num 4:3ff, Num 8:24-25). Also, in this verse, Mel is said to resemble the son of God rather than actually be the son of God so it's hard to make a strong case that the two people are one and the same. Anyway, I'm not sure what would be gained by that discovery anyway so I want to move onto something more certain.   

Not only is Jesus a priest but I am too! Not the sort with special robes and incense, but a mediator between God and man. In fact all Christians are, Peter says so:

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (ESV) 1 Peter 2:9 

Peter is  applying an OT promise from  Ex 19:6 to the new covenant people of God. The book of Revelation revels in this truth too! (Rev 5:10, Rev 1:6, Rev 20:6). The church has a mediatory role holding out the gospel to the world. We do that by proclaiming the praises of him who saved us. The gospel is a proclamation that praises God! It brings such glory to him when we tell of his shear grace and kindness in giving up his son, so that we, you, they, could be forgiven and accepted. Praise God!  

Gen 14:18 - Food for thought (The marvellous, mysterious Melchizedek part 1)

Melchizedek is a great name. I wonder if anybody is called that today. Easily shortened to an informal Mel, but majestic in its entity and surely ranking among the grandest, most significant names in the bible. An added bonus for a young Mel K would be the difficulty of telling someone off with such a name. Your parents wrath might instinctively be held back by a sense of deference to such a grand and messianically significant title. "Melchizedek, go to your room!" just doesn't sound right. Rather than scold you they might even give you 10% of their income as pocket money!

But enough frivolity, this is an awesome place in the bible to stop and look around. Let me describe where I am. Abram has just returned from rescuing Lot from the clutches of four King's who kidnapped him along with the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. The King of Sodom comes out to meet him in the Valley of Shavah. Melchizedek, the king of Salem (NIV says that refers to Jerusalem) and "priest of God most high" brings out bread and wine and blesses Abram. Abram then gives him ten percent of all the booty he got form the four kings.

When we came back from hols Steph Liston had just preached on Melchizedek at Newday (http://www.newdaygeneration.org/). I've just download it and had a quick listen. During the week he had been working his way through the book of Hebrews and in the last session  had got to chapter 7 which has tones of stuff on Melchizedek. Psalm 110:4 also mentions Melchizedek but for now I'll resist the urge to refer to either of these places and just concentrate on the Genesis passage. 

The first thing to note here is that Melchizedek was both a King and a priest. This is odd as in Israel, priests were descended from Abram's great grandson (Jacob's son) Levi and Kings from his great grandson Judah. There was only one other person in the whole of the bible who was both a King and priest and that was, (drum role) Jesus so right off the bat I know something significant is going on here.  

The second thing that that jumps out at me is that he brings out bread and wine. Again, that seems odd and obviously reminds me of the other person to take out bread and wine: Jesus.  We know Jesus broke bread and poured out wine to symbolise God's new covenant (or arrangement) with mankind. Abram however has no idea about that, nor does anybody else at this point yet Melchizedek's actions are not remarked upon as odd. Abram doesn't say "what are you doing that for?". Maybe it was a bit like turning up to a dinner party with a bottle and chocolates? A kind of social mechanism speaking of friendship, acceptance, enjoyment, and being together? In that part of the world particularly there was a strong tradition of showing hospitality and eating together and bread and wine are staples of a good meal. It has been suggested that he may have had enough to refresh Abam's whole army after the battle. 

So this King/priest is inviting Abram into friendship with him. Not quite "let's grab a pint together" but not far off. Jesus "came eating and drinking" (Mat 11:19) and got a lot of flak for it. He went to peoples' houses and enjoyed meals with them. He reclined at the dinner table with his disciples then taking the bread and wine in his hands, said some very powerful and graphic statements about himself: "this is my body, given for you" (Luke 22:19), "this is my blood poured out for many " (Matt 26:28). No one who hears those things could ever look at bread and wine in the same way again.     

Genesis 13 and 14 - Thinking a little about a Lot

Over my summer holidays I have been thinking a little about Lot. Up to this point in the story of Abram he has been in the background, traveling with Abram - one might even say tagging along. Reading the account for the first time I would wonder why Lot is mentioned at all.

