“Y’hoshua gathered all the tribes of Isra’el to Sh’khem; he summoned the leaders, heads, judges and officials of Isra’el; and they presented themselves before God.”-Joshua 24:1
I have a quick question for you.
When you hear the word “Israel”, what famous town or city comes to mind?
If you’re like 99.999999% of the people out there, probably the first word that pops into your mind is “Jerusalem”.
This is understandable.
Because Jerusalem is the capital of Israel (despite what the UN says) and is where Messiah will be ruling from when he returns.
However, next to Jerusalem, do you know what other city also holds incredible significance in the Scriptures?
Take a look at verse 1 of Joshua Chapter 24.
It says all the representatives of Israel met at a town call Shechem.
If the name Shechem doesn’t mean much to you now, it will after reading this article.
Consider these facts about Shechem.
It was at Shechem where the Almighty God, the Creator of the whole universe, first reached out to Abraham and made him a promise that his descendants would eventually possess the Land of Canaan.
It was at Shechem where Israel first gathered when they crossed over the Jordan River into the Promised Land for the first time.
It was at Schechem, which is situated between the two mountains of Ebla and Gerizim, where Israel stood together as one to hear Hashem pronounce the blessings and curses of the covenant they had entered into.
And way before that, recall that it was at Shechem where Jacob purchased land from the King of Shechem and hoped to settle down there.
Unfortunately, that was not to be because soon after, his two sons Simeon and Levi went on a murderous rampage on the male citizens of the town to avenge the rape of their sister Dinah by the King’s son.
Finally, the important question to ask is…
…why is Shechem important to us as believers?
It’s important because it’s at Shechem where God made certain promises to Abraham that every believer counts on for the very salvation of his or her soul.
Never forget that the salvation process and promise for all of mankind started with Abraham at Shechem and would eventually be fulfilled in Messiah.
If you consider yourself a believer, that means you too have spiritual roots going all the way back to Shechem.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“Your father Abraham rejoiced
at the thought of seeing my day;
he saw it and was glad.”
-John 8:56
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