It occurred to me that Lot was the nearest thing Abram had to a son. Maybe Abram loved him very much. That might explain some of the events that now take place and point to the real meaning of the story.

Abram and Lot leave Egypt loaded down with treasure. They go back to the Negev and then back to where Abram first pitched his tents between Ai and Bethel. He had built an alter at Shechem when God first promised him the land, and another here in between Bethel and Ai where he called on the Lord. It seems Abram calls on the name of the Lord again on his return.

Abram's journey in to Cannan, to Egypt and back again

Abram and Lot have so many possessions and people with them that their Sheppard's are beginning to argue about who gets the best grazing land. To solve this Aram decides that tha time has come for them to separate and gives Lot the first choice of where to go. Lot chooses the well watered plans of Jordon so Abram takes the land of Cannan.  God restates to Abram his promise of land (all you can see) and offspring (more than the dust of the earth), and then Abram settles down near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron where he builds his third alter.  

How different this story is to the events that are currently playing out in the same patch of ground today. Abram is prepared, it seems, to give away the best of the land. God's promises to him cause him to be generous rather than possessive. Subsequent biblical events will of course transpire under God's direction that are not quite so jolly and that I think is a hint as to why we should not jump to a moralising conclusion too quickly. More on that in a moment but I want to explore Abram motives a little first. Perhaps Abram sees Lot as the nearest thing he has to a son and so is willing to give him the best shot at filling the land with his descendents. Perhaps Abram thinks it's time Lot stood on his own two feet. In any case Abram's determination to rescue lot a bit later on shows that he cared very deeply for him and so perhaps his generosity is not so strange.  

As we talked about all this my brother in law pointed out that this is not a straightforward family at all. Heres a taster:

1) Abram's Dad had had daughter Sara by a woman other than Abram's mum

2) Abram ended up marrying sara, his half sister.  

3) Abram had two brothers Haran and Nahor. Haran married Milcah, the daughter of 

Nahor

4)  Abrams Brother Harran died in Ur leaving his son Lot fatherless.

5)  Lot fathers two sons (the ancestors of the Moabites and Ammonites) by his two daughter    

6) Abram fathers a son, Ishmael by his wifes servant Hagar.

The most immediately relevant thing here is that Lot's own father had died and so I would have thought he would see Abram as the nearest thing he had to a father. He had come a long way with him but now seems happy to separate and make his own way in the world. Lucky for him Abram is still keeping an eye on him and when he gets caught up in a local war and carried off as spoils, Abram comes to the rescue.

But what is the point of this story. Just because it happened doesn't mean it should take up space in God's word. Everything God has caused to be recorded and written down is for our benefit to do me good and point me to Jesus.

Here's how a children's bible activity interprets these events:

"Abram deserved the nicer land and could have just taken it. Instead he chose to give it to his nephew. We can all make choices like that. Here's a way! Find a treat. Find a friend. Cut the treat into two pieces, one a little bigger than the other. Take the smaller piece for yourself and give the bigger piece to your friend. Don't tell your friend that you chose the smaller piece - just keep it between you and God."  

That may be true and certainly the world would be a better place is we all followed Abrams example here, but I don't think that is at all the point of the story. It not even that as we give away we get more back. If I stop there I sense I will miss most of the point. I want to peer through the mists of moralizing to the heart of the story. (Interestingly enough someone I spoke to on holiday was finding some very helpful prophetic direction based on this exact story, but that God would use it in this way is of course quite secondary). Where is Jesus? Where is the gospel? That is what has been occupying my mind for the past few days. I am convinced there is a lot more here than a moral example (if it is one at all).  

What's the gist of the story? Abram gives Lot the chance to make a go of it. Lot makes a mess of things, or at least gets taken captive. Abram rescues him. That feels a bit closer to the gospel. I set off to do what I thought was best, to live in the way and the place that I chose. I didn't realize the battle that was being played out around me and the peril I would get into, and like Lot I ended up in need of rescue.

4 Kings come to quash rebellion.
They capture Lot. Abram comes after them,
rescues him a and chases the kings away.

I was fatherless and God became to me a father. Jesus defeated the principalities and powers that carried me off and held me captive. He put me back on my feet again. It wouldn't be the last time that Abram lived out a type of God. In a few years time he would prepare to sacrifice his own son. I am so glad that even now, God's eye is on me to look after me. That I have an even more special relationship with God than Lot had with Abram and which, though not spelled out seems to waft like some wonderful perfume form this short account.

In the grand events of history I am just tagging along. The story is not about me but God. I can image people in the future reading the history books and wondering "why does it mention Marcus?". What's the point of him being in the story. Sure those things happened in his life but why bother mentioning them. And then they would realize that the little bit written about me was not really about me but my heavenly father. And as that penny drops I expect they'll say "Wow, God must have loved him very much".  Which would be true. He does.

Gen 12:13 Are Abram's pants are on fire?

Gen 12:13   Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake."


Abraham is clearly trying to save his own skin. He has to go into Egypt in order to survive the famine but he fears that the Egyptians will want to take his beautiful wife, which turns out to be true. Abram reasons that they will want him out of the way if he is known as her husband but they might tolerate or even bless him if they think he is Sara's brother. Again, he turns out to be right, and when Pharaoh takes Sara he gives Abram loads of animals and servants.

So was it a lie? Well, when he plays the same card again we learn that Sara is, in fact, his half sister (Gen 20:12) so while it's not an outright lie, it’s certainly a bit deception. As we get to know more of Abram and his family it becomes clear that we should not necessarily make them role models in every aspect of their lives. It is very instructive though to keep our eyes on God and see how he deals with these very human characters.

Amazingly heaven is silent about Abrams little distortion of the truth and God continues to work out his plans thorough the good and bad in his life. The same is not true for Pharaoh however. Although he has been deceived and has unwittingly taken another man's wife, God gives him and his family some serious diseases.

Before looking at the judgment of Pharaoh, I want to think about how God treats Abram. The favor of God is on him such that God does not punish him for every little thing he does wrong. Even when he bends the truth God's favor remains on him. He doesn't get "told off" or punished, or "taught a lesson" or even disciplined. I'm so glad God treats me like that. Of course he disciplines me and corrects me at times, but not all the time for everything I do wrong. He loves me and changes me over time. That is good because I am not expecting to be perfect this side of eternity and if God majored on what I did wrong my life would be pretty miserable. You see it sometimes in parents who continuality pick their kids up on every little thing they do wrong. Instead, my life is filled with God's grace and kindness. A lot of the time God must choose to silently cover my sin and bless me despite my failings. I have done much worse than Abram in my life and yet it is overflowing with God's blessing.  

            Good sense makes one slow to anger,

            and it is his glory to overlook an offense.

            Prov 19:11 

           

But what about Pharaoh? First it seems that God does in fact give sickness under some circumstances. It’s not therefore quite right to say that "sickness is always from the devil". Here, at least, it is described as being from God. The second thing is that while Abram did something dubious and got rich, Pharaoh unwittingly did something wrong and got hammered. Why?

Simply put, not everyone is a recipient of God's grace. In the bible, knowing you are doing something wrong does indeed increase your guilt, but not knowing you are doing something wrong does not absolve you of all responsibility. Pleading ignorance will get you some leniency but not totally let off. The law distinguished between sins done unwittingly and sins done intentionally "with a high hand" (Numbers 15:22-41). A sacrifice could be made for the former but for the later a person was to be cut off from his people.

Jesus tells a parable where a servant who knows his master's will but does not do it is beaten with many blows while another servant who does something deserving punishment without knowing it was wrong gets beaten with few blows. Luke 12:48

 

I am so glad I am a child of God with his favor resting upon me every moment of every day.  It doesn't mean I am careless or presumptuous in my thoughts and actions though. Far from it. David prayed "Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;" (Psalm 19:13). We see his soft heart towards God again in Psalm 139:

"Search me, O God, and know my heart!

Try me and know my thoughts!

And see if there be any grievous way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting!" Psalm 139:23-24

Rules can simply harden a heart or break it in pieces while love can melt it and mold it. Knowing God's favor is a powerful motivation to live according to his wonderful ways. One of my favorite verses is Titus 2:12 which says that God's grace teaches us to say no to unrighteousness and I have found that to be true. 

Gen 12:6 Back to the future

Gen 12:6   Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. (ESV)

I feel like I am going backwards at the moment. I was trying to work out where Abram went after God had spoken to him when I realised I didn't know where Abram was when God spoke to him. It was a place called Shechem, also called Shichem (Gen 12:6) and  Sychem (Acts 7:16) and is the first specific Palestinian place mentioned in Genesis. That has got to be worth thinking about for a bit.

Let's time travel back and watch the events that happened in this place over the course of the bible. At first it’s just a small collection of huts standing at the entrance to a narrow East, West valley. On either side of it stand the two tallest mountains in central Palestine (Mt Ebal and Mt Gerizim). A large number of people and livestock approach from the North. A man walks away from the main group and stands in the shade of a massive oak tree. As he looks around he becomes aware of another man standing near him. The man speaks “Abram, do you see all this land? I will give all this land to your decedents”. As Abram looks back the man he is gone.

Scroll forward a generation or so. There are more houses now and a fortifying wall has been put up around the settlement. Abram's grandson, Jacob, has just settled back in the land at  Shechem after meeting his brother Easu. He buys some land the and pitches his tents (Gen 33:18-19). A little later we see him burying a load of idols under the great oak (Gen 35:1-4). He also digs a well a short distance from the town (John 4:5-6).

Another generation passes and Joseph comes into sight looking for his brothers (Gen 37:12). He wanders about for a bit, speaks to a man in a field and then heads off North to Dothan. Joseph never comes back alive but years later Moses brings his bones with him out of Egypt and Joshua buries them here at Shechem (Gen 50:24-26, Ex 13:19, Josh 24:32, John 4:5).

After the Israelites took the land Joshua turns up here to underline the covenant a couple of times to the people (Josh 8:30-35, Josh 24). Gideon's son Abilmelech persuades the people of Shechem to accept him as their ruler and then murders his 70 brothers. The people gather at the great tree in Shechem to crown him King. Later the people rebel against him and he totally destroys the city. Israel reject Solomon's brother Rehoboam here (1 Kings 12:1-19) and by the time of the NT it has becomes a main settlement of the Samaritans bustling with life and activity.

A number of women are talking and laughing together as they draw water from the well just outside Shechem. As the sun gets higher in the sky and the day heats up they make their way back to the city. At noon a group of men arrive at the well. They talk and then all but one go into the city. Shortly after they enter a lone woman comes makes her way to the well. Jesus, seemingly unaware of cultural norms, strikes up a conversation with the woman and asks her for a drink.

In that place steeped in history, where God had first promised the land, were Josephs bone's lay, where idols had been buried and alters built: Jesus sits down by Jacob's well and talks with a Samarian women. What a context for a conversation! God had been faithful through the years as his people wobbled and wavered and now,  in the same place that God visibly appeared to Abram in the form of a man, Jesus, God incarnate, the word made flesh, the one to whom all the promises pointed, the Messiah, asks a lonely, broken lady for a drink. "If you only knew" he says. Wow.

I had no idea that this little place in the hill country of Ephraim (Jos 20:7) was going to be so interesting. The New Bible Dictionary tells me that today Tell Balata is on the same site some 30 miles north of Jerusalem. I'm so glad I lingered on this verse a while longer. I now feel ready to move forward and dive into the outworking of God's great plan to bless the nations in his Son Jesus Christ.    

Note Acts 7:16 seemed to say that Abraham brought the land where Joseph was buried (Gen 33:19, Joshua 24:32) but Jacob brought that land and Abraham purchases a cave in a field Genesis 23:3, 10, 17)